Now before I go any deeper, I want to let you know up front that I believe leadership conferences are, and continue to be, a great tool or resource for church leaders throughout the world. I've attended my fair share of them and have left with a plethora of great stuff. So, don't miss this point. I'm only addressing my "steroid" conference friends. And so I just wanted to interject a question or two below (and I really do have more than just these two) about my particular feelings as it relates to the conference junkie.
So...hold on and here we go:
Why you may consider taking a break from the conference "tour:"
1. Do we really need another leadership conference on being "relevant?" Maybe so. But can anything else be added that we haven't already heard? Perhaps. But it seems like every speaker is now saying the same thing, but being more creative and doing it with a twist. Remember the movie, Ground Hog Day? Okay...that was below the belt. But when I asked my friend if he had learned anything new at the last conference he attended, he had a hard time sharing with me anything that he didn't already know - or at least hadn't heard before. Trust me. I'm asking the question not trying to be cynical. I just wanted to know if he got his 500.00 dollars worth (now that's more cynical). I apologize.
2. Must we always hear from the same speakers, or is that what brings the crowd? From their books and seminars, insightful information has been shared and passed along to us. And for that, I am truly blessed. Don't get me wrong. These men and women are a great gift to us all. But like a great song, and overtime, we tend to enjoy playing them over and over again, not so much for their content, but because we love how they make us feel. In the secular world, we call them, "motivational speakers." The truth of the matter is this: Most of the content hasn't changed that much over the years, but the tune has. In fact, we even have a "Creative" Conference that we can attend if we lack the proper tune. But just like music, there are many new artist out there that we tend to overlook because, and I know that this might be hard to believe, they actually serve in a small or rural church. Unfortunately, they don't get much air-time. It's hard to feature them on the Conference schedule because they don't serve at multiple campuses or have their name on a book endorsement. And of course, the name Jim Sheflizztig isn't a common leadership name, so I doubt I would book my airline ticket tomorrow if he was the keynote speaker.
Now remember, I'm not against attending conferences. What I'm addressing here are those of us who are conference junkies. Hence, you will need to determine if that best describes you, and perhaps more importantly, the motivation behind why you attend.
Here's an important thought: Let's put into practice what we already know.
God's favor and blessing upon your ministry! Go get em!
