Will you attend a conference this year? Most likely you have clicked the email, you received the mailer, and you have seen the advertisement on social media. You hear a lot of people talking about how much fun they had at a conference, and you have a feeling that you should attend but you have not taken the steps to make your intentions a reality. Or maybe you have attended a conference in the past but it has been a few years since you made attending a conference a priority. Conferences are a valuable ministry experience and can help us go further in our leadership, so here are five reasons you should attend a conference this year.
Connect with God
Sunday mornings you are spread thin. Even if you are able to get into service you know that a text message can easily pull you in another direction. Being present at a conference allows you the freedom to worship God without distraction. Talented worship leaders usher you into the presence of God and through the quality speaking you can hear the wisdom of your Savior. As you sign up for your next conference boldly pray, asking God to speak directly to you. Ask for Him to give you ears to hear His next steps for your life.
Connect with People
It’s easy to feel isolated but events like conferences bring people together. Whether you are waiting in line for food or simply sitting down at a workshop, you are surrounded by people who care deeply about the same things you care deeply about. When you strike up a conversation, it can easily lead to a new friendship built on shared interests. Conferences naturally lend themselves to a place where those in the trenches can easily connect with those who went before them and those who are leading experts in the field. If you desire to network with people who will help you reach your potential, a conference is a great place to find them.
Connect with Resources
Are you up on the latest resources in the church? At a conference, you will be exposed to vendors who would gladly talk with you about their latest and greatest resources. If you want to hear new music, find new and exciting games then just simply walk through the exhibit hall and keep a lookout for what you are wanting to discover. If talking with vendors isn’t your thing, then simply walk through while grabbing brochures and materials from the booths that interest you and then do your research later. When you get home from the event, your brain will be on overload and so having physical reminders of resources will be very helpful.
Connect with Vision
At a conference, you will hear from experts who passionately want to share the vision that God has placed on their hearts. This can spark a fire in your church that carries on far beyond the event. Vision will impact your thinking, and after attending you will likely not see things in the same way. Your perspective might even shift, changing the trajectory of your ministry. Each and every Sunday you might begin asking new questions like, “How do we make this lesson matter on Monday?”
Connect with Calling
As time goes by, you might lose sight of why you do what you do. What first burned inside your heart at the beginning of your ministry might be slowing fading, and a conference might just be that fuel that makes all the difference in your longevity. As you hear the Word of God preached directly to your pains and struggles, you will feel a revival growing inside of you. Attending a conference might just be the pep assembly that renews your soul for another decade of ministry.
As church leaders we need to get smarter, kinder and louder, before those who live around us will trust what we have to say.
Then, what happens at our churches will have lasting impact on what happens in our homes and neighborhoods around our churches.
Join us at OC17 as we discover what it means to be For Our Neighbor. REGISTER BY DECEMBER 15 TO SAVE $70, plus receive Orange Tour bonus content! www.TheOrangeConference.com