Another week and another slew of ministry conference brochures arrive in the mail! Is it possible for ministers to spend the entire year in back to back conferences on how to do ministry? Live streaming of international conferences only adds to the feast of teaching which is available.
We need some place to be streched and learn new things, to network with others, and to be refreshed. But conferences come with a big cost in time and money. I’ve decided to say no to most conferences in 2011. It’s not a total fast, more like a diet. CMS Summer School is locked into the family calendar, and I’ll be at the Northern Regional Conference.
Dieting like this doesn’t come naturally for me. In a small church the ministry conference is a great place to keep networking with others. I’m also sorely tempted to hear the latest ideas on how to use social media, or how to preach the Old Testament better, or how to make better use of buildings. But these can only be a means to an end, and if the sheer number of conferences gets in the way of doing the actual ministry then cutting back is a no brainer.
If no one had invented conferences we'd find other ways to learn. That's what I've been doing this year. We’re looking to start a new youth group later in the year. I’ve never run a youth group before and need to learn fast as we develop some plans. My time and money is going to be better spent having coffee with friends doing youth ministry, sitting in with them, and taking my lay leaders and key parents with me to some of this. I know Youthworks will come out and chat one to one. I plan to read, pray, devour some mp3s and then learn as we go.
The other obvious thing I’ve been reminded of is that I already know plenty of things that I haven’t implemented. Going to conferences runs the risk of just adding to things I know but don’t yet do. Maybe its better to put into place some of the stuff I’ve learnt in the last decade of ministry conferences!
So far the diet is going ok. I’m missing some sweet conferences. But I suspect I’m onto a healthier pattern of ministry.
