Two recent posts by South African Christian bloggers have jumpstarted my thinking today. The first was a review on Thompson’s Two Cents earlier in the week regarding the Grace Ministers Conference. The second was Thomas Scarborough, a minister, thinker and commentator, who made an insightful observation regarding Christian conferences on his blog this morning. Thomas says,
Many years ago, I attended a world conference in the USA. I asked the president what the purpose of the conference was. I thought he’d say something about the conference programme. But he said something like this: “It is the Lord’s opportunity. He forges friendships that He will use in His Kingdom.” Since then, Christian conferences, for me, are not so much about the programme. Also, I now routinely plan time “next to” a conference or seminar — often not knowing what for — because that is likely to be God’s time more than the conference itself.
Is it fair to measure the success of a Christian conference using the following metrics: The Worship, The Speakers, The Fellowship and The Venue; and if so what should the weighting for each be?
Is it true that the connections made at conferences often outlast the impact of the content? Is this a problem or should it be like this by design?
