In my ministry right now, it is conference season. There’s student conferences, there’s staff conferences, there’s leadership conferences, and that doesn’t even get into the fun conferences offered out in the greater world beyond.I am on staff with Epic Movement, which is a part of the larger ministry/organization Campus Crusade for Christ. There are so many conferences that there is a tongue in cheek phrase used by many when conference fatigue sets in and the organization is referred to as “Campus Crusade for Conferences.”For a long time I’ve struggled with this – not that people would revert to a clever play on words to express some of the reality of what they’re feeling, but that people would be in a position where they would even be feeling that reality at all.There are immense value to many conferences. On the local level, just like in many other ministry settings there is immense value to getting students out of their daily ruts and routines to be in some sacred space and community to hear the voice of God and consider what track their lives are on. It’s the organizational side which presents some of the tensions.One thing a national ministry like ours doesn’t have to deal with like many locally based ministries like most churches is that of geography. In this case we function like an organization. But we’re a ministry that is driven by trust and relationships and a measure of community that doesn’t exist in a corporate context. The only way the relational context can be nurtured is through in person opportunities to build trust and relational capital. So conferences are the default territory for trainings, leadership communication, alignment, and change initiatives.To some degree, this cannot be changed. I was reminded last week that there is a power in face time that just cannot be duplicated in other ways. Ministry effectiveness is really dependent on trusting relationships on many levels and in many places. But is there any hope?I can’t see if there’s hope or not because I can’t speak to how the powers that be see this issue, but there is a lot of reason for hope based on new technologies. More than ever, we need to consider different ways of doing things. Video conferencing and other mediums offer alternatives to expensive and time consuming conferences to minimize some of the fatigue when there is so much going on.Ultimately, there are new ways to do what conferences have traditionally done in some areas or venues. We sometimes need to be bold enough to let go of some traditional venues to try them out. But the only way people do not get burned out is if those higher on up continue to think about how to create a healthy and sustainable culture that values consistency and stability on the local level. Perhaps this would lead to the elimination of some conferences. It might lead to a new model of how conferences seek to be effective so that they are maximized.Here’s my personal philosophy of conferences with my own context in view:
- Eliminate any of them that can even remotely have their objectives met in an online context or distance format. If you can do it without forcing people to travel and spend time away from their family and context, then you should. If you’re doing it because it’s always been done or because it’s a source of income then you’re behind the times and contributing to oppression by conference.
- Make sure you have enough in person opportunities with people you need to partner with or lead to build trust and nurture an authentic and trustworthy ethos in your context.
- If there is a conference that has been deemed a priority, its leadership/planners better make the most of it. A lot of people have different approaches to scheduling an organizational summit or conference, but over half the time I end up bummed out because the unique opportunities offered by being in person are wasted. One tip I’ll throw out there that I picked up about 5 or 6 years ago – if trust is the most valued commodity among leaders spread out geographically, then the approach or program of the conference needs to reflect that.
- If you don’t HAVE to go, then don’t. By “have to” I mean either someone is making you or it would violate your commitment to stewarding your leadership role to take a pass on it.
These are just my opinions that border on light convictions. Ultimately we’re responsible for stewarding our lives and callings, but sometimes it would really help if our organizations and we as leaders would help us out by vigilantly continuing to evaluate all of these venues in light of some of the overall values and the long-term view in mind. A failure to do so is to shape culture in a direction that works against the human condition. Ultimately Christ as the object of our service and work can be undermined by incessant activity.Time are a-changing and we need to change to so that we always remain driven by values and stewardship as opposed to merely goals and tasks. People in other ministry contexts might not understand the tensions inherent in a para-church organization. The organizational side and the sacred community side make for a difficult blend at times. But those in contexts like mine need to be vigilant on this front to steward both the culture within the organization and its witness and reputation to those outside the organization.For those in my ministry – curious what your thoughts are on this? Do you have a different philosophy? Have you ever considered the need to have a personal philosophy of conferences?
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