Comments on: Conferences Or Christ?

By: Beav

Beav — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:03:20 +0000

Matt – for some reason your comment got stuck in moderation purgatory. Just saw it and freed it. Thanks man, I'll check out that link. Better late than never

By: Beav

Beav — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:56:26 +0000

youthful energy translates to more conference enthusiasm for sure. It's been a long time since I had some of that energy…kids went a long way to taking it away. It's a hard tension. Some stuff clearly needs to go, but there's areas in which there's not a lot going on that needs some venues like that.

By: Beav

Beav — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:54:01 +0000

great point about the overseas issue. are conference venues flexible enough for different venues when they often cost $, more than what many can afford, and the educational and learning approaches might not resonate in different cultural settings.

By: carrie

carrie — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:58:59 +0000

i love your thoughts, beav. very thorough and balanced. I like the specific points you shared and especially the phrase "oppression by conference" seems like there is always some kind of conference happening and some are crucial and some not so much.obviously i grew up going to conferences (as did you) and i actually LOVE them, but in my context now i don't go at all and now it just makes me tired thinking about all the conferences you guys and the parents go to!! i think it was a lot more fun when i was younger and had a ton more energy! it's crazy all the conferences our parents had to go to and lug 3 kids around to!anyways, i do think you're right that there is nothing like face time. and to be honest, specifically one of the team leaders conferences i went to in Mexico while on Stint was one of the hugest times in shaping my perspective of leadership and my relationship with God. i still have all the notes (not too surprising for me) and remember specifically each and every talk from that time. So, we can all say we've benefited from what conferences do have to offer, but it's a matter of balance and remembering that just because something might be 'good' or have some beneficial aspects to it, that doesn't mean that it is the healthiest or 'best' option all the time. because there might be more lost (community in your own area, consistency, financial, etc…) when looking on the whole.i think you had great criteria for conferences and should submit it to the big wigs!

By: omo

omo — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:53:25 +0000

i completely agree with you. i am not even involved in crusade anymore and i see the travel fatigue in my friends lives. it makes it hard to develop community when you are always traveling. Also i feel like the use of conferences doesn't translate well overseas. I don't know the solution to over conferencing though.