last week i spent a majority of my week in shreveport, louisiana at the louisiana united methodist annual conference.
i realize that if you follow me on twitter + instagram, you already know this. 😉
this was my second year to participate as a delegate from my church. i went last year and was totally unprepared and uneducated for what i was really getting myself into. this year, however, i went knowing that i was speaking for my church (mcguire umc), my district (monroe), and in a large part, the youth in our conference. i asked in several places for prayers over the conference, as we were making huge budget cuts that would largely affect the youth ministry budgets.
it was tense to say the least. but i won’t get into the nuts and bolts of what happened because, truth? you’d probably fall asleep. and i wouldn’t really blame you much for it. let’s just say it isn’t all excitement and party balloons, okay? 😉
the best part of the conference this year (because i have so many years of experience to compare it to) was definitely the guest speaker they brought in.
rev. adam hamilton is the founding pastor of church of the resurrection in leawood, kansas – the largest united methodist congregation in the united states (and possibly the world?) he was given the appointment in leawood and asked to start a church there, and has since grown it to over 18,000 members (i know – my jaw is hanging open too!) and has used his ministry there to reach thousands of people who, without COR, might have never even heard of Jesus. pretty phenomenal in my book.
speaking of books, rev. hamilton has also authored many books, the most popular of which is probably leading beyond the walls. this book is on my to read list.
as i sat there, taking pages and pages and pages of notes, it occurred to me that i could definitely apply some of his principles, in their most basic form, to my blog and business. and i started having ideas.
dude – sometimes ideas can be downright scary.
and, like rev. hamilton who freely shares his information, i want to share all the good stuff floating in my head with you! i can’t fit it all into one post but i will start by sharing a couple of ideas that i came away with that stuck in my head.
it is a simple, bold, and incredibly true statement.
think of someone you consider a leader. i bet you could apply this statement to them, right?
what is something you have given up on? are you ready to attack it again – with a new fervor? i am. 🙂
the other thing i came away with is the marked lack of representation in upper level ministry for the ages of 13-40. it was a rare occurrence to see anyone less than fifty assigned to a conference board or committee. it shocked and saddened me. and lit a little bit of a fire under my butt also!
people my age and the generation behind us (yes, those somewhat irritating and irresponsible teenagers that make me roll my eyes on a regular basis…) are the future of any life of any church. it is so important they are represented and they are involved in the ministry of the church.
you and i, yes, just about everyone reading this blog, are responsible for the future life of our church. if we want the world to improve and the church to play a larger role in it (and man does it ever need to) then you and i have to stand up and take care of business.
so this is more one of those half-time, bring the pain, get your act together speeches to me, not necessarily to any of you. but it is true – if we want the world to be a better place to live then you and i need to do something about it.
i can’t wait to share some of the leadership ideas that rev. hamilton shared. make sure you don’t miss a post by subscribing via rss feed or liking my facebook page to keep up with the posts! 😉
pictures:
~centenary college campus map
~opening worship at conference
~rev. adam hamilton in a small group meeting with young clergy
~a small portion of my notes
~doodling and dreaming
~a blessing over our current bishop before his retirement
~the bishop giving his last ordination sermon
Hey Skye! Just wanted to pass on the Kreativ Blogger Award to you. I hope you'll participate! 🙂
http://www.raisingbean.com/2012/06/kreativ-blogger-award.html
Thanks Mar! 🙂 xoxo
Thanks so much for sharing this. I most definitely wouldn't fall asleep with the details! Adam Hamilton spoke at our AC last year and literally rocked my world. I'm thankful that we have a Bishop in the CTC that really puts emphasis on young people and young leadership. I want to have young folks on all committees and boards but have reservations – my youth are INCREDIBLE and I don't want older folks setting a bad example (I'm a bit cynical) and two the antiquated system sometimes feels like a waste of time and I don't want to waste time of students or young adults. That said, I'm fighting to change those things while nominating students and young adults to serve at all levels. I'm glad you're fighting in the LA AC!
I can't tell you how GOOD it makes me feel to not be alone in this fight! What frustrates me the most I think is the youth feel like they don't have a voice and that what they say doesn't matter. It is so hard to convince 12 year old boys that the life of the church will ultimately depend on them! We should so join forces Leanne – together you and I could conquer anything! Can't wait to see ya tomorrow!!
Sounds like a great conference! I love that leaders quote… definitely makes ya think!
It was a fantastic conference! It feels good sometimes to just DO something like that and learn a lot about the polity of the church. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes sometimes!! 🙂 (Adam Hamilton is awesome – you should definitely check out his books!! He writes great Bible studies!)