I have attended several conferences this past year, including Exponential 2008 in Orlando and the Whiteboard Sessions in D.C. and I've received invites to at least a half dozen other conferences; Catalyst in Atlanta, SPUR Leadership conference in Austin, TX, CCDA conference, and so on; not to mention a few local and/or regional conferences. I've been to a few Promise Keepers conferences in the past and I heard about the "Manly Man" Conference, which was hosted by Celebration Church, Green Bay, Wisconsin last month. I've been tempted to register for and attend some of these conferences, but my budget just won't allow it. I was thinking of hosting a conference here in upstate New York. What should my theme be? Who should I invite to speak? Who would travel all the way to Troy, NY to attend this conference?
Don't get me wrong! I love conferences. I love the fellowship and the opportunities to meet certain leaders in ministry. I enjoy listening to top notch speakers and musicians who are invited to speak and/or play at these conferences. I can say that I've learned a thing or two from each conference I have attended. Is there such a thing as conference overload? How many freebies can I fit in my luggage? How many contact forms should I fill out? How many e-mails and phone calls will I get from conference sponsors afterward, offering me everything from free website development to coaching, printing, fund raising help and ministry marketing tools? How much will I spend on books, DVDs, CDs and other cool stuff that I can probably get through Amazon or my local Christian bookstore?
You may see me at a conference near you...or maybe not.
