I just returned from a great conference called Catalyst One Day. It was a great time spent listening to 2 church leaders, Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel, talk about momentum as it pertains to church and personal spirituality. In the midst of all of the points and illustrations I would catch myself watching the people in the audience during the sessions and at the breaks.
A couple of rows in front of me a guy is shopping for wireless microphones or something similar. Over and to the left a couple of seats is a guy checking email. In the middle of one of the talks in walks a guy with a bag full of books from the conference bookstore. I guess he didn’t want to wait in line. On top of that they have twitter up and running so I couldn’t tell if people were texting other people or trying to get a question to Andy or Craig.
One of the funniest moments was when I thought I needed a little sunshine and stepped out during one of the breaks. I barely made it outside the door before being in another group of people all talking on their wireless devices. It reminded me of someone taking a break to get a quick drag on their cigarette before heading back indoors.
We left with a parting object lesson about couches. You know, the ugly, 20+ year old couch that is in someone’s house because it has so many great memories associated with it. It was then brought full circle to the ministry arena, what are our “couches” ugly, faded, not working programs…? Get ready for change.
Great points.
It makes me wonder why some folks went to the conference if so much of their time was spent doing things other than listening to the speakers.