The ChurchPlanters.com 2010 Velocity Conference appeared to be a huge success. The conference, with their most powerful lineup of speakers yet, was sold out ahead of time. We consider it a privilege to support events that pour great value into the lives of pastors and church planters. It also affords us the opportunity to engage pastors and church leaders in conversations about how best to make facility decisions. And it’s a chance to renew friendships and make new friends with people that are making a big difference for Christ. I was able to reconnect with friends Dave Travis. Todd Wilson, Will Mancini, Casey Graham, Mark Clement and Alan Hirsch, among others. I also got to establish some new friendships with Mark DeYmaz and Hugh Halter. Many of us spent Monday evening talking late into the night about where God was leading the church.
My most poignant memory, though, came later that evening. Alan and I returned to the hotel about midnight to find 22 or 23 people sitting and talking in the breakfast area. They recognized Alan and called us over to talk more about what it means to be missional/incarnational. Now, this group had heard a number of powerful speakers and workshops throughout the day - some of the best the Christian world has to offer. Yet, what kept them up to midnight was trying to figure out how to become incarnational to reach the people that would never be “attracted” to their church facilities. They were from an attractional-model church that was doing great work. But they realized that, no matter how good they get at doing church, there was probably 60% of the unchurched that they would never be able to reach with that model alone.
If this were a single, solitary experience it wouldn’t be so notable. But I see this taking place across the country. Something is happening. God is speaking to people in new ways – or, more likely, we are finally listening. What’s God saying to you? Do you sense a new twinge in your heart as you think of the things of God?
