Can We Double in Ten Years?

I have returned from three days at General Conference sessions, which occur once every three years. While my wife was driving home, I decided to take pen to paper and write down my reflections of the three days.

My thoughts are firmly couched in the knowledge that I have had a hand in preparing our own annual conference (Midwest, July 17-19)and that my criticisms will probably be true about my own planning. Also, it must be noted that I didn't attend every minute. I missed some crucial pieces by my own admission. But being a bit more post-modern than modern, we need to learn to expect that people won't sit through three days of anything. (Though I was amazed how many did.)

The event was not planned for impact. One person told me it was "a necessary evil." I'm assuming it is a necessary cog in the CGGC wheel, not fancy, not inspiring, but necessary to maintain organization. These events are often judged less by impact but by the lack of what seems like hateful debate, which used to be a regular occurrence at such meetings. There was no hateful debate, but I would think there was also little impact either.

Here are four reasons I don't think it was planned for impact.

1. Rick Rusaw wasn't advertised. This is perhaps the top reason I came. But looking at the schedule, I couldn't even immediately tell when he was speaking. And while I'm speaking of Rusaw, I thought he was tremedously engaging and wondered if he couldn't have become the center-piece of the conference, speaking the first night, and developing our vision and mission around the passion that he brought.

2. No messages were recorded. If this was a water-shed moment in the CGGC, it would have been beneficial to have recordings of the sermons, especially Ed Rosenberry's. All of the powerpoint slides should be available online, etc. Archives need to stop being an afterthought, and we need to archive with a live feed.

3. Reports were prepared to suggest progress but not give much overview of ministries. I thought the best report was from University of Findlay (both the president and Will Miller) who combined stories with an overall view of the ministry.

4. Business was done to jump constitutional hoops rather than to inspire people. This was most noticable in the acceptance of the proposed international body of national churches, which I may post about later. What was interesting to me there was that the Haitian and Indians were there, but made no comment and were not asked for a comment.

This is all really no surprise and it is what we've become used to. But here is why I write at all -- Ed Rosenberry, the newly installed Executive Director of the CGGC, said in his sermon, "Is there any reason the CGGC can't double in size in ten years?"

Well, I think this is what he said. I wasn't there. It's my own fault. My family came out with me and I chose that night to spend with them rather than miss Rusaw the next night. It was a mistake on my part. I heard it was a good message. So I asked for the tape. There is no recording. Does Ed have a hard copy? Do I even have the question right? And if the question is right, there are a number of reasons we can't double in ten years. And perhaps he addressed them, but only for the people in attendance. In what way do we want to double in ten years? If it is only a drain of dying churches pouring into our tribe, then it would not be as meaningful. A message that addressed these issues should find a way to infiltrate every level, and certainly not rely on the word of mouth of those in attendance. Perhaps it will. Perhaps it is Ed's plan to begin laying this plan out before us in a way that undergird every communication that comes from the central office, but to be truly viral, it is a message that should begin to pop up in conversations everywhere. It should be an out of control conversation.

The way forward is to not let the question die. So I post it here. Can we double in ten years? What would have to happen? Something substantial for sure. We currently have little momentum to carry us.

There were other conversations worth having that started from the lecturn at General Conference. Lance Finley made some comments worthy of discussion about the future of the faith of youth. Earl Mills made some comments worthy of discussion about vision and how it should manifest itself. Perhaps others did as well, and I missed them while in search of coffee. Perhaps a conversation about Rusaw's words.

We may see in the responses to this post a temperature taken. How hot is the CGGC to expand the Kingdom of God?