It was a remarkable day. At the close of the conference it is our tradition to take the Aspen Team and speakers out to dinner and then Starbucks for more great conversation. My brain hurts after 12 hours with Mel McGowan, Will Mancini, Jim Sheppard, Bill & Jim Couchenour, Brad Eisenmann, Kevin Ford, and pastor Denny Wilson. I got back to the hotel around 10:00 and emails wrapped up at 1:00 this morning…big day!
OK, more thoughts from the sessions. Here’s another challenging one from Kevin:
Our systems, our leadership, and our church culture are perfectly designed to get the results we are getting.
That’s a bit sobering if we sense that God’s spirit isn’t manifested as we know it should be through our ministry efforts.
And here’s an insightful and encouraging thought from Jim Sheppard, CEO of Generis.
Giving may be down but building costs are soft as well. You may be better off building in 2009 than last year or next.
It’s easy to get worried in this economic environment and miss the opportunities. With Obama dropping $2 trillion on this economy, many believe inflation is sure to follow. We may never build again as cheaply as we can this year.
Mel stretched our minds a bit…well, a lot actually:
The era of the big box/warehouse ministry space is over. We must now ensure we build space that facilitates intimacy and connection.
- Mel McGowan, Founder Visioneering Studios
We can no longer build space that is merely base-line functional. Form can no longer simply follow function. Form must follow faith. We must design compelling spaces that facilitate the relationships between us and God as well as others.
And this sobering, honest confession to close the day:
As a leader…when your church becomes large, your heart can become small.
- Pastor Denny Wilson, Warsaw Community Church
Needless to say, it was a quiet room. There are many risks to growing your church. If your relationship with Christ isn’t priority, the temptations to connect your identity to temporal measures like growth and titles can be intoxicating. And when you do, your heart becomes very small and we step on the hose, squelching the flow of the spirit through our ministry.
Must get some sleep….more later!
