I’m at the Send Conference in Nashville. It is a joint IMB and NAMB event and it’s maxed out. The arena seats 13,500.
Reminds me a bit of the days when the SBC annual meeting attracted tens of thousands but that ended two decades ago (attendance around 20k in Atlanta) and these days around 5,000 is the number.
SBC annual meeting = yawn
Send Conference = wow
There are similarities and differences.
Why are all these people toting backpacks? Oh, they’re younger, hipper. Got all that hipster stuff packed inside, I guess.
Where is all the gray hair (aside from mine, that is)? Oh, this is inspirational (a rally) rather than aspirational (looking for that bigger church or better denominational job connections).
And all these people pay to attend this? Yep.
There are no silly motions to be dealt with, no elections, no parliamentary procedures, no ballot flashing. Seems my younger colleagues haven’t much interest is such things.
About the only SBC metric showing an increase these days is the total number of churches. It’s up slightly. Part of the reason must be that NAMB has tapped into something, church planting, that has generated the interest and energy of the post-boomers.
It’s hot here. Not Houston absurd hot but hot. There is the matter of dealing with a big mob: lines, noise, and the like. Yep, just like the old days in New Orleans, Dallas, or Atlanta. I did see Elvis down on the live music/party/bar/restaurant strip. Had a bbq sandwich and glass of augua myself. Not too bad. Way too loud.
Glad to see something clicking in the old SBC. If the music is too loud…I’ve got the earplugs I take to my church every Sunday…and I know how to use them.
