I wish I could go to the SBC. Alas, Orlando is a 3-week wagon journey from where I live and fording the rivers is tough this time of year. It would be fun to meet many of you who interact on this blog and authors of other blogs I check out through the awesome meta-feed going on in the directory page here. (I have to give Tony Kummer a lot of props for putting this whole thing together.) I even kind of like watching Robert’s Rules of Order in action.
But since I can’t be there, I have a little assignment for those of you who will be.
Meet a fellow blogger face-to-face.
I would like to add “a blogger you’ve debated with online”, but for those who don’t debate at all, that wouldn’t be fair.
But make it your goal to connect with a flesh-and-blood person while at the SBC this year. Put a face with a name, etc. I often think of how much our blogging would improve if we were sitting in the same room as the people we are talking to. Granted, even in real life, you still get the “Drive-by” commenter, the name-caller, the name-dropper, the ALL CAPS person, the person who has written a minor stream-of-consciousness dissertation on your comment thread without use of any punctuation or breaks, and even the trolls. People are still people face-to-face, and because different viewpoints are represented over issues that people hold dear to their hearts at meetings like the SBC, it probably won’t always end with everyone dancing around the Orlando swampland with flowers in their hair singing some lame song from the 60’s.
But not everyone is like that. So get up, break out of your church’s little group or your annual good ol’ boys club, and spend 5-10 minutes talking with a fellow blogger. It’d be good. You can even use this comment thread to connect if you will, as long as this doesn’t turn into e-harmony. 🙂 You may want to follow someone’s comment name to their website and set something up over email.
So meet a fellow blogger face-to-face this year. You’ll recognize them by their Star Wars pajamas and laptops.
Speaking of Orlando. First, I wish I were able to go this year. Next, I wonder why there are non-Southern Baptists speaking at the pastor’s conference.
I ditto what Micah said, although the conspiracy theorists probably see some underlying evil motive in that fact. Which is odd, because the group of non-SBCers speaking this year is fairly diverse so I can’t imagine which secret SBC illuminati coalition could be responsible for that particular lineup.
The only thing notably missing is a lack of international flavor, missionaries or pastors from other parts of the world (though I might be overlooking someone on there). But overall, looks like a great lineup that should not only “have something for everyone” but be beneficial to those who attend.
Mark,
This is not really anything new to the Pastors Conference. Whether it be men like D. James Kennedy or James Dobson or others, we have often had non-SBC’ers speak at the Pastor’s Conference.
Micah (and Josh), I’m not opposed to it. I’m just asking. C’mon, it wasn’t too long ago that I returned from T4G 2010. 🙂 It’s just one of those questions I kick around. I read criticism of mega-church leadership bias, arguments around uniting around CP giving, improper CP usage, complaints about lack of SBC attendance, etc. Yet, no one ever complains that we do not have places filled at the pastor’s conference that could be filled by SBC pastors. It seems that the pastors conference would provide a good opportunity for some unknown small church pastors, who make up a… Read more »
I appreciate’s Josh’s suggestion about bloggers meeting bloggers while in Orlando. I have blogged on occasion here, particularly on the church’s need to help its members who struggle with various forms of sexual brokenness. The response from those of you who read the posts has been very promising. I will be at the Annual Meeting, not as a messenger or a pastor, but as a volunteer with Bob Stith, Director of Gender Issues, as part of a Task Force set up a few years back. We’ll be in exhibition booth 403-407 all three days and I would love to visit… Read more »
I’m told that no matter what is decided at the Convention , that the “Trustees” have the final say. Makes sense as only 3000 of about 40,000+ churchs will be represented. Membership or at least senior Pastor Ratification would work as easy as it is to communicate. That’s a change in by-laws which is only a vote. It’s your Convention.
I’m planning to be in Orlando. I would love to meet any of you while I’m there. I hope I run into yall.
David
Brother David,
As much as you frustrate me at times 🙂 I’d love you meet you and sit and chat. Hopefully, one day I’ll be able to do just that.
“It seems that the pastors conference would provide a good opportunity for some unknown small church pastors, who make up a majority of our Convention, to speak.”
That’s funny. You’re assuming that folks want to hear the Word preached by unknown small church pastors. Conferences, as good as they can be, are little more than an outlet for Christian cult of personality. It’s the little guy’s chance to see the Elijah’s up close, but not too close.
Darby, I’m not assuming they actually “want” to hear them. 😉
What’s so funny about the “big” name preachers is that for the most part it’s very easy to find out what they are doing, preaching, etc. I’d like to know what’s happening in the other side of the trenches.
This is why I appreciated CJ Mahaney’s (I know, I know) presentation at T4G. I now want to get DA Carson’s book about his father who was a small church pastor.
Yes. My understanding is that Carson’s entire premise in writing the book is that only Heaven will guage the value of gospel work, using his own obscure father as an example.