This past week, we hosted our second Buzz Conference. It was an opportunity for us as a church to share what works (and what doesn’t work) for us when it comes to weekend services, small groups, outreach, etc. God has certainly blessed us as a church over the last ten years, and sharing those blessings is one way we can avoid hoarding them.
Folks came from all over the country to learn from us, as well as a great lineup of speakers including Craig Groeschel, Tim Stevens, and Tony Morgan.
My favorite part was that it was authentic. The sticky floors of Union Station. A couple technical glitches. The worship. Ebenezers coffee. And just the way each of the speakers spoke. There wasn’t any smoke or mirrors or mirages, it was us.
I wanted to pass along a few of the comments from various Buzz attenders, and make sure you as leaders know that your willingness to be used by God is resonating outside of our church and city. There would be no Buzz Conference without faithful servants like you.
- “What a week. It’s definitely been one for the books and one I would have never expected. I came to Buzz with expectations and they were pretty much surpassed. For one, the staff and community of volunteers at NCC were amazing.” [link]
- “I came away with the feeling that nothing is impossible.” [link]
- “God truly used them to challenge us as leaders.” [link]
- “I’ve got to say that Craig Groeschel’s talk today was probably the most convicting message I have ever heard in my entire life.” [link]
- “I usually figure if I can get one good idea at a conference, it’s worth attending - so this one is already a winner and there’s still 3 sessions tomorrow before I fly home.” [link]
- “Mark Batterson did a great job at the conference. I’ve heard him speak several times and he hit a home run.” [link]
- “Thanks to Mark Batterson, who also spoke right to my heart, and all the amazing volunteers and staff and National Community Church for hosting such a great conference.” [link]
- “I like Mark Batterson, NCC and the Buzz because it is creativity with a big vision. But, It’s realistic and achievable. I want my guys experiencing this stuff.” [link]
- “The BUZZ conference was off the charts. I am all BUZZED out. YESTERDAY was one of those days I cleary sensed God’s direction for my future.” [link]
Check out the Buzz Flickr site for photos from the event. Not so secretly (since I’m posting it on the World Wide Web), I’m hoping that we can somehow get either DVDs or CDs of the sessions made available for NCC leaders. These sessions transcend “how we do church” and had more to do with our personal relationship with God and our attitudes toward reaching the people around us.
Here are some final reflections from Pastor Mark. Thanks to everyone who took time off of work to help set-up, volunteer, and overall make the Buzz Conference another success. THANK YOU.
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