Michelle Suarez

Orange Conference was exciting and surprising.  I’ve been following Orange for awhile now and have watched the live stream of the conference the past couple of years. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be going to the conference anytime soon. So I was surprised when my senior pastor approached me about going…….but not alone. He wanted take me and the youth pastor with him! I am so thankful to have a senior pastor who is concerned about the well-being of everyone in the church, even the kids!

Orange Conference was everything it’s cracked up to be.  It was inspirational, it was inspiring, and it was educational. But I think the best parts happened during the conversations around the dinner table. As the three of us gathered together to discuss the things we had heard that day, we were able to take things a step deeper and apply them to our own people and environments.

Conferences can be a little overwhelming. So many amazing people, so many amazing ideas, and many times, so many amazing doubts. How will we do that? There’s no way we could accomplish those things! Well, sure, it’s easy for them – they have ____ # of kids, church members, volunteers, whatever. The idea of taking all those ideas home and implementing them can make anyone a little nervous.

But here’s the thing that we often forget about conferences.  They’re not meant to be a one-stop shop or a how-to manual.  The intention is not to implement every idea.

Conferences are designed to be a networking place.  A place where you can meet with other like-minded people to talk about what you’re doing, what’s working and not working, and WHY you’re doing it in the first place.  I highlight the WHY because I think most of us in ministry tend to get so caught up in the who, what, where, when, and how that we forget about the thing that pushes us to do (or not do) all of the rest – WHY.

So for me, Orange Conference was a reminder of WHY I do what I do.  It was a reminder of WHY each of the programs, curriculums, environments, and volunteers are important to what we do as a church.  Once I reacclimated myself to the WHY, I gained a greater focus on who needs to be involved, when we move forward, where we go from here, what we do to make any necessary changes or improvements, and how to do all of that.

I’ve attended conferences that weren’t as effective.  I know they cost a lot of money and take a lot of time away from what you should be doing.  But often, they make a world of difference between what you should be doing and what you could be doing.  Plans are in the works for us to attend Orange Conference 2015……here’s hoping all goes according to plan!!

Orange Conference 2015

 

 

If you were thinking that you’d read this and discover how you could avoid succumbing to the consumer driven church mindset, you’re gonna want to look away.  This is not a DIY, how-to guide but an attempt to be honest with you about my own journey in this.  I haven’t mastered it, so don’t be looking for advice here.  In fact, you might be better off if you were to look at me and do the complete opposite of what I do.  You’d probably be in a much better place.

As Americans, we live in a consumer driven culture.  We have endless options at our disposal.  You can present us with a menu, but we want the ability to customize it to our own particular tastes.  Something doesn’t go the way we want it to, we’ll just go somewhere else.  Don’t try to box us in and make us conform!  We won’t have it!

This kind of consumerism has naturally crossed over to the church.  We look at what churches have to offer us.  We pick out the church that best fits our particular tastes and desires.  When we join a church, we go to small groups that are formed based on similar age groupings or a desire to study a particular subject matter.  As we get more involved in the church, we participate in activities that appeal to our interests and talents.

Is this way of doing things wrong?  I don’t think so…..I’ve just been wondering lately if this is the way its supposed to be.  If we’re going to members of the body of Christ, part of the family of faith, shouldn’t we be willing to do whatever is needed and go wherever we’re needed?

My family doesn’t go to the movie theater very often…..what can I say, we’re cheap and its expensive.  When we do go, we seldom all agree on the movie we’re going to watch.  This means someone has to make concessions for the others.  Someone has to be willing to put aside their desires for the good of the group.  Sometimes it’s easier to do than others.  Sometimes, there’s an animated discussion regarding which movie we’ll watch.  And sometimes that discussion ends when I say, “If  you don’t want to watch the movie, sit in the car!”  Not necessarily the best way to end the discussion, but an ending point nonetheless.  Point being that sometimes in a family you have to make concessions for the others.  It’s about doing what’s best for the group and not the individual.

So, if the church decides to switch from a traditional Sunday School model to a small groups driven model should I make a fuss to keep things they way I want them or should I put aside my feelings for the good of the church?  When the drums are a little louder than I like, or not loud enough, should I make a fuss or put on a smile and enjoy the noise (or quiet)?

I’m not saying that we blindly follow without ever questioning the motives and reasons.  Good grief, if you know me at all you would know that I would never advocate for that!!  I’m the queen of questioning why!!  I’m just saying that maybe we should stop looking at what’s in it for me.  Maybe we should stop trying to have everything our way and look to see what’s best for the body of Christ.