I am joyfully tired this morning. I wrapped up my third Exponential conference yesterday. The 2013 Exponential conference theme DiscipleShift was a 4 day event focusing on how to be more effective in making and growing disciples. Discipleship being the fulfillment of the Great Commission of building relationships with people whom you can lead to Christ, helping them to mature in Christ ways and guiding them on how they can reach others for Christ.
The conference was four days of overflowing, blessed experiences which included great worship music, inspiring teachings from spirit-filled church leaders, and amazing fellowship all of which yielded personal confirmations for my next ministry steps. Unfortunately a blog post cannot describe how wonderful this conference was however here is a quick glimpse:
Worship and Main Sessions:
There were 5 main sessions which all started with a live band singing songs of praise. This year’s band was from a church plant in Boston. It’s an incredible experience to be in a sanctuary with over 5,000 church leaders lifting up songs of praises to our Lord and Savior. After such wonderful worship, one great speaker after another comes to the podium to give an informative and inspiring lesson.
Breakout Sessions:
These more in-depth sessions follow the main sessions. They are great as they allow you to select from a wide range of topics that are more fine-tuned to your ministry needs.
Fellowship:
I love the fellowship at this conference… and that’s coming from an introvert! It gives you a chance to catch up with some former New Lifer’s who attend or volunteer along with meeting new friends. One of my favorite moments of fellowship was listening to the visions and aspirations from the many Bible college students who come to the conference to volunteer. It’s very inspiring to hear their zeal for ministry which refuels my enthusiasm for mine. In addition it is a great opportunity to speak encouragement into their lives. It is always nice to hear a voice of affirmation for your calling.
Personal Spiritual Growth:
Your spiritual growth will be definitely be impacted by attending this conference. It will be felt through your works of service, through the praise band, through the speakers, and through some very enriching fellowship.
Help Needed:
This year there were 5 main sessions and over 130 breakout sessions. Here’s the attendance: well over 5,000 church leaders attended and roughly another 25,000 attended around the world via webcast. This is obviously no small task to pull off; it requires hundreds volunteers. That is where you can come into play next year. If you are looking for spiritual growth and a way to serve church leaders who have worked so hard for the kingdom then Exponential 2014 is a must; put it on your calendar right now and start planning for it. It will be a far better experience than any vacation you could possible take; one that will be everlasting.
My “Duck Dynasty” Moment:
The icing on the cake was sitting at the airport with Pat Furgerson, Brennan Loveless, and Zachary Andrews listening to them discussing past Duck Dynasty episodes; they were hilarious. So don’t miss out next year; start planning now so that next year you can tell us about your Duck Dynasty moment.
Joyfully Tired,
Dave Baldwin