Every year I try to head up to Cumming, GA, north of Atlanta to go to the Churchplanters.com annual conference. I am not a church planter. I am not even a pastor. But I love the vibe, the crowd and the energy of this conference. This year the theme is “Velocity.”
I was able to snag Shawn Lovejoy, pastor of Mountain Lake and co-founder of Church Planters.com for a few minutes. (The conference is February 21-22 this year. About 800 folks)
DT: Shawn, what is new first at Mountain Lake Church?
Well, first of all, I think I’m new. I turn forty this next month, and I feel like God has been doing a whole new work in me! I feel like I am just getting a clue as to what it means to be a man of God, Pastor, husband, and father. What was I thinking starting this church at 28 years old?! A lot is also going on ministry-wise. We’ve planted five churches in the last three years and will help start two more this year. God continues to grow the crowd here in our “Jerusalem” and change tons of lives. We’ve seen over 250 people go public with their faith through baptism this last year, and we’re running out of space again! These aren’t problems. They’re challenging, though.
DT: The Churchplanter.com conference this year is "Velocity", what's that all about?
So many church planters feel stuck. So many are disillusioned and discouraged with the the way things are going in their churches. At the least, they’re overwhelmed and often bogged down by the complexities that we face as Pastors and ministry leaders. “Velocity” is about gaining the momentum we need to move forward, break through, and and seize God’s vision for our lives and for our churches.
DT: What is new this year at the conference?
This year, we’ve allowed even MORE church leadership voices to take the main stage and speak into the lives of pastors and ministry leaders. Many of our main session will have several speakers speak into the issue at hand. I’m especially excited to have Pete Wilson from Cross Point Church in Nashville, and Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands speaking in our main sessions for the first time. I respect those guys so much.
DT: There is usually a full house, what kinds of people come to be a part of the conversation?
We’ve always had such a diversity of speakers at our conference, and people have come from all over the country. Last year, twenty-eight states were represented. This year, I think we have greater diversity, even in terms of church philosophy and ecclesiology, than we’ve ever had before. You can’t get more diversified than Scott Williams from Life Church, Darrin Patrick from The Journey, in St. Louis, and Chris Hodges from Church of the Highlands! That’s diversity in every way! The pre-conference lineup is not only stellar, but also very diversified with everything from “The Sticks” to “Sticky Church” to “The Nuts and Bolts of Systems” to “How The Church Advances” by JD Greear, Tyler Jones and some of the Acts 29 crew. This kind of diversity challenges the pastors in ways many conferences usually don’t. This is not your cookie-cutter conference with the same people all saying the same things. That’s very intentional.
DT: I always enjoy the workshops as much as the worship and big venue stuff, what kinds of topics will be addressed this year?
We have more pre-conferences and breakouts than ever before this year. I LOVE the brass-tax, practical nature of our break-outs. They are NOT just someone preaching another message. They actually help people! We pay attention to that stuff. Our Worship Team will lead one on facilitating creative worship experiences on a shoe-string budget; and Amy Leigh Bamberg from Church of the Highlands will lead one on building a “Dream Team” culture of volunteer-ism; my wife will be leading one for Pastor’s spouses; and Justin and Trisha Davis from Life Point Church, in Nashville, will lead one on staying sane and staying married while pastoring! Now that’s practical.
DT: What should a leader expect from this experience?
At churchplanters.com, we’ve always talked about “giving people permission.” That’s why we do what we do. The goal of this conference is to come alongside Pastors and ministry leaders and encourage them to the point they feel the permission to pursue the dream and vision God has placed on their hearts! This happens, not just in the main session and the breakouts, but in the worship times led by our Worship Team, and through dozens of hallway conversations. One of my favorite things to do is walk around in the lobby and meet Pastors and their teams; and encourage them as much as possible! Our other speakers at the conference are also encouraged to get out of the Green Rooms, walk the hallways, and rub shoulders with church planters and their teams, and speak into their lives and ministries! We’re still the up-close-and-personal church planting conference. We actually hope to form closer relationships with many of these teams through our ongoing coaching networks. Pastors simply need more than a once a year pep rally to break through the barriers that are holding them back!
DT: OK, to get signed up, here is the link - http://www.churchplanters.com/conference
Look for me with a video crew on Monday.
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