Hello, friends!
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of returning to the great state of Missouri to be the speaker for the Missouri Area's Fall Conference 2019 (FC19). My passage for the weekend was John 10:1-18, focusing on Jesus as he calls himself the Good Shepherd. Overall, there were something like 120 students in attendance, which was great to see. We also had at least 3 students make first time decisions to follow Jesus and another 15 or so recommit their lives to Jesus. It was a pretty great time.
The last time I was a speaker for a whole conference was when I did a high school retreat back in 2008 or 2009. This was a very different experience. Also, the Missouri Area was where I grew up, spending the first 12 years of my staff career there. So, being there as a speaker and not as a staff was a different experience too. Below, you'll find some of the big lessons I learned from FC19.
1) I really love preaching. When I was at AAMSC19 back in February, we did a time of listening prayer, asking God to reveal what gifts had lied dormant that He wanted to rekindle in us. The gift of preaching was what came up for me, and since then, I'd been looking for opportunities to exercise. FC19 was a perfect opportunity. It was 4 sermons over 48 hours, which was such a blast. I loved being in the Word, crafting the sermons, tracking with the students and telling stories. I heard I did a decent job too, which I'll take. =0).
2) Conference preaching is hard work! Back when I was lead staff for Mizzou ACF, I would more or less preach every week. I know most pastors preach every week too. That is its own beast. Preaching for a conference pushed me to my limits, for sure. Because everything was in such a short period of time, I was extra careful to make sure that everything flowed together. I didn't have a week to prep the next sermon; I was going to have just a few hours to make any adjustments as needed. Honestly, I didn't even finish the Saturday night sermon until about an hour before the session started. By God's grace, everything got out and I felt like it flowed together. It took some work though.
3) Staffing a conference is even harder! One of the things that was weird about being back at FC19 was that I was in the same space that I'd been many times before, but without any students. InterVarsity staff in conference mode have to do a little bit of everything. You have a conference job but you also are taking care of your students and making sure they're OK. When you're the conference speaker, your only job is preaching. I actually went to bed before midnight on both nights of the conference, which would have been unheard of had I been conference staff. I tried to help out where I could but the staff team let me know that my number one job was to preach and they wanted me to do that well. For that, I am grateful (and well rested!).
4) The voice of God is a powerful thing. The theme of FC19 was "A Voice Worth Following." As such, I had us do some listening prayer during both morning sessions and there was seminar devoted to listening prayer on Saturday morning. That afternoon and evening, the stories I heard from students and they ways they heard from God were pretty great. I talked to one student who had a huge breakthrough in listening to God and it was through hearing His voice that he decided to follow Jesus. That's pretty great! God also spoke to me in helping me craft what I was preaching. Before I preach, I always ask that the words of God be written on the hearts of the audience and words not from God are forgotten as soon as they are heard. Especially Saturday night, I know that God spoke and moved in the hearts of students. It was pretty great to witness and be a part of that.
In conclusion, I'm so glad I was able to preach at FC19. Thanks to the MO Fast Area team for inviting me. I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon, but if anyone is ever looking for a guest preacher, you know where to find me. =0).
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
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