A Small Church Pastor Goes To The Midwest Leadership Summit 2020
The Midwest Leadership Summit 2020 was held in Springfield, Illinois, on January 21-23, 2020. It was billed as a leadership development conference sponsored by nine Southern Baptist state conventions in the Midwest and four Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) entities (Guidestone, LifeWay, North American Mission Board, and the Women’s Missionary Union).
“That diversity, however, was not represented in the featured platform speakers... Both men shared their 'secret sauce' for success which amounted to church planting being the tangible expression of the gospel.”
The summit featured three worship sessions and 108 conferences in eight tracks or themes. An attendee could follow one track or mix and match according to their desire.The course offerings stayed true to the Summit’s billing; one quarter of the 108 conferences were dedicated to the subject of leadership. This was followed closely by special ministries and church planting lectures. The presenters were experts in their subjects and many were published authors.
The Summit attendance was demographically diverse in age and ethnicity. Whole families were present from children to grandparents. It was a true cross-section of Midwest church life. That diversity, however, was not represented in the featured platform speakers. The first worship session included two prosperous church planters. Both men shared their “secret sauce” for success which amounted to church planting being the tangible expression of the gospel.
The second worship session featured two SBC national executives both from pedigreed mega-churches. This was the SBC celebrity moment of the Summit. So, nothing to see here for the small, traditional church pastor.
The final, large group worship time highlighted a platform personality who gave a talk on navigating the cultural divide between generations. He claimed that the generation gap was the biggest issue facing churches today. Apparently, this is a concern for church planters.
So while the breakout sessions were informative and helpful, the large group time was used as propaganda for the church-planting fad sweeping the SBC. I know, they’ll be along any minute now to take my Baptist card, but somebody has to say it. There is a general dissatisfaction growing among rank and file pastors in the Southern Baptist Convention over the leadership’s love affair with church planting as the only method for evangelism.
What would have happened if the featured platform speakers included a senior minister of thirty or forty years, who preached an expository message about church ministry from Acts or one of the Epistles? And what if that pastor had spoken on suffering rather than success, or holiness rather than generational divides? What if he encouraged the attendees who are serving the Lord in hard places? What a refreshing change something healthy like that would have made to the entire experience.
I guess I’m dreaming. I’ve not heard of a conference like that in years. I’m going to wake up now and get back to work. The boiler’s down at church and I need to open the building for the repairman.
