Musings from a Conference

I volunteered to assist at a conference yesterday. The conference was for church musicians and it was held at my church. I've been to conferences as a teacher. Some have been meaningful. Others forgettable. Many cliched. It was interesting for me to peek behind the curtain at how one works, especially since I wasn't part of the target audience. Still, I learned some interesting things. 

First, hiring professional IT/filming crew is worth the cost. There was an outfit the conference hired called GNTV. They filmed the sessions and worship service that concluded the conference. I was envious at seeing professionals with all their equipment record the sessions, envious because I went through a period of time where parents and my employer expected me to conduct and film and record my classroom work all by myself. As I think about professional development occasions at my employer, I wonder if we'd think of investing in what we do by professionally recording it. 

Second, churches like mine are in a re-think of what is the new normal. Weekly worship attendance is down relative to pre-covid times. No need to blame anyone. That's just the way it is. As one presenter I overheard described it, the folks who are or aren't back have made up their minds. The new normal is a smaller physical footprint in our churches. But . . . 

There's a moment here to consider the congregation that is participating from afar. Streaming live worship used to be a bridge to people who were waiting until the moment was right to return to in-person worship. No longer true. Streaming worship is essentially evangelical outreach. It's akin to an additional worship service. It's time to be grateful that they're there and consider how to integrate them into congregational life knowing it won't be an in-person connection.  

I remain impressed at the care musicians, including church musicians, give such thought to copyright. There is so much to consider about copyright when streaming worship from a church. These people are inclined to pay attention to that messy set of details. And I don't think it's just fear of getting caught that motivates them. I think there's a genuine ethical sense compelling them to honor copyright. 

The conference purchased boxed lunches to be delivered rather than use our kitchen or rely on potluck generosity. Good call! The local business the conference supported delivered a good product. They offered vegetarian and gluten free options we might have been hard pressed to pull off. The participants viewed the professionally-made and boxed and varied options a great sign of hospitality. The personal touch of the church's kitchen might be for real, but it's perhaps outdated in today's age. 

There was something quite humbling about being staff on call to support a conference. It was good for someone (like me) who is accustomed to being part of the audience. Some folks grumble. One gives advice about how to get somewhere and it often gets ignored. There's a lot of waiting. Problems come up and you quickly realize you don't know where everything is (for the life of me I couldn't find the right size trash bags for deal with the waste from lunch). Most folks are grateful but many really don't interact with you at all. It's a great check-the-ego experience.

I was proud that my congregation was able to support a conference like this. One gets into the weeds of finances and attendance records pretty easily. One can therefore overlook the blessing that a large campus in good repair is just that, a blessing.