A Different Kind of Pastor's Conference

It’s been a while since I traveled of my own accord to a conference I was not organizing or participating in, but I made an exception for Michael Foster’s Evergreen Conference. I got the impression from Michael that this was an experiment in what a pastors’ conference could look like in an increasingly egalitarian age, where mass audiences expect every piece of information to be accessible to them.

Well, some things should not be, to be blunt. Pastors and other leaders need their own places where they can debrief, admit weaknesses, seek help, build camaraderie, and come back to their congregations stronger and ready to roll up their sleeves in ways they were not before.

Not every private gathering of leaders is a conspiracy against the masses. Sometimes, it is just what the masses need. Consider Jesus’ own model for training disciples. Much of His public ministry was not public at all. Profound teachings flowed from His lips as the disciples ate and traveled. His teaching contained more live interaction than prepared manuscripts. He had His inner circle (Peter, James, and John), His outer circle (the Twelve), His followers (the five hundred), and His audience.

From my perspective, many pastors’ conferences are good networking opportunities and may contain good preaching, but they tend to lack the practical side of ministry while elevating a hierarchy beyond the church of conference circuit pastors. In a digital age, where teaching as the transfer of technical information has become the norm, conferences like this are not as helpful. Many people would just assume it is better to skip the conference and listen to the lectures later.

The Evergreen Summit did something different, and it is something that is needed. At this conference, pastors interacted with one another on the same level, while simultaneously the event was open only to pastors and their wives. This meant the office of pastor was elevated as the only office permitted to participate, while the speakers jumped into the trenches alongside their fellow pastors. The lectures were short, and the coordinated discussions and question and answer sessions were long. There were no recordings, so real issues could be brought up and addressed in real time. Authentic stories from the battlefield of ministry were presented for other pastors to learn from. The dynamic was totally different from other conferences. It is interesting how human behavior changes when the cameras are off, for good or for bad. In this case, it was for good.

My participation was cut short because I had to leave early for a family emergency, but I did attend Thursday evening and all day Friday. Here are a few things I took away:

First, Michael Foster encouraged everyone by reminding them of what their responsibilities before God were. In an age of dysfunction and deracination, pastors are stretched beyond their limits. However, pastors are not called to replace every other relationship someone is missing. They are not personal life coaches or best friends. They are shepherds. This got things off on the right foot. The rest of the conference flowed from this understanding of the pastoral role, with the intention of navigating the modern landscape wisely and powerfully.

Second, Justin Dean gave practical advice on finding friendships as a pastor, an issue I am all too familiar with from growing up in a pastor’s home. At one point he said, “If every room you’re in is one you’re running, you don’t have a community; you have an audience.” This hit me because it is easy for any kind of leader to slide into the constant leader role and forget that he is human and needs his own social circles where he is not the leader.

Third, Brian Brown encouraged pastors to seek clarity quickly when problems arise, Jake Mentzel gave an interesting talk about the kinds of men who should not be elders, even if at first it is tempting for a pastor to elevate them, and Michael Clary shared his own church split story, which resonated with many in the room. In each case, personal stories, sometimes stories of failure, backed up the practical teaching.

Then came the most profitable portion, where more seasoned pastors worked with less seasoned ones or encouraged those going through trouble in their churches. It was helpful for me to hear what other pastors thought of my own situation. This is something I would never receive at another conference unless I sought it out and happened to find the right person to seek advice from. Realistically, how many pastors do that? Many are unlikely to share their own concerns because they are used to being the ones in charge with the answers. The truth is, pastors do not have all the answers.

Michael Foster presented this conference format as an option moving forward, not to knock other conferences that do things differently, but to invite pastors to a conference where they can breathe easy, obtain encouragement, and focus on the nuts and bolts of their ministries in an honest environment. Green rooms don’t do this.

I am hoping to attend again next year and bring some men with me.