Alright folks. Here are my raw reflections on Buzz.
First of all, I felt good about last year but not great. I didn’t really feel like we hit on all eight cylinders last year. I have a totally different feeling this year. The atmosphere was totally different. Much more social and natural. It almost felt like a family reunion. One of the highlights for me was just hanging out during breaks.
We had one objective this year: just be ourselves. That’s why we decided to limit attendance and stay at Union Station. That’s us! I think we were trying to impress or trying to keep up with the conference jones last year.
The key conference measure to me was the question I asked at the beginning of the last session. I felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to ask the question. I asked how many people felt like Buzz was more than a conference–they felt like it was a divine appointment because of something that happened or something that was said. My rough guestimate is that more than 60% raised their hands. Something sacred happened today!
To be perfectly honest, we went into Buzz 07 leaning away from hosting a Buzz 08. We’ll host lots of conversations over the next year. We’ll do a few NCC Undercovers. I’m going to do a 48-hour experience for lead pastors. We’re tag-teaming with Dave Ferguson and Community Christian Church to host a Big Idea practicum in DC. And I think we’ll do a small group practicum at Ebenezers in the fall. So we’ll host lots of conversations in 08. But Buzz 07 was so conversational and transformational that I’m rethinking things. Once the adrenaline wears off we’ll pray about it, talk about it, and decide whether or not to do a Buzz 08.
A few final thanks.
I honestly think that Craig Groeschel’s session today may have been the most powerful conference talk I’ve ever heard. I’ll be digesting it for weeks and months! I feel like he kicked our butts then helped us back up! Craig is a pastor of pastors. So grateful for his friendship and leadership! What a down-to-earth visionary!
And huge props to Juliet Main, Chief Buzz Agent, and the entire crew of staff and volunteers! I kept thinking to myself: what a team effort.
That’s a wrap!
