John Sweetman

I will just pause my series on great biblical leaders to reflect briefly on the neoLeader conference we ran last Saturday. If you weren’t there, it will give you a taste of what a neoLeader conference is like (through the eyes of an oldie at least). Here were five of the highlights for me.

1. I was impressed by the commitment of young adults to growing in their understanding of Christian leadership. Some travelled considerable distances. At least one gave up a soccer final and others played but came to the conference around the games. Quite a few missed out on working (and earning money) for the day. Some came by themselves – the only person from their church. These are the kind of people we really want to invest in.

2. I loved the passion in the worship. To stand at the front and look out at over 200 young adults totally offering themselves to God in worship was both inspiring and humbling. Every now and then I need to worship with those who are authentic, but hold nothing back.

3. I really enjoyed working with the neoLeader team. Andrew (Gateway) did a fantastic job pulling it all together and everyone on the team contributed. It was so easy to organise with such a capable and willing team taking responsibility. They’re a great group. Boy a strong team makes a difference.

4. It may not sound very spiritual, but I found Wayne hugely entertaining. Some people said they had sore stomachs from laughing so much. I went home and told some of his stories to Deb (my wife). I bet lots of others did the same (not to Deb of course). “He touched me” will stick with me, as will “Give me a J! …” And in the middle of the humour were some biblical gems about Christian leadership.

5. I loved praying with younger leaders for personal needs, godly guidance and spiritual power.
Days like this give me great hope for the future. There really is a generation rising up with a heart for God and a commitment to making the sacrifices needed to influence our world for God.

If you were at the conference, it would be great if you could give us a short paragraph of feedback. Perhaps you could describe the highlights for you. This can be done by replying to this email or posting a comment on the website.