With all the background from my last post in mind, let’s talk about my actual experiences at Passion Conferences. The first conference was in 1997 in Austin, Texas, and had about 2,000 students. I was not one of them because I was only 13. Also, I probably wouldn’t have been interested because it was not sports related.
In 2000, Passion held a One Day conference in Memphis. It was there that John Piper preached “Boasting Only in The Cross” which became the basis for Don’t Waste Your Life. It is probably not a stretch to say it is probably one of the most influential sermons of my generation. This article gives some perspective and backstory, and I’d encourage you to read it and the actual sermon when you have time.
I mention all of this because had that not happened, there would not have been a book to read and its hard to say whether I’d care to attend a Passion Conference given the chance. But, the opportunity did present itself in 2007, which was during my senior year of college.
I’ll keep the autobiographical details sparse, but here’s my takeaway from Passion 2007. I was there with a group from my home church, as well as my girlfriend at the time (you know where this is going). I was wrestling with the future of the relationship given that I knew I was going to move away and go to seminary when I graduated. I didn’t want to start an open ended long distance relationship, and I also didn’t feel like I should ask her to move wherever I ended up going because I couldn’t promise a ring.
In getting away from it all, I had some clarity of thought and vision, and we broke up a couple of months later. I know that now it’s because of my tendencies as a type 9 on the Enneagram that it took so long. Shortly after the breakup I knew God was leading me to apply to go to Dallas Theological Seminary and go in the fall of 2007.
And so I did.
The interesting thing is that I don’t remember anything about the speakers from the conference. I remember the new song they debuted that I don’t like (God of This City) and I remember the fundraising campaigns (mainly around Bible translation through the Seed Company). But, what proved life-changing was more related to breaking the routine and gaining some perspective.
I think the same can be true of students that go today, but I also think it takes some intentionality to make it happen. I am almost always in analytical mode, so on the upside, I’m already processing the conference while I’m still there. On the downside, I can’t really detach and be fully present in the moment. From what I can tell though, more students are able to the latter and so I hope I can prove helpful in pursuing the former.
Along those lines, on the drive home Thursday, I recapped for the students what I thought the main takeaway from each speaker was and then asked what they thought. We then agreed that thinking through things will take some time, so we’re going to get together in a few weeks after they’ve had some time to process and see how God has moved.
Just as the unexamined life is not worth living, the unexamined conference is not worth attending. Passion gives a lot of “why” and “what” but very little “how.” I think this is by design so that the experience can be a motivating catalyst that leaders can use to help students move toward spiritual growth. Passion is about mobilization and vision casting, and ultimately I think they do a good job of that.
To give a couple of examples, several speakers pointed to the importance of spending more time in Scripture and the importance of asking God for things in prayer (wisdom was one example). We can’t go far wrong encouraging college students to read their Bible and pray more. But, what if they currently do neither? How do they get started? The combination of sermon and songs can inspire students to want to grow closer to God. But they are left with little in the way of instructions to act on.
However, if you know what you’re doing as a leader, this is a good thing. Motivation is incredibly difficult to generate. To be able to go to a several day conference and have it done in ways you can’t replicate is a gift. Once there is motivation for spiritual growth, a good leader can help guide the planning phase because that motivation won’t last. The motivation helps you dream and plan. Discipline, willpower, and the Holy Spirit help you actually follow through.
This is how I see Passion and other conferences, camps, and weekend retreats fitting into student ministry. In some ways it matter little what the speakers say or what songs are sung. What matters is that you get away from the routine, gain some perspective, and come back with motivation to grow.
In essence, this is how mountaintop experiences work. We use the Christian cliche often to describe transcendent spiritual experiences during retreats, camps, or in this case a conference. It has a biblical precedent as mountains are spiritual high places where significant things happen throughout the story of Scripture.
The Garden of Eden was on a mountain. Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac on a mountain. Moses saw the finger of God write the 10 Commandments on a mountain. Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of Baal on a mountain. Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured on a mountain (and Moses and Elijah did too).
We talk of a God who moves mountains, but it might be more appropriate to talk of a God who moves us on mountains. But that movement—that vision—is for life that is mostly lived in the valley. You don’t get to live on the mountain until heaven and earth meet in a permanent way. The new and better Eden that still awaits.
The vision from the mountain provides the motivation to make the trek through the valley. Knowing that helps gives perspective to what you can and can’t accomplish in a mountaintop experiences. It also reminds you that those experiences don’t last by design, and that’s ok.
So, now that we’re back and a new year is starting (or decade depending on who you ask), the real journey begins. We may have taken a journey up I-75 to Atlanta and back this past week. But it was merely a side quest along the way to clarify our vision for the main quest. I am trying very hard to avoid 2020 vision puns here, so hopefully you get the idea.
At this point though, I should probably actually get into the actual conference experience of Passion 2020. I’ll do that in two posts, one on the songs and the other on the sermons.