Quantcast
Channel: Verge Network » FOR THE NATIONS
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 35

Don’t Waste Your Money On The Verge Conference

0
0

DontWasteMoneyVerge1660x330

by Seth McBee

How many conferences have you been to in your life?  How many enacted real change?  Do you see a conference as an expense or as an investment?  If it’s merely an expense for you, then just go, sit around have a great time and then go back home to your usual.  But, I doubt many of us desire for a conference to be like that.  For most of us, when we go to a conference it’s because we are trying to make an investment in our lives and ministry.

I own an investment firm, and have for over 10 years now.  With an investment come expectations of a return for the risk taken.  For you, as you invest in going to the Verge Conference, the last thing you want is to waste your money and time.  So how do you ensure that you don’t waste your money and time, but it becomes an actual investment that bears returns for the money, time and emotional ups and downs that happens as you go to a conference of this magnitude?

Know Your Goals

With any investment, you have goals.  What are your goals for the Verge Conference?  Where are you or your ministry currently struggling that needs help and strengthening from an outside voice?   What has God called you to? What are your hopes and dreams for your life and ministry? These should line up with your current vision and mission statement for your church or ministry (if they don’t, think through what needs to change so that they do).

Take time to write out your vision statement and all the things that your ministry is currently doing to accomplish that vision.  What needs to be added? What needs to be enhanced? What needs clarifying? What needs to be possibly cut all together?  Where do you need guidance and insight?

After you’ve answered these questions, be very specific on what you want to happen as you are at the Verge Conference.   List out these goals, but don’t be vague.  Don’t say, “I want to learn more about the Bible.” A better goal would be, “I want to learn how I can effectively lead our people to disciple the poor in our inner city missional communities.”

Take time to share these goals with your leadership team and ask them for input and direction as well.  This creates shared leadership and also helps create accountability for your time while at Verge.   All goals aren’t created equal…so rank them in order of importance.   You want to make sure the most pressing questions and goals are addressed while at the Verge Conference.

Know Your Speakers

If you have your goals, Verge has the capabilities of helping you along with accomplishing your goals.  One of the best things about Verge is that you don’t only hear from speakers from the stage, but there is ample ways to meet with them at the UnConference meetings to discuss specific topics.  This is usually where people waste some money.  You’ve always wanted to hear someone speak because you’ve read their book or love their speaking abilities, but the topics they are covering won’t accomplish the very reason you came to the conference.   This is where the question of expense vs investment is answered.

If you see the Verge Conference as an expense, then just go to those people you want to hear speak.  If you see the Verge Conference as an investment, go to those speakers where their topics will accomplish your goals for coming to the conference.  Sometimes, this is the same…both the speaker you wanted to hear and the topic they are speaking on is exactly what you need.  Sometimes, they are not.   Be willing to learn about the topic you need to learn about MORE than the speaker that is speaking.

Know Your Schedule

If you want to, you can be listening and interacting with people almost the entire time you are at Verge.  It’s a real plus.  But, there are usually two types of people.  One type goes to some main sessions, get some good one liners to tweet and then gets in some good relaxation back at the hotel or at the pub.  Good on ya…you see the Verge Conference as an expense.

Others spent good money and they go to everything and wear themselves out.  They are sitting in the seats listening but they completely burn themselves out.  Verge gives out a schedule for a reason.   Look at your goals and look at the topics.  Mark the ones you know you need to get to and then if time and energy are going well, go to those that are less important to the goals you’ve established.

The worst thing you can do is overextend yourself while at the conference so that you don’t get the most out of the sessions you needed to hear and learn from most.  Make a plan and adjust as you go…but most don’t even make a plan.

Somewhere in the middle is probably the best of the two different types of people that usually go to a conference.  Know which one you usually are and have a better plan for your schedule.  Again, Verge is different.  You get to hang with some of the top practitioners in the world instead of merely hearing them speak on stage.

TAKE ADVANTAGE of this.

(continued…)


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 35

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images