How about Open Mic Sunday? Each SBC church turns the Sunday over to the congregation and let’s them speak about what they see the issues to be. Then the whole church (and ultimately, the whole denomination) brainstorms the problems and comes up with solutions.

Or on a more organic level, the SBC churches could decide to start getting out in their neighborhoods and serving people. My previous church did that and grew by leaps and bounds. Had everyone in the city talking.

Just a couple suggestions I think would bring greater change than another conference. Gotta take the issue back to the people and get it out of the hands of all these bureaucrats pontificating at the leadership level of the SBC.

I’d just like to see the SBC do something that wasn’t drowning in pragmatism and devoid of a sense of God.

If anything, a theology conference is the LEAST likely conference to draw in those who are looking elsewhere. At issue is the drift away from denominations by the sub-45-year-olds, correct? A theology conference is the most talkative and least practical event (from the perspective of those thinking about bailing out of a denomination) you could hold.

Look at who attends theology conferences today: theology gearheads. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a theology gearhead, but you can count the number of folks who get warm and fuzzy debating theology on one hand in your typical 1,000 member church.

Challies just posted a big schedule of conferences. I would suspect that if you boiled those conferences down, they’re attracting a lot of the same people to each event, much like large regional Star Trek conventions draw in a lot of the same out-of-towners. When you start seeing the same panel members from one theology conference to another, you’ve got to believe a lot of the people in the audience are the same, too.

That’s not going to keep Joe Christian in the pews, though. You might retain your five gearheads, but you lose everyone else.

Michael,

I’m not convinced that the whole conference mentality makes one iota of difference, either. It’s a modified version of a crusade, except for the already saved–a pep rally perhaps. We’ve been in a conference mode for decades and still no fruit to be seen. Lotsa talk and few results. I’ve been observing, too.

The only thing that’s going to boost these denominations is to get serious about walking their talk. This generation laughs at all the wind church leaders blow. They only want to see realities. Stop talking, start doing. Real community. Real counterculture. Don’t tell me Jesus loves me, show me! Anything else is smoke to them.

But when they see the walk matching the talk, they’ll be there. The first denomination to get wise to this will grab the brass ring.