Stop speaking in tongues

Alright, put aside your theological beliefs and hear me out. Tim Schraeder said this in his breakout (Reworking Church Communication) at the Echo Conference.

He followed up (after everyone laughed, okay, some were dismayed) by stating that we take simple stuff and make it complex in the church.

And it’s true.

Whether it is by over branding every class, department and group or by using language that is either outdated or absurdly religious.

I have made this mistake repeatedly.

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It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear

Kem Meyer said this during her breakout (Less Clutter, Less Noise) at the Echo Conference.

I know I blogged about her breakout already, but it made such a huge impact on me (and no, I am not trying to score a free copy of her book but that would be an added bonus!).

The thing is, this can be applied to other areas and avenues of life such as interpersonal communication. She was originally referring to large-scale church communications (such as bulletins, blogs, etc.)

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At the Echo Conference, Kem Meyer said something that really convicted me.

And to be honest, I didn’t expect to be convicted (but I guess we never really expect it).

I mean, especially at a media conference.

Looking back, I almost wished she had just complimented me instead but she said something that I will never forget.

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Yes, I drove to the Echo Conference (known on Twitter and in my brain as #echo10) from Brunswick, GA. The conference was hosted in Dallas, TX which means that it was about eighteen hours (1,000 miles) each way.

But it was worth it.

It was worth waking up at 4am and driving ten hours on the second day, it was worth making the sacrifices in our budget, it was worth it.

I am going to spend several days unpacking what I learned and how it will change what I do, but I still have to process (and I will have a lot of time to think as I drive) so here is a short list of the ten reasons why it was worth it to attend.

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