In praise of conferences!!
Having returned from PT conference, Carl was in great form, slaying sacred cows with abandon. As usual the Welsh came in for a drubbing. There was one brutal, underhand attack on Welsh mysticism. The Engaging with Lloyd Jones book is out and Carl has been given the job of reviewing it for Ref 21. I'm looking forward more to the review than the book.
Anyway... there were about 60 of us at senior ministers. Why go to a conference like this? Partly for the teaching - Dick Lucas on 2 Peter, Carl on the Trinity, Charles and Tricia Marnham speaking on parenting and then 4 sessions in a preaching group being led by William Taylor on the structure of Luke (If I see one more chiasm I'm going to scream). All these were good but the main reason to go is for fellowship. Dick Lucas expressed it in his final talk on 2 Peter.
'people drift out of conferences and always become more freakish as a result'
There is an inherent loneliness in ministry. I am fortunate in that I have an Assistant and another church worker and yet still to go away with a group of men, to discuss late into the night whilst drinking beer with other brothers who understand the work is wonderfully encouraging. Most of the conversation is banter but it's worth going to the conference for that alone. We constantly think that we haven't got the time to go to conferences like this and yet it removes me from my slightly insular world of tiny Presbyterianism and reminds me I belong to the wider body of Christ; to a constituency who are trying to preach God's word in season and out of season, some in tough situations. It tells me of books which others are reading. The sessions on parenting as ministers was particularly helpful. I feared, on such a subject where people often hold such strong views, it would descend into chaos but the Marnhams, despite coming theologically from another world to many of us, gave brilliant, godly, humble advice. My only concern being that we all went home wanting our wives to be more like Tricia Marnham. I hope PT will make this material available.
Of course the Proclamation Trust isn't the only group that does these things. The Banner conference is always a shot in the arm but I fear that the longer we go on in ministry the more we think we don't need conferences when the opposite is the case. Isolationism is a disaster full stop. In large conferences it's easy for people to get lost and can drift in and out of sessions while a 4 day residential, although a big investment in time, allows people to get to know each other, relax and eat terrific food. There were times this week when I laughed until there were tears running down my face, admittedly I was laughing at my own jokes most of the time but it was wonderfully refreshing.
My favourite anecdote of the week was told by Joe Dent about the time JI Packer came to PT theologs conference. The first few questions all began with ''Now then, now then, now then, Dear Jim could you fix it for me to......... understand....''. American readers won't understand the 'Jim'll fix it' reference but to all who grew up in the 70s and 80s. It's comedy gold. The Ref 21 tribute to Jimmy Saville will appear in the next week or so but until then I leave you with the Scouts eating lunch on the rollercoaster.
