So I’ve become acclaimed as the official note-taker for Christian conferences these days. I was even followed at the ECHO Church Media Conference where my friends Justin and Vince captured my every move trying to get my secret to note-taking.
Some people have asked why I blog copious notes of conferences I attend and the reason is simple: I want to provide a great resource for people who are unable to attend or for those who aren’t able to keep up.
The first major conference I attended was the 2002 Willow Creek Leadership Summit. I was 19, less than a few months into my career as a church communications guy. The entire experience blew my mind. I never encountered so much passion for the local church and was challenged by outstanding leaders [who used words I didn’t even understand at the time] to grow in my leadership capacity.
I didn’t go to college and leveraged future conferences as a means to learn and grow. Unfortunately, due to a lack of a resources, I was unable to attend many conferences and depended on bloggers at conferences to share what they were learning.I thrived off of notes people took and more times than not, they were too brief or simple summaries. I wanted everything!
So, when I finally got a laptop and had the chance, I began blogging notes from conferences I was able to attend.
Over the past couple of years I’ve blogged notes from the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit (2010, 2009), Catalyst (2009), 12 Cities 12 Conversations, ECHO Church Media Conference (2010, 2009), Granger’s Innovate Conference (2009, 2008), Q, and Story.
I love being able to use my mad typing and blogging skills to help resource and share with others who aren’t able to attend. It’s been wild to see the people I’ve been connected with as a result of note-taking, and for the opportunity that’s come my was as a result.
It all came full circle this year when I was asked by Hanna at the Willow Creek Association to come and help their team run social media/blogging for the Global Leadership Summit. I was beyond humbled and thrilled to be a part of such a significant conference that reaches over 120,000 leaders in 70 different countries and will be translated into 30 different languages!
From being a 19 year old kid in the nosebleed seats in Willow’s lakeside auditorium to being behind-the-scenes 8 years later, it’s been a wild journey. I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve and add value to an already incredible event.
The remaining conferences I’ll be blogging this year include: Story, Catalyst and the Third Lausanne World Congress on Christian Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa.
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