A whole group of people from the Junction Church went to the Hillsong Europe conference. It was phenomenal – the best I’ve been to yet. Already, we’ve got around 40 booked in for 2016!!
Everything about the conference was brilliant – from the welcome to the worship. To catch the spirit and culture of Hillsong Church is something that can only happen if you turn up and spend a few days in that atmosphere. The strap line of the conference is ‘Championing the cause of the local church’. As far as strap lines go for a church conference, it doesn’t get any better than that.
This years conference was built on the theme ‘Speak, we’re listening’. So I wanted to take that seriously – and went with an open heart to hear from God. I wasn’t disappointed. Every session was brilliant. I’ve got a book full of notes – too many to include here. However, some of the best sessions were the ‘Let’s Talk Church’ sessions by Brian Houston. Here are some brief notes from one of them:
Session: Lets Talk Church Title: ‘Pre-emptive leadership’ Speaker: Ps Brian Houston
Good leaders are never cynical. But they’re not blinkered either. ‘If there’s poison at the root, there’s trouble ahead for the tree’. Here are some things leaders need to protect against in church life & culture. Better to protect against them before they happen rather than react against them when they happen. Remember, these are ALL issues of the heart:
– Selfish ambition – Parallel worlds (parallel visions) – Differing rules – Silence that roars (silence is a statement) – Unredeemed ego – A root of bitterness. ‘ – Foxes that spoil the vine. – Shades of Grey (careless communication) – Little fish complex (serving is a privilege)
Carl Lentz then asked BH to advise 3 things to look for in potential leaders. BH advised to look for: 1 Good hearts (honouring & loyal – why settle for anything less?) 2. Pure hearts (love God, people, church) 3. Hearts that are genuinely for you (doesn’t work without this)
