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The exact schedule of our Preaching Rally varies from year to year, but the general layout stays the same. We have certain things that we have repeated since the beginning–three sessions, skits in each session, snack break first, lunch break second,–but we have altered the schedule at times to try new things–men’s and ladies’ split sessions, games/slideshow/video/songs as openers, various little tweaks. In a long-running conference like the Preaching Rally, we constantly try to balance innovation with stability. If we innovate every year, people will not learn to trust the rally and may not keep coming. But if we never

The only light in the room comes from the red glowing numbers on top of my dresser, directly across the room. They read, “4:37.” My body immediately knows something is different about today, but my conscious mind is still trying to crank up the gears. They are a little rusty right now. Oh yeah! Preaching Rally day. I kick my legs out of the covers, trying not to wake my wife as I exit the room. Coffee. Bible reading. Prayer time. Go time.   My mind is ablaze as I head to church, darting from one thought to the next.

When content is king and people learn to trust that the theme will be helpful, regardless of who is preaching… where does that leave the preacher? Should we even care who is preaching? Despite our emphasis on the importance of a content-driven theme, the guest preacher that you choose for your event is not to be an afterthought, as if he plays no role in “your” event. It is highly arrogant to think that the theme is all-sufficient, as if God uses your or my theme instead of using a man. God’s plan has not changed, and the supernatural effect

My grandma either loved babies or hated church, because she served in nursery almost every service for over 30 years. At least every Sunday night, except when my family came to visit her, she was in the nursery, changing diapers and soothing babies’ tummies. Her disproportionately large hands hugged the colicky baby’s belly, holding the infant face out against her chest as she paced through the nursery, as faithful as a guard at the Arlington Cemetery. She listened to her pastor’s preaching through the nursery intercom system, and always felt that the best place she could be was on the

My kids’ first words–almost before “mamama” and “dadada”–were, “I wanna see!” As soon as they realized that our rectangular devices made images of them, then surely everyone’s device must also hold images of them. At the first sign of a phone, it is right to the pictures app. As soon as a camera is held up, there is a quick pose, a quick snapshot, and little kids running toward the camera saying, “I wanna see!” Yes. We have created two picture junkies. And we’re working on our third. I am convinced the selfish sin nature of humans is amplified by

How many first impressions can you make? Well, we have talked about first impressions coming from the graphics. And we have talked about first impressions coming from the decorations. But what if people have not seen either of these things? What if someone’s first impression comes from a place you might least expect… the parking? We try to have a plan for everything, including the parking. Our plan is pretty straightforward: Put a bunch of buses and cars somewhere. Parking Team On our sign-up Sunday, our church members sign up under various areas, including parking. About six parking attendants wear

Who is the guy that is invisible until something goes wrong? Who is the guy that everyone walks past until there is a glitch in the video? Who is the guy that no one can describe until they turn to look at him… just after the shrill feedback noise pierces their eardrums? Yep. The soundman. Those poor media guys. The only emotion they receive from people is surprise, hate, anger, and rage. At least at a youth event there are not as many people with hearing aids, so the rage potential diminishes… at least a little. While it is a

One of the many benefits of attending the Spiritual Leadership Conference in Lancaster, CA, is receiving the gifts that are given to each delegate. I always wonder how their budget balances at the end of each conference, and I am sure that the church gives much of the gifts that are not covered by the registration fees. I am always impressed by the culture of giving. I want the same for the Preaching Rally, and it is not as hard as one might think. For our case, the Preaching Rally budget is basically self-sustaining. We charge $5 per person (including

Being funny is serious business! Part of what drives home our theme each year is our custom-written skits. My brother-in-law, Jared Burkholder, is our resident funny man, and therefore our skit chief. Each year when the Guidance Document is finished, three people receive it: the guest preacher, the decorations chief, and the skit chief. Bro. Jared sits on the theme a couple weeks and creates a funny scenario that could fit all three skits. For our “Pure Love” theme, he created the character Willomena (played by my bearded brother in a blonde wig)–the woo-less woo-ee–who sought in vain for “Mr.