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Dean Steenburgh

Is the GA living up to your expectations? What about your GA Experience?

Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia Posts: 4682 **8/6/16 8:50 pm**

I've heard several people say how they didn't go to the GA this year or even 2 years ago & how that they have no plans of returning unless their are relevant changes that offer a reason to attend GA beyond spending money & watching a bunch of southerners engage in various topics & voting.

Well this year I actually joined that growing group of constituents & I feel similar to those who are disenfranchised.

In my opinion the GA has lost it's focus & bearing to the local church member & thereby the O.B. delegate as well.
We need life but as of now we're not headed in the right direction.
The GA isn't meeting the needs of the average CoG member & nobody wants to take time off to attend an event in July/August in the S/E just to see the same thing the same way as it's been for decades.

Life would come in the form of rethinking & reshaping the whole G.A. experience.
The NFL & the Super Bowl scored well last year in San Francisco & the credit was due to the NFL Experience. They brought the NFL to the local guy & tens of thousands of people who never got to go to the game still had a chance to engage in the Super Bowl by attending the week long NFL Experience.

I never again want to experience the G.A. experience I have come to know these last 20 years ...simply put ...Boring!
We come with anticipation & excitement & leave let down & disappointed.
Every time we've went it has cost my church thousands to send our delegates & their wives only to come back home to discussion topics related to why the CoG has done this or that & the conversation/explanation usually ends with me trying to explain some sort of traditional thing or cultural thing.
At times I've come to the conclusion that the best thing for our church is for us to focus on our local callings & ministry & let the CoG system do it's own bidding; I mean after all what does the GA offer my leadership team?

I'm sure this probably comes across as bitter or negative but actually I'm not either one & neither are any of our leadership. Our commitment to the CoG is strong. We've just found it's better to pick our conventions & leadership events from inspiring venues that confirm our agenda & help us strengthen our abilities & functions as leaders.

The G.A. is in all true honesty a private gathering of like minded men who talk about wanting changes in function of ministry. But in order for that to take place we have to send it off to a committee & after a panel has discussed it for 2 or 4 or 6 years it might be given a chance ...by then the world has changed.

We need a GA Experience.
Embrace technology & allow all ordained ministers globally to have a voice.
Drop the good ole boy mentality about letting only O.B.'s vote & talk.
Use the entire General Assembly in a whole day to discuss & vote on all the measures presented instead of trying to rush it through in a couple hours.
Bring in events for kids & teens & college age people.
We're sending a message every 2 years that says "stay away ...this place is for old adults only"
I have zero chance of getting my wife or my kids to attend a GA ever again because it's washed up in their opinion.
I mean who wants to walk around the exhibits as if its the 'star attraction' for the week unless of course you're one of the privileged few in the General Council?

GA needs women involved, we need young lives involved, we need college kids accepting the call to minister, we need altar calls w/out time restrictions, CoG singers, preachers, musicians & let's be willing to broadcast it all over the world again.

If you want to appoint a committee then find about 20 talented college age young people who acknowledge having a call on their life from all over the nation & world & let them brain storm on how to make the GA an experience that will draw in the younger crowds. Bring those same 20 people before a group of progressive decision makers who can begin implementing the plan that will make the GA relevant again.

There was a time 100 years ago when the GA was relevant for that generation but I'm afraid touch screen voting pads are not the best idea of coming to the call of today's generation.

There is a ton more to say but I'm sure you can add to this better than i can.

.
_________________
"Empty nest syndrome is for the birds!"

Email me at: SteenburghDean@gmail.com

Church planters are focused on just one thing ...introducing people to Jesus!
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