Reflections From Idea Summit 2023
God moved and worked at the 2023 Idea Summit in Dallas, Texas! Here's what those who attended are saying...
The one big idea that I took away from the Idea Summit was that whether you feel ready or not, you can be a mentor to someone else. You can step in that position for them, train them, and teach them in what God has already taught you. You have the responsibility to share what God has given to you and taught you through your process of growing. You then take that and hand it down to someone else that needs it. That’s my big take away.
-Haley Shoemaker
A spiritual Takeaway is just being careful not to minister out of our reserves, but out of the overflow. That was huge - love that one! As a practical take away from a session that Brian Armstrong did on church revitalization about having a 3 x 5 size card with our three-year vision on there. Just simple things that he gives to guests right away. It’s really helped connect people to the church and help grow their church.
-Mike Brown
The one big idea I took from the summit was from Dr. Tony Evans message on the first night with the olive trees. The trees being planted and the 15 years of investing into them, then they grow for 2000 years producing the fruit. Our investment matters.
-Alana Brown
The importance of strategic annual planning in woman’s ministry. By doing that you alleviate some of the feeling of being overwhelmed.
-Michelle Rands
In the last session, we talked about how ministry leaders in our community can pull together to help each other's ministries for kingdom advancement. We aren’t just ministries that should be alone on an island and affiliated with each other, but we should unify together to better advance the kingdom.
-Zain Treadwell
My favorite part of the Summit was collaboration with other ministry leaders, a spiritual shot in the arm, and practical ideas that you can use.
-Josh McGee
My favorite part about the Idea Summit, is my favorite part about every Idea Network event. Friends we make, the old friends we get to see, and the lost friends with him. We are able to reconnect. Ideas are great. Friendships are better.
-Josh Teis
How do you encapsulate everything about Idea Summit 2023?
I think two of my favorite parts were first, the singing services and being able to worship God freely with others, not just believers, but other ministry leaders who are on the same spiritual level that you are. It was just such an encouragement to be able to do that. Secondly, it really blessed my heart to be able to pray over people. I loved the segment we did in the service where we took different needs, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and just heavy burdens to the Lord for each other. praying over each other was just such a blessing to me.
-Becky Suttle
I think the greatest thing about this Summit was the the love that is expressed from brothers and sisters to one another. It was absolutely amazing to come to a place where people are genuinely caring about one another. The messages were dynamic, and the music was uplifting. What a great service!
-Dr. David Teis.
This summit has been an encouragement and a blessing. Lots of resources have been made available to us pastors and wives who are, in our case, basically the entire ministry team at a small church.
-Jodie Allmon
2023 summit was so awesome. It’s hard to pick just one thing.
-Tim Tenbrink
My favorite part of the summit although I love the sessions was the preaching. It has been spot on! I love teaching, but the preaching really spoke to me this week, so that was my favorite part. It’s hard to choose one. The music was awesome the sessions, but I had to give the number to the preaching.
-Ryan Oswalt
If you’re looking for help and encouragement, and a one another’s spirit, Idea Network is the place for you! regardless of how many years you’ve been in ministry, regardless of how much or how little experience you have, you’re going to find brothers and sisters in Christ who love you encourage you to follow passionately after Jesus Christ.
-Anthony Fusco
I’m a former high school teacher and we used to do a form of this in the public high school, which is to bring together collaborative teachers who are doing things that excelled in the classroom and their experience then they would come together to talk about it. This is the same spirit and I think every pastor really needs to think through what is working in somebody else’s context, maybe it's the answer. Maybe it’s a different context altogether, but there’s so many wonderful ideas! People get a chance to think things through in their context and then we can try to do the same thing and I think I think this is great. I think there’s two reasons the first one is the tried-and-true methods that other people have done and then we can just go ahead and use it, it’s almost cheating. You know we just get to bring it into our environment. The second is just relationships. There are so many people that I’ve met here that I’ll probably continue to talk to when I get back home to Vegas and so for those two reasons, I think it’s definitely worth it.
-Nate Sala
I would encourage other ministry leaders to come to the next Idea event so that they can take time to be ministered to verses constantly ministering to others. They can just sit and relax and be fed themselves.
-Abbie Treadwell
I would encourage another ministry leader to come to the idea network conferences because it encourages and renews within the leader himself. Idea Network Summit gives ideas that a ministry leader can take with him to apply in his local congregation to spread the Gospel wherever we are in a more effective manner.
-Scott Allmon
I would encourage another ministry leader to attend the next Idea event because it gives you the opportunity as a ministry leader to be fed with encouragement, a chance for refreshment, and take away tidbits that you can implement into your home church. As ministry leaders, we often miss the opportunities to be fed in services or classes because we’re feeding others by serving to some capacity.
-Nicole Dejesus
If you're a ministry leader, I know you're busy, tired, under pressure, and yet you still keep pressing on because you want to see one more person reached for Jesus. You want to see more life changed. But it's difficult and it's exhausting. You weren't meant to do it alone. You need a community. Idea Network is your community, your family. Everyone has a seat at the table here. The 2023 Summit was inspiring for so many reasons but it's the people and friendships in the Network that make it great!
-Lysandra Osterkamp
I would encourage another ministry leader to attend an Idea Network event because sometimes as a ministry leader we do feel like we’re alone and we don’t have people out there that feel like they believe like us or we feel isolated. So, I would encourage somebody attend because you don’t feel that way here, you feel like home.
-Kristal Ostwalt