Why You Should Attend the DREAM Even If You’ve Already Been

Often, when I talk to church leaders who have attended DREAM, their first question is, “What’s new this year?”

The problem with this question is that it is often rooted in a false conception.

While we are always looking for ways to freshen and refine the material, the DREAM Church Conference is all about making the church healthy, and when it comes to church health, we don’t need much new content; we mostly need to get back to the basics.

It’s very similar to your own physical health. We are all looking for some new miracle pill, procedure, or plan to give us a convenient shortcut for our health. But deep down inside, we all know that to get healthy, we must get back to the basics: good nutrition, regular exercise, plenty of sleep, and intentional soul care.

3 Reasons You Should Attend The DREAM if You’ve Already Been

1.  I don’t need new content as much as I need a renewed commitment.

Church health, just like physical health, slowly slips. It requires regular renewal. The reason is exactly the same. We fall into a routine of activity without productivity.

Health requires facing facts.

To get healthier, you need to benchmark your current condition and compare that to the ideal.

Remember, the results you’re seeing are caused by the routines you’re doing.

Change always starts with a choice.

I need the DREAM conference because it helps me renew my commitment to building a balanced, healthy church for God’s glory.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”
(Proverbs 16:3, NIV)

2.  I need my leadership team to be on the same page.

One of the most painful reality checks is discovering that only some on your team share your dream.

Competing agendas and ulterior motives can torpedo the best-laid plans.

So how do you discover whether or not everyone is aligned?

You have to have intentional conversations about your mission, vision, structures, and strategies.

Bringing your entire leadership team to the DREAM conference gives you the perfect context to review your church’s strategies.

It’s the architectural drawings of what you’re attempting to build.

It’s the huddle before the snap.

Trust me; even one rogue leader can wreak havoc on the church’s health and cost you years to rebuild.

The DREAM Church Conference helps me get everyone on the same page.

“I told them how God was supporting me and how the king was backing me up. They said, “We’re with you. Let’s get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work.”
(Nehemiah 2:18, The Message)

3.  If I’m being truthful, I didn’t get it all the last time.

Prior attendees will often feel that they “got it” last time, but did you?

1)  Do you know the 3 primary systems that affect your friendliness factor and determine whether guests will return? Better yet, are they currently tuned for maximum retention?

2)  Have you recently updated your understanding of today’s unchurched? (Hopefully, you realize that they’ve radically changed due to COVID) You’ll never hit a bullseye without a refreshed target.

3)  Do you have systems that successfully connect 70, 80, or even 90 percent of your attenders into a small group?

4)  Do you have all the volunteers you need?

Our surveys have shown that the most successful churches are those that have attended multiple times. They often tell me, “I just didn’t get it all the first time or even the second, if I’m being honest.”

God knows us so well. That’s why He so patiently teaches us old truths over and over again.

“He tells us everything over and over— one line at a time, one line at a time, a little here, and a little there!”
(Isaiah 28:10, NLT)

I need the DREAM church conference because, after COVID, I’m basically rebuilding the church from the ground up!