It was a full night: a great keynote to kick things off, a powerful worship service, and some good informal conversation wit Bill McConnell, our keynote speaker. McConnell is the lead pastor of Legacy Christian Church in Harrison, Ohio, which is a congregation that has changed and grown in dramatic ways over the last decade.

One of the things McConnell said tonight was that the church exists for the people who do not yet know God; the church exists for the people who have not yet come. He challenged us to think about everything we’re doing not in terms of what we like or how it meets our needs, but how we can be more welcoming to people who haven’t gotten there yet. He says that the whole process of transformation is one of turning outward, identifying the vision for the church and working toward it, and re-thinking everything we do. Most important, though, is that all this begins with a foundation of spiritual growth.

More to come tomorrow…