A woman shared her plans for the year which included several conferences.  It seemed that she placed a high value on participating in these gatherings that offered her great inspiration, motivation and encouragement.  She was loyal to a few conferences, identifying herself as a faithful participant by the way she talked about the number of years she had attended.  Each conference offered something special and yet they all provided the same basic elements of worship, preaching, a few included workshops and trinkets.

Conferences can be big business if you have the right combination of speakers, venue and perks. It is really easy to create a theme, find a location, call a few leaders together and invite an audience to sit and listen. But conference really means that the participants confer with one another about a particular issue. Conferences should have goals and a plan of action once the participants have conferred about the issues. Now the question begs to be asked.  What's the point of hosting and attending a conference if there are no results?

HER Call Ministries has worked and prayed diligently for more than three years to be sure that our events have spiritual substance and practical significance.  Bi-annually we host a major Conference and Retreat Experience to provide female clergy and leading women in ministry a chance to be refreshed and equipped for service in the Body of Christ.  We are a young and growing network with aspirations to serve anyone, especially women, serious about Christian leadership with integrity, biblically sound preaching and teaching, unity in the Body of Christ and reaching the world with the Gospel.  We participated in an extraordinary special time this year in which God stirred the hearts and spoke to women about the direction for their lives.  We provided opportunities for meaningful conversation about personal and ministerial matters.  It was a conference in which participants could ask questions, share insights and glean from the wisdom of others.  It was a conference designed to gather a special group of leaders to engage one another and most importantly, to confer with God. It was a real conference.

Now what?  In the six weeks since the conference, what are the results of being in such a rich and empowering environment?  How have hearts and lives changed? We know seeds of hope, confirmation and specific instructions were sown or watered by the Spirit of God. Let's not allow what has been invested to be loss. The sacrifice and investment was made to bring like minds and passionate hearts together for a mutually edifying experience but the purpose didn't stop there. After all, what's the point of a conference if we respond to the Lord's instructions thereafter?

Revisit the prayer closet and ponder your last conference. Not just what the guest speaker shared, but reflect on the deeper conference you had with the Lord.  What have you done with what you received?