My First Ministry Conference
Today I attended the Ivy Jungle Regional conference, my first college ministry conference with the rest of the INN senior staff. The Ivy Jungle Network, a national organization that, as I understand it, specializes in being a networking resource to those in the college ministry setting, is hosting 8 regional conferences around the country over the next few months, kicking off with today’s event at Mars Hill Graduate School’s Bothell campus.
The conference was a good opportunity to see what some of the other college groups are doing around our area and to meet a few new people. As a staff, we go to a few conferences every year and this is something I’m pretty excited about. I’m looking forward to meeting the community of college ministers, local and beyond, and see how they make things happen on their campuses and hear what new ideas they have about working with college students.
The connection to ministry peers seems very valuable to me, especially as I try to gain a stronger perspective for how my work at the INN looks. It is great to be around people who are older than me, who can help me see the ministry life through post-college eyes (some who have been out for a short time, some for a long time). I also value the multi-generational perspectives from years of experience and study that this group possessed. I felt like in a lot of ways I fit into the generational box that our students fit into, being so close in age. It was helpful to see how others view our generation, while keeping in mind that I have my own opinions on the needs of students closer to my age because of my proximity.
For my first conference, it was a positive experience.
