For discussion: NMI Convention

[David Pettigrew]

Having served on several districts and on one district NMI council, I have come to wonder if the following is true:

1) The primary business of the NMI convention is to elect the NMI council.
2) The primary business of the NMI council is to plan the NMI convention.

Discuss.

The key word here is business. I'm not referring to the worship and pageantry that usually takes place in the evening. I'm talking about the voting/reporting/promotion stuff that usually takes place during the day.

[Ryan Scott]

You forgot about the important duty to elect representative to go to bigger conferences and vote on members for other councils.

[Kevin Rector]

Déjà vu.

[David Pettigrew]

Hey, I have to share my wisdom with more than twelve people sometimes.

[John Kennedy]

Well, I'm glad to hear that a new and gentler day has dawned. I will always remember the sage counsel of a DS of yore:

"It don't pay to mess
with the WFMS."

The imparter of that particular bit of wisdom may've been 'old school', but he wasn't no fool.

Now I realize that organizational entity is long gone, but I have known more than one pastor (some young, some old enough to know better) who first really learned what 'turf' was all about in that context.

[Kevin Rector]

Hey, I have to share my wisdom with more than twelve people sometimes.

Didn't you post this exact thing last year at Assembly time?

[Susan Unger]

Didn't you post this exact thing last year at Assembly time?

He did.

[Hans Deventer]

Having served on several districts and on one district NMI council, I have come to wonder if the following is true:

1) The primary business of the NMI convention is to elect the NMI council.
2) The primary business of the NMI council is to plan the NMI convention.

Discuss.

The key word here is business. I'm not referring to the worship and pageantry that usually takes place in the evening. I'm talking about the voting/reporting/promotion stuff that usually takes place during the day.

The good news is, you can save a lot of wasted time by not being at the NMI convention and not being in the NMI council.

[Rich Schmidt]

Having served on several districts and on one district NMI council, I have come to wonder if the following is true:

1) The primary business of the NMI convention is to elect the NMI council.
2) The primary business of the NMI council is to plan the NMI convention.

Discuss.

The key word here is business. I'm not referring to the worship and pageantry that usually takes place in the evening. I'm talking about the voting/reporting/promotion stuff that usually takes place during the day.

Hmm.... Why not include the worship & pageantry? Isn't that part of the event the NMI council planned, for the purpose of lifting up the value of international missions and the work God is doing around the world? Doesn't that have value? (Plenty of volunteer teams in other organizations exist solely for the purpose of putting on a major annual event.)

As for the business: Isn't the reporting a way to share what has worked well in the various churches? Aren't the awards a way to publicly celebrate those who have worked to inspire others to learn about, pray for, and get involved with international missions?

These questions aren't entirely rhetorical. I usually skip out of almost all of the NMI business. :) Our church doesn't even have an NMI chapter. But the evening worship service has been combined with the NYI stuff the past few years, so it's usually pretty youth-oriented (= interesting).

[David Pettigrew]

Didn't you post this exact thing last year at Assembly time?

That sounds like something I'd do. It's good to know I still feel the same way today as I did then.

[David Pettigrew]

Hmm.... Why not include the worship & pageantry? Isn't that part of the event the NMI council planned, for the purpose of lifting up the value of international missions and the work God is doing around the world? Doesn't that have value? (Plenty of volunteer teams in other organizations exist solely for the purpose of putting on a major annual event.)

Yeah, my point is why not just do the worship and eliminate the business and endless commercials.


As for the business: Isn't the reporting a way to share what has worked well in the various churches? Aren't the awards a way to publicly celebrate those who have worked to inspire others to learn about, pray for, and get involved with international missions?

It's easy to tell from this question that you do indeed skip out of almost all of the NMI business.

[Shea Zellweger]

Hmm.... Why not include the worship & pageantry? Isn't that part of the event the NMI council planned, for the purpose of lifting up the value of international missions and the work God is doing around the world? Doesn't that have value? (Plenty of volunteer teams in other organizations exist solely for the purpose of putting on a major annual event.)

would the churcc/district/denomination be better served if we had a group of people passionate about NMI planning this event, rather than a duly elected committee?



As for the business: Isn't the reporting a way to share what has worked well in the various churches? Aren't the awards a way to publicly celebrate those who have worked to inspire others to learn about, pray for, and get involved with international missions?

Yes and no. Your first question I can't answer because I didn't attend any NMI workshops. Your second one... well, you could put it that way. I know several pastors who would suggest that the awards are less inspiration and more an attempt to make the unawarded churches feel guilty, especially when they're accompanied by lectures about how "zeroes are unacceptable" (direct quote from my assembly) and then the business portion turns into a PBS telethon where every break in the action is met with the DS or GS announcing how some other church has suddenly paid their budgets, and wouldn't it be nice if the other churches did the same? Problem is, a PBS telethon ensures some pretty quality entertainment- a concert, or a screening of the Planet of the Apes- while the NMI telethon is combined with a less-than-entertaining business meeting.

[Rich Schmidt]

It's easy to tell from this question that you do indeed skip out of almost all of the NMI business.

I think it probably varies by district, too. A few years ago, a 30-something-yr-old associate pastor at a larger Nazarene church stepped down from leading the district NYI and was elected NMI president. He's brought an energy to it that hadn't been seen in a while. Still, I usually skip most of it. :)


Yes and no. Your first question I can't answer because I didn't attend any NMI workshops. Your second one... well, you could put it that way. I know several pastors who would suggest that the awards are less inspiration and more an attempt to make the unawarded churches feel guilty, especially when they're accompanied by lectures about how "zeroes are unacceptable" (direct quote from my assembly) and then the business portion turns into a PBS telethon where every break in the action is met with the DS or GS announcing how some other church has suddenly paid their budgets, and wouldn't it be nice if the other churches did the same? Problem is, a PBS telethon ensures some pretty quality entertainment- a concert, or a screening of the Planet of the Apes- while the NMI telethon is combined with a less-than-entertaining business meeting.

It sounds to me like you're mixing district assembly business with NMI convention business in your description....?

[Charlene Clevenger]

We have wonderful NMI conventions in NE Indiana! The council, all of whom are passionate about missions, spend months preparing booklets for each church that lead local presidents throughout the year. The convention itself is exciting and encouraging. This fairly new local NMI president has needed the encouragement and guidance. That being said, our conventions have changed a lot over the last several years and from one Dist. President to another. Our conventions used to be on a weekday and last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Now we have it on a Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. That seems to be plenty of time to do what needs to be done.

[Wilson Deaton]

1) The primary business of the NMI convention is to elect the NMI council.
2) The primary business of the NMI council is to plan the NMI convention.

Discuss.


I will refrain from discussing in case my district NMI President is lurking... :wink:

Wilson

[John Reilly]

Having served on several districts and on one district NMI council, I have come to wonder if the following is true:

1) The primary business of the NMI convention is to elect the NMI council.
2) The primary business of the NMI council is to plan the NMI convention.

Discuss.

The key word here is business. I'm not referring to the worship and pageantry that usually takes place in the evening. I'm talking about the voting/reporting/promotion stuff that usually takes place during the day.

Yes. And raise money. Also it is a good opportunity to test drive BMW's and Mini Coopers.

[David Graham]

We don't have a denominational mission support agency because we are a church that does not exist beyond Australia. However, in saying that many of our people support mission work around the world. My family supports Missionary Aviation Fellowship and Compassion.

It's great actually not having to go along to (yawn) "Boring" missionary conventions at the District Assembly.

Cheers,
Dave

[Charlene Clevenger]

I will refrain from discussing in case my district NMI President is lurking... :wink:

Wilson

I know your district NMI President. You can take her in a fight. ;)

[Kevin Rector]

I know your district NMI President. You can take her in a fight. ;)

I don't know about that, she's pretty tough.