The North American Christian Convention (NACC), the single largest annual gathering of members of independent Christian Churches/Churches of Christ in the world, could be better. In fact, it could be great.
What I’ve just written might seem terribly misinformed or ill-informed, especially once I tell you that I’ve only attended one NACC. It was the one held in Louisville, Kentucky in 2000. There were good points here and there but overall I was unimpressed. Having attended a few years of the Tulsa Workshop, the largest national gathering of a cappella Church of Christ members, the NACC paled in comparison.
Don’t get me wrong. The NACC was large, well-organized and offered a range of workshops from a variety of presenters. The exhibitions were interesting. It was good to see a few old friends and makes some new contacts. Somehow, though, this convention didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel like a Christian Churches/Churches of Christ event.
For several years after I decided it was because the convention was departing from its original purpose and drifting into generic evangelicalism. This viewpoint reflected my own descent into a hardline traditionalist position, one from which I am working hard to recover. So, what do I think now?
I still believe the NACC has departed from its original purpose and is drifting into generic evangelicalism. The difference is that now I don’t see a conspiracy afoot. Instead, it looks like an attempt to boost the status of the convention by bringing in big-name evangelicals to draw a crowd in competition with other evangelical conventions.
Let me make this as plain as possible. There are many, many evangelical seminars, workshops and conferences held throughout the year in the United States. Many leaders in the Christian Churches attend one or more of these other gatherings. They spend their convention budgets on attending these other gatherings and give the NACC a pass. So, it looks to me like the leadership of the NACC is aware of this and responding by trying to provide well-known evangelical speakers, like Rick Warren, in order to draw in attendees, thereby competing with the evangelical conventions.
Here’s my suggestion for the North American Christian Convention. Here’s how I think it could become great.
Stop it.
Stop inviting people from outside the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement to speak at the North American Christian Convention. No, I’m not being anti-unity or denying the essential Christianity of anyone. Please don’t waste your energy by reminding me that we are “Christians only, not the only Christians.” I assure you, I am well aware of the fact that we are not the only Christians.
What I do know is that the Tulsa Workshop only draws upon Church of Christ people for its workshops. I seem to remember a Christian Churches fellow having spoken there as well at some point and wouldn’t be surprised if this were the case. In any event, they are doing just fine using their own people. The Tulsa Workshop is an inspiring, uplifting event, even without the likes of Bill Hybels or Chuck Colson.
My suggestion isn’t that the privilege of speaking be reserved exclusively for members of independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Far from it! Rather, I think preference should be given to people from this background (this is the group the convention is supposed to represent, after all) but that guest spots should also be reserved for sisters and brothers from the a cappella Churches of Christ and International Churches of Christ (no more controlling “discipleship” tactics and authoritarian style in the latter, apparently).
Here’s my suggested plan:
- Declare a four-year moratorium on non-Restoration Movement presenters at the NACC. Why four years? It’s long enough for people to adjust and for word to get around, and it’s a nice round number. If by the end of four years people aren’t impressed with the results the convention can return to being what it is now.
- Invite the best and brightest of the entire movement who don’t have a bone to pick with the independent churches over instruments in worship or some other “issue” to lead workshops and preach.
- Market the event heavily as a family reunion for the Stone-Campbell fellowship/faith tradition/brotherhood (whichever goes over better). Where non-Restoration Movement evangelicals would find little compelling or unique in the current NACC, the type of convention I’m proposing would almost certainly open the doors and seem inviting for folks from other parts of the movement to attend.
There are plenty of non-denominational, evangelical conferences out there. The North American Christian Convention doesn’t need to be just one more.
