The Send Conference: Nashville 2024
A little over a week ago, on February 3, 2024, I went to my first conference ever. The Send Conference was the name of it. The Send grew from a prayer movement named The Call. Their mission is basically to help fulfill the great commission. So, they encourage people to go out to the nations, spread the gospel, and continue making disciples. I never had heard of either until our young adults pastor at church told us about it this January. Now, I have grown up in a Christian household my whole life, but we never were involved to the point of going to conferences and going on missions and etc. My experience growing up was more so a knowing that God was real and seeing my family participate in the routine of church. We would go to church, talk to everyone, spend time with my extended family afterward, then go home. This was the routine from my childhood up until I was about 9 or 10 I believe (my memory is not always the best because trauma dissociation is very much a thing for me). As an adolescent and into my teen years, my experience with church was unstable. We were church hoppers, I guess. We never were really planted anywhere, and unfortunately, every time it seemed like we might be, the dark things came to the light. If a church was crooked, the truth would always be revealed. I say all this to say that I’ve come a long way in my walk with God. I’m so grateful to now be planted at Cornerstone Nashville, and when I heard of the opportunity to finally experience a Christian Conference, I jumped on it!
The Minor Deets:
Price: $30 Floor “Seats” (aka standing room only. I didn’t realize until the day of that there were no actual seats on the floor level, but hey, I’m not complaining. $30 for anything being held at Bridgestone Arena is a steal!)
Location: Bridgestone Arena, Downtown Nashville, TN
Headliners: Cody Carnes, Jesus Image, etc. (The contemporary style of Christian music is still somewhat new to me, so I was unfamiliar with many —almost all— of the performers and speakers.)
Pov: You just walked in to The Send Conference 2024 at the Bridgestone Arena!
The Major Deets:
When we arrived at the conference, the line was wrapped around the building! Matter of fact, there were like two or three lines. I couldn’t believe how many people were there. Honestly, I was not expecting such a turnout for an event like The Send (mainly because I had never heard of this conference before and it’s not particularly popular to be Christian in most places today). Even though we did get there about 30-45 minutes early, we didn’t enter the building until maybe 10 minutes after the event had started. Then, of course we had to take a group potty break before going down to the floor.
The moment we walked into the arena, filled with a sea of people, I had a really good feeling about it. The musicians were amazing, and I definitely could sense God’s presence in the room. The sight was beautiful, but also a little bit overwhelming, just to see so many people there. However, it was a good overwhelm. When we finally got down the stairs to our section, I finally felt like I could relax a little, though my mind was still all over the place. My senses were swimming in stimulation from the beautiful purple and pink strobes, the sound of the amazing band, and the gathering of people to my left, right, front, and back. Overall, I think a good way to describe my emotional state throughout the event would be scattered, numb, and expectant all at the same time. There were moments where it was hard for me to focus which us very unlike myself. Even so, I wanted God to encounter me there so badly, so I kept pursuing and worshiping even when it may have felt like I was getting nowhere. Also, at the time I had just lost two jobs in one day, then been rejected by three interviews two days after that solely based on my work availability. So, one could say I was going through it! Anyway, I tried to keep a positive attitude despite my recent trials, but those things definitely put a damper on my experience because my spirit just felt a light heaviness the whole time. That said, I still enjoyed myself, and I do not regret going. I may not have gotten the “encounter” that I was expecting, but that day I learned what it felt and looked like to praise him regardless of my circumstances. Even though it felt like what I gave was very little, I know that God could see my heart in my worship. He sees us completely even when we don’t see ourselves. Overall, I appreciate the experience I had there. I would recommend others to go to The Send Conference, especially if they are a bit younger (around 13-17 yrs. old). There were both highs and lows for me, but I see much potential for the future of The Send. Listed below are my final pros and cons of the event. Thanks for reading!
Much Love,
K.V.B.
Pros
Great Location
Worship Performances were amazing!
Food was available in the venue.
Lots of prayer over everyone and interaction with others. (Which could also be a con for introverts who are not particularly social.)
Many calls to action and group participation.
I felt that the leaders had very pure intentions for the conference, even though I would have preferred some things to be executed differently.
Targeted towards a younger demographic. It’s always great to see young people on fire for God!
Cons
The event had no breaks … at all. (Meaning the whole time we were participating in being engaged with the speakers / worship sets, etc.)
Too many speakers, causing it to feel very stop and start.
Sometimes it was unclear what to do next.
Giant timer was displayed in front of the stage, which was very distracting.
Due to so many calls to action, there were people constantly coming from the tiers down to the floor, then shuffling back. It just felt a little bit chaotic with people constantly coming up and down and pushing through the crowds.
For more info about The Send, visit their website: https://thesend.org/
