The church tech world can be frustrating sometimes*. I think one of the main reasons for this is loneliness. It's often said in church that "we were made for community" or we weren't made to "go it alone", and I think that speaks to the techie at heart as well. Most of the time there are only one or two "tech" people at a church, and depending on the season, their hearts can be overflowing or depleted.
About ten years ago, a few church tech folk met in Las Vegas for the NAB Conference. Each were using technology in unique ways at their local church, somewhere in the country, but were feeling some of these feelings as they walked the showroom floor and thought, "Hey, what if we met up regularly to encourage one another?" And thus, Gurus of Tech was born! What started as a few guys meeting in a teaching classroom in Las Vegas is now a regional conference that meets several times a year. And this year, in only five days, Gurus is meeting in Louisville, KY at Southeast Christian Church at the Block.
The heart behind Gurus has never been about showing off the latest technology, or seeing who made the coolest video, or competing for largest church attendance. No, Gurus has always been about the heart of the tech guy at the local church, whether on staff or a volunteer, and filling up his/her cup of creativity and spirit in order to fuel them to keep bringing the Kingdom of God here! The idea is that you don't have to wait until next year, but that Gurus becomes a movement in your community, with other local churches in your area, and help you do ministry together. So, at Gurus you may find some really great guest speakers and some cool technology, (not to mention a few days away!), but the real meat is the community that meets, gathers around to pray for and encourage one another.
If that isn't enough of a reason to go, then there is one more. It's free! We realize how hard it is for a church to even be able to afford technology, let alone somebody to run it, and then when it comes to giving them money to go to some conference, you can forget about it. Well, we want you to come. We want to get to know you. We want to do ministry alongside you. So, if you can find a place to stay, bum a ride and pay for some din-din, you're in!
So please, do yourself a favor, and come to Gurus. You can find more information here, at https://gurusoftech.com.
*I realize that an opening line like this is terrible. One of my greatest joys in life is serving God through the gifts, albeit technical, that He has given me. But sometimes people, equipment, ideas, or time can fail. Thus, frustration. It would be unfair to say otherwise.