We are right in the middle of conference season. A lot of us are all loading up, spending money and traveling to spend a few days at the feet of the experts. In fact, this is as good as it gets. These are the innovators, these are the voices, these are the generation of pastors and church leaders that are getting it done. And we all have great hopes that we will sharpen the skills we already possess and maybe, just maybe, we’ll take home something new.  One thing is for sure, when we leave we’ll be motivated and excited to get back home and be successful.

While I believe all leaders should better themselves and conferences are a good way to do it, I want to make a distinction between learning from the experts and becoming one yourself.  I know too many leaders who are sponges. We soak up all we can and feel full and ready to be used. Sadly, most of us don’t know when, how or where to squeeze and make it a reality.

Most of us will be motivated just enough to implement some of the things we learn. Unfortunately, we usually don’t know enough about our own context to implement the principles we’ve learned. I guarantee you, what makes the people we hear from at the conferences experts is that they are experts on their local contexts first, not leadership principles. They know their environment, social climate, demographics and cultural challenges like the backs of their hands. It’s what drives innovation, best practices and change. And that’s why they are experts at what they do.

So, my challenge to you today is to become an expert on your local context first, then apply all of the leadership principles you know second. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to see if you’re an expert.

• Can we articulate the cultural relevancies in our local context?
• How can we influence the current trends in our context?
• Can we articulate specifics about our context’s demographics and are we meeting the challenges this environment creates?
• Can we articulate the values of people in our local context?
• Can we articulate the social concerns in our local context?
• Are we spending time every month on a relevant topic?
• Are we studying these topics every day for 30 minutes or more?
• Can we find a seminar or conference on something to do with our local context?
• Is there an article or story we can share to educate us on our local context?
• What kind of investment are we making in terms of time, money and effort into knowing our local context?

Share these questions with your staff or leadership team. Who knows, maybe next year we’ll all be listening to you, the expert.