LAKELAND — "If you were at annual conference five or six years ago, it was boring as heck," said the Rev. William A. Jones, a retired clergyman living in Miami, after attending the "No More Playing Church" Training Experience May 31-June 1 at the Dare to Share Jesus 2000 Florida Annual Conference Event. "Now it’s alive."

"No More Playing Church" was a training event offered as a ministry of the 2000 conference event and coordinated by the Conference Council on Ministries. More than 2,250 clergy and lay people from across the conference attended. While many were conference delegates, others traveled to Lakeland specifically for the training.

In an e-mail discussion prior to the event, several clergy expressed their disapproval of the event’s title and intent. They said interest was low because many people believed they were already not "playing church."

The event began with keynote presentations by Dr. Robert Franklin, president of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, and the Rev. Jessica Moffatt, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Bixby, Okla.

Franklin was a last-minute substitute for Andrew Young, who was called away on an emergency trip to Nigeria. He spoke about leaders being transformed non-conformists and encouraged attendees to find their way into the public domain, to "find the voice of what Christianity is in the modern world."

Moffatt, whose church’s Urban Ministries Program deploys 1,000 church members throughout the city through 30 ministries, explained the "Motivation for Ministry" model her church uses to identify community needs and the church members called to help fill those needs.

The Rev. Dick Wills, pastor of Christ Church United Methodist in Ft. Lauderdale, was the keynote speaker Thursday before the workshop sessions. He shared how his spiritual renewal helped him stop playing church and overcome his own weariness in ministry.

The Rev. Milford Griner, pastor of Pleasant Plain United Methodist Church in Gainesville, said he learned a lot from the keynote speakers and will use that information in his church and district. "It was wonderful…addressing what we all need to learn about, not just going through the motions," he said. "I learned that no matter how big or small a church is, any church can do active outreach. It’s not about size, it’s about heart and mission."

Seven workshops provided training on sharing Jesus through personal faith, hands-on mission, worship, small groups, vision, leadership and spiritual formation. Workshop leaders included pastors and staff at successful United Methodist churches across the country, representatives from some of the denomination’s general boards, a seminary professor and church consultant.

A ministry expo gave 14 conference churches the opportunity to share successes and experiences they have had in implementing specific ministries and initiatives at their churches.

The Rev. Alexis Talbott, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Bartow, attended "Sharing Jesus Through Worship" with Sally Morgenthaler, creative design director for Pathways Church in Denver, Colo. Talbott said she looked in on two other classes before settling on the worship class. "The first speaker was very good, but was moving too slowly…the second didn’t engage me," she said.

Talbott said Morgenthaler taught her to tap into the creativity that is already in her congregation. "When she talked about artists, I visualized artists in my congregation," she said. "I need to ask a member of my congregation if she followed through with the clown class…because she’s obviously not using it at Asbury."

Diana McGee, a member of First United Methodist Church, Ft. Myers, said she enjoyed the Rev. Tom Bandy’s "Sharing Jesus Through Vision" class because it taught her a "whole new way of thinking." The idea of leading a church without meetings and boards can make the church "more open to a closer walk with God," she said.

The Rev. Richard Jones, appointed this year to Lealman United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, said he appreciated the Rev. Steven Harper’s passion and dedication in the "Sharing Jesus Through Leadership" class. "The class was very informative," he said, "but not as in-depth as it could have been due to the time."

McGee said the entire "No More Playing Church" experience was good because of its educational value. "The business meeting part of annual conference is overwhelmingly boring, but necessary," she said. "It was a nice break to feel like you’re getting something to talk about back at the church."

While many people said they saw the value of the training, several clergy and lay people objected to paying the $15 to $25 registration fee.