By Jim Nieman
ICOM has announced the 2022 gathering in Columbus, Ohio, will be one day shorter than in recent years. The conference will officially open on Thursday, Nov. 3, and close at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 (instead of on Sunday morning, as has been the recent practice).
“There were a lot of factors in this decision,” which was made after much prayer and discussion, said David Empson, executive director of the International Conference On Missions.
Closing at 5 p.m. Saturday should allow exhibitors “more time to . . . tear down, load up, and get to the next city/church to be able to speak the next morning,” Empson said.
Additionally, churches in the Greater Columbus area are being encouraged to host a missionary speaker that next day “so that all those who came to the conference can attend a church on their way home,” Empson said. In effect, that is like moving ICOM into the local churches for its final morning. “Our goal is to get as many churches in the Greater Columbus area to make Nov. 6th Missions Sunday with whomever they choose to speak.”
The theme for ICOM 2022 is “Perfect Unity.” Here’s a snapshot of this year’s schedule.
Some preconvention activities will occur on Wednesday, Nov. 2, but the conference officially will begin on Thursday; the exhibit area will open at 1 p.m. that day (two hours earlier than in the past) and the Opening Main Session will start at 7 p.m. The schedule on Friday will be normal, but Saturday’s activities will end late in the afternoon with prayer.
“Tony Twist, our president for 2022, is closing out the conference with a prayer session, led by Shodankeh Johnson from Sierra Leone, during what would have been the last workshop,” Empson said. “And then [they will] send everyone out into the exhibit hall at 4:15 p.m. to pray among the exhibitors.” Disassembling of the exhibit area won’t begin until afterward—at 5 p.m.
Empson offered a big-picture view of how ICOM (formerly known as the National Missionary Convention) has changed through the years.
“We have seen a change from main sessions being the focal point to more of the exhibit hall being the focal point. We learned a while back that 65 percent of our attendees come to connect. I think this is a sign of the times right now, not an indictment that we are less spiritual. But maybe looking at things from a different perspective.”
Sunday has been shaved from the schedule this year, but Empson sees incredible value in ICOM’s Saturday session.
“This is the only time when those who work, our teenagers in school, and our college students can come and see the work of God around the world,” Empson said. “They are a vital part of ICOM.”
Empson said the decision to end ICOM on Saturday, rather than Sunday, is a one-year trial.
“We are going to try this for one year and see how it goes and we will decide after Columbus ICOM ’22 [whether to] make it permanent.”
But the initial feedback has been promising.
“I have already received more than 25 affirming messages just from exhibitors about this decision,” Empson said. “I had five local churches immediately respond to an email . . . about being part of Missionary Sunday on Nov. 6th. I am greatly encouraged.”
Empson also offered one final note: This year’s ICOM is taking place two weeks earlier than normal, a decision made years ago that was based on the Greater Columbus Convention Center’s availability. The 2023 gathering in Oklahoma City is slated to start on Nov. 15
Jim Nieman serves as managing editor of Christian Standard.
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