An empty tomb — and a packed convention center

NASHVILLE, TENN. — A “fire code crowd,” as Rhonda Zorn Fernandez called it, of more than 10,000 filled the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center for the annual Lads to Leaders convention on Easter weekend.

“We are blessed but stressed,” added Fernandez, daughter of the program’s founder, the late Jack Zorn. She serves on its board as well as that of The Christian Chronicle.

Lads to Leaders attendees walk through the Opryland resort atrium.

It was not the first time the program exceeded the convention center’s 9,000-person capacity — the largest in the U.S. without a casino — but ongoing renovations further complicated matters, leaving standing room only for some events.

Though Nashville is the largest, each of the 10 Lads to Leaders convention sites across the nation experienced growth — including recent additions in Oklahoma and Nevada.

Space issues did not dampen enthusiasm as kids representing hundreds of Churches of Christ in the South celebrated the climactic end of a year of studying and preparation.

They participated in events including song leading, speech, debate, Bible bowl, puppets and art — all centered around this year’s theme, “But God Meant It for Good,” from the story of Joseph.

Rhonda Zorn Fernandez, far left, looks on as new Red Coat award winners don their jackets.

The 53 total events include preconvention and year-round ones, too, such as podcasting, Bible reading, storyline, Good Samaritan — and the new Wilderness Challenge, which offers outdoor, camp-style activities. Many of them are competitive events with awards.

Recipients of the program’s highest recognition, the Red Coat award — created in memory of Zorn’s signature attire — participated extensively in Lads to Leaders events and personal and outreach projects over four years, culminating in a 40-plus-hour leadership project.

Participants in noncompetitive events got their time in the limelight, too, including a gaggle of Pre-K through second grade children who ran across the stage — parents chasing after — to the Oak Ridge Boys’ “Thank God for Kids.”

Lads to Leaders Director Roy Johnson emphasized that despite the pomp of the awards ceremonies, the program is not just about winning — it’s about preparing boys and girls to be future leaders of the church and encouraging their spiritual growth in a time of church decline.

Gracelyn Ramsey and Heather Mills hug after the North Tuscaloosa Church of Christ’s 11th grade puppet theatre team, pictured behind, wins first place.

“The future is good for the church,” said Johnson, Fernandez’s uncle and an elder of the Sylacauga Church of Christ in Alabama. “And for the most part, the churches have overcome COVID now. They may have dropped some membership, and some churches closed, but those that we have, I think, are stronger and more dedicated now to the future.”

This year’s debate topic acknowledged a lasting effect from the pandemic, though, as students wrestled with whether Christians should prioritize in-person worship.

The life skills participants learn are useful outside the church as well, Johnson added, recalling government officials and CEOs who have cited the program’s influence on their career success.

And he noted that Christian universities have awarded high schoolers at least $2.5 million in scholarships over the past year because of their Lads to Leaders achievements.

“That says they’re believing in what we’re doing, and they’re saying these are the students you want,” Johnson told the Chronicle.

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