CBMC National Men's Conference - A Young Professional's Perspective

My name is Scott Chetelat, and I recently had the privilege of attending CBMC’s 2024 National Men's Conference, The Call of Men, in St. Louis, MO. This experience not only deepened my understanding of CBMC's vision, mission, and purpose but also included a powerful moment where God spoke directly to my situation, resulting in radical transformation within the leadership team at my workplace.

CBMC has significantly influenced my life, even before I was born. In 1979, my father, John Chetelat, heard the gospel at a CBMC event and decided to dedicate his life to Jesus. By 1980, he became a Timothy to Frank Weiss. They have continued to meet weekly for 44 years. Growing up, I witnessed my father intentionally run his business with a commitment to honor God in every decision and be a light to his employees and customers. My wife and I met at CBMC’s "Family Time Out" summer conferences, organized by her father, David Balinski, who later served as Nation Director of The Field Ministry Staff for CBMC. To say CBMC has impacted my life would be an understatement; however, it wasn’t until recently that I began engaging with CBMC myself.

I first learned about the conference when my father-in-law invited me to attend. Initially, I had plenty of reasons to decline. My wife is pregnant with our fourth child, and being away for three days would be challenging for her. Additionally, the cost of attendance, like any conference, was significant and seemed out of reach on such short notice. Wanting to honor my father-in-law, I decided to pray about it, trusting that if God wanted me to go, He would make a way. I asked my wife, "If money weren’t an issue, would you be okay with me going?" A couple of weeks later, she replied, “If you believe God wants you to go, I’ll support you, but He’ll have to provide for it.” Little did we know that God had already put it on someone’s heart to sponsor me. With both conditions met, I was set to go.

The conference itself was phenomenal, filled with more experiences and impactful moments than could fit into this article. Men from across the country—and even the world—gathered with a shared mission: to advance the gospel in the marketplace. These men weren’t there for personal gain or to network for the sake of increasing sales, but to unite as brothers in Christ, committed to reaching the lost where God has placed them. The speakers included successful business leaders who saw “businessman” not as their identity, but as a costume over their true identity: “child of God.” Their aim was to further God’s Kingdom within their organizations and beyond.

Though I had been surrounded by CBMC my entire life, I never fully grasped its vision, mission, and purpose. Chris Simpson, President & CEO of CBMC International, expressed it best when he said, “CBMC exists for nothing more than to glorify one name—Jesus Christ—and to seek and save the lost... The marketplace is not CBMC’s topic; the marketplace is CBMC’s mission field. Jesus Christ is our topic… We’re not a leadership forum. We’re not a Christian networking group... CBMC is a movement of God to bring glory to Christ’s name and to save people who will never accidentally step foot into a church. We are called to that mission field.” Chris also described CBMC as the workplace special forces unit within the broader Great Commission—not working independently, but coming alongside and equipping men and women to fulfill the Great Commission in the workplaces where God has placed them.

On the final morning of the conference, Matt Mabe, a cofounder of Arise Homes in Kansas City, shared a powerful testimony about how God used a relationship within a CBMC Trusted Advisor Forum to radically transform the direction of his life and business. Over the past year, as part of the leadership team at my company, we’ve been navigating conflict and figuring out how to move forward. During Matt’s testimony, God spoke directly to my heart about my own situation. He gave me a glimpse of the bigger picture of what He is doing in our company, how He plans to use it for His purposes, and the role He wants me to play in that plan. What had seemed purposeless, God gave purpose. My heart changed at that moment. With tears running down my face, I quickly jotted down everything God was putting on my heart.

The Monday after the conference, I spoke with the president of my company and shared what God had revealed to me. To my surprise, he shared that God had also been working in his heart and had given him a similar vision. A week later, I had the opportunity to present this shared vision to the owner and the rest of the leadership team. To my amazement, it was not only well received but has since become a central part of our identity as a team and the mission we are pursuing together. A week before the conference, I could never have imagined we would reach the place we are now. Today, six weeks later, God continues to affirm and guide us down this new path in unexpected and remarkable ways.

Watch the 2024 CBMC National Men's Conference Recap below and see other conference videos at: https://youtube.com/@cbmcusa