Leading Lads: Decatur man directs national convention reaching thousands of youth

By Catherine Godbey | Living 50 Plus

At the age of 10, Blake McAnally delivered his first sermon at his grandfather’s church. He spoke for 45 minutes about the crucifixion.

“That was not a good idea to speak for 45 minutes, but I didn’t know that at the time,” the 61-year-old McAnally, of Decatur, said. “Speaking in front of people is hard for a lot of people. I am very thankful my grandfather made me do it starting from a young age.”

Now, as director of the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes national convention in Nashville, McAnally is taking the lessons learned from his grandfather and passing them on to the younger generations. In the volunteer position, McAnally leads a team that reaches thousands of children and teenagers each year.

The 2024 convention, held Easter weekend, brought in 10,000 attendees to the Opryland Hotel.

“It is amazing to see all of these young people come in and to hear them participate in speeches and leading songs. I’m blown away by the kids. They are some amazing young people,” McAnally said.

Formed in 1968 at Warner Robins Church of Christ in Georgia, Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes, a program associated with churches of Christ, trains young men and women to become Christian leaders in the church and community. The national convention features competitions ranging from debate, speech and song leading to art, Bible bowl and puppet theater.

McAnally’s association with Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes began 30 years ago when he served as the local coordinator at his home church, Beltline Church of Christ.

“I was a deacon at the time and was assigned to oversee the local program. I was in that position for eight years. I didn’t do it by myself; I had a lot of assistance from Sherry Elliott,” said McAnally, who now serves as a shepherd at Beltline Church of Christ.

Hundreds of youth participated in the Beltline Church of Christ’s Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes during the eight years McAnally and Elliott led the program.

“The youth in the program when Sherry and I led the program have become a sitting judge, chief of staff for the governor of Tennessee, a doctor, multiple teachers, deacons in churches, a pharmacist, lawyers and mothers of spectacular children,” McAnally said. “The ability to watch them now, as adults, pouring into their communities and churches is an amazing experience.”

After serving at the local level, McAnally sat on the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes board of directors for 12 years and held the positions of treasurer, secretary, vice chair and chair.

Fifteen years ago, Philip Hines, who retired as the full-time minister at Hartselle Church of Christ in 2022 and led Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes conventions in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas, ushered McAnally into the convention circuit.

“Philip taught me how to be a convention coordinator,” McAnally said.

Due to the program’s size, Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes conventions are held at multiple sites – Atlanta; Dallas; Las Vegas; Oklahoma City; Golden, Colorado; Little Rock, Arkansas; Louisville, Kentucky; Altoona, Pennsylvania; Orlando, Florida; and Nashville. Nashville serves as the largest location.

In 2018, after coordinating the Memphis convention for five years, McAnally began overseeing the Nashville site. Organizers tasked him with increasing the convention’s size, which had fallen from 10,000 to 7,200. To reverse the downslide, McAnally worked with the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes’ six paid staff members.

“We focused on bringing in new groups. The staff would put on workshops for churches that might be interested. Somewhere there is a whiteboard with a list of all the potential participating churches written on it in red or black ink. Either they have committed to Lads or we are working on them,” McAnally said.

The strategy worked. In 2020, before the spread of COVID canceled the convention, more than 10,300 people had registered for the program in Nashville.

“The next year, in 2021, we had 3,000 people, but have steadily climbed since then,” McAnally said. “This year, we were up above 10,000 again.”

The attendees represented 200 churches of Christ from Tennessee, Alabama and other neighboring states.

For McAnally, the convention is a family affair. Among the constant volunteers are his wife Patty McAnally, son Patrick McAnally, daughter Cara Elliott, son-in-law Charles Elliott, and Elliott’s parents Chuck and Sherry Elliott.

“Anybody I can get my hands on I will bring,” said McAnally, who is training Charles Elliott to take over the position as convention director in Nashville. “One of the conditions I had of moving from Memphis to Nashville was that I could have my own staff. In Memphis, I was a one-man show. I was the director, master of ceremonies, award presenter, I did everything. In Nashville, I am the CEO with a considerable volunteer staff.”

The 2024 convention marked McAnally’s sixth year as the director in Nashville.

“When I took on that role, I said I would do three years. I’m now in my seventh year. I’m like the collegiate athletes now who are working on their sixth or seventh year of eligibility,” McAnally said with a laugh. “Next year I might hand over the reins to Charles and just serve as director in name only.”

While at the convention, McAnally makes sure to support the youth from Beltline Church of Christ, including his granddaughters. He also takes time to sit in on the Bartimaeus competition.

“The Bartimaeus competition is for our youth with special needs. Let me tell you, that is a special time. There is not a dry eye in the house,” McAnally said.

The awards ceremony also touches McAnally.

“It is always very rewarding to see kids get their names called. They are as excited as anybody at the Alabama and Auburn football game. But it is more special because what they are excited about means so much more than football,” McAnally said.

The convention ends the Saturday before Easter, but many participants opt to stay at the hotel until Easter Sunday.

“Just imagine 7,000 people in the Opryland Hotel’s Delta ballroom celebrating Easter. Some of the exceptional students and song leaders conduct the service. It is fantastic,” McAnally said.

McAnally, a civil engineer and president of Pugh Wright McAnally, who has served on the boards of educational, economic, health care and arts organizations, sees his involvement with Lads to Leaders as one of his most important roles.

“I have volunteered with a lot of things, but the most important thing I’ve ever been part of is the church. I take to heart the parable of the talents. I believe God gave me the talent to lead people. If I stood on the sidelines and did not do that, I would feel guilty,” McAnally said.

An incident as a fourth grader at Ingram Sowell Elementary School in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, led McAnally to start pursuing leadership roles.

“I was chicken fighting on the monkey bars with a girl. She fell down and hurt herself. The principal called my mom to the school. He said, ‘Blake is a leader. I can’t have him doing this stuff because everyone else will follow.’ Ever since then I’ve felt the burden as a leader to do what is right, to do what is good and to do the best I can,” McAnally said. “I’m not perfect, but I try my best and, in serving others, it brings me great joy.”