As I write this, I just returned from a wonderful Christian writers conference. As an author, agent, and speaker, I schedule four or five every year (back in the day, I would do as many as eleven or twelve a year, but these days other commitments make such insanity inadvisable).

Christian writers conferences offer many benefits: You get to meet famous and accomplished writers like me. (I can hear you laughing, you know.) You have the opportunity to learn from experts about the writing craft, the ins and outs of publishing, etc. You can be inspired by stirring keynotes. You can even schedule short appointments with authors, editors, and agents to pitch your project or simply pick their brains. And more.

But there’s one benefit of a writers conference that you will probably never see on the conference brochure or website. Yet it’s the greatest blessing I’ve enjoyed after attending hundreds of writers conferences over the years: friendship.

Sure, sure, we all want to have an editor or agent take us on at a writers conference and set us on the path to fame and riches. But, honestly (not that I’ve been lying up till now), I think the oft-hidden but most precious benefit of writers conferences are the friends you meet–and remeet.

Many of my best friends are people I met at a conference. Their laughter, tears, and prayers have supported me many times. Their encouragement and even referrals have enhanced my writing and publishing ministry. And those people are by far the main reason I keep going to conferences, so I can renew in-person fellowship with some of the best people on the planet.

So go ahead, book a writers conference for yourself. And then another. And another. Soon, you’ll know (if you don’t already) just what I mean.