Training Opportunities

Schedule

Christianity: Modern and Postmodern

Tony Campolo

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Thinking church leaders understand the necessity of helping young people develop a Christian worldview, but they’re not always cognizant of how the ideologies of secular intellectuals such as Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Adam Smith, and Karl Marx have subtly undermined their attempts to do so. In this seminar we’ll explore the impact of their perspectives and consider ways to help thoughtful young Christians integrate biblical teachings in an overarching mindset that takes the challenges of such secular intellectuals into consideration.

Where Is the Church Headed and What's Our Response?

Tom Sine

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Have you noticed the soaring gas and grocery prices? Overnight, we’ve moved into a highly volatile, new global economy and an increasingly uncertain future. Tom will enable you to identify some of the new challenges we’re facing in a rapidly changing world and church. More than that, he’ll invite you to ignite your imagination and join the new conspirators—young innovators and risk takers who are creating new expressions of church, entrepreneurial youth ministries, monastic communities, and urban cooperatives with the poor to engage these new challenges. Come discover the new ways that God can use your imagination and the students you work with to create the future—one mustard seed at a time. With leaders in the Veterans Cohort, we’ll start by soliciting your insights on challenges facing the church, the young, and those at the margins. Then we’ll invite you to spend the final hour in small creativity groups, creating imaginative new ways to address these challenges that you can then share and take away.

How to BE a Youth Worker

Joel Lusz

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

This course is for anyone who endeavors to be in “longer-term” youth ministry, particularly in a paid or part-time capacity. In essence, you’ll learn how to be “successful”; how to avoid the pitfalls; how to thrive, not merely survive; and how to actually enjoy your job, ministry, and relationship with your supervisor. In addition, there will be a strong emphasis on the practical.

Everyday Outreach for Everyday Students

Fred Whaples

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Discover how to equip your students to share Jesus “naturally” with no formulas to memorize and no sales techniques to master. Instead, find a guide to experiencing an authentic joy in God that outflows from our lives, sharing it with others in ways that are real, passionate, enduring, and effective!

Deep Justice in a Broken World: Helping Students Serve Others and Right the Wrongs Around Them

Chap Clark

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Seminar description coming soon.

Getting Grounded: Helping Your Students Relate to Their Friends of Other Faiths In Truth and Love

Jan Ingerson

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

The smorgasbord of faith choices seems endless! Christian students are often challenged in their faith by friends of different faiths. This seminar offers an exciting and loving look at how youth leaders can help students discern truth, understand differences, value friendships, receive answers, and share their Christian faith. Focusing on Mormonism, yet applying transferable principles to other faiths, you’ll be equipped to teach your students relational evangelism.

How to Begin and Implement a Successful Teen Mentoring Ministry

Grant Byrd

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Everyone talks about mentoring, but sometimes the struggle isn’t about finding students who want to be mentored—it’s about finding capable mentors who are willing to work with them. What would you say if someone told you there’s an army of capable but untrained mentors right under your nose? This seminar will look at a simple process of training older teenagers to mentor the younger ones. And both the mentors and the mentorees will grow and be blessed! Join us as we discover how mentoring can be multiplied in your area of ministry.

Secrets of the Nation's Best Middle School Volunteers: How You Can Find and Develop Them or Be One

Jim Candy

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

This seminar shares insights from interviews of some of the nation’s best volunteer leaders. There will be affirmations, surprises, and lots of practical application to help ministries reach middle schoolers more effectively.

Widening the Lens of Youth Ministry

Seth McCoy

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

In our session we’ll explore moving from using Christian education models in youth ministry to a community-forming model. With societal roles changing in emerging adults, what’s the calling of those who are trying to shepherd and equip them to follow Jesus? With God’s story as a framework for our lives, we’ll explore how stages of social development can help us serve as spiritual guides for students and young adults while creating the kinds of ministries and experiences that can transform individuals and communities.

Responsive Shifts: New Approaches for Impacting Your City, Your Chruch and Your Students

Brock Morgan

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Have you felt the frustration of current youth ministry models and structures? Have you sensed that they’re keeping you from having a true and lasting impact? This seminar will challenge the current models and provide a new way to think about youth programs, discipleship, evangelism, and service. The goal of this seminar is to spark and inspire an outward-faced movement and empower youth workers to incarnational ministry that will change our students, our churches, and our cities. How do we move students from attending church to actually being the church? How can we disciple our students and impact our city at the same time? If students are dying for a life worth living, what are we offering them? In this seminar we’ll examine innovative ways for reaching our cities and empowering our students to join us. Bring your pen and notepad and get ready to hear some exciting new ideas for your youth ministry.

Staying Connected to God in the Midst of Our Real Lives

Will Penner

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

For those who are struggling with not feeling spiritual enough, here are some theological truths to give you hope, as well as some practical ways to find the holy within the ordinary and transform the mundane into the sacred.

Virtual Worlds and Online Communities: What We Can Learn About Students from Their Internet Interests

Sean Dunn

Seminar Series #6

Sacramento - Oct 13 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Young people are gathering on the Internet en masse. They spend hours interacting with people on forums, chat rooms, virtual worlds, and gaming sites. Why? What needs are being met in these cyberworlds that are being ignored in a tangible one? As youth ministers we can learn a great deal about teenagers’ interests, perspectives, and needs by critically examining their Internet activities and diets.

The Internet: More Than Just a Resource, It Is an Opportunity

Sean Dunn

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

If teenagers need to research history, they’ll run to the Internet. If they want to know what time the movie starts or what the weather will be, they run to the Web. And where are they going to find spiritual answers or to ask life’s most difficult questions? They’re going to the Internet. When we understand the opportunities that exist there—not just to post content, but also to engage dialogue—we’ll truly be crossing over the cultural barrier and touching lives.

Why Healthy Youth Ministry Needs Both the Masculine and the Feminine

Dale Fincher, Jonalyn Fincher

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

When was the last time you saw a man and a woman leading side by side in a healthy partnership? This session explains why today’s youth need to see men and women working together in leading, teaching, and decision making. Join us as we reflect on what women provide for men, and what men need in women. (Hint: It’s more than sex.) We’ll see why God was excited about the work that men and women (married, single, seasoned, or new) can do together, especially with those they mentor. We’ll offer the reasons why youth ministry run by one gender (male or female) doesn’t reflect the full picture God intended. Be prepared to think more deeply on the meaning of words like masculine, feminine, provider, and helper. We’ll conclude with ready-to-implement ways that male leaders can benefit by sharing leadership space with women.

Positive Discipline: Working with Rude, Obnoxious, and Apathetic Kids

Les Christie

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Disruptive students can hinder the effectiveness of your ministry, there’s no doubt about it. But don’t let discipline problems drive you out of youth ministry! Take the positive approach instead. Les will show you why teens get rowdy, how to set rules and consequences, and how to praise kids. He also has dozens of specific ideas you can use to feel confident when you deal with those particular students who drive you up the wall. You’ll leave this seminar with a new appreciation for all the kids in your youth group!

Developing a Strong Volunteer Team

Doug Fields

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Healthy youth ministry can’t be achieved without healthy and caring adults. One of the major concerns I hear from youth ministry leaders is, “How do I get volunteers?” During this seminar we’ll look at ways to find, train, and encourage volunteers toward greater ministry. We’ll also look at how to help move the “stand-in-the-back-of the-room chaperone” toward becoming a shepherd who genuinely cares for teenagers.

Using 10-Minute Talks: Speaking to a Generation with a Short Attention Span

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Wouldn’t it be nice if all of us could communicate the Scriptures like Rob Bell or speak with the clarity of Andy Stanley? But let’s face it: We aren’t them. So we should stop trying to be them, right? That coupled with the fact that students’ attention spans are growing shorter and the need to communicate to this lost generation is even greater brings up a critical question: How can we communicate truth in a way that teenagers will truly remember? In this seminar you’ll learn the power and effectiveness of the 10-Minute Talk, a method of storytelling that’s laser focused and impactful.

Thinking Outside the Box: Working with ADD and ADHD Students

Jeannine Liebmann

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

If you’re frustrated with your ADHD students and wonder how to reach them, this workshop will provide you with a new approach to connect with them. Drawing on recent research from the medical, counseling, and educational fields, this seminar redefines ADHD as a gift, not a disorder. We’ll explore how these kids learn and perceive their world and how their experiences with peers and adults impact their self-image. We’ll also identify ways to nurture them and become their advocates and cheerleaders.

How to Productively Answer the Tough Questions About Sexual Identity

Andrew Marin

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

When a teenager tells you he or she is dealing with same-sex attraction and then asks you questions like: “Do you think my thoughts and feelings are a sin? What if I don’t act on them? What if I do because I feel like I’m gay? Was I born this way? I believe I was born different, and I don’t want to change. The Bible says I’m an abomination and I should be put to death. Why?” These are serious questions, and they can definitively affect how a student lives the rest of his or her life. This workshop will go through each of those questions and how to productively answer them so as to build a bridge for eternity.

Effective Youth Ministry Programming: Big Pictures and Blueprints

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

We often get so focused on the weekly pieces of our ministry that we never step back to take a look at the big picture. How do these various tiles of activity come together to make a cohesive program mosaic? Beginning with “why” we do what we do, this seminar will (1) help define a biblical vision for our youth ministries, (2) provide some thought about how we can translate that vision into the kind of practical “big picture” that will motivate and challenge our volunteers, and (3) help us think about how the various pieces of a ministry come together to make that big picture vivid, visible, and viable. • Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry Cohort—Sacramento, Pittsburgh, and Nashville, Sunday, October 12, November 2, and November 23, 3:30pm

The Latest Research That Should Impact Your Youth Ministry

Chap Clark, Mike King

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

This seminar will be a time of dialogue concerning new research, data, and issues that are and will have an impact on youth ministry practice, philosophy, and theology. Come, dream, wrestle, and add to an agenda that might include everything from new theories on brain development, learning theory, and the three stages of adolescence/emerging adulthood, to books and debates regarding incarnational/relational youth ministry, sociological research, practical theology, and some kind-of-out-there-but-still-pretty-cool approaches to the ministry call and task, such as narrative theology and creation theology. We might even get into how and why new ways of thinking need to be front and center in our ministry thinking and practice.

Teaching Through the Art of Fictional Storytelling

Jon Huckins

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Everyone wants to be part of a story. And we live in a culture that is saturated by stories. There are movies, books, and short stories; and we all have our own stories that we share with people every day. In this seminar we’re going to look at a mode of communication that uses the art of storytelling as a medium for engaging students with real-life issues, and then relates these topics to the ultimate story that’s centered in the way of Jesus. This seminar will be a time of conversation, questions, and instruction on why and how we can engage our students through this method of storytelling. We’ll get very specific about how to create our own stories (fiction and nonfiction) using plot, characters, and setting to communicate a specific topic.

One Size Does Not Fit All: Finding the Path of Soul Care that Fits You

Larry Lindquist

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Seminar description coming soon.

Developing Our Own Curriculum

Mark Oestreicher

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Hello, seminar attendees! Here’s the scoop on this Open Source seminar: My hope is that all of us will leave this 90 minutes with an actual teaching/small group/interactive series of middle school curriculum. I’m thinking something in the realm of three to six sessions. (Although, if we have a good amount of people who are highly involved, we might be able to make it longer. Hey, maybe we should shoot for four sessions per NYWC city, which would give us a 12-week series at the end. Then I could send out the whole batch to everyone who participated. What do you think?) Since it’s Open Source, I’ll need your collaboration on the basic plan now. And then I’ll need it again as we approach the Convention—to pull together potential ideas for the teaching series.

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry

Andy Root

Seminar Series #5

Sacramento - Oct 12 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

This workshop will examine a relational approach to youth ministry in order to uncover some of the blind spots in our contemporary understanding of relationships with young people. Relational ministry will be re-imagined NOT as a way to influence kids toward some end (to accept Jesus or to avoid immoral behavior), but rather we’ll see it theologically, as place-sharing.

Resucing Students Who Are Bored with God

Sean Dunn

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

We want our students to have a passionate love for Christ, yet many of them do not. We have young people who know it all, but don’t do much with what they know. They’ve heard the truth, experienced God’s presence, and been surrounded by great Christian community—yet their faith is weak. They don’t deny Christ; they just don’t live for him. This session will highlight the dangers and symptoms of spiritual apathy and will provide tactical steps for rescuing those who are floating in their faith.

Small Groups from Start to Finish

Doug Fields

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

If you’re an expert at multitasking—knowing each student intimately and relating to every personality—then you may not need to use small groups in your ministry. However, many youth ministries are unhealthy because the main leader is trying to do everything and care for everyone alone. That single-minded strategy only manages to bottleneck the growth and effectiveness of the group. Healthy youth ministries have a smallness factor where students are known, loved, and cared for by a small-group leader. This seminar isn’t intended to convince you of your youth ministry’s need for small groups; instead, it’s designed to help you look at the “how” of small groups—from start to finish.

Engaging One-on-One Relationships

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

In the last decade, we’ve seen a growing need for effective relational ministry in an increasingly isolated youth culture. But how can we initiate first contact? And how can we develop deep, growing relationships with diverse groups of kids? Connecting with kids has been deemed one of the most—if not THEE most—important priority in youth ministry today. This training provides unique insights into how to initiate contact with the different kids you’ll encounter in this rapidly changing culture and how to connect with them one-on-one.

Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online

Anastasia Goodstein

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Reaching today’s teenagers means understanding the role that technology plays in their wired lives. From social networking to virtual worlds and cell phones for tweens, Goodstein will offer insight into how teens are using technology and, more importantly, how to reach them in ways that are authentic and meaningful.

Smash-Mouth Youth Ministry: Building a Youth Ministry That Appeals to Teen Boys

Mark Helsel

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Is your ministry GIRLY? Do boys give up on it? Maybe it needs a shot of testosterone! Come learn how to jack up your ministry to teenage boys! We’ll look at programs, methods, and teaching styles that appeal to the roughness of guys. Strap on your helmet and join us. Both guys and girls are welcome—but no wimps allowed!

Get Dramatic: Taking Drama and Skits to the Next Level in Your Ministry

Tommy Woodard, Eddie James

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

You’ve got a drama group together and going…but you just can’t figure out what to do next. The Skit Guys will give you practical tools to jump-start your drama team and principles to help you create great moments through skits, comedy, and drama.

Teaching That Transforms Students Lives

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

One of the greatest privileges of youth ministry is to open God’s Word for students and teach them how it impacts their lives at a practical, day-to-day level. The goal of biblical teaching is to bring about change that will last. Most of us know the frustration of walking into a classroom to exercise our spiritual gift of teaching, while praying God will give some of our students the spiritual gift of learning. This highly interactive seminar will present dozens of ideas to transform the routine, predictable teaching experience (that most kids have become accustomed to) into a dynamic, exciting, and life-changing experience. You’ll try various methods that are designed to spice up not only the learning experience of your students, but also the teaching experience for you. We can’t settle for another “here we go again” experience for our learners There’s too much at stake for most of the kids we work with. Teach with the confidence of knowing that your material is addressing the deeper realities in their lives, yet being presented in a way that is enjoyable and engaging.

Youth Ministry in Your Second Decade and Beyond

Grant Byrd

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Starting out as a youth minister can be tough, but what about your second decade in youth ministry? That’s when you’ll face a whole new set of hurdles and struggles. In this interactive seminar, we’ll take a look at these hurdles, but we’ll also look at ways to overcome them and THRIVE during your second decade. Join us as we discover how to use your experience to make the second decade—and beyond—even better than the first!

How to Effectively Minister to Middle School Parents

Kurt Johnston

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Kurt isn’t only a middle school pastor. He’s also the parent of two young teens, and he knows how amazing, frustrating, encouraging, demanding, confusing, and sometimes even hurting their parents can be. This seminar will be jam-packed with tons of practical input to help you build trust with your students’ parents and gain their support, as well as increase your ministry to them and not just to their kids.

A New Kind of Apologetics: The Emerging Questions of Today's Youth

Dale Fincher

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Today’s teen epidemic is silent soul-suffering. Many students are looking for answers to hard questions, but they’re afraid to ask for fear of looking stupid or finding no answer available. Many teens long to follow Jesus, but have a hard time reconciling his love with Christian “rules,” the Christian culture, or even the hypocrisy in the Christian lives of their friends. Drawing from more than 7,000 questions gathered over three years from teenagers around the country, we’ll explore ways to answer some of the hotter questions of the day, including those that are gaining popularity, such as “Why did God make hell permanent?” “Why is Christianity intolerant of other faiths?” “If God is near, then why can’t I feel him?” Come listen to the ways we’re all working through these questions, and please bring questions that your own students are asking. We’ll discuss and form the answers together. You’ll walk away with encouragement, refreshed perspectives, and some more tools in providing hope and companionship for your students.

Enjoy the Silence: Wholly Listening to God

Maggie Robbins

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

What would it mean for you to stop—come away—and begin reading the Scriptures from the inside out? Come and learn the story and the practice of lectio divina, a basic spiritual discipline practiced by some people you may have heard of—Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and Eugene Peterson—as well as some other people you may not have heard of—John of the Cross, Anthony of the Desert, and Julian of Norwich. This seminar will help you learn how to pray the Scriptures, an ancient practice that can deepen your own intimacy with God.

Creating a Theology of Cultural Engagement

Walt Mueller

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

As you know, the Open Source Seminar format is a new thing at NYWC this year. I’m excited to be a part of the trail-blazing team on such a crucial and timely topic for youth ministry as cultural engagement. Our ministries will stand or fall based on the approach we take to this topic in the course of our daily interactions with kids. Now we get to work together on shaping how we’ll spend our (all-too-short) 90 minutes together. At this point my goal is to challenge each attendee to think through the spectrum of contemporary approaches to faith and culture, while evaluating not only where they do fall on the spectrum, but also where they should fall. Then, I’d like to look at some basic skills for cultural engagement, along with practical examples and perhaps some practice of each. Since 90 minutes is a very short time to address any topic with much depth, I’d like to use our ability to social network together after the convention to do some stuff individually that we can then process together. This could include some short directed readings and interaction with each other on what we’ve read, tackling a single or a variety of cultural expressions (films, TV shows, books, magazines, and so on) and then interacting on each while discovering ways the cultural piece informs or can be used in our ministries, and so on. In other words, our time of interaction won’t end at the 90-minute mark!

What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer Was a Youth Worker Today

Andy Root

Seminar Series #4

Sacramento - Oct 12 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the most admired Christians of the twentieth century. His books Life Together and The Cost of Discipleship are greatly loved for their focus on community and the cross of Christ. But what relevance do they (and the rest of Bonhoeffer’s thought) have for us today? For those of us working with young people? How could a martyr killed in Nazi Germany help me with my ministry? In this workshop we’ll explore a few key points of Bonhoeffer’s understanding of Jesus Christ and discover the difference they make in how we do ministry. We’ll see that Bonhoeffer gives us not only some ways to do ministry with kids, but more importantly, some ways to be with them.

The Scandal of Grace

Shane Claiborne

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

With new eyes can we look at people we don’t even like and see the One we love? Let’s imagine a revolution that’s gentle and magnetic, a revolution big enough to set both the oppressed and the oppressors free. With hard stories from the streets of Philly and the war zone of Iraq, Shane will invite us to reflect on the scandal of God’s inclusive love…in a world that’s starved for grace.

Marriage, Ministry, and Family: Q & A

Doug Fields, Cathy Fields

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Are you ready for a change from the typical seminar format? If so, come hang out with Cathy and Doug as they talk about marriage, ministry, and family life. Cathy and Doug have spent almost three decades doing ministry together. They’ve also been married for 24 years, and they have three fairly normal kids (ages 19, 17, and 13) who are now a part of their mom and dad’s youth ministry at Saddleback. You’ll set the pace for this interactive seminar, as Cathy and Doug come prepared to answer your questions from their own personal experiences, making your agenda their agenda.

Youth Culture 101

Walt Mueller

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Every person who’s been called by God to reach out to students—youth workers, parents, pastors, educators—is a cross-cultural missionary, whether they realize it or not. In today’s emerging and rapidly changing culture (both postmodern and whatever lies over the horizon), it’s increasingly necessary for people in youth ministry to not only know God’s Story, but to also know and understand the rapidly changing cultural context in which it’s to be told. You’ve been called to a cross-cultural missions endeavor. In this seminar Walt will walk you through the landscape of contemporary youth culture, while pointing out the significant trends that are shaping students’ lives. In addition, he’ll suggest ministry responses that will equip you to tell God’s Story so it can be heard, along with ways to equip students to hear how God’s Story speaks to their lives at the point of the particular cultural issues and pressures they face very day.

Creative Juices: Tapping Into the Creativity in You and Your Team

Les Christie

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

You’ll discover how very creative you are in this fast-paced, media-driven seminar. You’ll also find out what hinders you from releasing not only your creativity, but also the creativity of your team. You’ll learn how to remove the five stumbling blocks to being the creative person God designed you to be. You’ll become skilled at the nine tricks of the trade that imaginative people use. You’ll discover the eight catalysts that trigger inventiveness. And you’ll leave this seminar feeling confident and enthused about how original, clever, and resourceful you are in God’s creation.

Mentoring Toward Maturity: Fostering Wisdom in Young Heroes

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Every student is a hero on a journey to maturity in Christ. Along the way we act as mentors, Yodas, Gandalfs, and Mr. Miyagis, if you will, to these young heroes who are beginning their epic quests. This interactive seminar will help you develop your mentoring skills, and it will also provide tools for developing wisdom in the students you’re bringing to maturity in Christ.

Where Is the Church Headed, and What's Our Response?

Tom Sine

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Have you noticed the soaring gas and grocery prices? Overnight, we’ve moved into a highly volatile, new global economy and an increasingly uncertain future. Tom will enable you to identify some of the new challenges we’re facing in a rapidly changing world and church. More than that, he’ll invite you to ignite your imagination and join the new conspirators—young innovators and risk takers who are creating new expressions of church, entrepreneurial youth ministries, monastic communities, and urban cooperatives with the poor to engage these new challenges. Come discover the new ways that God can use your imagination and the students you work with to create the future—one mustard seed at a time. With leaders in the Veterans Cohort, we’ll start by soliciting your insights on challenges facing the church, the young, and those at the margins. Then we’ll invite you to spend the final hour in small creativity groups, creating imaginative new ways to address these challenges that you can then share and take away.

Middle School Ministry From the Group Up (Without Getting Ground Up)

April Diaz, Kurt Johnston

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Join April and Kurt and the family of middle school workers as we relish the odd and wonderful calling God has placed on us and talk about a wide variety of subjects that are unique and important to middle school ministry. This course is a great on-ramp to everything from early adolescent development to programming and teaching ideas, to small groups, and even parent relationships.

Exploring a Missional Approach to Nurturing Adolescents

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

None of us would say we aren’t interested in the spiritual formation of students. However, we often struggle to find the words to identify a strategic approach to accomplish our goal of helping students become more like Jesus. This seminar will provide you with an intentional process and plan, a common language in which to train and equip others, and a means for the evaluation of the spiritual growth and development of your students.

The Dark Night of the Soul: When God is Absent

Mark Yaconelli

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Many of us experience dark and dry periods within our faith lives. Yet as ministers, we often feel we have to hide our own spiritual doubts and crises. Through testimony, exercises, and discussion, we’ll explore how Christians throughout the tradition have approached their own crises of faith and the opportunity that such a crisis presents in the midst of ministry.

Understanding What Makes You (and Others) Tick: Finding God in Our Messy Interior Lives

CeCe Balboni

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Sometimes we beat ourselves up for not having the ideal spiritual life or even for not having a relationship with the Lord that resembles someone else’s. Perhaps we just aren’t paying enough attention to the intricate interplay between our personality and our own spirituality. In this seminar we’ll consider issues related to temperament, wiring, and spirituality experimenting with a variety of ancient Christian contemplative practices to see which of these might help us grow closer in intimacy with the Risen Lord Jesus who is present and actively involved in our everyday wake-up, walk-around, work-a-day world.

Technology and Youth Ministry

Scott Burks

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

This seminar is designed to help youth leaders use technology in today’s ever-changing world. It will include tips on effectively using the Internet, creating videos, lighting, sound systems, and so much more. We’ll also discuss how to use technology on a limited budget, what other youth leaders are doing, and practical steps for taking your ministry to a new level—starting now.

Healing and Hope for Kids Who Cut

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 11 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Self-injury is no longer a rare psychological oddity touching a few fringe kids in somebody else’s youth group. It’s an all-too-common expression of the intense emotions some kids are feeling these days. And sadly, most of us don’t understand it, much less have a clue about what to do when we come across it. This seminar takes a frank, honest look at a problem that’s increasingly evident in the lives of some of the teenagers we work with. Unfortunately, this won’t be a “feel-good” session with a neat and tidy solution. The topic is graphic, the images are messy, and the details are unsettling; but we can no longer pretend it’s not an issue. We’ll hear the stories of real kids who use cutting, carving, burning, and other self-injurious behaviors to cope with what’s going on inside. We’ll learn to understand what drives their unusual behaviors, and we’ll explore some of the practical dos and don’ts for us to keep in mind when kids choose to share their struggles with us.

Brave Heart: Because We Have Courage in Leadership

Denise Van Eck

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Being a courageous leader involves much more than just sucking it up and doing the things you’re afraid of doing. Cultivating courage in yourself, giving courage to others, and living in authentically courageous ways is at the heart of true leadership. We’ll explore these ideas and more in this interactive seminar.

Incredibly Hot Games and Community Builders

Les Christie

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

And you’ll have fun, fun, fun until Les ends the seminar in prayer. If your mind is on overload by this point in the convention, this seminar promises no heavy philosophy or theology. See, hear, and play a ton of unbelievable games. Explore crowd breakers, indoor and outdoor games, quiet and wild games, and games for large groups and small groups. You’ll leave encouraged and ready to lead your kids next week.

What Every Volunteer Youth Worker Should Know

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

There are some things you just can’t do without! This seminar will help you discover and build upon some of the most fundamental and essential elements of ministry with youth. Covering subjects such as working with teams, working in times of crisis, managing transitions, developing learners, developing community, and so on, this brief tutorial will help you shape healthy environments for you, for those who serve alongside of you, and of course for the students and families you serve.

It's All in the Mix: Utilizing Different Learning Activities to Meet Your Students' Needs

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Most of us are familiar with the three typical youth ministry communication paradigms: (1) stand up and preach, (2) hold up an object lesson and teach, (3) line up in front of the altar and beseech! And there’s probably some merit to each of these approaches. But this seminar will help us to think about the fact that our students learn in different ways and how utilizing different approaches to communication can help us be more effective in sharing the gospel. This seminar will provide a good, practical framework for thinking about learning styles, and we’ll even explore some different learning strategies.

From One Generation to the Next: Helping Parents Pass on Their Faith to Their Kids

Wayne Rice

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

While many parents want to become more involved in the spiritual formation of their kids, they simply don’t know what to do. This seminar will present a framework for teaching parents how they can pass their faith on to their kids and help them grow spiritually in the normal routines of family life.

Loving and Leading Girls Through Adolescent Chaos

Jeanne Stevens

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Walking girls through their adolescent years can sometimes feel like you’re lost in a jungle without a map. Navigating through the terrain of body image issues, morphing identities, difficult friendships, shifting spiritual perspectives, the exploration of sexuality, family tensions, and so much more can be overwhelming. This seminar is designed to encourage, equip, and empower those of us who work with adolescent girls to know how to better love them and lead them through their adolescent years. • Professional & Ministry Development Seminar—Sacramento, Pittsburgh, and Nashville, Saturday, October 11, November 1, and November 22, 8:00am

From the Ground Up: Developing, Growing, and Building a Healthy Youth Ministry

Brock Morgan

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Whether you’re a newbie or a veteran with a new opportunity, we welcome you to this season of ministry. This seminar promises a fresh perspective and new approaches that will launch you into health. You’ll learn practical, ready-to-use strategies and out-of-the-box ideas that will help you develop a thriving team, grow students spiritually, and build a foundation for the future. This fun seminar will lay the groundwork and give you step-by-step insights into the coming years.

Building Community in Your Middle School Ministry

Sean Meade

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Middle school students long for a place to belong. They come to your ministry searching for a community in which their story can be known and they can be accepted and celebrated for who they are. If you want them to have a meaningful role within your community, then you must cultivate an environment where students are valued and encouraged to contribute. This session will explore what a middle school community can and should look like. We’ll unpack what it really means to “belong” in a ministry setting, as we look at the basic spiritual, environmental, and physiological factors that influence a middle school student’s life. Together we’ll explore practical ways to invite students to belong as we look at everyday applications of this information. You’ll leave this session with a deeper understanding of middle school community and the tools and resources you need to begin building an ethos of belonging in your own middle school group.

Building Bridges with Gay and Lesbian Youth

Andrew Marin

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

This workshop will cover the broader mindset of teenagers who have same-sex attraction by entering into their unique filtration system and thought processes toward God and Christianity, all with a focus on sexuality. We’ll then work our way through The Marin Foundation’s practical applications on how to productively build a bridge from an evangelical perspective. The purpose is to be able to immediately turn around and implement these constructs and applications into your ministry, so as to make a significant impact in these gay and lesbian students’ lives.

The Quiet Time: A Path to Spiritual Intimacy with God

Dan Jessup

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Many of us have taught others about spending time with Jesus, but the grim reality is that most of us personally struggle to know how to spend intimate time with Jesus ourselves. And we’re too embarrassed to admit it or talk about it with anyone. In this seminar we’ll discuss the most basic of spiritual disciplines—spending time with Jesus. Together we’ll explore the following: • How do real people find time to be alone with Jesus? • What makes up a quiet time with Jesus? How much time do I need to spend? What do I do? • Are there creative ways to be with Jesus throughout the day that don’t fit into a normal quiet-time format? • Is a quiet time more than a devotional? Is there more to it than just reading Scripture and saying a prayer? • Does God speak in a quiet time? If so, then why doesn’t God speak to me? How do we hear the voice of Jesus? There are no formulas for fixing a broken or struggling relationship with Jesus, but there are some things we can do to begin growing closer to our Savior. Come explore the journey of intimacy with Jesus Christ.

Creating an Intimate Marriage

Jim Burns, Cathy Burns

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Jim and Cathy will be the first to tell you that intimate marriage doesn’t come easily, especially in youth ministry marriages. However, it’s very possible to refresh and improve your marriage. In this seminar you’ll learn to set the mood, tone, and atmosphere in your relationship and how to make it your top priority. You’ll also learn that while you may not always be able to change your circumstances, you can change your attitude—and that makes all the difference in the world. Jim and Cathy will speak frankly about romance, intimacy, communication and conflict, friendship and fun, and growing toward spiritual intimacy with your spouse. You’ll receive practical help and be encouraged with an exciting strategy for a healthy marriage.

Are We Making a Difference? Measuring for Life Change

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

How can we accurately assess the spiritual development of students? This has been a perennial challenge for youth leaders. In this seminar Mark will lift the hood on a new assessment tool—“The Wisdom Index”—used for assisting in the discipleship of teens, and allow you to be a part of developing the measure and applying it in your youth ministry. Be a part of developing a tool that can help youth workers disciple teens across the nation.

Going to the Next Level: Reframing Your Youth Ministry

Chap Clark

Seminar Series #2

Sacramento - Oct 11 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Ask any veteran youth worker: Youth ministry is a moving target. Just when we have one class or group figured out, something happens that can change everything. Or from one year to the next, we can’t seem to keep the same momentum going. How do we create a core understanding of youth ministry and frame our ministry to handle the changes that constantly bombard us? This session will help us to determine who and what we are called to be as God’s representatives to our students.

Confident Parenting for Youth Workers

Jim Burns, Cathy Burns

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

The title of this seminar is a bit of an oxymoron. Some of the least confident parents are often those who work in the church on either a volunteer or paid basis. Parenting isn’t easy, yet there are some important principles youth workers must look at to become more effective parents ourselves. Here are a few of the topics we’ll cover: • Finding Replenishment for Overcrowded Lives • Overcoming Negative Family Patterns • Creating a Grace-Filled Home While Providing Healthy Discipline • Teaching Our Own Children a Healthy Sexuality • Developing an Atmosphere of Affection, Warmth, and Encouragement in the Midst of a Ministry-Oriented Family Jim and Cathy promise no easy answers, but if you’ve ever felt humbled by the task of raising your kids to become responsible adults who love God, then this session may be for you.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Multicultural Ministry

Fred Lynch

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Dynamic ministry that is also multicultural often seems as elusive as locating the rainbow’s end. Yet there is a rising number of pioneering ministries that not only long for multicultural ministry, but have also gone through the struggle to see it birthed. And they’d be the first ones to let you know that you can do it, too! Come and find out some of the things they’d tell you NOT to do.

Feeding Frenzy: Finding and Nurturing a Hunger for God's Word in Today's Teens

Barry Shafer

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Barry has more than 20 years of experience working with teens and young adults. He and his wife, Dana, founded InWord, a ministry dedicated to developing Bible studies for teens and encouraging youth workers. Barry has written many Bible studies and devotionals including the new Unleashing God’s Word in Youth Ministry and the Digging Deeper inductive Bible Study series for students.

The X Factor: A Transformational Youth Ministry Model

Greg Stier

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Transform your teenagers through Deep and Wide Youth Ministry! Partnered with the Holy Spirit, X Factor will guide you through the steps necessary to implement the Great Commission causing spiritual and numerical growth in your youth ministry.

Speaking Technique: An Advanced Workshop in Speaking to Teenagers

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Seminar description coming soon.

Transformational Leadership

Dan Webster

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

We all long to see real life changes in the students we serve. Why doesn’t it happen more? Often it’s because our lives aren’t a living catalyst that inspires change in our students. Every effective student ministry leader I know lives in the caldron of being personally transformed by God. This reality grants them a powerful authority as they lead students. Staying in the change process personally unleashes a movement that ripples throughout their ministries. In this session we’ll address how to become this type of transformational leader.

Starting Right So You Don't End Wrong

Mark Oestreicher

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

It’s so easy to jump into youth ministry with assumptions based on what we’ve seen and how things have been done in the past. The problem is that our past assumptions don’t always make sense in today’s cultural context or for the specific context of our churches and ministries. This seminar will help you look at the values and assumptions of your own ministry, as well as some of the stupid rookie moves that Marko made (and continues to make!).

Seeing the Future: Learning to Exegete Culture for Creating Innovation in Youth Ministry

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Trends come and trends go, but every now and then a shift occurs that alters the way we think, live, and relate to God and to others. This seminar will help you understand what indicators to look for and will teach you how to build scenarios that allow you stay current in the ever-changing world of teens. Come prepared to interact as we put these anthropological tools to use.

Effectively Ministering to Middle School Girls

April Diaz

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

We thought we had it bad in middle school! The life of a middle school girl is increasingly complex, with body issues, societal issues, school issues, family issues, and global issues consuming their underdeveloped bodies and minds. (Just reading that sentence makes me tired!) If you found it difficult to navigate the middle school years once upon a time, then you’ll find yourself relating to this beautifully intricate sector of society and feeling primed to minister to them. Join me as we peel the layers off the issues that our middle school girls face and get more in touch with God’s heart for our groups of girls.

Dreaming Big: Starting a City-Wide Movement Through Connected Churches

Jim Britts

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Are the other youth workers in your city your friends, the competition, or simply unknown? What if God has called you not only to your church, but also to your entire city? We’ll talk about how to partner with other churches and youth organizations to bring about a city-wide movement where you live.

Soul School: Learning How to Live and Lead from Your Soul

Jeanne Stevens

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Have you ever felt tired, overwhelmed, and discouraged while wondering what you’re doing in student ministry? Have you ever felt as though you’re calling students into a transformational life with God—a life that you haven’t tasted yourself in a very long time? Soul School will speak to the deeper soul longings of every rookie, as well as seasoned veterans. If you’re open to gaining a better understanding for how to live from the soul, then come enroll in the Soul School.

Your Students Can Start Changing the World...NOW

Seth Barnes

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

The world’s needs have never been greater. We see the headlines daily: AIDS! Sex-trafficking! Poverty! How do we respond? Do we retreat to our suburban fortresses, or do we raise up world-changers who risk as Jesus did? We’ll look at case studies of young people who’ve changed the world and the youth workers who helped them. We’ll explore ideas for turning your teenagers into activists who bust out of their comfort zones and make a difference. We’ll cover the five essential components of radical discipleship in a comfortable world.

Missional Youth Ministry

Randy Brothers

Seminar Series #1

Sacramento - Oct 10 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Help students begin to live a lifelong mission trip by going beyond the usual targets for “evangelism” and “discipleship” and creating a ministry that engages kids in the entirety of God’s mission in their own lives, their communities, and out into the world.

Deeping Friendships With Kids

Dan Jessup

Early-Bird Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 10 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

There is perhaps no greater need in youth ministry than to develop true friendships with teenagers. For some of us, this comes very naturally. But for others, we struggle with knowing how to connect with kids—especially if we’re over 25 years old! So in this seminar, we’ll unpack the following: • The five essential ingredients in adult-teenager friendships • What to say, how to act, what to wear, and how to find teenagers outside of the youth or Sunday school room • Practical ideas for deepening your friendships and how to take your relationship to the next level • The boundaries when relating to teenagers (How do I relate to the opposite sex without getting myself in trouble or giving the wrong impression?) • How to move from being just a “friend” to having spiritual conversations with kids This will be a highly interactive and practical seminar. Come join us as we dive into developing relationships with kids!

Creating Multi-Sensory Worship Experiences in Your Youth Ministry

Lilly Lewin

Early-Bird Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 10 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Today we live in a culture that needs to engage the story of God. The students in our youth ministries need to see how their stories relate to Scripture and to learn in ways beyond just listening with their ears. Jesus taught his disciples “along the way” as they were traveling and living life together. Jesus used everyday people, places, and things to teach spiritual truth. Jesus used the sights, sounds, tastes, and so on to tell God’s story.

Praxis: Ministry to Kids in a Postmodern World

Randy Brothers

Early-Bird Seminars

Sacramento - Oct 10 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Belief–Action–Reflection. The cycle of “praxis” engages and grows postmodern students into Christ followers. Contextualize the beliefs of being a Christ follower in a postmodern world, engage students in action/experiences, and create opportunities for them to spend time in reflection. This, in turn, will lead them to newly defined beliefs, more action/experiences, further reflection, and so on. It becomes a practical way to help kids embrace the never-changing gospel in an ever-changing world.

Youth Ministry and Marriage

Cathy Burns, Jim Burns

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

This Critical Concerns Course focuses on cultivating a healthy marriage in the midst of ministry. Through discussions, personal interaction, and shared insights from 30-year veterans of simultaneous marriage and ministry, you’ll learn how to keep a marriage growing despite the daily ministry stresses. Jim and Cathy will cover topics such as overcommitment, spouse involvement, children, sex, finances, spiritual growth, communication, and more! Everyone who attends will receive more than a dozen communication sheets to assist them in continued growth and future interaction. Jim is the author of the best-selling book Creating an Intimate Marriage.

Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

Chap Clark, Kara Powell

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Do you ever feel like you’re working hard in youth ministry but you’re not reaching your full potential? Do you ever feel like you’re splashing around in the shallow end with kids instead of living out the deep ministry of God’s kingdom adventure? In this Critical Concerns Course, Chap Clark, Kara Powell, and Megan Hutchinson will share the insights of the latest research and perspectives on youth ministry, gleaned from the work of the Fuller Youth Institute, and offered in Chap and Kara’s best-selling books, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World and Deep Justice in a Broken World, as well as Megan’s eight-step recovery program, Life Hurts God Heals. This interactive training is for everyone who wants to take their ministry to deeper levels. You’ll learn to use the Deep Ministry model, critically assess your current ministry, and discover how to incorporate new ideas into your ministry setting that will take your ministry deeper in purpose, leadership, discipleship, teaching, justice work, mentoring, and engagement with kids and culture.

Dangerous Opportunity: Helping Kids + Families in Crisis

Jim Hancock, Rich Van Pelt

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Bullying, cutting, death, divorce, eating disorders, sexual assault, suicide, violence, addiction... If you work with kids and families, you will face crisis—the question is whether you’ll know what to do. This interactive experience prepares novice and veteran youth workers and educators to distinguish crisis from normal adolescent angst; how to respond effectively in two dozen widespread crisis scenarios; when and how to call in reinforcements, how to guide kids into healthy self-assessment; and how to partner with parents and schools before, during, and after a crisis.

Speaking to Teenagers: How to Think About, Create, and Deliver Effective Messages

Duffy Robbins

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Chances are you’ve been asked to speak to a group of teens at one time or another. Whether those words are spoken in Sunday school, at summer camp, at a Young Life club, at a Friday night outreach, at a pre-game devotional, at a Sunday night meeting, or whether they’re spoken by someone who’s serving in ministry full-time, part-time, overtime, or as a volunteer, the intent of this seminar is to help you speak to students more effectively and with great impact. This session will help anyone who speaks to teenagers to look squarely at both the unique challenges and opportunities of that mission. It will also, in a practical and encouraging way, offer some strategies for planning, preparing, thinking about, studying for, crafting, and delivering a message that will connect with students.

Leading From the Pages of Your Life

Dan Webster

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Type in “leadership” at Amazon.com and you will get over 20,000 hits. There is so much being written on the topic today it's difficult to know what are core elements to leadership and what are simply other people’s ideas. Many youth workers are tempted to listen to the latest loud voices in student ministry and then shape their ministries around those instead of hearing and following the quiet voice of God within. Freedom and life will come for you when you live within the bounds of who God has made you to be. Impact will come as you discern both your calling and passion—and then live from that. A heavenly authority will come when you lead your ministry from your authentic walk with God. How do you do all this? In this CCC, you’ll learn how to lead from the pages of your life instead of the pages of the latest book.

Extreme Makeover Tech Edition: Building a Better Student Ministry Through Technology

Jay Delp, Joel Lusz

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

Today's teens and technology revolution continues to march on! You can stay in step or wander off out of sync. This course will get you up to speed and stretch your existing use of technology in your ministry with students and staff. In addition to diving into Web 2.0 concepts such as blogging, podcasts, and social networking, we’ll explore presentation software, communication and media tools, and teach you to create your own videos. Help make this course meet your needs by joining the Open Source network prior to the event. You’ll connect with the presenters and other attendees and help shape the course to meet your needs. In this course, you'll receive a truly creative smorgasbord of technology, techniques, ideas, and resources (with a generous smattering of freebies sprinkled throughout, including a free CD-ROM of media content for each attendee).

The Present Future of Youth Ministry: Rethinking Traditional YM Models

Mark Helsel, Brock Morgan

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

What should youth ministry look like today and what will it look like in 2020? Culture is changing by the second and the issues students are dealing with are like no other generation before them. So how do we respond? And are we actually willing to adapt? Are we willing to change our youth ministry methods and truly care for the hearts, minds, and souls of our students and do the work that's not currently being done? Drawing on 34 years of combined youth ministry experience Brock and Mark will share their own successes and failures and give insights into the future direction of youth ministry. This new and insightful course will be fun, interactive, and very practical as we dig into the current and future youth ministry trends, explore the current state of teenage spirituality, and share new ideas you can easily apply in your ministry setting.

Equipping Your Volunteer Leaders to Shepherd Students in a Changing Culture

Chris Folmsbee, Kelly Lashly

Critical Concerns Courses

Sacramento - Oct 9 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Sacramento - Oct 10 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

There is only one of you. Regardless of how efficient and effective you might be, you can't possibly do it all yourself. At times, for the sake of the students and their families, you wish you could do it all but the truth is that each of us needs a team of people surrounding us and supporting us. We need volunteers that understand their role as shepherds and seek ways in which to minister out of their role. This course will guide you in thinking strategically about equipping your volunteers as advocates, advisors, and guides—three critical roles of any volunteer. This course will also provide you with tools and resources to help you effectively train your volunteers as they seek to nurture students in this culture of inevitable change.