Training Opportunities

Schedule

Staying Connected to God in the Midst of Our Real Lives

Will Penner

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 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.

Middle School Students Can Change the World: Creating a Ministry That Believes in Students

Corrie Boyle, Steve Carter

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

It’s time to stop ignoring the difference that junior high students can make in this world—and it’s time to start calling them to their potential. During our time together, we’ll be talking about orienting your ministry (everything from program, teachings, and volunteers) in such a way that will allow you to help students believe in who God created them to be.

Everyday Outreach for Everyday Students

Jeff Berger

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 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!

JUSTImagine: The World for God

Danielle Strickland

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

The great social reformers let justice fire their imaginations and spirits into dreaming and working for a better world. And these reformers of imagination inspired this seminar. We want to reignite your imagination of a better world and challenge the notion that changing the world is impossible, because to simply imagine it won’t be enough. Our imagination compels us to work toward achieving the vision. Just imagine the world for God and join us in making that dream a reality. Warning: global, local, and personal impact possible.

How to BE a Youth Worker

Joel Lusz

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 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.

Life Mapping: Discovering Your Life Theme and How It Affects the Course of Your Ministry

Brooklyn Lindsey

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Your life is a map illustrated with majestic landscapes and dark, shadowy trails. Each map—each life—is different, diverse by its stories, context, and emotions. You’ll interact with your story by creating your own life map and then learn how your stories shape your ministry. Discover how both the positive and negative experiences in your life culminate to make your own unique ministry setting.

Serving Your Leader: Partnering with Your Senior Pastor in Ministry

Stan Lester

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

This session will deal with the importance of serving the vision of the lead pastor. As student leaders, we’re challenged not only to have a personal vision for our students, schools, and communities, but also to make sure that our vision exists within the context of the overall vision of the church and senior pastor. We’ll discuss the keys to effectively make this happen.

Who's Your Momma: Women Over 30 in Youth Ministry

Crystal Kirgiss

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

What can middle-aged women offer youth ministry? More than anyone can imagine. If you’re over 30 and female (momma or not), this seminar is for you.

Welcome to the Hive: Understanding the Dynamics of Girls and Their Groups

Pam Gibbs

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

The world of girls is a lot like a beehive—complete with the queen bee and her workers. This session will give you an inside look at the often-misunderstood world of girls and their groups. It will also give some tips on what to do (and what NOT to do) as you encounter this unique subculture.

Exploring a Missional Approach to Nurturing Adolescents

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

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.

Re-Imagining Confirmation: A New Approach to Passing on the Faith

Sarah Arthur

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

If you work in a mainline church, confirmation may seem like conundrum. It’s so bogged down in tradition that it could sink. But if it stays afloat, then kids who otherwise don’t follow Jesus just might be saved. What to do? Sarah explores the idea that confirmation can be a transforming immersion in the unique “culture” of a church’s spiritual heritage, until the grammar, narratives, and practices of that heritage embody a living faith in Jesus.

What Monks Can Teach Us: Helping Students Discover the Ancient Art of Listening to the Voice of God

Dave Ambrose

Seminar Series #6

Nashville - Nov 24 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Is it really possible to hear God speak to you? How do you learn to listen to his voice? Is there more to this than just reading your Bible and praying more? Come and discover some new “ancient” ways of communicating with God and discovering his plan for your life.

The Latest Research That Should Impact Your Youth Ministry

Dave Rahn, Rusty Wheelington

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

We won’t be looking at stock market trends, but there’s plenty of research in fields related to adolescent culture, developmental psychology, sociology, and education that are worth paying attention to. Come join other seasoned veterans who’ll be turned loose to unpack the “so what?” implications of relevant research for youth ministry.

The Dark Night of the Soul: When God is Absent

Mark Yaconelli

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 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.

Social Networking 101: How to Use Facebook and MySpace to Enhance Your Ministry

Brian Schulenburg

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Do you feel like the social networking train has left the track and it’s too late for you to get on it? This interactive seminar is designed for youth workers who’ve NEVER used Facebook or MySpace and want to find out what the fuss is all about. We’ll focus on the value of using social networking sites in ministry and teach you how to get started. You’re not too old to enter this exciting online world!

How to Communicate to Middle Schoolers

Scott Rubin

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Some people say there’s not a more challenging group to talk with than a bunch of amped-up (or tuned-out) junior high students! In this session we’ll talk about the vital need for teaching—even to puberty-navigating 13-year-olds. We’ll also discuss some of the best and worst ways to engage middle schoolers and point them toward God’s truths. If you regularly teach junior highers, then consider joining us!

Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry

Andy Root

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Effective Youth Ministry Programming: Big Pictures and Blueprints

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 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

How to Productively Answer the Tough Questions About Sexual Identity

Andrew Marin

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Get Fit For Life...NOW

Lee Claypoole

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Offering a practical approach to a life of health and fitness, this seminar will reveal the steps Lee took to lose more than 100 pounds and go from a 44- to a 30-inch waist in less than a year. Lee will share exercise tips, a nutritional and diet plan that works, along with other simple steps to get control of your life and health.

How to Find, Equip, Retain and Occasionally Dismiss Adult Volunteers in Youth Ministry

Les Christie

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

The Role of Imagination in the Spiritual Formation of Adolescents

Sarah Arthur

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

While defenders of Christianity attempt to barge through the front door of reason by arguing the case for Christ, the Holy Spirit has been slipping through the back door of the imagination and effecting spiritual change from the inside out. Such seems to be happening without our permission or even notice, and it’s time we started paying attention. So, what is the imagination? What role does it play in spiritual formation? How do we nurture the imaginations of youth?

A Beginner's Guide to Pulling Off Great Events

Dave Ambrose

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

If you’ve always wondered how to be more effective in thinking through, planning, and pulling off various events in your ministry to students, then join us for this seminar! We’ll be discussing some of the ins and outs of successful event planning for your student ministry.

Enjoy the Silence: Wholly Listening to God

Maggie Robbins

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Youth Ministry in Your Second Decade and Beyond

Rusty Wheelington

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Congratulations! You’ve made it for 10 years in youth ministry. But what does it take to really go the distance and finish well when burnout isn’t an option? Hear some of the research and join the discussion on the phenomenon of extended tenure in youth ministry and how it applies to your next decade.

Hooking Up, Breaking Up, Making Up: The Perils of Teen Sex and Dating

Crystal Kirgiss

Seminar Series #5

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 23 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

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

Eddie James, Tommy Woodard

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Ministry in a Digital Age: How Technology is Changing Our Students and the Implications for Ministry to Youth

Brian Schulenburg

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

The world is changing at a rapid speed. What our students are doing with technology today is what science-fiction writers could only dream about a few years ago. What are the implications of ministry in a digital age? How does technology change the way we minister to students? What can we learn from the way our students relate? How can we help them thrive spiritually in a world that looks so radically different?

What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer Was a Youth Worker Today

Andy Root

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Teaching That Transforms Students Lives

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 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.

Developing Our Own Curriculum

Mark Oestreicher

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 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.

Creating a Theology of Cultural Engagement

Walt Mueller

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 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!

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

Brock Morgan

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

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.

Creating Multi-Sensory Worship Experiences in Your Youth Ministry

Dan Kimball

Seminar Series #4

Nashville - Nov 23 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Worship is more than just singing and listening to someone teach. And students have different learning styles. Yet we often limit our teaching by using only words and not considering the variations of learning styles among our students. We’ll look at specific ways to design and create worship experiences using art and interactive prayer stations. We’ll give plenty of examples, as well as discuss how to find and develop volunteer teams to make this happen.

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

Mark DeVries

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Sometimes we beat ourselves up for not having the ideal spiritual life or not having a relationship with God 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 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.

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

Tom Sine

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Healing and Hope for Kids Who Cut

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Shaped by the Story: Helping Students Encounter God in a New Way

Michael Novelli

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

This interactive training is designed to inspire and equip you to teach the Bible through story and dialogue. We’ll explore the art of “Storying,” a dialogical approach founded in the Hebrew tradition and used extensively in missions all over the world. This new (and ancient) way of engaging God’s Story has proven effective to help people discover God’s unique identity and calling for their lives—to see themselves as part of a bigger story. During this breakout you’ll discover new things about God and the Bible through a “Storying” experience and learn new methods to communicate and interact with God’s Story. You’ll also receive a workbook packed with ideas and resources to help you lead in your context.

Youth Culture 101

Walt Mueller

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Mentoring Toward Maturity: Fostering Wisdom in Young Heroes

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Middle School Ministry From the Ground Up (without Getting Ground Up)

Heather Flies, Scott Rubin

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

We’re going to attempt to talk about it all! We’ll discuss the big issues, such as the potential (and craziness) of middle schoolers, young teen development, and the social and spiritual landscape of middle school students. We’ll also tackle the nitty-gritty of middle school small groups, teaching, programming, compassion, and community for these high-energy, often-underestimated, not-yet-high-schoolers. And through it all, we’ll share our best practices and biggest screwups as we’ve worked with middle school students. If you’re excited about figuring out middle schoolers, or if you’re still trying to figure out how to do it without losing your mind, then this session could be for you!

Graphic Secrets for Youth Ministry: Photoshop and Beyond

John Falke

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Don’t ruin a great youth ministry with poor design. Learn a bag full of tricks for improving your designs with edgy and popular effects. Uncover many timesaving tips for generating buzz that’s truly cost-effective. Utilize the secrets (and tools) that innovative churches employ to draw in the crowds.

The Scandal of Grace

Shane Claiborne

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

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

Les Christie

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Christianity: Modern and Postmodern

Tony Campolo

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

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.

Technology and Youth Ministry

Scott Burks

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Loving and Leading Girls Through Adolescent Chaos

Jeanne Stevens

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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

Needle and Thread: The Importance of Creativity, Storytelling, and Writing For Your Ministry and For Your Life

Shauna Niequist

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Shauna will read from her book, Cold Tangerines, answer questions, and share ideas and stories about creativity as a lifestyle, the writing and publication process, and the ways that storytelling can enrich our lives and ministry experiences.

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

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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 the Ground Up: Developing, Growing, and Building a Healthy Youth Ministry

Brock Morgan

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Expanding Your Creativity for Kingdom Purposes

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Building Bridges with Gay and Lesbian Youth

Andrew Marin

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Theological Topics to Address With Students For Their Post High School Years

Dan Kimball

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

As students enter their college years, they’ll be faced with major theological questions as they take classes, get into discussions, and develop deeper thinking about key issues of our culture today. We’ll look at specific theological issues and questions that are bound to arise, such as the formation of the Bible, human sexuality, and religious pluralism. We’ll also discuss practical ways to prepare and teach our students in advance about the theological topics they’ll very likely be processing during their post high school years.

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

Mark Helsel

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

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!

What Every Volunteer Youth Worker Should Know

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

How to Effectively Minister to Middle School Parents

Heather Flies

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Newsflash: Middle schoolers come equipped with parents! This truth can add challenge and even heartache to ministry, but when parents are respected and ministered to, they can be your greatest partners! Join in on an honest dialogue of how to inform, involve, & inspire the parents of your middle schoolers.

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

Chap Clark

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

It doesn’t take a long list of statistics to convince us that our world is broken. Mission trips, service projects, and the financial support of children around the world through various relief organizations are just a few of the ways we engage students in serving the least, the last, and the lost. While these things are all helpful, the world’s problems run far deeper than what an occasional paint job or fundraising project can solve. But it isn’t hopeless—deep social justice is possible in your youth ministry. In this seminar, based on the book of the same title, Chap will guide you in how to help your students grasp more deeply the call of the gospel to “go into all the world” as chosen representatives. He’ll also give you specific and practical tools and tips you can use to help teenagers become active servants in the kingdom of God.

Incredibly Hot Games and Community Builders

Les Christie

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 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.

Creating an Intimate Marriage

Jim Burns, Cathy Burns

Seminar Series #2

Nashville - Nov 22 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Seminar description coming soon.

Envisioning the Future: Scenario Planning for Youth Ministry

Marcus Thorne

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

So you have a dream for your kids, but do you have a plan to get there? What happens when life throws you the inevitable curve ball? Learn how thinking through “possible futures” can help you prepare for the best.

Transformational Leadership

Dan Webster

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Questioning Youth Ministry? Helping Students Build Faith Counter-intuitively

Eric Venable

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

We all know the statistics are grim—many students walk away from their faith after they leave us. Is it culture? Parents? What if it’s…us? Could it be that our very approach to student ministry is part of the problem? Join us as we have bold conversations around the counterintuitive ideas of questioning, doubt, crisis, and faith. We know this current student generation processes information in dramatically different ways. Are we asking the questions that only we have the answers for? How wide does that frame a student’s faith? Would students stay engaged in their faith if we embraced doubt rather than avoiding it or skipping over it? What if your ministry to students instigated great questions that weren’t easily answered? How did Jesus interact with his followers compared to our methods of making disciples? These are just a few of the questions we’ll discuss in our time together. This is a seminar for those who are interested in re-imagining their ministry approach so every student can continue to experience a transforming faith in Jesus—long after they leave us.

The X Factor: A Transformational Youth Ministry Model

Greg Stier

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

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

Jeanne Stevens

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

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

Barry Shafer

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Feeding Frenzy: Finding and Nurturing a Hunger for God’s Word in Today’s Teens We want our students to be self-feeding by the time they leave our student ministries. But how does that happen? Is the Bible relevant or useful to postmodern teens? Actually, it is now more than ever! New research shows students are graduating from youth ministries wishing they had more uptake of God’s Word, not less. This session gives proven principles for helping teens metabolize God’s Word. This session helps you, the leader: • disciple students (one-on-one or in small groups) from the overflow of your personal time in the Word • tailor your approach to your students’ spiritual hunger (They’re hungrier than you think!) • experience the rewards that come from helping students confidently explore, process and apply God’s Word

Speaking Technique: An Advanced Workshop in Speaking to Teenagers

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Seminar description coming soon.

Starting Right So You Don't End Wrong

Mark Oestreicher

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 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

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

How to Effectively Minister to Middle School Girls

Heather Flies

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Female feuds. Braces. Body image. Too much makeup. Too little chest. Confidence. Insecurity. Our girls deal with these issues and more every day! How can we help them process it all without the help of a Seventeen magazine quiz? We’ll look at the major issues that middle school girls face and the practical, loving, and effective ways we can minister to them.

Going to the Next Level: Reframing Your Youth Ministry

Chap Clark

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

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

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Your Students Can Start Changing the World...NOW

Seth Barnes

Seminar Series #1

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Missions 101: How Do I Know Where To Go, What To Do and How To Get There

Sheryl Shaw

Early-Bird Seminars

Nashville - Nov 21 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

So you’re a youth minister and you want to take your youth on a mission trip. Now what? How do you decide where to go? How do you decide what to do? Should you use an agency or use your own contacts? Are there steps to get your group ready for missions? How do you handle the finances? In this workshop we’ll answer all of these questions and more. We’ll also talk about how a mission trip can change the lives of your students instead of just being the next great adventure.

Parent Fuel: For You and Your Ministry

Barry St. Clair

Early-Bird Seminars

Nashville - Nov 21 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Parents have the greatest influence on their kids. So how do we max out that influence? Parents seem to run on empty when they try to relate to their kids on a deeper level and help them to grow spiritually. Youth leaders tend to coast on fumes as they struggle to connect with the parents and give them the necessary tools to disciple their kids. This Parent Fuel seminar fills up the influence tank for both parents and youth leaders. Parents will find ways to connect with their kids heart-to-heart and to disciple them. Youth leaders will gain practical solutions to bridge the gap between themselves, the parents, and the kids. Parents and youth leaders will both discover how to equip parents to love God with all of their hearts and to lead their kids to do the same!

Secret Survivors: Helping Teens Reveal and Heal Their Hidden Struggles

Megan Hutchinson, Jen Howver

Early-Bird Seminars

Nashville - Nov 21 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

In this seminar youth workers will get a better understanding of some of the major struggles that today’s teens are dealing with (and hiding) and how to help. We’ll explore ways to help students open up about their secrets and begin the healing process. We’ll also walk through ways that youth workers can come alongside and be a trusted friend through the healing process. This seminar includes real-life stories that will show youth workers what helps students move toward healing and what hinders them from opening up about their secrets in the first place. Struggles addressed will include: Cutting, porn addiction, physical abuse, rape, drug and alcohol abuse, and more.

After They Visit Then What? Developing an Effective Assimilation and Follow-Up Plan

Chris Gilbert

Early-Bird Seminars

Nashville - Nov 21 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

In youth ministry it’s not hard to draw a crowd. We have lights, smoke, and all of the bells and whistles to get them. The bigger question is Now what? How do we get them coming back to our program? How do we keep them, assimilate them, disciple them, and train them for ministry? This session will deal with these questions of depth, structure, and assimilation in building healthy youth ministries for long-term success.

The Look of Youth Ministry: Design, Graphics, Web and Logo

John Falke

Early-Bird Seminars

Nashville - Nov 21 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Unlock your youth ministry’s look with these relevant and innovative marketing techniques and Photoshop tricks. Take your visual appeal up a notch (or two) and attract more students than you thought possible.

Leading From the Pages of Your Life

Dan Webster

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

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

Duffy Robbins

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Catalysts for Spiritual Growth

Reggie Joiner

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 8:30 AM-11:30 AM

If each one of us really looked at our lives, there are mile-markers for own spiritual growth. There are events, people, and moments when we transitioned from information about God to something real, deeper, and more authentic. As youth workers, we hope to provide opportunities for our students to engage in a relationship with God that is also real, deep, and authentic—but how? This practical course will offer you a clearer understanding of what drives authentic discipleship, along with the best practices of churches that have dared to rethink their spiritual growth strategy. You’ll discover a unique framework to help redesign your curriculum and program to be more effective, and you’ll get tools to challenge students (and leaders) to take ownership of their personal spiritual development—helping students continue on in their spiritual growth beyond graduation.

The Present Future of Youth Ministry: Rethinking Traditional YM Models

Mark Helsel, Brock Morgan

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Dangerous Opportunity: Helping Kids + Families in Crisis

Jim Hancock, Rich Van Pelt

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

Equipping Your Volunteer Leaders to Shepherd Students in a Changing Culture

Chris Folmsbee, Kelly Lashly

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.

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

Jay Delp, Joel Lusz

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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).

Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

Chap Clark, Megan Hutchinson

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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 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 8-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.

Youth Ministry and Marriage

Jim Burns, Cathy Burns

Critical Concerns Courses

Nashville - Nov 20 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Nashville - Nov 21 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.