Training Opportunities

Schedule

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

Corrie Boyle, Steve Carter

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 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

Fred Whaples

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 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!

Ushers of the New Wine

Virginia Ward

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Youth workers are poised for a new generation of youth. Will we pass the great taste test? Are you ready to usher in this new wine? This workshop will examine the role of the youth leader as an usher of God’s new wine.

Seven Mega-Trends Affecting Student Ministry

Paul Turner

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Many churches focus on developing student ministries and forget to develop students. That practice has caused a generation of students to graduate from high school and, in many ways, graduate from their faith. There are seven mega-trends that seem to be addressing that problem in the church today, and we’ll explore the implications of them.

Youth Ministry Branding 101: Strategic Design and Brand Development

Richard Reising

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

The essence of branding is being deliberate. The cornerstone of being deliberate is knowing who you are and where you’re going. In this session Richard unfolds the importance of design and branding for your youth ministry. A well-branded ministry is one that is current and attractive, where people are proud to attend, where they feel connected and see the vision clearly. Today, branding isn’t just design or a logo or letterhead. It’s the sum perception you create in the minds of those with whom you’re trying to connect.

Secrets from the Other Side: What I Learned about Youth Ministry by Becoming a Lead Pastor

Tony Myles

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

Imagine how different your approach to youth ministry could look if your foresight was more accurate. There’s perhaps no greater gift that this new vision could give your journey with God and what he’s asked of you as it fleshes out in your personal life, professional relationships, mentoring of servant-leaders, and investments into students. And not only that, but you just might understand the heart and mind of your senior pastor more clearly. (Yes, this IS possible!) While this seminar can’t give you 20/20 vision, it will certainly offer you some well-needed lenses to help you better understand some common blind spots in youth ministry. Utilizing God’s Word, real-life case studies, practical research, interactive discussion, and the personal lessons learned by a veteran youth worker turned lead pastor, you’ll be able to create a healthier approach to youth ministry that better integrates itself into the body of Christ at large.

Engaging One-on-One Relationships

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

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.

Yours, Mine, and Ours: Ministry Life with Blended Famlies

Kerry Loescher

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

It’s a crazy, mixed-up world of yours, mine, and ours. The statistics tell us that lots of marriages fail the first time around. They also tell us that more Americans live in stepfamilies than in nuclear families. Kids split their time between several households and celebrate holidays four to five times to accommodate all the in-laws, outlaws, and parental types involved in their family life. It’s complicated and sometimes messy. Come discover some practical strategies to help students not only survive but thrive when life at home isn’t like the Cleavers.

The Youth Pastor as Leader-Subordinate: Surviving as Both Ministry Leader and Church Staff Subordinate

Danny Kwon

Seminar Series #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 9:00 AM-10:30 AM

As youth workers, we’re called to leadership within our youth ministries. However, we’re also under the headship of our church leadership. Navigating this balance as both a leader and a subordinate is difficult. This seminar will begin to examine ways that we can not only survive, but also thrive within this context.

The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier

Tony Jones

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

The adventurous theological and ecclesiological ways of the emergents have caused great joy in some quarters and great consternation in others. These top 10 dispatches from the emergent frontier will help clear up some of the confusion and surely provoke robust dialogue around issues that youth workers care about.

The Dark Night of the Soul: When God is Absent

Mark Yaconelli

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

How to Communicate to Middle Schoolers

Scott Rubin

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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

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

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

How to Productively Answer the Tough Questions About Sexual Identity

Andrew Marin

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

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

Crystal Kirgiss

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

Come learn about the treacherous and deadly sexual landscape of today’s teenagers and discover how parents, teens, and youth leaders can be a part of a radically new sexual revolution.

The Latest Research That Should Impact Your Youth Ministry

Len Kageler

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

What? In addition to the time it takes to lead a youth ministry, you haven’t had time to pick up PhDs in psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and neuroscience? In this session we’ll highlight the recent research in these fields and then discuss the immediate implications and applications.

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

Mark Helsel

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 3:30 PM-5:00 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!

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

Les Christie

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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!

The Ripple Effect of Urban Culture

Christopher Brooks

Seminar Series #5

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

As urban culture expands, youth ministers have an amazing opportunity to develop relevant and theologically sound ministry models that incorporate urban elements. Hip-hop culture, urban lingo, and urban statistical data are three examples of elements that can enhance your ministry. Come join the dialogue about how to enhance your ministry by “urbanizing” it.

The Sacred Way: Developing Spiritual Practices with Teens (and Youth Workers)

Tony Jones

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

A lot of us are good at teaching the Bible and telling kids how important it is to pray. But do we teach them *how* to pray? For two thousand years, followers of Christ have endeavored to have a personal devotional life with Jesus. This seminar will dig deep into that treasury of classical Christianity for some of the great gems of our faith, such as lectio divina, centering prayer, and the Stations of the Cross.

God's Will, God's Voice: Helping Students Discover What the Heck to do With Their Lives

Margaret Feinberg

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

How do you know God’s will? How do you recognize God’s voice? How do you figure out what God wants you to do next? These aren’t easy questions, but in this practical workshop, you’ll explore the deeper issues of personal and spiritual growth, vocation, and self-discovery. You’ll discover why helping students discover what the heck to do with their lives is more about posture than placement.

Who Are These People? Creating Environments for Multicultural Youth Ministry

Christopher Brooks

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

New faces. Changing neighborhoods. New challenges. Unlimited opportunities. Because of immigration and migration patterns in the United States, the changing face of America is transforming our nation and communities in every state. Come join the dialogue—together, we’ll discover how to create environments for multicultural youth ministry.

Me, Myself, and I: How to Keep Sharp and Not Die

Virginia Ward

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

Youth workers are constantly struggling to live a balanced life. This workshop will help you to evaluate your current lifestyle and position you to make the necessary changes to your personal and ministry life.

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

Eddie James, Tommy Woodard

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

What if Dietrich Bonhoeffer Was a Youth Worker Today

Andy Root

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

Enjoy the Silence: Wholly Listening to God

Maggie Robbins

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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.

Teaching That Transforms Students Lives

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 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!

Youth Ministry in Your Second Decade and Beyond

Len Kageler

Seminar Series #4

Pittsburgh - Nov 2 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

How time flies! This session explores the issues (both positive and negative) that go along with increased age and experience in youth ministry. Among the negative issues is burnout. How do we keep ourselves from burnout, and how do we help our younger colleagues from falling prey to it as well?

The X Factor: A Transformational Youth Ministry Model

Greg Stier

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 2:00 PM-4:30 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.

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

Jack Gabig

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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 #6

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

Pittsburgh - Nov 3 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.

Healing and Hope for Kids Who Cut

Marv Penner

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

Rethinking How We Read the Bible

Scot McKnight

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 2:00 PM-4:30 PM

The way to discover “how” you read the Bible is to pick an odd passage, what Scot calls “blue parakeet” passages. Say, for example, the story of Jephthah. We can trot comfortably along with our Bible reading until we’re shocked by the presence of passages that remind us that we’ve ignored many passages. In this seminar, based on Scot’s book The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible, we’ll look at how we read the Bible and how Story can open up the whole Bible to us in a new way. We’ll use “Women in Ministry” as an example of passages that might startle us into rethinking how we read the Bible.

Mentoring Toward Maturity: Fostering Wisdom in Young Heroes

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

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

Les Christie

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

Technology and Youth Ministry

Joel Lusz

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

What Every Youth Leader Needs to Know About Marketing

Richard Reising

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

Marketing is not about sugarcoating or misrepresenting something. It’s about effectively connecting with people. As a matter of fact, Richard will challenge that “over 50% of churches in the United States should not promote themselves.” Effective marketing begins long before promotion does. Richard will help you understand the core principles behind an effective marketing strategy and make decisive strides and adjustments in how you connect and effectively communicate with people—creating word-of-mouth success long before you begin branding and advertising.

Church and Culture, Style and Substance: Understanding the Trends That Shape the Way You Reach the Next Generation

Margaret Feinberg

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

What does the personalization of M&M’s, the popularity of music downloads, and the exponential growth of Google have to do with the future of your church and reaching the next generation? In this fresh, insightful presentation, we’ll explore the buzzwords and, more importantly, the crucial trends taking place in our culture and what they mean as you seek to raise up followers of Christ.

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

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

Talking About the Gospel as More Than Only Penal Substitution

Scot McKnight

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 8:00 AM-9:30 AM

The standard evangelistic gospel is to create a sense of need in a person to respond to Christ by threatening the non-Christian with final punishment of a wrathful God. Not only does this approach fail to comply with how Jesus evangelized, but it also creates a gospel that’s shaped by one and only one gospel image—the image of God’s just judgment being satisfied. In this seminar we’ll explore how the gospel can be expressed in a variety of ways by exploring a number of images for salvation and God’s gracious work for us.

Expanding Your Creativity for Kingdom Purposes

Mark Matlock

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

What Every Volunteer Youth Worker Should Know

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

Incredibly Hot Games and Community Builders

Les Christie

Seminar Series #2

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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

Pittsburgh - Nov 1 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.

Exploring a Missional Approach to Nurturing Adolescents

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 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.

From Youth Room to Dorm Room: Helping Your Students Prepare for College

Crystal Kirgiss

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Psych 101: “You are a god unto yourself.” Philosophy 101: “God is a human construct.” Human Sexuality 101: “Let’s watch porn.” World Religions 101: “God is relative.” Regular feature in the school newspaper: “Sex position of the week.” Are your students ready for the freedoms and challenges of college life? Come learn how you can help prepare them.

Dealing with Difficult Girls

Kerry Loescher

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Sugar and spice and everything nice—that’s what girls are made of? Then what’s up with those moments when you need a flow chart just to keep up with who said what and who’s mad at whom? Or other moments when you watch girls that you’ve poured your heart and life into make choices that cause you to wonder if they’ll ever have a chance for a future? Some days there just isn’t enough Kleenex or chocolate to keep up with the drama. Yet God has a tender heart and a specific plan for his daughters. Come gain practical insight into the “chick network” through honest discussion about the webs and layers of young women’s relationships, as well as the process of decision making in the creative, complex, and sometimes not-so-pretty adolescent “girl world.” You’ll also discover practical ways to not only deal with, but also disciple young women through the not-so-sugar-and-spice moments.

Transformational Leadership

Dan Webster

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

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

Jeanne Stevens

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

Seminar description coming soon.

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

Kara Powell

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

It probably doesn’t take a long list of statistics to convince you that our world is broken. If you’re like most youth workers, then mission trips, service projects, and supporting children through relief organizations are just a few of the ways that you engage your students in serving the least, the last, and the lost. As helpful as these things may be on the surface, that’s where they remain—at the surface. The problems, however, run far deeper than an occasional paint job or fundraising project can solve. But it’s not hopeless. Deep justice is possible in your ministry. This seminar provides a scripturally grounded paradigm that moves your ministry beyond short-term Band-aids to long-term systemic solutions that benefit both your students and the world around them. You’ll leave with all sorts of practical ideas, which youth ministries are already implementing, that can help your students serve others and right the wrongs around them.

Starting Right So You Don't End Wrong

Mark Oestreicher

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

Theology for Youth Ministry: Its Purpose, Uselfulness, and Practicality

Danny Kwon

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

This seminar will begin to examine theology as a vital tool for youth ministry. As such, we’ll examine what purpose it serves for the youth worker, as well as how theology can be used within and practically applied to the context of one’s own life and ministry.

How to Effectively Minister to Middle School Girls

Heather Flies

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

Confident Parenting for Youth Workers

Jim Burns, Cathy Burns

Seminar Series #1

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

Rap It, Tag It, Speak It, Flip It: Getting Kids to Experience God's Word in a Fresh Way

Fred Lynch

Early-Bird Seminars

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

As communicators of truth, one of our greatest tasks is to make the Bible come alive and be relevant to teens. Discover how to share the Word of God in exciting new ways. Learn new Scriptures and recall Scriptures you’ve previously memorized. Become skilled at training students to think, speak, and act from a scriptural basis.

Parent Fuel: For You and Your Ministry

Early-Bird Seminars

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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!

Ministering in the Trenches to Hurting and Addicted Teens

Megan Hutchinson

Early-Bird Seminars

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 10:00 AM-11:30 AM

Every youth group has hurting kids who act out through cutting, drinking, smoking, watching porn, eating disorders, and so on. In this seminar we’ll talk about the questions all kids ask, the developmental stuff they face, and practical ways you can make a difference, including the use of an eight-step recovery group that’s proven to work with thousands of students in the church, juvenile treatment centers, group homes, and public schools. They need our help!

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

John Falke

Early-Bird Seminars

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

Megan Hutchinson, Kara Powell

Critical Concerns Courses

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.

The Present Future of Youth Ministry: Rethinking Traditional YM Models

Mark Helsel, Brock Morgan

Critical Concerns Courses

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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).

Youth Ministry and Marriage

Cathy Burns, Jim Burns

Critical Concerns Courses

Pittsburgh - Oct 30 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Pittsburgh - Oct 31 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.