Training Opportunities

Foundations

Designed for anyone in their first few years of youth ministry, you'll find "how to" and "101" seminars � ideal for paid and volunteer youth workers.

Schedule

Everyday Outreach for Everyday Students

Fred Whaples

Seminar Series #6

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

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

How to BE a Youth Worker

Joel Lusz

Seminar Series #6

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

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

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

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #5

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

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

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

Les Christie

Seminar Series #5

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

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

Engaging One-on-One Relationships

Jonathan McKee

Seminar Series #4

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

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

Resucing Students Who Are Bored with God

Sean Dunn

Seminar Series #4

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

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

Small Groups from Start to Finish

Doug Fields

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

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

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

Youth Culture 101

Walt Mueller

Seminar Series #3 - Super Seminars

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

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

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

Duffy Robbins

Seminar Series #2

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

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

What Every Volunteer Youth Worker Should Know

Chris Folmsbee

Seminar Series #2

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

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

Incredibly Hot Games and Community Builders

Les Christie

Seminar Series #2

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

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

The X Factor: A Transformational Youth Ministry Model

Greg Stier

Seminar Series #1

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

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

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

Barry Shafer

Seminar Series #1

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

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

Deeping Friendships With Kids

Dan Jessup

Early-Bird Seminars

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

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