Finding Our Way Again: Youth Ministry and the Seven Ancient Practices of the Faith
Phyllis Tickle
One of the hallmarks of emergent Christianity and of young people of faith today is the push toward what the late Robert Webber called "the ancient future." By whatever name, their yearning toward a more ancient, authentic, and rooted praxis is enormous. We will look together at the ancient seven disciplines or practices of the Abrahamic faiths and their importance for Youth Ministry today. Emphasis will be given to fixed-hour prayer in particular.
Phyllis Tickle is the founding editor of the Religion Department of Publisher’s Weekly, author of over two dozen books, including The Divine Hours Series, and a founding member of The Canterbury Roundtable. She is an authority on religion in America, currently serving as a lay Eucharist minister and lector in the Episcopal Church, and lives with her husband on a small farm in Lucy, TN.
Leaders for Christ-Bearing Youth Ministry
Rev. Dr. Willa Ross
This workshop will equip and empower youth leaders for the practice of Christ-bearing ministry and mission with youth. A framework for ministry that reaches out to youth of different cultures will be presented, focused on culti-vating theological reflection and creating opportunities for youth to discern God's presence in everyday life. As Christ-bearing adults help youth claim the hope and freedom found in following Christ, Christ-bearing youth themselves become advocates for peace and justice in diverse communities.
Rev. Dr. Willa Ross is the Executive Assistant for the Department of Christian Education of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, in which she coor-dinates youth events and develops curricula for age-level ministries. Passionate about young people, and particularly the mentoring of African-American adolescent girls, Dr. Ross is an adjunct faculty person at Memphis Theological Seminary (where she received her D. Min.), and serves as Associate Minister in a local Memphis congregation.
Sacred Space For the Youth Minister, Too!
Rev. Dr. Michael Clark
While the youth ministry programs of many churches are designed to strengthen the spiritual lives of youth and families, the leaders of these very programs can develop unhealthy patterns and neglect their own spiritual lives. Issues of sabbath, privacy, boundaries, personal discipleship, and others will be explored in this workshop. Participants will learn how to cultivate sacred space for them-selves, and maintain healthy patterns of self-care amid the demands of ministry.
Dr. Michael Clark’s ministry journey has been marked by commitments to advocating for and dwelling with young people and their families—cleaning with them, cooking with them, crying with them, conducting mission trips with them, and by striving for his gospel praxis to match his gospel proclamation! In over seventeen years of youth ministry, Michael has been a children's minister (which is awesome!), a college campus minister (which is a vast frontier for the church), and now serves as a pastor in Fort Worth, Texas.
WE R 1: Youth Ministry and Christian Unity
Rev. Garland F. Pierce
Christians, perhaps now more than ever, are called to express and to seek the unity of the church, which is ultimately a gift from God. This workshop will explore the biblical and theological foundations of ecumenism, and some best practices that can be used to help youth begin to understand the rich diversity of beliefs and practices within the Christian family, and find their religious identity within this context.
Garland F. Pierce serves as the Senior Program Director for Education and Leadership Ministries of the National Council of Churches, USA. He is ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Before coming to the NCC, Pierce served as staff in the AME Christian Education Department and in positions in AME congregations as Minister to Children, Youth and Young Adults.
Crisis Intervention in Youth Ministry
Rev. Michelle Thomas-Bush
In working with youth, we come face to face with the pressure points of adolescence. From broken relationships to broken families, we are called to offer tools to deal with the pain of life. It can be as simple as gossip in the youth group; in can be as profound as addiction or anorexia. Claiming God’s grace, we will explore conflict resolution and practical ideas for ministry with youth in whatever crisis they might face.
Michelle Thomas-Bush is the Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, NC. Her passion is for young people, and she finds joy at middle school lock-ins, and even in the faith questions of senior high youth. Michelle, her husband Dave, and their children Camden and Violet enjoy traveling, being silly and bike riding. Michelle’s favorite Disney character is Rafiki for the joy he brings to ministry.
Secrets of a Healthy Youth Ministry
Rev. Mark DeVries
Everyone wants to build a thriving ministry with teenagers. But a life-transforming, sustainable youth ministry can never be built on a disjointed collection of ideas from popular models, books and seminars. This most often produces frustration and a nagging sense of unrealized potential. This workshop will help you first determine a coherent vision for your ministry, and then offer ways to build an established structure that will propel it forward.
Mark is the founder of Family Based Youth Ministry. For the past 18 years, he has served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN, where he continues to oversee the youth ministry on a part-time basis. Mark has trained youth workers across the United States, as well as internationally, and is a sought-after leader and teacher.
What Jesus Will You Teach?
Rev. Dr. Reginald Blount
In the Gospels we find Jesus asking his disciples an important question: “Who do you say I am?” This very weighty question is still an essential query today. Exactly who are we asking our young people to follow? “What Jesus will you teach?” will explore various models of Jesus expressed in scripture, and how these models can shape the spiritual life of 21st century youth.
Reggie Blount is Assistant Professor of Formation, Youth and Culture at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He also serves as Senior Pastor of Trinity African Methodist Episcopal Church in Waukegan, IL. His current research, writing and teaching focuses on the “Seven Spiritual Yearnings of Youth” and “Shaping the Spiritual Life of African American Youth.”
Communicating the Gospel to Youth in the Age of Social Media
Rev. Andrew Zirschky
How do we communicate the unchanging Gospel to youth in a rapidly changing culture? As social media from texting to Twitter reshapes the ways teens connect, how should we approach communicating the love and truth of Christ to them? Drawing upon both theological and practical reflection, this workshop will offer a framework for the shape of youth ministry in the midst of a digital culture.
Andrew is a doctoral fellow in practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and has been named a Timothy Scholar by the United Methodist Foundation for Evangelism. He has more than a decade of experience as a youth and college minister at churches in Idaho, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He is married to Kristina and they have two small children, Evan and Anna. In his spare time Andrew enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and vegging out watching a good movie.
We’re in This Together: Initiating, Developing, and Maintaining Healthy Relationships in Ministry
Hank Hilliard
Doing youth ministry alone may be possible, but it certainly is not healthy, effective, or Biblical. We can get so wrapped up in the tasks of running the ministry that we forget the most important piece of youth ministry: relationships. This workshop will offer some basic tools for enhancing your effectiveness through working relationships with parents, ministry team members, the congregation's pastor, and youth. Get practical ideas on initiating, developing, and maintaining healthy relationships. We will also explore designing a ministry of intentional discipleship for youth focused on the fostering of healthy and authentic relationships.
Hank Hilliard is the Director of Young People’s Ministries for the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church. Hank has worked with youth and young adults for 15 years as a full-time local church leader, denominational leader, and volunteer. Hank and his wife Amy have been married for 10 years and live in Franklin, TN with their four children Tanner, Kendall, Connor, and Will. In his spare time you will find Hank on the golf course or teaching the Senior High Sunday School class at his church.
