youth ministry conference | More Than Dodgeball

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Youth Ministry Degree

Do you have a youth ministry degree? There are MANY roads to youth ministry though I am curious what was your formal education path (if any). As for me, I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from a Bible college. How about you? Vote now!

Also, if you’re interested in getting a youth ministry certificate, check out Youthsphere from Point Loma – a cool online way to get some official training and a piece of paper for your wall at the end. Use promo code MTDB to get 10% off today!

JG

2 View Comments February 11, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: How to Prepare for a Student Ministry Conference

I’m a student ministry conference junkie. I love attending conferences for student pastors and youth workers. They are always a great place to meet new friends, be challenged spiritually, be refreshed, and get a ton of free stuff! One of my favorite conferences is the Simply Youth Ministry Conference. Sadly I will not be attending this year. After four years of attending I’m taking a break because let’s face it, conferences take money to get to and be a part of. I hope next year I will be back and hit up other conferences in the near future.

Getting the most out of a conference begins before you even get there. You must prepare well. Here are a few thoughts on how to prepare for a student ministry conference.

Prepare yourself spiritually. Even though free resources, new friends, and workshops are important, you need to be ready to hear from your Savior and be ready to be challenged personally in your walk with Him. Take some time to pray and ask God to give you opens ears and an open heart to whatever He wants to do with you at the conference.

Bring your best note-writing device. Your going to hear a ton of information at the conference so have something with you to take good notes with. Whatever is your go to gadget for note taking bring it along. Make sure you take whatever device works best for you. If you still take the best notes with a note pad and pen then bring it! It may be an iPad for others. Whatever is it, bring it and be ready to take good notes. Whatever doesn’t get written down will probably be lost after the conference.

Have the right gear. Bring the right gear. Your going to probably doing a lot of walking and receiving some great resources so wear comfortable shoes and have a decent sized bag to pack full of youth ministry goodies. I usually do a book bag that I have throughout the day and then keep some extra suit case space for received resources. Also, make sure to bring things like chargers for your iPad or laptop and simple stuff like that.

Be ready to communicate to your pastor and volunteers what you have learned. This may not be strictly a “pre-conference” thing, but it needs to happen both before and during the conference. Before you get to the conference remember there is probably a pastor and volunteers that are ready to hear what you will learn at the conference. If anything, take good notes so you can pass the knowledge and ideas along to them.

These are just a few thoughts on preparing well for a conference. Conferences are awesome, but to get the most out of them you need to prepare well. Go, have a blast, and come back ready to point your students to Jesus!

Austin Mccann is the student ministries director at Christ Community Chapel (Stow Campus) in Northeast Ohio. He also blogs about student ministry, leadership, and culture at www.austinmccann.com. He loves his Savior, his wife, and the students God has placed in his community.

Add Comment February 9, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts 5 Questions: Simply Youth Ministry Conference 2013

I’m excited to be a part of the Simply Youth Ministry Conference again this year – took a couple minutes to sit down with Jason Ostrander, the conference director and king of event planning for Simply Youth Ministry.

What has been the funniest moment in planning SYMC?
One thing I know about youth ministry is that you “never cut funny”. In other words, now matter how serious ministry can become (and it is a serious thing) we have to remember that we still work with students – and students are funny. So watching you and Jake remind our team how funny things like music videos and crazy announcements can be has been hilarious! Let’s just say it ensures that we won’t soon forget who we are.

What has been the most difficult part of planning the conference?
Walking that fine line between entertainment and ministry. One of the distinctions of SYMC is that people know they have been ministered to –that’s its not just been a parade of youth ministry “stuff”. But at the end of the day SYMC is also a hotbed for resources as well as a place to highlight some of the brightest voices in YM culture.

Just saw that Youth Ministry Architects will be there. What’s the plan/idea there?
YMA is an amazing organization that seeks to partner with the local church in a consultant-like role. They truly want to partner with youth workers to help them create and grow an impactful ministry –it’s like having a YM expert in your back pocket all the time! They’ll be on site in Indy with a handful of staff ready to meet one-on-one with youth workers throughout the conference. I would sign-up as soon as you arrive!

What did you learn about Josh and Jake (the conference emcees for 6 years running) last week at your planning meeting in Colorado?
Two things: 1) that Josh is the smart and sensible one, and 2) I would not want to be Jake during the announcement videos come March 1^st-4^th.

Tell us the #1 reason someone should attend SYMC?
I wouldn’t have stayed in youth ministry as long as I did if it wasn’t for the greater YM community. I think the best thing about SYMC is the community that exists year after year –its so interesting to watch as the attendees start to arrive, the conference turns into a family reunion literally overnight. So whether you already feel connected or this is your first time at SYMC remember -the family is waiting!

Thanks, Jason! You can register for SYMC right here!

JG

Add Comment January 29, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts Simply Youth Ministry Conference 2013 – Why?

I’m super excited to go to the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Indianapolis in just a couple months. I was in Colorado earlier this week helping plan the evening general sessions and think the lineup of content and fun is going to be something really special. Hope you’ll join us this year – get discounted rates through January 16th, too!

For all the details click here!

JG

1 View Comments January 10, 2013

Josh GriffinMore Posts GUEST POST: 3 Launching Pads To Your Success

After two years of youth ministry I felt like I got in a groove. I knew my roles and responsibilities. I wasn’t shocked when a parent addressed a concern with emotion. I was comfortable asking others to get involved; life was good. Then five years rolled by and everything started to click. I felt like I understood systems and structures. I was okay with droughts in creativity and multitasking.

As each year ticks by your level of confidence as a youth minister will grow. And that’s because with each year you gain experiential wisdom. It’s priceless and so beneficial; however, it alone will not take your youth ministry to the next level. There are going to be opportunities that you need to take advantage of that will launch you to the next level.

These opportunities are like launching pads. You focus on them, you make them a part of your mantra and they take you to the next level. Three of those launching pads are:

Spiritual Accountability – On a daily basis you are pouring into others. Whether it’s teenagers, their parents or your own team, you are draining yourself continuously. While we know the source for replenishment lies with God, we need men and women who are going to help us out. Three ways you should embrace spiritual accountability are through an Adult Small Group and One on One Spiritual Direction. You need people reminding you to trust in the Lord, because without Him nothing is possible.

Embrace Risk – Taking chances is a habit that many of us need to embrace. It’s not about being clumsy or careless, taking risk means getting over our fears to do something big. To embrace risk properly you need to Trust in God, Gather Insight and Lean Into The Tension. Granted it might be scary; however, people will want to follow you, because they’ll see your courage. People want a leader who isn’t afraid to fail and will do what it takes to succeed.

Collaborate With Peers – If you aren’t working and networking with other youth ministers than you are traveling a very lonely road. When you can network with peers in youth ministry you open yourself up to some awesome ideas. You give yourself the opportunity to learn, think outside the box and problem solve with a new perspective. When you work with the other guys, they’ll show you how to get to the next level. Three places to collaborate are Through Social Media, Over A Cup Of Coffee and Attending Conferences. Get together with others.

It’s important to ask yourself the question, “How can I continue to grow as a professional youth minister?” When you utilize the right launching pads you answer that question.

What other opportunities can we embrace to take youth ministry to the next level?

Chris Wesley is the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, MD. You can read more great youth ministry articles and thoughts on his exceptional blog Marathon Youth Ministry.

Add Comment September 30, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts POLL: Youth Ministry Conference This Year

Just wondering – are you headed to a youth ministry conference in the next 12 months? Vote in today’s poll! I’m going to be at several of them this year (you can check them out on the Youth Pastor 1st, Speaker Guy 2nd page) including the Simply Youth Ministry Conference – hope to see you there!

JG

Add Comment August 22, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts Taking the Team to the Fam Conference

I’m super excited to take my team up to the Fam Conference at Azusa Pacific University next week. I’m pumped to hear from George Barna, Dave Gibbons and most excited to hear Kara Powell’s Sticky Faith 3-session Deeper Learning Workshop. I’ve got the books and met up with her a little bit at SYMC and am so pumped to learn more:

Session 1: The Sticky Gospel: Teaching That Launches Young People Toward Lifelong Faith
Research from the Fuller Youth Institute revealed that students often leave our ministries carrying a gospel a lot like a jacket: It’s mostly based on behaviors, and students feel like they can put it on or take it off when they want depending on the situation. In this first workshop, we will introduce the research and explore ideas for using relationships and our teaching to move students beyond a “Jesus Jacket” gospel and into lives immersed in God’s grace.

Get Sticky Faith at SYM

Session 2: Sticky Churches and Families: Helping Adults Get Out of Their Seats and Into Kids’ Lives
One of the most powerful things we can do in youth ministry is connect teenagers to adults: their own parents and caring adults in the faith community. Sadly, few youth ministries truly embrace the power of intergenerational relationships or harness that power to disciple students. In this Sticky Faith track workshop, you will leave with a host of practical ideas from churches engaging parents and the intergenerational church family to holistically surround kids.

Session 3: A Sticky Youth Ministry: Small Ministry Changes that Deliver Big Results
Graduation. Change. Transition. Unfortunately, more and more youth workers are finding that close to half of high school seniors’ journeys after youth group are filled with twists and turns that leaves their faith stranded. What can we do NOW that will help our kids develop a faith that sticks? This seminar in the Sticky Faith track will look at ways to structure the youth ministry environment to facilitate growth in middle school and high school students and will explore everyday ideas to prepare seniors for the transition out of high school.

If you’re going – we’ll see you up there, too. Gonna be great!

JG

Add Comment May 2, 2012

Josh GriffinMore Posts GIVEAWAY: Join Me (and 3,000+) at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference

I’m pumped to be headed to the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in just 2 months! I hope you’re coming already and if not you’ll consider it right away – it is one of the most refreshing times of the year. This year they’ve added some great new names to the speaker roster, including Jon Acuff, Craig Gross, Brooklyn Lindsey and many more. Check out the speaker roster right here and figure out now who/what you want to go to when we all get to Louisville in March.

I also love the concept of the SYMC devotionals, designed to help you connect with God between events. Good stuff, free for the taking if you follow the link.

I asked the gang over at SYM if they would give me a registration to giveaway today – they said sure! So here you go: Leave a comment on this post and I’ll pick one at random on Friday!

JG