Youth Ministry Institute

As youth leaders, we strive to be welcoming towards everyone. We want every young person to feel like they belong.

But what does “belonging” actually look like? What might it mean to prioritize actual belonging in your youth group?

We all want to belong to a community and that sense of belonging is elemental to our well-being. Join Dr. Margaret Clark for a conversation about just how much young people want to belong, how they strive to belong and what really makes people feel that they belong.

Video from the event is here: Belonging

Slides from the event are here: Belonging

So often our churches segment children’s ministry and youth ministry as if they were unrelated efforts. This presentation aims to equip lay and clergy leaders to take a wholistic view and approach to ministry with young people. We will discuss ways to join the programming we do with children to those programs offered to older youth, locate ways to integrate both into the life of the church, and discern where God is moving our ministries as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.

Video and clips from the event are here: Connecting and Integrating Children’s and Youth Ministry Across the Church

Slides from the event are here: Connecting and Integrating Children’s and Youth Ministry Across the Church

Talking about race with the young people you serve can be challenging. This workshop is for leaders, parents, and church members who want to have conversations about racism and prejudice. Also, for those who want to help young people faithfully explore issues that are important to God and relevant for one of our most racially and ethnically diverse generations yet.

At times it can feel easier to shy away from complex topics and avoid highly charged conversations. In this workshop we will cover vocabulary to know, history to be mindful of and will end with practical next steps so that you can confidently engage teenagers in faithful and caring discussions about race.

Video and clips from the event are here: Talking about Race with Young People

Slides from the event are here: Talking about Race with Young People

Grief is a complicated emotion and losing someone we love is hard no matter the circumstance. This is especially true when you are faced with a loss and the grief associated with the loss at a young age. This presentation is designed to explore the impacts of grief and loss on adolescents. We will bust common myths about grief and loss, including the classic “time will heal” as well as concrete ways to process one’s grief and how to continue to connect with our loved ones will be presented. Come learn ways to healthily manage this inevitable part of our lives together.

Video and clips from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it?

Slides from the event are here: Grief, we all feel it, but do you know what to do with it

How well do you listen to youth’s stories?

No, really.

And how well do your young people listen… really listen to one another, and to God’s work in their midst?

Long-time youth ministry worker Mark Yaconelli has spent his career engaging in the quieter nature of youth ministry. Through the use of contemplation and compassionate exercises, Mark has fine-tuned the art of listening. By modeling this for youth, youth workers impart a valuable skill set to their young people: how to listen to one another, and how to be attentive for God’s work in their lives.

Video and clips from the event are here: I Hear You: Creating Listening Spaces with Youth

This presentation will build upon the ethnographic and theological research in Church in Color to highlight practical steps congregations and other organizations can take to resist racism and embrace Beloved Community in the work of youth and young adult ministry. The practical theological framework is grounded in Kingian ethics that makes room for the particular stories, questions, and experiences of young people in distinct congregations or organizations.

Video and clips from the event are here: Empowering Young People Toward Beloved Community