In youth ministry, some of us have been told that you can only do one thing or another at one time. You can either disciple your Christian students or be a place that targets those outside the church. But what if you could do both? What if your youth ministry could be a place where Christians are strengthened, outsiders are welcomed, and God is central? Drawing on 19 years as a youth pastor in suburban Chicago, Syler explains how you can have it all! All of your wildest dreams come true! (Hey, the Cubs won the World Series. Anything is possible, right?)
Syler Thomas: Building a Youth Ministry that Strengthens Christians and Welcomes Non-Christians
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Workshops
Walt Mueller: How the Youth Pastor Can Support and Lead Parents in Discipling Their Kids
The Scriptures are clear: parents are primarily responsible for the Christian nurture of their children and teens. Youth workers are uniquely positioned to support Christian parents in their nurturing efforts, and to encourage parents who are not believers to understand both the Gospel and the call to pass faith from one generation to the next. In this workshop recorded at Rooted 2017 in Dallas, Walt walks you through a variety of strategies he has learned over the course of the last 35 years that you can and must implement if you desire to help parents help their kids counter the cultural narrative on identity and worldview with the life-giving narrative of the Gospel.
Alice Churnock: Media Messages and the Impact on Adolescent Body Image
In a culture of skinny jeans and thigh gaps, it’s no surprise that body dissatisfaction is at an all-time high with youth. Eating disorders are the “good girl’s” drug, often making church youth groups a breeding ground for the addiction. In this workshop from the 2017 Rooted Conference, Alice Churnock teaches parents and youth leaders how to identify the warning signs of low body image, as well as how to address this difficult topic from a spiritual perspective.
Julius Kim: Preaching the Whole Counsel of God
Based on Julius Kim’s new preaching book from Zondervan, this workshop from our 2017 conference provides an introduction to the primary elements involved in the preparation and presentation of gospel-centered sermons from all the Scriptures–with special attention given to the unique context of youth ministry. Both the interpretive and communicative parts of the preaching task are discussed, from genre analysis and typology to the influence of neuroscience on preaching.