Workshops
2018 Conference
Scott Sauls: Creating Belonging in an Age of Judgement, Isolation, and Fear
Scott Sauls
At a time when our country is increasingly polarized and antagonistic, this workshop from our 2018 conference in Nashville helps parents and youth ministers explore why and how we engage in true and meaningful friendship with people who are damaged, difficult, or simply different. Sauls explores Biblical texts that teach us to “love across the lines of our differences,” to go beyond the superficial and transactional acquaintances that so often pass for friendship, and to embrace others with love that is sacrificial and life-giving. Parents and ministers explore how to enrich their own friendships and to encourage teens to do the same.
Julie Sparkman: When A Good Desire Becomes a False God
Each of us longs for our children to have a passion for Christ, healthy relationships, and success at school. All of these things are good and healthy desires, but when parents lose sight of the gospel, these good things become idols. In the workshop we will explore how the gospel leads us to repentance and rest, setting us free to love our children with healed hearts.
Kevin Twit: The Formative Power Of Worship Songs And Why It Matters
Typically we think of singing in worship as a time merely for expressing our hearts. But what if the songs we sing are shaping our understanding of the Christian life? If this is true, how might it effect the kinds of songs we sing?
Kristen and Rebecca Hatton: Living Redemptively With Your Teen
The teen years are filled with temptations, trials and a rollercoaster of emotions. For both the teen and parents. Navigating through that together can be tricky. How can we create a family atmosphere of honest conversation, confession, forgiveness and grace? Is it possible to get along in the midst of sin and struggles? To move toward one another and not always be at one another? What does living redemptively even mean, and what should it look like? Join mother/daughter duo for a candid conversation on how they got through it, and survived!
Joe Gibbes: Joy and Lament in Psalms
This workshop will provide encouragement and balm to the discouraged and brokenhearted parent and youth pastor. This talk with focus on the study of various Psalms, with attention to the wide variety of emotion the Psalms acknowledge. This talk will aim to provide perspective, hope, and the space to breath, by speaking to the future redemption of present suffering, and to the eternal hope we have in the Cross and Empty Tomb of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Jim Coffield: God’s Beautiful Design for Gender
The modern conception of gender has become fluid and blurry. Most youth pastors are encountering students with gender confusion and with questions about transitioning. This workshop will first talk about the theological significance of gender in understanding the triune God and one another. It will then offer information about the nature of gender dysphoria and the psychology behind people who experience gender confusion. It will offer practical approaches to minister to kids who struggle in this way.
Clark Fobes & Cameron Cole: Anxiety and Academic Pressure in Affluent Suburban and Asian American Co
Young people in both affluent suburban and Asian-American settings experience intense stress and academic pressure. This workshop will examine this issue on the surface level. Clark Fobes and Cameron Cole, who work in these contexts respectively, will then deconstruct the cultural dynamics and idols that drive the stress and anxiety in these different settings. They will each discuss how they communicate the gospel in different ways in these unique settings based on understand the culture at a deeper level. This workshop will offer tools on cultural analysis and faithful gospel contextualization, and help us grow in cultural awareness as we see how the gospel addresses all races and cultures.
Bijan Mirtolooi: Tools for Contextualization
One of the great challenges for ministers today is being faithful to the gospel while at the same time communicating that gospel in ways that are relevant and understandable to your hearers. This is the challenge of contextualization: presenting the biblical gospel to people in language they understand and through appeals and arguments that land with them in force. After briefly exploring what contextualization is (and is not!) and why it matters, this workshop will present practical guidance for how to contextualize biblical truth for your ministry context.
David Choi: The Necessity of Prayer
Tim Keller, in a recent gathering of planters, shared that there was a moment in his ministry when he realized that prayer was a necessity. He said when something is a necessity, you will find time for it. Let’s be honest. For many of us, prayer is something we do in public, but lack in private. We may lead prayer meetings, but our own house is far from being a house of prayer. By studying Luke 11:1-13, we will explore what the disciples learned when they asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Jason Cook: The Necessity of History in Discipleship
Faithful exegesis is an essential part of Christian discipleship. In order to faithfully teach God’s word, the scriptures must be studied and interpreted in the context where they stand. And for our people, understanding context drives how we understand the text. History is the context of our culture. Without understanding history, we cannot properly exegete culture. This breakout will look at key themes throughout history that will aid us in discipleship of students and how they engage the culture around them.
Dr. Walt Mueller: Teaching Teen About Biblical Sexuality
In today’s youth culture, where do teens turn as a foundation for their beliefs and behaviors regarding sexuality and gender? Most unconsciously turn to the cultural narrative, which encourages a ‘do as you will’ sexual ethic. And increasingly, those who endeavor to follow a biblical sexual ethic do so by assimilating a belief system built on faulty hermeneutical and exegetical methods, leading to practices that reflect the world more than the Word. In this seminar, Walt will share a simple redemptive approach to teaching sexuality that he’s seen engage students in ways that get them thinking not only about biblical sexuality in new ways, but about biblical foundations for all nooks and crannies of life.
Bijan Mirtolooi: Union with Christ: What It Is, and Why It Matters for Youth Ministry
One of the most important doctrines of the New Testament is also one of the most overlooked: union with Christ. Far from being an abstract set of ideas, union with Christ is the foundation for living a vibrant Christian life with hope, purpose, and a stable identity. After defining what union with Christ is, this workshop will explore the practical ways union with Christ is storehouse of rich resources for youth ministry today.
Joe Gibbes: Law, Gospel, and the Wisdom to Know the Difference
One of the most helpful and empowering theological paradigms for ministry and parenting is that of “Law” and “Gospel.” This talk will look at the theological definition and differences between “Law” and “Gospel.” Drawing from Reformation sources and Scripture this workshop will help parents and youth pastors make application in the contexts and the lives of teenagers.
Nancy Guthrie: What Grieving People Wish You Knew about What Really Helps and What Really Hurts
When someone we know is grieving, we want to help. But sometimes we stay away or stay silent, afraid that we will do or say the wrong thing, that we will hurt instead of help. In this workshop, Nancy Guthrie provides us with the insight we need to confidently interact with grieving people. Drawing upon the input of hundreds of grieving people, as well as her own experience of grief, Nancy offers specifics on what to say and what not to say, and what to do and what to avoid.