Blackhawk Youth Leader Podcast

In this episode we hear a talk from Crystal Kirgiss, Vice President of Discipleship for Young Life. This is her main stage talk from YLC 2020 about being true to Jesus, a gentle invitation to something bigger and better than our cultural call to be true to (just) ourselves.

In this episode, Marko shares about how to be a ministry where every student belongs. We know there may be theological debates about this topic, but loving every student with the radical, gracious, and welcoming love of Jesus is not up for debate.

In this episode, Pastor Drew Hill shares ideas from his book “Alongside: Loving Teenagers with the Gospel” at the 2019 Blackhawk Youth Leader Conference. It’s a true masterclass in relational ministry.

Get ready to experience some of the talks and breakouts from YLC 2019 & 2020 in a new, more accessible way. We’ve been hard at work repackaging the live conference content into short episodes that will equip, energize, and connect us as we love and disciple teenagers in the way of Jesus.

Closing Session Keynote by Frank Gil

Opening Session Keynote by Crystal Kirgiss

Opening Session Keynote by Mark Oestreicher

Nine reading strategies to help students engage with Scripture in new and innovative ways as we challenge them to become more thoughtful, careful, and studious readers of the Bible.

Nine reading strategies to help students engage with Scripture in new and innovative ways as we challenge them to become more thoughtful, careful, and studious readers of the Bible.

Discipleship is at the heart of youth ministry, but many find it tough to conceptualize what it actually looks like. In this session, we’re not going to talk new and flashy strategies that promise “quick results” for discipleship (because, let’s be honest, those don’t actually exist). And while certain elements of discipleship will always remain supernaturally mysterious, we can work together to identify some key elements. Together, we’ll envision, discuss, and implement practical discipleship strategies; learn a simple blueprint for understanding how discipleship flows in regards to relationships; and discuss how youth workers and parents can partner to “close the gap” on student discipleship in ways that seem conflicting but are perfectly in sync with their adolescent stage of development.