Teaching the Bible in student ministry is a unique challenge. Whether you’re a rookie youth worker or a youth ministry veteran, we can all use some help to creatively speak into the lives of teens. Stop by Frank's breakout session to get some tips on how to teach the unchanging truths of Scripture in the ever-evolving world our students live in.

So often when we share the gospel, we give a “presentation” of how the whole Christian thing works. But a good story is not a presentation, it’s an invitation. What if we focused on sharing the gospel through storytelling? This breakout is all about how to incorporate storytelling into your ministry from small group to large group to camp and beyond.

This breakout seeks to uncover the heart of why small group matters and the philosophy of how to create space for students to belong and have meaningful conversations regardless of what they believe about Jesus or the bible.

This breakout builds on the foundation of Leading A Small Group 1.0 by giving you hands on, practical ideas to incorporate into your small group community. From journals to games, you will leave with a list of activities to facilitate community and conversations.

What do I do when a teenager comes out to me? How do I respond in a way that’s helpful rather than creating additional problems? Will you find all the answers in this session? No. Instead, you'll hear some basic practices and guidelines to help you walk with students, rather than scaring them away.

Of course we welcome students from all ethnicities and cultures to our weekly gatherings and camps. But, do we allow the students to bring all of who they are to the table, or do we implicitly ask the minority students to fit into the majority culture? Join the conversation as we wrestle with the practical challenges of pursuing God's multicultural vision for his church.

We can be more efficient and effective in reaching our ministry goals by leaning into a team of gifted and passionate leaders. Sometimes the hardest part is finding them, and once we have, equipping them for long-term ministry. Whether you are a paid ministry leader or a volunteer you can play a role in recruiting and developing teams of volunteer leaders. In this breakout we hope to provide practical ideas for “making the ask” and helping leaders thrive.

What if the church viewed the role of youth workers as youth ministry champions who integrate teenagers into the whole church? This is crucial for developing lifelong faith. An integrated youth ministry involves a vison that extends well beyond the seven years of middle school and high school. Join us as we discuss 3 ways to redefine our role as youth workers.

We all work way too hard and love teenagers way too much to see them walk away from faith and the church after high school. And yet many teenagers do exactly that. Making lifelong faith stick in teenagers' lives is possible with 5 significant shifts. This power-packed breakout will offer proven research and practical ideas for every context of ministry.

It’s often tough to understand why teenagers do what they do. One moment they’re calm and rational, but the next they’re agitated and emotional. One day they’re making incredibly wise choices, but the next they’re making disastrous mistakes. Yesterday they earned your trust, but today it seems they’ve lost it once again. Why such inconsistency? Credit their brains. This breakout will offer youth leaders a unique look into what exactly is going on in the teenage brain.