Category: Youth Ministry

Last year I went to a youth ministry training conference that was very instrumental in helping me organize and begin to empower student leaders. This year I am happy and very excited to be going back to this conference again, but this time I will be bringing along our new Director of Fusion Student Ministries, Jocelynn Stewart.

YS Palooza is two jam packed days full of youth ministry training that is organized and ran by Youth Specialities. For the last couple of years I have been beyond blessed with the resources, empowerment, and encouragement that companies like Youth Specialties give youth workers around the country.

It’s no secret that ministry as a whole can be a very overwhelming task to undertake, but one that I believe that we all are commanded to be apart of. (Check out Matthew 28:16-20) Companies like Youth Specialities, Simply Youth Ministry, YouthMinistry 360 just to name a few make this overwhelming task much more doable and even empowering to not just the students but the leaders as well. I am very much looking forward to what we will experience in worship and in our super sessions this weekend.

Here is a picture of what this weekend includes:

12:15 – Registration Opens
1:00 – Super Session (Doug Fields and Shane & Shane)
3:00 – Break
3:30 – Learning Lab – Five Burning Trends in Youth Ministry (Walt Meuller)
5:00 – Dinner
6:45 – Learning Lab – Spiritual Mentoring – Investing in Students for Long Term Impact (Brian Berry)
8:00 – Break
8:30 – Super Session (Kara Powell and Shane & Shane)
10:15 – Close

Day Two
8:30 – Coffee
9:00 – Super Session – Jim Burns & Audrey Assad
10:30 – Break
10:50 – Learning Lab – Gender: Knowing the Difference for More Effective Ministry – Crystal Kirgiss
12:10 – Lunch
2:00 – Super Session – Les Christie, Efrem Smith, and Audrey Assad
4:00 – Close

Actually that is more than a picture, that is the entire two day schedule. I share the complete schedule with because I am asking that you pray for everyone that is coming and all the leading of this great training and fellowship experience. Last year I developed some friendships at YS Palooza that I am sure will be life-long friends.

In Youth Ministry there is a statistic that is share that I think we always need to keep in mind.

98% of youth will deny their faith when they go to college and they will come back to that faith only when they have kids later in life, that’s if they come to it.

I don’t share this stat to scare anyone but to remind us that we have a responsibility of passing on our faith to future generations. This weekend could be instrumental in giving youth pastors across the dallas fort worth region the tools we need to develop and empower student leaders for the future of the Kingdom of God. So please keep this event in your thoughts and prayers. I give you the times because I want to completely envelope this entire weekend in prayer, I want it to be bathed in prayer. I will be sharing more about what happens throughout the weekend so stay tuned!

Thanks and God Bless!