Monday
3:00-6:00p Check in at the YMCA - Turner Dining Lodge (TDL)
6:00p Banquet Dinner & Late Arrival Check In (TDL)
7:15p Evening Gathering: Welcome/Worship/Preaching (TDL)
8:30p Dessert & Entertainment - Nelson Andrews Leadership Lodge (NALL)
Tuesday
7:00a Breakfast Buffet Opens (Turner Dining Lodge - TDL)
8:30a Singing & Prayer (Nelson Andrews Leadership Lodge - NALL)
9:00a Philosophy of Ministry Sessions (NALL)
Year 1: Philosophy of Ministry - An Introduction (Brent Corbin, RYM Executive Director)
In Year 1 of RYM's Philosophy of Ministry (POM), you will be introduced to the ideas behind a comprehensive approach to youth ministry that doesn't just ask "what should I be doing in my role, and how do I do it?", but rather asks questions like "What I am aiming for in my role with youth, and why?" and "How does my (and my church's) theology flow out into my day to day ministry efforts (methodology)?" In this class, we will introduce several charts that help to ground RYM's POM in visual format for easier understanding and remembering.
Year 2: Philosophy of Ministry - Ministry Dynamics (Michael Hall, RYM Director of Training)
In Year 2 of RYM's Philosophy of Ministry (POM), we will go further up the Tree and talk about Ministry Dynamics - the tree rings - and how they play into and affect your role in your church, and how you can best be reaching and equipping youth with the gospel of Jesus. In this class you will begin to contextualize many aspects of year 1's POM to your specific ministry context.
Year 3: Philosophy of Ministry - Goals (Les Newsom, Pastor - Christ Presbyterian Church - Oxford, MS; RYM Board Member)
In this session you will explore the role of having goals as we seek to lead and serve in our varied ministry capacities. What are the right goals? How do our personal and youth ministry goals interface with and play into our church's overall mission and goals? All of this will be discussed in this session.
Year 4: Philosophy of Ministry - Applications
Session description forthcoming.
12:00pLunch Buffet Opens (TDL)
2:00p Philosophy of Ministry Sessions (NALL)
Year 1: POM - Identifying and Understanding Theological Assumptions (Brent Corbin)
In this 2nd session, we will begin to look at how theological assumptions (or, presuppositions) necessarily shape us and our ministries. Simply put: what you believe matters GREATLY for how it is that you approach and execute your ministry efforts. We will look at 5 theological assumptions and talk about the ways in which they free you up to do faithful ministry in Jesus's name.
Year 2: POM - Ministry Dynamics - Part 2 (Michael Hall)
This session will continue to explore the topics and themes introduced in the morning.
Year 3: POM - Diagnosing & Troubleshooting Your Group (Les Newsom)
In this session, you will work through ways to think through the various things that affect your role as one working with youth. In addition, you will discuss how your Church's health and culture will inevitably affect your group, as well as how your personality affects your group. Finally, you will be given some tools to help you diagnose and troubleshoot what it is that might be keeping you from moving toward your stated goals.
Year 4: POM Applied - Leading Others: Staff, Volunteers, Student Leaders (Britton Wood, RUF Area Coordinator)
In this session, you will learn how to think about and manage the many different 'hats' that you wear as someone in ministry. There will be times you feel like the 'friend hat' is most appropriate, and other times when you'll find yourself wearing the 'pastor hat', and still other times you will need to put on the 'boss hat' in order to correct someone or to accomplish a task. Come and learn and discuss how to manage the different facets of managing others as you grow in your skills as a leader. description forthcoming.
4:30p Evening Assembly - Worship and Preaching (NALL)
6:00p Dismissed to Dinner Out
Wednesday
7:00a Breakfast Buffet Opens (TDL)
8:30a Singing & Prayer (NALL)
9:00a Prayer Groups (Locations coordinated by Group Leader)
12:00pLunch Buffet Opens (TDL)
2:00p & Short Form Electives (NALL; Choose from the following; each topic is offered each time slot)
3:15p
Developing Women in Youth Ministry: Opportunities and Challenges (Linda Oliver, RYM Ministry Associate)
Women contribute much to the work of youth ministry, and investing in their growth and development is a worthwhile investment in the church and the kingdom. But are there particular challenges women in youth ministry may face as they seek to grow in their skills, leadership, and calling? Come explore some of the external and internal factors that can shape women’s development, along with approaches to training and development that can help women flourish in ministry. Whether you’re a woman in youth ministry yourself or a man who helps develop women in youth ministry, you’ll leave with practical ways to encourage and support growth.
Counseling Youth: Walking with Students in Their Disappointments (Chrissy Trapp - Writer, Speaker, Counselor)
Disappointment is inevitable for students during adolescence, yet it can be formative for a student’s faith. Some of the most meaningful ministry can occur as leaders come alongside students when life doesn’t go how they had hoped. In this seminar, we will consider how to faithfully enter into the struggles and setbacks of the teenagers we care about and walk alongside them in their disappointments.
Crafting and Delivering a Message to Youth (Elliott Cherry - Pastor, Midtown 12 South - Nashville)
Youth Ministry talks are both an art and a science. In the laboratory of biblical exegesis, we aim for a talk that is clear, compelling, and Christ Centered. A well-crafted talk faithfully holds the Gospel high while maintaining the attention of its hearers - without being a drain on the speaker. This seminar aims to provide the tools to effectively write and deliver talks that matter, while helping you truly enjoy the process.
Navigating Conflict in a Youth Ministry Setting (Les Newsom - Pastor, Christ Pres Oxford, MS)
We live in a world that has been invaded by grace, but still bears the marks of fallen humanity, which, among other things, virtually guarantees that we’ll experience conflict with our students, our staff, the parents of our kids, and even within our own mind. Fortunately, those conflicts fall out into somewhat predictable patterns that, when properly engaged, can cause less damage than if we’re just reacting with our reflection. How do you handle conflict in ministry? We’ll talk through it all in this seminar.
4:30p Evening Assembly - Worship and Preaching (NALL)
6:00p Dismissed to Dinner Out
Thursday
7:00a Breakfast Buffet Opens (TDL)
8:30a Singing & Prayer (NALL)
9:00-11:45aLong-Form Electives (NALL)
Youth Ministry Administration: Principles and Practices (Bobby Epps - Youth Director, Pear Orchard PCA)
Ministry administration may not be the flashiest part of youth ministry, but doing it well creates the structure that allows meaningful ministry to flourish. This session will cover practical approaches to organization, communication, planning, and the everyday administrative systems that help youth leaders serve students, families, volunteers, and the church with greater clarity and effectiveness.
Sexual Safeguards - The Issues, Policies, and Opportunities in Youth Ministry (Zane Hart - GRACE)
(Part 1) Wise as Serpents, Innocent as Doves: Protective Shepherding in Youth Ministry - Serving young people and creating a safe space for them to flourish is one of the most vital ways we can tangibly demonstrate God's love. This session will equip you with clear biblical grounding, practical awareness, and actionable guidance for developing robust ministry policies and practices. You’ll gain a biblical foundation for care, grooming and risk awareness, actionable policy development, and how to foster encouraging leadership culture.
(Part 2) Understanding & Responding to Problematic Sexual Behavior in Minors - Grounded in Scripture and guided by evidence-based research, this session will help you confidently understand, prevent, and respond to problematic sexual behaviors in minors. You will learn clarity around adolescent development, practical safety protocols, and principles of redemptive accountability.
(Part 2) Understanding & Responding to Problematic Sexual Behavior in Minors - Grounded in Scripture and guided by evidence-based research, this session will help you confidently understand, prevent, and respond to problematic sexual behaviors in minors. You will learn clarity around adolescent development, practical safety protocols, and principles of redemptive accountability.
Group Development - How to Build and Sustain a Healthy Group through Ups and Downs (John Trapp - Pastor, Christ the King PCA Houston, TX)
Healthy student ministries are built on more than good teaching, strong events, or a gifted leader. This class will offer a practical framework for cultivating a gospel-shaped culture of belonging while moving students from attendance to ownership of the ministry.
Apologetics - Helping Students with the Questions They Have
(Part 1) "Apologetic Landscapes: Mapping our Moment in God's Story"
This session will explore the theological foundations and social realities that inform our everyday apologetic encounters.
(Part 2) "Apologetic Partners: Past Mentors for Present Struggles"
This session will mine the work of three ministry practitioners from the past - Lesslie Newbigin, Francis Schaeffer, and Timothy Keller - to find working ministry models for navigating our present moment.
This session will explore the theological foundations and social realities that inform our everyday apologetic encounters.
(Part 2) "Apologetic Partners: Past Mentors for Present Struggles"
This session will mine the work of three ministry practitioners from the past - Lesslie Newbigin, Francis Schaeffer, and Timothy Keller - to find working ministry models for navigating our present moment.
12:00pLunch Buffet Opens (TDL)
2:00-4:15p Panel Discussion / Q&A (NALL)
4:30p Evening Assembly - Worship and Preaching (NALL)
Friday
7:30a Breakfast Buffet Opens (TDL)
9:00a Plenary Session (NALL)
Making It in Ministry: How to Give it Your All without Giving It All Up (Chad Scruggs, Pastor - Covenant Presbyterian Church | Nashville)
How can we endure in ministry through the inevitable, and even promised, ups and downs that we are or will experience? What sustains us? Come and be encouraged to keep your hand to the plow through all of the provisions and providences that God brings our way.