Tuesday Philosophy of Ministry Sessions - Morning
9:00am-12:00pm
Year 1: Intro to the POM
Michael Hall, Director of Training, RYM
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 theology flow out into my day to day ministry efforts?" In this class, we will introduce several charts that help to ground RYM's POM in visual format for easier understanding and remembrance.
Year 2: Ministry Dynamics
Brent Corbin, Executive Director, RYM
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+: Faith Formation in a Secular Age: Examining the Changes Impacting Ministry
Andy Root, Olson Baalson Professor of Youth & Family Ministry, Luther Seminary
Why is faith formation so hard? We’re confronted at every turn with the narrative of decline, the rise of the nones, the constant refrain to pastors and churches that “the world is changing.” But the most fundamental challenge facing the church today is that God is no longer an assumed reality. How might ministry, the church, and the role of ministry leaders (and youth ministry leaders in particular) need to shift when belief in God and transcendence is optional? What is faith in a secular age? And how can we help form it?
Tuesday Philosophy of Ministry Sessions - Afternoon
2:00-4:00pm
Year 1: Understanding Theological Assumptions in the POM
Michael Hall, Director of Training, RYM
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 theology flow out into my day to day ministry efforts?" In this class, we will introduce several charts that help to ground RYM's POM in visual format for easier understanding and remembrance.
Year 2: Ministry Dynamics
Brent Corbin, Executive Director, RYM
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+: God is Both/And: Implications of Ministering the Gospel
Brian Habig, Senior Pastor, Downtown Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC
Like the word "Trinity," the words "transcendence" and "immanence" aren't found in the Bible, but they capture realities throughout the Scriptures. God's transcendence includes his bigness, majesty, otherness, holiness, and even divine wrath. God's immanence includes his nearness, kindness, patience, mercy, and pursuit of sinners. If we're not careful, we can minister in such a way that we emphasize one of these categories and neglect the other. But we need a robust understanding of both not only to understand the gospel but also to pursue growth in ourselves and in others.
Get the handout >>Wednesday Plenary Session
2:00-4:00pm
Fostering Confidence in the Scriptures
Michael Kruger, President and Samuel C. Patterson Prof. of New Testament & Early Christianity, Reformed Theological Seminary
It’s likely safe to assert that those attending YLT accept the Bible as truth and affirm it is the only trustworthy rule for faith and practice. Not only do we commune with the Lord in it and receive guidance for our ministries from it, but we also seek to teach it to the next generation. Determining and proclaiming what is true have become more challenging in our cultural moment. In this plenary session, Dr. Kruger will teach some of the more important aspects of the trustworthiness of the biblical canon so that we, in turn, might not only teach the Scriptures with greater confidence but also foster that same confidence in the students we serve.
Thursday Elective Sessions - Morning
9:00-11:45am
Discipling and Enfolding Students with Disabilities
Ashley Belknap, Executive Director, Engaging Disabilities
- Part 1: Discipleship
Every student in your youth ministry needs the opportunity to hear and understand the good news of the Gospel and be able to grow in their understanding of who God is, what He has done, and how He is at work in the world and our lives today. This seminar will teach you the foundations for discipling students with unique learning needs (diagnosed and undiagnosed). We will cover topics such as profession of faith in students with disabilities, how to break down Bible content so that every student can grow in Christ, as well as how to engage and motivate students who have learning challenges related to learning disabilities, ADHD, screen addictions, and disabilities. - Part 2: Relationships
Every student in your youth group needs the opportunity to experience genuine fellowship and friendship in the body of Christ. Relationships are an integral way that God works in the lives of his people, and yet students with unique needs and diagnosed disabilities often have great challenges related to developing and maintaining friendships as they transition into youth ministry. In this seminar, we will cover topics such as how to support differing social skills, the role of executive functioning skills in games and ice breakers, how to educate youth on unique needs present, how to encourage the development of relationships across youth ministry, and the role of “extras” (retreats, outings, activities, etc.) in the development of friendships with ways to adapt for unique needs.
Understanding and Teaching the Gospels
Michael Kruger, President and Samuel C. Patterson Prof. of New Testament & Early Christianity, Reformed Theological Seminary
- Part 1: Understanding the Gospels
The emphasis of our ministries—and specifically the teaching parts of our ministries—to be “gospel-centered” is good and helpful. And it is likely the case that you do a fair amount of gospel-centered teaching from the four Gospels themselves. In this seminar, Dr. Kruger will address some of the key features of the Gospel accounts—helping you to better understand the text and how that might help you teach them more effectively to your students. - Part 2: What About Those Problem Passages?
As helpful as the Gospels are in portraying the life and teachings of Jesus, what about those “hard sayings” of Jesus…those “gotcha verses” that seem to contradict and confuse? In Part 2 of Dr. Kruger’s session in the Gospels, he will help you not only understand these “problem passages better” but also provide some principles on how to teach them to your students.
Mentoring Youth in a Secular Age
Melissa Kruger, Author & Bible Teacher
As we seek to share the Gospel with the next generation, youth leaders have a vital opportunity for mentorship and discipleship. This session will discuss the importance of mentoring younger believers as we explore practical ways to disciple today’s youth. We will also consider the cultural pressures that teens are facing today, as well as ways to encourage and support families as we partnership with them in discipleship.This workshop will include a combination of teaching alongside small and large group discussions.
See the slides >>Personal Time Management in Ministry
Reagan Rose, Founder, Redeeming Productivity
In this workshop, we will tackle some of the most common productivity challenges in ministry. These include things like workload management, finding time for focused work while being available for ministry interruptions, and balancing personal life and ministry. We will also guide you through a strategy for creating a manageable weekly schedule. One that helps you prioritize what matters most and avoid distractions and burnout.
Get the handouts:Thursday Elective Sessions - Afternoon (A)
2:00-3:00pm
Supporting Students with Challenging Behaviors
Ashley Belknap, Executive Director, Engaging Disabilities
One prominent goal in student ministry is effective discipleship of every student. Students who exhibit challenging behaviors in youth ministry—as a result of their growth and development or unique needs related to a disability—are often left behind in their growth spiritually and relationally. In this seminar, you will learn ways every student ministry leader or volunteer can positively support challenging behaviors in youth ministry. We will discuss how to understand behavior as communication. You will receive strategies for increasing appropriate communication, reducing problem behaviors, and helping all students grow into emotionally strong young adults. You will also learn ways to frame motivation through the lens of the gospel.
Get Out of the Way!
Scott Herron, Pastor of Youth & Families, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Bozeman, MT
Youth leadership teams are the most important part of a healthy youth ministry. Too often youth pastors/leaders are tempted to do all the work and take on too much. I mean, we're the ones getting paid so, doesn't it make sense to do all the work? If you want to learn some key principles for how to recruit, build and keep a joyful and healthy youth leadership team and stay in your lane as youth pastor/director then join me for this seminar. We'll look at what has worked well for our ministry, what hasn't and leave plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Get the handouts:Side by Side: The Power of Interpersonal One-on-One Ministry
Joey Kime, Director of Ministry Operations, RYM
Ministry often happens in small, personal moments—conversations over lunch, car rides, or text messages after a tough day. In this session, we’ll explore how intentional one-on-one interactions with students create space for deeper discipleship. Drawing from interpersonal counseling skills like reflective listening, emotional validation, and asking open-ended questions, we’ll learn how to build trust and uncover what’s truly going on in students’ hearts. You’ll leave with practical tools and a renewed sense of how to engage students meaningfully, even in everyday moments.
Thursday Elective Sessions - Afternoon (B)
3:15-4:15pm
Fostering Gospel Culture in Youth Ministry
Vince Greenwald, Assistant Pastor, Immanuel Nashville, Nashville, TN
Often we preach about the forgiveness of sins in Christ while church is a place where students hide their sins. And yet we know that the preaching of gospel doctrine ought to create the beauty of a gospel culture in our youth ministries. A gospel culture is tangible, see-able, and feel-able. We'll be discussing three regular rhythms that can help the gospel seep in more deeply in your youth ministry.
Life-on-Life: Using Interpersonal Ministry in Small Groups
Joey Kime, Director of Ministry Operations, RYM
Small groups are one of the most powerful environments for relational discipleship. When students give a life update, share prayer requests, and engage in God’s Word together, they open the door for meaningful connection and Gospel transformation. In this session, we’ll explore how to guide small groups with intentional interpersonal skills—fostering honest sharing, empathy, and trust among students. Whether your group is working through a Bible study or praying together, you’ll leave with tools to create secure spaces where students feel known and loved. Through real-life scenarios and roleplays, you’ll gain practical strategies for leading vibrant, Christ-centered small groups.
Truths for Those Working with Youth
John Perritt, Director of Resources, RYM
Youth ministry often looks very different from church-to-church. That said, there are some things that remain the same. In this class we will look at 20 truths that are pretty consistent regardless of where you minister. Some of these truths are hard, some are encouraging, but all of them will remind you that you're not alone in the unique challenges of youth ministry.
Friday Plenary Sessions
9:00-10:30am
Self-Care without Self-Indulgence: The Wise Practice of Ancient Disciplines
Dan Doriani, Prof. of Biblical & Systematic Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary
The contemporary practices of self-care align with essential (but easily forgotten) biblical values, but they can degrade into self-indulgence. We can resist both self-indulgence and self-neglect by receiving the means of grace that Protestants access and by retrieving the disciplines of grace, practiced by the ancient church and grounded in Scripture.
See the Slides >>Strengthened by Grace
Dan Doriani, Prof. of Biblical & Systematic Theology, Covenant Theological Seminary
By grace, the Lord strengthens leaders for lifelong fidelity, yet he also compares the Christian leader to a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer; each implies hard work. How then shall be strong and confident while also nurturing the gospel-humility that keeps us from falling? We are appalled at the barrage of stories of failed pastors in recent years, but if we are wise, we ask “How can I be faithful throughout a lifetime of ministry?" This talk describes the foundation for endurance in Paul’s teaching, takes a sober look at the causes of ministry failure, and names the accessible practices that promote perseverance.
Get the handout >>