Breakout C
Featured
C060
Scott Rubin — Taking Jr. Highers Seriously (Even When They Don't)
In this Featured Breakout, Scott Rubin will discuss the "big issues", such as the potential (and craziness) of middle schoolers, young teen development, and the landscape where middle school students are growing up. You'll also look at middle school small groups, teaching & programming, compassion, and parent issues for this often-underestimated age group!
Scott Rubin
Scott Rubin is the director of Elevate, the junior high ministry at Willow Creek Community Church. He is the co-author of the recently released Middle School Survival Series books My Family, My Changes and My Future, as well as Kurt & Scott's Jr. High Adventure.
General
C062
Ginny Olson — The Dark Side of Girl World
Based on both research and experience, we'll take a look at the life of adolescent girls and strategies to help them. Some of the topics we'll investigate include: depression, self-injury, and relational aggression.
Ginny Olson
Ginny Olson is co-director of North Park University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies in Chicago, Illinois where she works with both undergraduate and seminary students. She has been involved in hands-on youth ministry for over 20 years at various churches and camps, including serving on staff in the junior high ministry at Willow Creek Community Church. She is the author of numerous books, including Teenage Girls: Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them.
C063
Mark Matlock — Developing Real World Parents
How a parent thinks about the world their family lives in impacts the way they parent. This breakout will give you hope, vision, encouragement, and practical skills to help families grow in Christ and accomplish his purpose for us on earth.
Mark Matlock
Mark Matlock is the president and founder of WisdomWorks Ministries and the nationwide Planet Wisdom Student Conferences. For nearly two decades, he has ministered to youth pastors, students, and their parents. Focusing on transferring Biblical wisdom, Mark is the author of the recent six-book series Wisdom On..., as well as What Does God Want From Me?, Don't Buy the Lie, and Freshman. In Fall 2008, Mark launched the Real World Parents initiative, aimed at reclaiming the Biblical role for families across the country.
C064
Bubba Thurman — Leading from 0-18
How do you develop an integrated approach to ministry for ages 0 to 18? What role do families play in this? How does this approach effect student ministries? In this breakout, Bubba Thurman will share his experiences of adapting and implementing an effective strategy for cohesive spiritual development.
Bubba Thurman
Bubba Thurman is the Student Pastor at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas. He is responsible for directing ministry to students from birth to high school seniors. Bubba is an 18-year veteran in student ministry with a passion to teach and train student pastors and lay leaders so that they may be able to impact students throughout the world with the message of Christ.
C066
Richy Fisher — Developing Teenagers Through Spiritual Formation
There's a lot of conversation today about the effectiveness of student ministry: what kinds of vision, practice, and substance really work? In this breakout session, Richy Fisher will help you see how to re-align your student ministry with spiritual formation as a powerful measuring tool for success.
Richy Fisher
Richy Fisher is the Executive Director of Student Ministries for Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. He brings over 20 years of experience in various youth ministry settings and has served in churches ranging from small to large, rural to urban. His passion for effective student ministries has led him to serve as a consultant and contributor to LEAD 222, local non-profits, and leading his ministry staff.
C067
John Zylka — The Life Changing Power of Teachable Moments — And How to Create Them
In this interactive session, John Zylka will guide you through a process of learning the key factors that lead to "life changing" teachable moments. Every week, in every youth group, there are countless opportunities for deep spiritual impact on student's lives that can easily go undetected. You will learn the five things you can do in advance to help prepare for these moments. You'll also discover how to identify, maximize and follow through on these amazing life changing events.
John Zylka
John Zylka is the Director of Campus Community at Washtenaw Christian Academy in Saline, Michigan. Washtenaw Christian is a Willow Creek Association independent school that is on the cutting edge of spiritual formation with students, providing a unique and culturally relevant atmosphere that facilitates and encourages spiritual growth on a daily basis through carefully developed curriculum and personal relationships. John has a daily front row seat as he observes and interacts with students, staff, and parents to help create and maximize opportunities for individual growth. He is passionate about the need to make certain that every student is on someone's radar that can mentor them in their walk with Jesus Christ.
C068
Mike Shintani and Community Life Team — Multiplication Factor
Volunteers are at the heart of any youth ministry. From small to mega church programs, things can't be done without them. Often volunteers are not leveraged to their fullest extent—their spiritual gifting is not tapped by their youth ministry leaders. Even a small church staff can multiply their strength exponentially, and grow their ministry in all facets, when they entrust volunteers with significant responsibilities. Learn how Willow Creek's high school youth ministry, Student Impact, develops and leverages volunteers to support a full ministry program with only a small staff team. Ideas and values discussed at this session can transcend any size ministry, small or large.
Mike Shintani
Led by Mike Shintani, one of Student Impact's Directors, the Community Life Team oversees and supports the high school community pastors and small group leaders, almost all of which are volunteers. In addition, the team is also responsible for small group content and curriculum, serving, on-campus school ministry, crisis management, and leader development. Mike Shintani, Jen Oxford, and Bryan Jones have over 18 years of youth ministry experience combined.
C069
Kara Powell — Experiencing Deep Justice
Deep justice is possible in your ministry—this breakout will provide a scripturally grounded paradigm that can move your ministry beyond short-term Band-aids to long-term systemic solutions that benefit both your students and the world around them. You'll leave with all sorts of practical ideas, which some youth ministries are already implementing, that can help your students serve others and right the wrongs around them.
Kara Powell
Kara Powell, PhD, serves as an Assistant Professor in Youth and Family Ministry and the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) at Fuller Theological Seminary. As a twenty-year youth ministry veteran, she speaks regularly at youth ministry conferences and is the author or co-author of a number of books including Deep Leadership, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum.
C070
Matt Wilkinson — Building a Student Ministry that Relationally Engages the Wired and Connected Generation
Is there anything good that can come from Facebook, MSN, MySpace, music videos, MTV, iTunes, video games, blogging, and podcasting? You bet! This workshop will explore how some of these interactive tools can be monumental in launching a highly relational and personal student ministry to both churched and unchurched youth. Through stepping into their world and speaking their language, we will see how focusing and interacting with a students' "digital identity" gives us insights and permission to walk with them in their spiritual and personal life.
Matt Wilkinson
Matt Wilkinson is the Cross-Regional Youth Pastor at The Meeting House, a multi-site church of over 4,000 in Ontario, Canada. Matt is a visionary who is passionate about releasing within youth and youth workers the potential to be influencers across their nation because of the love and grace of Jesus. With a huge heart for serving the local community and leadership development, Matt and his leadership team have seen the student ministry grow from 17 to over 500 students in the last 2 years, most of whom are unchurched.
Experiences
C072
Lilly Lewin — Art in Worship
We worship and serve a Creative God, and He invites us to be creative. Come learn how to add art and creativity into your worship gatherings and your own life. You don't need to think of yourself as "artistic" to be able to pray through color and texture. With scripture and hands-on activities we will create different prayers through art and discover how art can reveal unexpected truths about yourself and God.
Lilly Lewin
As a worship consultant, Lilly is the curator of Thinplace, where she helps leaders think creatively about worship, teaching, and youth ministry. In Cincinnati, she started an experiential worship service called Sacred Space, which uses multi-sensory prayer, silence, art, discussion and multi media, integrating ancient and future forms of worship to bring liturgy new life. In 2004, she helped found Map Room—an ecumenical experiential worship community for college and post college adults in and around the University of Cincinnati. Lilly is the coauthor of the recent book Sacred Space.