This workshop urges a holistic understanding of good traditional towns and neighborhoods as communities of justice and generosity, and focuses especially on the importance of traditional urban and architectural form and the place of faith communities in promoting a beautiful civic realm. The workshop will entail an hour long slide presentation followed by a 15-20 minute discussion.
This workshop will examine the various theological methodologies on the question of the interaction of faith and culture in order to provide a more theologically equipped approach to the multiethnic ministry of the urban ethos.
Is your non-profit evaluating whether your current facility best meets your needs and mission? Are you engaged in developing a real-estate strategy for the future? In this session, your non-profit can learn how to meet the exciting challenges of growth and development involved in the creation of a new facility.
In this workshop, Noel will share what has happened in his life in the last 6 months to motivate him to lose 40 pounds and get his diabetes under control. All of us in CCDA are running so hard working to take care of others, that we often neglect to take care of ourselves, both spiritually and physically. Come and get motivated and informed on how you can take 3 practical steps to regain control of your health today. If Noel can make these drastic changes in his life, you can too!
Corporate profiteers produce and market media for a target youth audience they call mooks and midriffs, "caricatures that exploit adolescent insecurities and hormones," a strategy described as, "grabbing below the belt and reaching for their wallets." The result: average teens now consume digital media for 72 hours each week and increasingly digest that media online in what the New York Times calls, "Websites Without Rules."
This workshop will focus on a proven 12-step personal solicitation program based on the popular Moody Press book People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support. Also a 6-hour DVD/video curriculum and web site www.PeopleRaising.com will be introduced for ongoing fund raising training.
Launching Point is an innovative program developed for people interested in starting a nonprofit ministry in their community. CDP will provide step-by-step instructions to help a ministry team to... (1) Form a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation; (2)Establish and train a governing Board of Directors; (3) Develop a strategic plan, establishing goals and objectives for the short and long term; (4)Develop a Resource Development Plan to bring ongoing revenue into the ministry; and, (5) Create an Image Development Plan to build a positive image and market the organization both inside and outside the community.
In the midst of disasters, the Christian community has the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ to people who are hurting.World Vision is implementing a national strategy to more effectively respond to disasters at the local, regional and national level.We will present a few models and ideas on how to be more strategically effective in mobilizing resources and share opportunities for partnering together to serve those impacted most by disaster and crisis.
LFA has leaned on St. Paul as the first urban minister and used his genius of strategically concentrating on key cities and his ability to adapt the Gospel to a particular context. This seminar will explore how, in our post-modern, global, and urban world, to take the timeless truths of the Gospel and adapt them to current realities.
This workshop is about ways to put the Word of God back into the public schools. It describes how to partner with churches to set up "Good News clubs" in the schools, train volunteers how to minister to children and how to reach into the families of those children as well.
Designed for those beginning their "urban ministry" journey: volunteer, relocator, donor, neighbor, old or young. "Where do I begin?" "Should I plug in with an existing ministry or start my own?" We will look at 5 types of ministry structures, their expectations, limitations, and how they affect the neighborhood.
Got Stuff? Everybody does! Learn innovative ideas to increase funds, provide employment opportunities, and broaden public awareness of your ministry through thrift, recycle, and scriptural redistribution! Is thrift right for your ministry? Do you want to improve an existing operation to make it produce more? Join this fun workshop.
The Holy Spirit and the present and social dimensions of the Kingdom of God such as social oppression and social justice issues will be the focus. Key Scriptures will be the Messianic passages from Isaiah which tie the Spirit, Kingdom, and Justice together. See also Luke 4:18-19, Acts 1:1-8, and Romans 14:17. How can we release the Spirit to incarnate the Kingdom among the poor and oppressed?
Using the Relational Tithe as a model of redistribution, this workshop will explore purposes of the tithe as described and prescribed in the Bible. The workshop will also facilitate dialog around common contemporary congregational uses of the tithe and where those uses converge or diverge from the Biblical tithe's original intent. Workshop will include Q&A with people who have implemented the Relational Tithe model of redistribution in the community and congregational settings.
CCDA’s third “R” (redistribution) refers to the economic empowerment and justice that can result from creative, accountable stewardship. This workshop explores the Biblical foundations of stewardship that brings economic transformation, with a special focus on understanding the free market.
This workshop will inform participants about utilizing mentoring to reach out to the children of prison inmates and their families.The resource of local ChristianUniversity faculty and students will be discussed.The Taylor University-Ft. Wayne/ Prison Fellowship Mentoring program will be discussed.
What makes a church a visible demonstration of Jesus' grace and justice in a community? Is it normal to struggle when my church looks more like dysfunctional Corinth than the spotless Bride of Christ? New City Fellowship St. Louis has been asking itself that question for over 15 years in the context of white/black hatred, an influx of 50,000 immigrants and refugees, decaying urban infrastructure, political ineptitude and New City's own mess of sin! Join us as we discuss the core values Jesus has guided us in for the past 15 years and, we hope, many decades to come...Core Values of: the Gospel of Grace; the Kingdom of God; Reconciliation; Team Ministry; the Promises of God; Humility and Weakness; and Trials.
The needs in urban ministry can be overwhelming and often time intensive. This workshop will consider how to balance competing time demands. We will look at a model to evaluate your priorities and set appropriate boundaries.
Urban communities are prime targets for marketing products, images, and ideologies of conspicuous consumption. The drive to build false images of wealth in urban communities is tempting and pushing the poor into lives of consumption and credit. This workshop will provide an overview of the issue, and present a prophetic biblical model to speak against the domination of the poor as profit-engines for corporate wealth.
Effective leaders are effective collaborators, aware of the rich resources present in their organizations and communities. Participants are challenged to identify those resources, build healthy partnerships, and work closely with others.
Mentoring takes many shapes and directions. This workshop provides you with a comprehensive description of foundational essentials to build a successful mentoring ministry to reach urban youth for long-term growth. At the completion of this workshop you will have your own mentor manual to refer to after the conference.
Andrew Sears, Executive Director of TechMission, discusses implementing the use of technology programs in Community Development. Presented at the CCDA 2002 Conference.
Andrew Sears, Executive Director of TechMission, discusses the use of computer technology in educational programs. Presented at the AGRM 89th Annual Convention in 2002.
Mike Genung and others share personal testimonies during the first hour of the Blazing Grace Conference, "From Porn To Grace," held at the Fellowship Bible Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 10, 2007.
Calm in the Storm? Seeking Shalom in the Midst of Gentrification (as the Gentrification Wave Crashes over Your Neighborhood)
Chicago’s HumboldtPark community will serve as an example of what “the storm” looks like as government powers are used to facilitate the market’s takeover of a neighborhood.
There are a variety of factors that affect women in ministry: Fear of doing it wrong, fear of being alone, fear of what others will think, fear of not having enough….This workshop examines the story of Deborah and extracts Biblical models for facing our fears. We will discuss different paradigms of women in ministry and how different cultural factors affect us. You will walk away encouraged to move forward in ministry!
Holistic Hardware: Tools for Preparing Prisoners and Preventing Recidivism
Through a combination of spiritual and practical tools and Principles, Holistic Hardware: Tools That Build Lives enables men and women to overcome addiction, poverty and incarceration. The workshop demonstrates how these holistic tools can be implemented to achieve a reduction in the recidivism rate of its participants.
In order for Community Development to be truly holistic, it must include evangelism. This workshop teaches an effective way to reach the elementary-aged children in their community with the Gospel. Through the model provided by Child Evangelism Fellowship’s Good News Club, paticipants will learn how to personally implement programs that reach children on a spiritual level. Brainstorming is encouraged!
In this workshop, Noel will share what has happened in his life in the last year to motivate him to lose 40 pounds and get his diabetes under control. All of us in CCDA are running so hard working to take care of others, that we often neglect to take care of ourselves physically. Come and get motivated and informed about how you can take three practical steps to regain control of your health today. If Noel can make these drastic changes in his life, you can too!
The Terror by Night: Finding God's Shalom When Tragedy Strikes
Job lamented, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” What do you do when disaster comes to your house? Where is Jesus when your family is wounded in the midst of your call? This workshop encourages veterans and newcomers with practical ways to find God’s shalom in the midst of suffering.
Sustaining a vibrant ministry in the city requires a balance of loving God and man (Micah 6:8). This workshop focuses on cultivating the spiritual life of the urban worker, encouraging a prayerful, passionate walk with the Lord, characterized by holiness, humility and compassion.
Beauty for Ashes: Ministering to the Brokenhearted
Externally, we are spiritual giants and "super Christians" in our church communities, but internally many of us are burdened, fearful, angry and broken-hearted. In this workshop we will learn practical, biblically-based steps for ministering inner healing to ourselves, and to others. Let's quit being "wounded healers" and get whole in our souls! (1Thess. 5:23)
Is it Time to Move? An Honest Look at the Risk and Reward of Relocation
This workshop invites beginners and seasoned veterans to share stories related to relocation and discuss how shalom for the family and the city is impacted (for better or worse) by our decision on where to live. The presenters share their experience of relocation from three perspectives: husband, wife and son.
Gang prevention and intervention efforts leave parents out of the equation. The Parent Project®, a course created for parents with out-of-control adolescents, teaches strategies to combat destructive behaviors such as truancy, drug use, gangs, practice of the occult, running away, violence and suicide. This workshop teaches how you can bring this proven-effective tool to your community.
Partnering in Peace: Shalom in Marriage and Ministry Together
Shalom is a Hebrew word meaning peace, nothing missing, nothing broken, complete. When we serve others as Christian couples, we need to display love, joy, and peace, regardless of the gender, marital status or nationality of those with whom we are working. Before we can do this effectively, we must “tend our own gardens” and make sure there are no little foxes in our marriages that can steal our shalom. This workshop offers simple ways to discover and activate that peace.
In this workshop, Jim and James share their stories and the principles they learned as Christ brought them together to live and minister with one another in a violent inner city community–one where the shalom of God was birthed.
Anger is a spontaneous response that has a vital function in life. It is not wrong as such. When anger is indulged and individuals turn away from emotional healing, it can become a toxic poison that corrodes the soul, creating inner turmoil that disrupts couple and family relationships. This workshop discusses anger as a barrier in sustaining shalom in the home and offer an invitation for reconciliation through emotional healing.
What does it mean to be at peace with your calling and to be a prophetic voice wherever God has planted you? There is a delicate balance between trying to tilt the scales without blowing up the community to which you are called to minister. Agents of justice are always pushing against perceptions, perspectives, and the system. Experiencing peace (shalom) in our personal callings is a necessary component to being in the game for the long haul. This workshop focuses on learning how to live in God’s “shalom” as you live out your calling.
Reordering Church Outreach: Overcoming Market Forces, Building Beloved Community
This workshop focuses on ways that the church can overcome market forces that foster race and class divisions. Rather than seeing the church as a static location dispensing spiritual goods and services, it envisions the church as a relocating, reconciling and redistributing force that is active in re-binding the broken world and seeking the peace of the city.
World Vision US Programs is committed to community transformation that engages young people from the start. This requires a commitment to building partnerships between young people and adults. This workshop challenges us to see the importance of creating authentic opportunities to partner with young people in our work, to see the barriers that we may not be aware of, and discover the difference between seeing young peoples as true partners rather than token participants.
How to Experience Shalom in Marriage, Parenting, Life & Ministry
Ty shares his personal journey of going from living a “driven” lifestyle to a lifestyle of “shalom.” The workshop covers issues such as: unhealthy motivations, fear of failure, living with an eternal perspective and experiencing shalom in every area of our lives.
This workshop explores best practices for partnering with homeless families in transition and will cover partnership and advocacy, the different faces of empowerment and how our language transcends into action. Serving our families in complex situations holistically is the healthy way to connect them to one another, their families and their communities as well as increase their stability and their shalom.
Prayer is not so much about convincing God to do what we want as it is about convincing ourselves to do what God wants us to do. Through exposition of biblical prayers, Shane and Jonathan provide concrete examples of how a life of prayer fuels social engagement and the work of justice.
Wounded Spirits: Helping Survivors of Sexual Abuse Heal
Survivors of sexual abuse face distinct challenges in dealing with the spiritual ramifications of their abuse. The faith community is uniquely positioned to be a place of peace and sanctuary. This workshop addresses ways in which the church and faith community can be catalysts for their healing.
This initiative brings together both body and mind in order to address the single issue of violence in our poor neighborhoods. This workshop offers an opportunity to understand the importance of breathing and mindfulness, so that they can respond to conflict, rather than react to it. This was developed out of our concern that cognitive methods (Anger Management, Counseling, Bible Study) are not enough to change the cycles of violence.
This workshop addresses the fears some white women leaders have that they will be unable to minister effectively in the inner city.Drawing from her work with teenagers, Dorothy discusses reaching and building relationships cross-culturally: what works and what doesn't, and the unique advantages of being a woman in the 'hood.
When someone tells you they are dealing with same-sex attraction and then asks you: “Do you think that my thoughts and feelings are a sin? What if I do not act on them? Was I born this way? The Bible says I’m an abomination and I should be put to death. Why?” These are serious questions and can affect the rest of a person’s life. This workshop explores each of those questions and how to answer them productively, so as to build a bridge for eternity.
This workshop addresses the critical place of the ‘Desert Father of North Africa’ and a contemplative spirituality to building effective church communities in Western urban culture today. It will consider the radical power of silence, solitude, and a ‘Rule of Life’ to slow both us and our people down. Moreover, it will consider the long term impact on our community development efforts today.
Most conflicts fit in a handful of story patterns. This workshop explores how Jesus told and lived an alternate story that redeems these other stories.
Domestic Abuse: Implications for Community Shalom and Safety
This workshop explores the basic issues and dynamics of domestic abuse, focusing on intimate partner or spousal abuse. It explores the prevalence of abuse in our churches and society, examines its ministry implications and discusses ways to create a culture of safety and non-violence in the local congregation.
Urban ministry is not possible with a singular worldview, one-size-fits-all approach. It must encompass the global diversity of the human family. This workshop introduces a new way of looking at the global community, one that embodies shalom (wholeness), moves away from fragmentation, and understands the uniqueness of the West, North, East and South.
This workshop addresses the unique nature of church-based leadership development and evaluates school-based and church-housed options for Biblical training. It takes seriously the central role that a church should play in community development and helps to evaluate various leadership development options in light of Biblical teaching.
This workshop highlights the creation of a transformational learning environment that engages diverse groups of people in non-threatening conversations that expand cross-cultural sensitivity and awareness. The Breakthrough Urban Institute of Leadership Development (BUILD) was created by Arloa Sutter in an effort to facilitate cross-cultural understanding.
In John 17, Jesus prayed that all his disciples would be as one. He also prayed that as the Father sent him, so he sends his disciples into the world. This workshop includes testimonies from pastors and ministry leaders who mobilize multi-ethnic churches and teams for impact in the community and beyond; dialogue welcome.
Don’t Get Served by Volunteers! Utilizing Service Teams and Missionaries
“Hey, got any service we can do?” If this is a question that has been asked of your ministry, then this workshop is for you! It offers tips for working with and finding groups to serve with your ministry next summer and throughout the year. Learn what organizations are looking for, what you should be charging to host a volunteer group and how this can become a legitimate revenue stream for your ministry.
The saying “if you want peace, work for justice” rings true in regard to Shalom for people on the margins. People struggling with poverty in the US have little access to representation in civil matters. This workshop explores God’s call to “defend the cause of the poor and needy,” discusses the history of Christian Legal Aid, identifies common legal issues people in our neighborhoods face, and shares successful models from around the country.
Hip-hop is the primary cultural language of the urban world, breaking down barriers of race and class. Unity and peace are historical themes in hip-hop that are often lost in the commercialized rap of the day. This workshop examines the history of hip-hop and looks at some models that empower youth and exemplify the shalom of God in the community; dialogue encouraged.
2020 Vision for Schools: Transforming Public Education Within a Single Generation
First graders in fall 2008 will graduates high school in 2020. Adults promise children that if they stay in school they will be equipped to succeed in life, but we have failed to make good on that promise for generations. This workshop explores how urban ministries can transform public education within a single generation of students.
Making Housing Happen: Faith-Based Affordable Housing Models
This workshop examines the theology of housing and eleven ways that churches have created affordability including: co-housing, community land trusts, cooperative housing and more. Tools for evaluating various models appropriate for your local context are provided.
Tools for Sustaining Leaders in Ministry - Balance
Scripture describes godly leaders as people who attend to their families and other important relationships, who care for their bodies, and who live with moderation. Balanced living is seen as both a means to and a byproduct of godly living. Effective leaders understand the importance of living a balanced life and are concerned with the development of the whole person. This workshop teaches how to identify priorities, examine use of time, and develop personal growth plans.
For Men: Supporting, Developing & Encouraging Women in Ministry
Men in leadership within a ministry are often challenged with how to best develop the women on their staff. This workshop gives a very practical method for how to mentor and grow the women within your ministry. We will look at the concept of walking women from support staff into leadership roles, and how specifically men can develop the women leaders in their ministries. We will also discuss the dynamics of husbands and wives walking in ministry and raising a family when both are called to unique leadership roles; taught by a husband and wife team.
Being a Missionary Order: How the Rhythms of Order Sustain Us in the Urban Landscape
Community development in an urban setting is exhilarating–but can be exhausting. How do we live incarnationally in a way that brings life, deepens joy, and sustains a community of workers for the long haul? Several InnerCHANGE members discuss the rhythms of work, prayer and community life that sustain us as an international missionary Order.
A definition of acculturation is the extent to which ethnic-cultural minorities participate in the cultural traditions, values, assumptions, and practices of the dominant white society. Acculturation has been described as a powerful determinant of attitudes and behaviors and it affects many aspects of child and family functioning. This workshop will discuss why many of our immigrant families fail this transitioning process causing chaos and strife within what was once a culturally sound family.
This workshop presents Life to Life, which equips parents and leaders to align their efforts with schools, after school programs and churches to Biblically prepare children for godly living and penetrate all aspects of a child’s life so they experience shalom.
How to Develop Margin: The Space Between Our Load and Our Limit
The demands of ministry can at times seem overwhelming. This practical workshop helps you assess your current coping strategies, find better ones and develop the concept of margin in your life. Margin is the space that enhances vitality and resilience and guarantees our sustainability. It is also the space where healing occurs, where our batteries are re-charged, where our relationships are nourished and where wisdom is found.
To bring shalom to our troubled, poor, urban areas, the Spirit, Kingdom and justice are key Biblical concepts. Drawing from ten years of reconciliation work alongside Dr. John Perkins, this workshop explores my paraphrase of Romans 14:17 - “The Kingdom of God is Justice, Shalom, and Joy in the Holy Spirit,” plus the messianic passages from the book of Isaiah, Luke 4:18-19 and Acts 4:32-35.
Many organizations do not recognize the need to develop strong mentoring programs within the ranks of leadership. Due to this, emerging leaders who are the future of the organization do not receive the accountability and training necessary to ensure that shalom is not only established, but continues past the current leader’s reign.
How does a kingdom theology shape how we define and assess the outcomes of community development ministry? Is there a tension between being faithful and being effective? What are the indicators of shalom? This workshop applies the theology of shalom to the realities of practical ministry evaluation.
Youth As Agents of Change: Civic Engagement and Advocacy
In this workshop, World Vision’s US Programs shares about curriculum that has been piloted in nine cities across the country. Learn to practically engage the passion, experience and wisdom of your young people as they identify and address important issues that affect their lives on a daily basis. We will share an inspirational model for youth civic engagement and advocacy that has helped young people move and shake their communities in powerful ways!
Come and learn from CCDA’s co-founder and chair emeritus about the basics of Christian Community Development. This acclaimed speaker and author shares the history and principles of our Association and its vision to holistically restore communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of transformation.
Three out of every 10 girls will get pregnant before the age of 20; in Latino communities, it is five out of 10. This workshop offers ideas on reaching teen moms and pregnant teenagers, and creating a life-changing community of shalom–not shame.
Issachar: Leadership Development with Young Adults
The Issachar workshop introduces a leadership program committed to: 1) helping young adults from high risk communities make the transition to healthy adult living, 2) mentor younger leaders as they follow Christ into a life of service, 3) equip those leaders, and 4) enable them to lead people of faith and emerge as agents of shalom in the city.
Sharing Biblical and King’s understandings of “beloved community,” using the examples of the Poor People’s Campaign and current experiences, the workshop helps provide insight and tools for building beloved community in faith-based settings; interactive.
This workshop focuses on the importance of prayer (individual and corporate) when serving the poor, and demonstrates how prayer and practical service filled with love and mercy will lead to peace–with ourselves, our clients, our neighbors and our community.
The Right Connections: Success in Grant and Major Gift Fundraising
Fundraising is a vital part of securing the resources needed to sustain ministry work. This workshop demonstrates two vital skills: how to put together a successful grant proposal or major gift appeal; how to engage a faith-based board of directors and church leadership. The presenters have helped many faith-based organizations achieve funding success using these principles.
This workshop utilizes a quantum physics framework to present a holistic model (where the whole organizes the parts) that moves the conversation from content to context, in order to effect integral change. Much of what passes for urban ministry is fragmentary in approach (the parts organize the whole). On the other hand, what seeks to be “holistic” ministry is often no more than the addition of the spiritual dimension.
For a CCDA ministry, seeking community shalom starts in the relationship that the board creates with its executive director. This workshop explores practical ways to build shalom and overall health in the board-executive director relationship. Learn how this profoundly impacts your staff and the community your ministry serves.
Transitions: Retiring from Your Organization, Repositioned for Full Life
This workshop shares information and experiences in planning for one’s retirement from a long held job and scoping out future opportunities for making a difference in justice and community in a new kind of way. It assists in reflection on personal journeys, hopes and fears of the future.
The Terror by Night: Finding God's Shalom When Tragedy Strikes
Job lamented, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.” What do you do when disaster comes to your house? Where is Jesus when your family is wounded in the midst of your call? This workshop encourages veterans and newcomers with practical ways to find God’s shalom in the midst of suffering.
Most Evangelical leaders in North America are characterized by a “frenzied busyness.” Our lives are filed with endless “To Do” lists, distractions, and crammed schedules. The demands of our ministries cut into our marriages and families. This does violence to ourselves, and to our relationships with God and others. This workshop considers a radical remedy to ensure a growing spirituality, and looks at emotional health, limits, and Sabbath-keeping to help us live faithfully.
This workshop discusses many aspects of personal finance including God’s attitude toward money, how to make a budget, how to stick to a budget, managing credit cards, short term and long term savings, and working with your spouse on your finances.
This workshop focuses on equipping churches to become communities of relational power that can bring about significant transformation of its neighborhood, its neighbors, its city, and itself.
Too often, the response to conflict is either flight or fight. These responses neither solve the conflict nor create cooperation between antagonists. This workshop presents the ARI A Method, which leads to cooperation and common cause between actual or potential antagonists, by fostering a new awareness of shared values and goals.
Essential Building Blocks for Starting a Mentoring Program
This workshop captures the principles for starting a quality mentoring ministry for at risk youth.Many variations of mentoring programs exist that have different results and impact.Attendees receive help to determine where to start for realistic results suited for the size and scope of their ministry.
Individuals within a community who have been traumatized profoundly affect those around them, are often misdiagnosed, and find it difficult to move on or avail themselves of opportunities for healthy change. This workshop presents an overview of the dynamics of trauma, the emotional effects of traumatic memories and the potential remedies for these effects. If time permits, there will be a discussion of the dynamics of a trauma on a community (such as a natural disaster or community violence).
If your donors asked you about the measureable impact of your ministry, how would you respond? This workshop introduces a process which will help you plan for the measurement of your impact and offers tools to accomplish it. This will be especially helpful if you plan to submit proposals to foundations as many are now requiring these planning tools as a part of the application.
Prayerful Following: Chaos, Confusion, and Transformation in Making the CCDA Turn
This workshop uses story and picture to present one church’s lessons in its transformation from the suburbs to an industrial, immigrant community in Atlanta, Georgia. What will become obvious is how the Lord has led throughout this four-year process through unlikely leaders, unexpected circumstances, and all-out commitment to follow Him.
Including the Excluded: Mental Illness and Recovery
Of all folks in our communities, the mentally ill and those recovering from addiction desperately need to be loved and included. Yet the average church or ministry struggles to find meaningful ways to embrace those on the margins. The panel discusses the important threads that are missing in the tapestry of Kingdom Shalom and how intentional community can be formed to include and empower these that are commonly “excluded.”
We are called to be compassionate, which literally means “to suffer with.” Providing relief, or even betterment programs that meet immediate needs, is not a substitute for being available and entering into the life of a broken and hurting individual. What should a church do and not do if it wants to help people and the community? This workshop helps address this question and provide a tool for developing an informed response for your context.
Asset Mapping is a way to look at the community as a “glass half full” by looking for the assets that are already there. This workshop offers practical ways to discover the assets individuals, churches, businesses, and organizations have that could lead their communities toward genuine shalom.
Community development is an inside story; all stories have one thing in common–a storyteller! Utilizing an Asset Based Community Development framework this very interactive workshop explores ways to create “Listening Spaces” so that all the storytellers (young and old) of the community are able to share their hopes, dreams and concerns, mobilizing them into action.
Keeping shalom (peace & order) in urban ministries and community organizations facing extreme crisis, change, and chaos in their day-to-day operation can be very difficult. Though having different aims and situations, the circumstances and solutions so often are so common. This workshop draws on my ten years of experience as a ministry consultant, and will offer practical ways leaders can turn crisis into gain.
A Shalom Rites-of-Passage: Youth Violence Prevention
Many youth are willing to engage in violence or gang activity in order to get basic human needs met. Rites of passage programs are a creative way for adolescents to become reconciled within their community, with their peers, and with adults in ways that address those needs in a godly way.
Train the Trainers: Enhancing Ministry Partnerships
Do you have a unique skill or model to share with other groups and community members? Do your trainings for ministry partners need to be refreshed? World Vision’s US Programs team offers a dynamic training platform for community transformation, believing that the greatest work is done when community groups and partners are equipped and trained to carry it out. This interactive workshop provides an overview of adult learning, instructional design, workshop planning and training delivery.
God’s plan for the family includes mothers and fathers raising children. Yet more than 70% of African American children are born into homes with an absent father. This workshop summarizes the impact of fatherlessness on urban families, and outlines strategies for the church to address this crisis.
Five pastors in California are exploring how community development concepts and practices could be used to bring shalom to their mostly middle class and above communities. This workshop explores best practices on how established churches can bring community shalom to any neighborhood.
Abundance in Beloved Community (ABC) Time Banking is an asset-based model for community change that builds up the non-market economy of safe neighborhoods, strong families, and trusting friendships. This workshop discusses the concept of time banking to promote the shalom of God in our cities by incorporating the capacities of all community members–everyone is valuable, everyone has something to offer.
Recovery from addiction is possible! Coaches and mentors make the difference. This workshop teaches practical and godly ways to encourage people to build “recovery capitol”, identify their own strengths and goals through accountability, and a personalized recovery plan that works; great for people in recovery who want to give back, pastoral and clinical counselors, family members and friends.
If a church or faith-based organization starts an after school program is it doing Christian Community Development? What if they also help families leave poverty one at a time? Is that community development? This workshop provides a platform for participants to think about their efforts in terms of six broad dimensions of community development.
How do you develop a Christian Community Development ministry? Learn from CCDA’s co-founder and president some key elements needed to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities.
Church and non-profits working in partnerships and in unity provide an aspect of shalom in the city. This workshop presents foundational principles to building collaborations and offers practical tools to assist in the establishment of partnerships.
Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Harnessing the Foreclosure Crisis
Enough hand-wringing over the foreclosure meltdown! It’s time to act to avoid more foreclosures, and time to see foreclosed homes as opportunities for affordable housing; this workshop offers a practical strategy for doing both.
Without the grassroots organizers in Montgomery, we might not know Martin Luther King’s name today. MLK did not arrive in Montgomery as a civil rights activist or leader, but spent his first six years of pastoral ministry demonstrating the power of local community organizing and development. This workshop explores how participation in and relationships with local people struggling together for justice can build an effective movement.
Building Community Between Church and Neighborhood Residents
This workshop is a case study of a church and its affordable housing residents in tension, and how the church took positive action towards diffusing tension and building community.
This workshop focuses on best practices to sustain your mentoring ministry at a high level while addressing mentor match longevity and the use of research tools to increase the credibility and quality of mentoring in your community. The “systems model” for training of staff and mentors will also be addressed.
This workshop assists new and experienced Latino leaders and those working in the Latino community with the cross cultural skills needed to increase their funding. Hear how Radio Nueva Vida (Los Angeles), Neighborhood Ministries (Phoenix), Rev. Brenda Salter McNeil (Chicago), Harambee Ministries (Los Angeles), and others learned to diversify their partnerships, dramatically expand their income, and gain the cross cultural skills needed to raise the budget
This workshop tackles the tough issue of dealing with conflict and maintaining troth (pledge of fidelity) as a manager or leader. The shalom of our organization and the individuals in it depend on good leadership. We’ll discuss the importance of humility, brokenness, love, honesty, and commitment in handling conflict.
The statistics on young people leaving the church (or never attending) is staggering. It is estimated that more than 85% of those who attended church as teenagers were not involved in church within five years of graduation from high school. This workshop teaches leaders how to disciple young people and take them to the next level of leadership, so when they graduate from high school they don’t graduate from church!
What do you do when someone says those words? What if they are an ex-offender, have a poor work history, little education, or few skills? How do you help them overcome these barriers to find and keep meaningful work? Where do you find companies that will hire them? This workshop explores the barriers keeping people in our community from succeeding at work and offer a proven biblically-based strategy your church or organization can use to help men and women find and keep good jobs.
A board of directors needs to know its job and have the right tools. Real governance is the highest level of organizational leadership, creating community transformation and shalom. The job of governance is about values, vision, empowerment of both board and staff, and the strategic ability to lead leaders. This workshop looks at a case study of how one board brought added value to a new organization; will help both beginners and veterans.
This workshop focuses on the importance of prayer (individual and corporate) when serving the poor, and demonstrates how prayer and practical service filled with love and mercy will lead to peace–with ourselves, our clients, our neighbors and our community.
Almost 13 million children in the US live in poverty. With poverty comes multiple barriers to shalom, the wholeness of life God intends. This workshop makes the theological and practical case that ending child poverty must be a national priority, and will identify key policies and practices toward this goal.
Experiential Tools to Train “New Gen” Urban Leaders
This workshop provides experiential tools and training structures to develop a new generation of urban leaders who seek the shalom of the city. Those desiring to get others engaged in the inner-city, will learn how to utilize interactive structures like ministry houses and local urban plunges to accomplish this. Tools used successfully by InterVarsity’s Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership will be provided.
Hip Arts: Using the Arts to Bring Peace to Schools
Working in schools using the arts allows you to create a space for youth of all ethnicities to come together and create together. This workshop teaches ministry leaders to build positive relationships and bring peace to their local schools using hip-hop and urban arts.
In light of increased global awareness through media and the great work of people like Brian McLaren in his book Everything Must Change, many Christians recognize a need to engage the world, but also know the missionary models of the past century are problematic. This workshop tells the story of an emerging partnership between University Christian Church and Santa Maria de Jesus, and offers practical advice on how to have a global impact in ways that honor indigenous peoples.
This workshop takes participant through the mindset of gays and lesbians and their thought processes about God and Christianity. It examines The Marin Foundation’s unique research, theory, practice and application on how to effectively build bridges from an evangelical perspective within the broader gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender (GLBT) community.
This workshop discusses how the holistic rebuilding of a poor Haitian community provided a solid basis for shalom, and addresses the spiritual, educational and economic dimensions of Haitian life.
This workshop discusses how to connect formerly incarcerated men and women back to community by collaborating with churches, non-profits, neighborhood associations, social service agencies and court systems. This collaboration also helps build and establish healthy relationships with the community and engages the formerly incarcerated to use their talents to restore and revitalize their neighborhood.
This workshop offers a brief history of U.S. housing policy and examines models of how people of faith have fought gentrification and created affordability through advocacy. Models to be discussed include: Inclusionary Housing Ordinances, Condo Conversion Ordinances, Second Units at city, state and national levels. Participants gain tools to evaluate which models are most appropriate for their community.
Four decades ago, Dr. King spoke prophetically to the inextricable relationship between America’s militarism and the plight of its poor. This workshop helps the church examine this costly and egregious relationship, and discusses how to bear witness to God’s shalom in the world today.
Today’s youth are bombarded with messages that “hooking up” is okay, without understanding the devastating physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences. In this workshop the Project U-Turn team tells the truth about teen sexuality and offers tools that engage minority youth, as well as ways to work within public schools to reach them with positive alternatives.
In order for there to truly be shalom, it cannot be limited to one nation, one ethnicity or one religion. This workshop focuses on the reality that a peaceful and just existence cannot be experienced by only one portion of our world’s population.
One of the most insidious sources of injustice in urban America is the uneven distribution of environmental goods and bads. Air and water pollution, toxic waste exposure, traffic and other burdens multiply the economic injustices affecting intown neighborhoods, threatening to undermine other community development efforts. This workshop will help Christians doing community development discover what the church can do to overcome these hazards and create healthy places, caring for creation and caring for people.
Learn from Ethiopia’s leading Christian Community Developer as she discusses social justice both in secular and scriptural terms, as well as Christian responsibility to bring about both holistic social justice and peace. She will use case studies from her more than 25 years of ministry in Addis Ababa.
The Realities of Spiritual Warfare in Community Development
For too long our para church organizations have struggled to holistically represent God as Word (evangelism), God as deed (community development and relief), and God as sign (God’s power in spiritual warfare). Using efforts in Miami as a basis, this workshop offers a tune up on the spiritual warfare aspect of community development.
From media, to fashion, to shopping, city people are enticed to indulge in credit madness. Piled on this is the mortgage meltdown that has sent many urban homes into foreclosure. This workshop provides a theoretical background to urban consumerism, marketing, and images that invade the urban community and offers practical tools to help alleviate the credit crunch.
Baptized in Dirty Water: The Gospel of Peace According to Tupac
This workshop focuses on the theological message of hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur as it relates to peace in the city and living within community in the inner city.
Peace or shalom comes when there is a level playing field, when citizens have access to power and use it. Shalom comes when citizens use their power and voice to make desired changes. This workshop introduces practical methods and actions any community can take to make positive systemic change locally, regionally, or nationally.
Utilizing Volunteers Without Risking Community Empowerment
Volunteers are an incredible asset to any organization but only if they fulfill the desired outcome of the organization. From donors to well-meaning church groups, volunteers can inadvertently overrun your organization’s mission and trample on your community. This workshop offers ideas on this from organizations from around the country.
Is There a Doctor in the Hood? Options for Creating Healthier Communities
Everything would be solved if we just had national health insurance, right? Well it might be a good start, but health disparities like obesity and diabetes would remain. So what can your ministry do now to have an impact? This workshop reviews national health care policy and how it plays out in low income communities, provides practical options modeled by the national Christian Community Health Fellowship (CCHF) network of physicians and health care leaders and presents programmatic models.
In 2007 Mandy ran a city-wide art project which revealed the power art has to create community and bring healing. This workshop tells the story of the project and provides resources for other organizations can develop it for their own settings.
Rebuild, Restore, Renew: Faith Community in Under-Resourced Neighborhoods
The 614 Network is based on the scripture from Isaiah 61:4. This workshop examines the strategies of The Network, a cross-denominational movement that emphasizes incarnational community life and a redemptive theology of salvation.
Tourism is a great source of revenue in Africa, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors and missionaries, serving as a major source of foreign exchange. In view of the needs facing churches in Africa, this workshop proposes how “tourist missionaries” can twin up their adventure with evangelization with CCDA Africa facilitating the process.
by Pepe Montenegro
Talk presented Sat, May 15, 2004 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2009.
The war on drugs is never ending and "Just Say No" is falling by the wayside. You will gain insight into the current drug trends and what is being done to address them. You will be equipped with ready to use tools designed over time to help you effectively pull young people and their families free from the traps of drugs and alcohol.
by Efrem Smith & Phil Jackson Talk presented Thurs, May 13, 2004 at the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
This learning lab will explore principles and ministry models for the church to consider as we minister in a world that is heavily influenced by Hip Hop culture and is increasingly multi-ethnic. We will wrestle with needed changes in worship, outreach, preaching, and discipleship in order to bring the gospel to the un-churched of the city.
by Rudy Carrasco Talk Presented Sat, May 15, 2004 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Come learn the biblical basis for justice ministry among the poor. Interact with topical issues of justice such as redistribution of skills and opportunities as well as economic globalization. Open discussion on these and other topics will ensue.
by Steve Lowe
Talk presented Fri, May 14, 2004 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Small groups such as Bible studies can provide a safe place for youth to grow in their interpersonal relationships. This workshop provides selected tools that group leaders can use to maximize the maturing process of the youth in their care.
by Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil
Talk presented Fri, May 14, 2004 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Jesus always experienced 100% accuracy in prayer. What was his secret? If we are to win the battle for racial reconciliation in this generation we must learn how to pray more effectively. There are powerful, spiritual resources available to us from God that we can tap into through prayer. Come to this seminar and learn how to PUSH–Pray Until Something Happens!
by Jaime Puente
Talk presented Sat, May 15, 2004 at the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
You've used PowerPoint for years but know that there's a lot more out there, LOTS MORE! Join us as we show off the latest software, tools and tricks that will take your events, camps, youth meetings and worship experiences to a whole new level. Some gadgets are hard to find, yet some of the coolest tools are hiding inside your computer. Go behind the scenes of our General Session media boards and see why VJs are the next new thing.
by Doreen Ong
Talk presented Fri, May 14, 2004 Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
God is not boring, and neither is His house! We've got the greatest story in the world, so let's tell it with gusto, creativity, intrigue and imagination, and stay true to the Word! Doreen Ong, large group programming director for Noah's Place (NewSong Church), shares favorite stories and storytelling tips to make the Bible come to life.
by Kara Powell
Talk presented Fri, May 14, 2004 at the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Exciting. Unique. Scary. Challenging. These are all words that describe what it's like to be a woman in youth ministry today. In this seminar, you'lll learn philosophy and tips that will help you not just survive, but thrive, as a woman in youth ministry. You'lll learn practical ideas to help you develop better relationships with your students, your co-workers, and your God.
by Alex Gee
Talk presented Sat, May 15, 2004 at the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Ministry leaders spend their lives encouraging and supporting other people, yet we rarely have people in our own corner who pour into our lives. This workshop is designed for the leader who needs to really believe that God loves them dearly. In fact, He dotes on us. He sings over us. And He desires nothing more than for his partners in ministry to be confident, encouraged, supported and effective. This all begins with understanding how God truly sees us. Participants will look at Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalms 139 in order to begin the journey of accepting their acceptance.
by James Zo
Talk presented Sat, May 15, 2004 at the Urban Youth Workers Institute Conference 2004.
Young people in urban settings walk through unique stages in life. A leadership philosophy might be constructive for some but destructive for others. How do we differentiate? This seminar provides an essential foundation for effective teaching, counseling, and mission.
Having watched urban programs succeed and fail since the 1960’s, we’ll discuss critical principles and current resources, including the Ten Stages of Youth Ministry and the Four Basic Questions. Best practices will be discussed and further resources provided.
Based on a biblical theology of ‘wholeness,’ it is important that Christians doing community development understand how to assess needs, develop programs, sustain funding, train staff, and evaluate efforts. This elective will focus on integrating faith and appropriate program development that addresses the holistic needs of people.
Becoming the right person and recruiting the right people are the keys to being successful as you start a youth ministry. Come and learn about these ministry essentials from over 20 years of ministry experience in youth ministry.
How do we equip our youth to actually help change their “hood” into a “neighborhood?” Participants in this elective will be provided with a theological basis to develop an
effective ministry that is rooted in building capacity in youth and their community.
This elective will expose the challenges youth workers face in the area of sexual lifestyle choices and address the various issues youth workers deal with in serving this community.
In this forum, a cacophony of voices will invite you to consider what it means to embody God’s Kingdom on earth, and what it looks like to begin enacting God’s justice in our neighborhoods and beyond.
This elective will take a sometimes funny look at how we listen or don't listen to each other. We will address some of the hindrances to active and effective listening. Sometimes our inability to listen can affect our effectiveness in ministry. You will learn practical skills to help you hear what someone is trying to comminicate.
Dialogue about creating interdependent and collaborative networks as we work together for God's Kingdom. We will talk about why we should network, how to network, what some of the barriers might be. We will discover our roles in the process.
Our urban public schools have the highest concentration of urban youth present during school hours than any other venue has during non-school hours. This elective teaches how tap into this great opportunity without crossing or being hindered by the line that is supposed to separate church and state.
Preaching to 50 cent will empower you to minister to a rap star, wealthy drug dealer or a brother struggling in the community. You will walk away with the information on how to reach a unique type of audience.
Emerging leaders need mentors and spiritual disciple-makers to invest in their lives like Moses invested in Joshua. As much benefit as he received from his mentor, Joshua
failed to reproduce the investment, and his spiritual legacy did not survive. As indigenous leaders emerge around you, will they find a Moses or will they find a Joshua?
This elective will help youth leaders understand how youth think about sex by exposing the do’s and don’ts of abstinence education. It will also give leaders a chance to deal with the issue that challenge the youth culture of today with issue’s of sexual behavior.
Can it work in my hood? Well, being that the model is based on biblical principles yes, it can! In this elective we’ll discuss what the principles of evangelism, worship, ministry, fellowship, and discipleship look like in an urban cultural context. We’ll explore how an urban New Testament-style church can impact its community.
Viv Grigg wandered into the slums of Manila and began to preach. Then in Sao Paulo, then in Kolkàta, India. Out of that came churches, social and economic change. What is thi~ seed of preaching among the páor that transforms poverty and the poor? Could you have a place in planting seeds like this or in being a seed?
In this workshop we will give an update on current immigration reform, as well as look at what we can continue to do to support our brothers and sisters. Caught in the middle of this chaos. Even if positive reform becomes law, we must be aware of the huge challenges we will have to overcome.
The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets gives us the framework for how we build healthy students in our community. Participate in a discussion of practices from people who are both theorists and practitioners implementing positive youth development strategies.
How can you continue to lead bold ministries among the challenges of the hood without losing your own heart and soul in the process? In this elective you will gain insights forbalancing life and ministry, Self-care and setting boundaries in singleness and marriage, being a leader of character first, and staying solid at heart.
Are you considering adding technology to your youth program or increasing the capacity of
your computer center? This elective will present what we have learned from
TechMission’s Association of Christian
Community Computer Centers (AC4). The
workshop will feature program models, lesson plans, grants, software/hardware donation, etc.
You are gifted and qualified to~be a daughter of God. This elective will examine who you are as a daughter,. and how you are to be utilized in the ministry of the Kingdom. We will address some of the hindrances to living as we are created to live. Men are welcome to attend as they seek to help empower their female co-laborers in Christ.
Come get the facts as they relate to the
ever changing face of America. We’ll look at the trends and stats that describe major ethnic groups ever growing presence, and the implications for ministry at the start of 21st Century on the West Coast.
Busy and no time to go to the mountains for retreat? Retreat is a way of life. A spiritual discipline practiced regularly. Experience a retreat at your own home. Learn how you can put together your own retreat program because only you can understand the rhythm of your soul, your needs and yearnings.
Is leading music for your youth group a scary subject? Does it need an upgrade? Properly using music can go a long way in helping your kids draw and stay near to God! Join in the music and get some tools and techniques to help you make music a more meaningful part of.your-youth group’s worship experience.
Over the last 20 years, thousands of inner- city churches and ministries have worked together to compile a list of eight principles that have guided their approach to urban ministry and community transformation. In this electives, we will present an overview of these eight principles.
Junior Highers are real people! In addition, their lives ARE chaotic. Learn how to develop their potential and live a life that reflects their relationship with Christ. We’ll talk about what creates junior high chaos and how to use chaos to your advantage. Hear practical program ideas.
Junior Highers are real people! In addition, their lives ARE chaotic. Learn how to develop their potential and live a life that reflects their relationship with Christ. We’ll talk about what creates junior high chaos and how to use chaos to your advantage. Hear practical program ideas.
Urban youth make up various sub-cultures which give us insight into the values, language, and customs of this emerging gener ation. This elective will explore aspects of hip-hop, multi-ethnic young, gangs, and other urban youth subcultures. Theology and practical ministry models designed for engagement will be presented as well.
Sometimes we need to be “reminded and “refreshed” by “revisiting” those foundational principles that govern our roles as a man, husband, a father. It is also our desire to equip you with some fundamentals concerning how to balance both family (our 1st ministry) and our roles as urban youth workers.
FASTEN (Faith And Service Technical Education Network) offers a website rich with hundreds of practical, relevant resources for urban youth workers. It includes how-to skills, model programs, free curriculum, grant writing advice, information on best practices, and more. Come see his demo of the website, and take advantage of all fasten has to offer your ministry.
Exploring the difference between raising good, godly kids and preparing kids to be great and godly adults. Get some practical reality learning ideas that will help prepare your youth to succeed in the adult world.
Can a young urban church really become self-sustaining? It’s definitely not an easy journey, but with perseverance it is possible. Come get some practical advice and creative ideas as you hear Crossover’s story of how they’ve grown to 7 full-time staff members in just over 4 years.
A prophetic message by John Perkins eventually led to an inner-city Chicago church plant focusing on worship, reconciliation, and neighborhood development. This elective will be a sharing some of the lessons we have learned dealing with issues of holistic urban transformation and howto integrate community development church.
The sustainability of an effective urban ministry is fueled by the presence of indigenous leaders in .every area of ministry and leadership. Learn biblical, principles and key best practices that can be utilized to create a ministry culture where young men and women are prepared to become the next generation of church and community leaders in your city.
Learn about creating academic goals for your after-school program. Also learn what are some limitations to your after-school program, and how to work around them to move students to higher academics. See a model and discuss practically what you can do for your program.
Am I my brother’s keeper? This elective will take a theological, social and economic look at the issue of justice and redistribution. It will explore how and why redistribution can help, hinder or stand mute as a way to build healthy community or address the issues facing urban communities.
Mentoring is one of the most effective and least expensive forms of ministry, and is a wonderful tool for reaching-young people - who need adult support. This elective will explore different models of mentoring, som sàriptural principles that make- mentoring
work, and provide some practical guidance on how to start a mentoring program.
So, you’ve decided that you want to work
for social justice but you’re not sure where
to start? In this workshop, we’ll discuss
what activism is and isn’t, the theology and
spirituality of activism along with practical
how-tos. Learn how to avoid burn out,
collaborate with diverse groups in your
community and empower yourself and others
to advocate for social change.
Shalom is a biblical concept that pushes us
as Kingdom people to examine the depths
of our understanding of wholeness, justice
and community. In Jeremiah 29, the Lord
commands his people to pray for and to seek
the shalom of Babylon, where they were
in exile. In this workshop, we will explore
how to do the same in the marginalized
neighborhoods of our nation and world
in such a way that people’s lives are
transformed and communities are revitalized.
Move the debate beyond non-denominational
prayers and private school vouchers. Explore
ways to engage public education reform
one school at a time. Equip your students
to become the men and women God made
them to be. Dare we expect that test scores
might improve and the trillions currently spent
on public education be managed better?
This session will discuss the relationship
between hip-hop and the church. It seeks to
address three basic concerns hip-hoppers
approach the church with:
What have you taught me? Where have you
sent me? Where are we going and
when will we get there?
Until we begin to look at the strong criticisms
of the church that many young people hold,
we will not be able to reach them. We will
delve into the lyrics of many rap legends,
including Tupac Shakur, Lauryn Hill, Kanye
West, Nas, and others, to decipher at what
point can we forge a ministry opportunity with
the hip-hop culture.
This generation of youth is multimedia
orientated. This class will teach you some
of the basic ways to use multimedia for your
benefit. You will learn about topics from
ordering your services, using video clips in
your messages, to making videos.
Teen moms are at-risk for dropping out of
your program and high school. Many times
the church doesn’t know what to do. Discover
how your program can help the teen mom
when she needs help the most. Discuss
key issues from current statistics to spiritual
matters to helping her plan for her future.
So you’ve got the “…all nations…” part of the
scriptures down pat, right? Many emerging
urban ministries are reflecting on the diversity
of the city as people from various ethnic
groups gather regularly. How many old-heads
or O.G.s are in your ministry? Are the haves
and have-nots equally valued? This session
will challenge and inspire you to consider
whether you are building bridges or lobbing
grenades at age and class groups.
You’ve heard the proverb, “It takes a
village to raise a child.” Likewise, it also
takes inspired partnerships to change and
impact your community. You just can’t do
it alone! This workshop will give you an
overview of what it takes to build successful
community initiatives from inside and outside
your community. We will include building
suburban/urban partnerships and developing
collaborative and cooperative relationships
within your community. Come and be inspired
to see how much more we can do when we
work together!
Every leader and ministry will face times
of intense spiritual warfare, as well as
seasons of great challenge, frustration
and discouragement. Intercessory prayer
and worship overcomes the fiery attacks
of the enemy, as well as bringing release
from hindrances in our personal lives. This
workshop teaches you how to build a team of
effective prayer warriors and intercessors who
will stand with you in the battles you will face.
This elective is a guide on how to bring
others along with you to share the ministry.
It gives helpful advice about intentionally
putting together a team of co-ministers- -
people who will share in the inner workings of
the ministry. Leaders will walk away learning
how to become more successful and effective
in youth ministry by being equipped with
specific strategies, tools, and ideas to build a
team-centered youth ministry.
What does your facility say to people?
There’s always potential! Crossover’s older
building has blossomed into an innovative
model. As the visionary for the campus
master plan - come check out this session
that will discuss creating specific space for
fellowship, prayer, sports, children and more.
You’ll see how being intentional about light, art,
paint and patio blocks can go a long way.
Inspired by this phrase from author Tom Sine,
“we will consider whether money has become
our God in this country.” As we do so, we will
look at some history of religion and politics
in the United States. And we will think out
loud together about the implications for what
we should be teaching our urban youth as
we seek to be models for them and mold
them into mature Christians and “successful”
Americans.
Jesus was not killed because he healed the
sick and fed the masses but because he
questioned the way the sick were treated and
why poverty exists. Are soup kitchens and
clothing drives enough or is Jesus asking us
to dig deeper and find a different approach to
addressing the injustices we see plaguing our
country? This workshop will explore what we
need to do to be more faithful to Jesus’ call to
“carry our cross” and follow him.
This text radically re-images the importance
and value of children from a Kingdom
perspective providing a provocative
theological framework with implications
in particular for urban youth ministry. For
revolutionaries only.
In this workshop, you will explore strategies
that fall outside the context of traditional
church-based outreaches to urban youth.
There will be a case study on a successful
community-based organization that is
effecting practical change in the day to
day lives of youth and connecting them to
the local church. You will walk away from
this workshop with an understanding of
community-based organizations and practical
tools that you can immediately put to use in
your ministry.
Taking a brief account of how the interaction
between theology and culture has been
perceived throughout the history of the
church, this workshop will synthesize the
various approaches in order to provide a
biblically-based approach toward an allinclusive
theological method with special
attention to the theological reflection of urban
youth culture.
What is in your leadership toolbox? What are
the micro-skills that Next Generation Urban
Leaders need? This learnshop will clarify
the core competencies that will distinguish
effective city-changing leaders from the rest
of the pack.
Do you want to know why a certain approach
to praise and worship works or doesn’t
work in your services? This 3 hour lab will
introduce the basic “dos and don’ts” of
worship, particularly for an urban setting. You
will learn what attitudes help or hinder the
flow of worship, as well as how to engage the
congregation.
From building community to setting up an
environment for successful ministry among
your volunteer staff, we will cover everything
from background checks to backyard BBQs.
Learn from our research and experience
along with nationwide best practices on
recruiting, training and the invaluable time
and heart-work of volunteers in your ministry.
Many of us are told to have our theological
beliefs guide all that we do but are never
told what this really means or how this
plays out in real life. Recognizing your own
theology and being intentional to reflect on
it will begin to unravel this mystery. We’ll
spend some time doing just this and giving
tools and resources for impact long after the
conference is over.
This seminar begins with a review of the
current literature around meeting the
educational, social and emotional needs
of the student who may be at-risk. We will
explore the impact that race, culture, socioeconomic
status, chaos, media influence and
other factors can have on a student’s ability
to successfully participate in the classroom.
Most importantly, we will investigate what
teachers can do to help students overcome
barriers to positive academic and life
outcomes.
The Spirit of Violence is attacking the minds
of youth and young adults through every
known air wave, (i.e., multi-media, video
games etc.) A holistic approach to serving
gangs begins first with building relationships
before you can serve the many needs of
a wannabe or active gang banger. In this
workshop you will learn practical steps to
begin the process in your community.
Brad Fieldhouse (p.45) Ryan VerWys (p.56)
Come join the dialogue about creating a
citywide prayer strategy, as we partner with
God, who is calling us to pray for and in
our cities. We will talk about why we should
pray, how to network with others who are
praying to bring together a collaborative
prayer movement, what some of the barriers
might be and we will discover our roles in the
process.
Discussing the issues that we are encountering as Islanders and those who ministers to the Islander Community as we work In a collaborate effort to meet the needs of Island-youth and families.
How can the church empower parents to raise godly kids? What can we provide to help families that are unraveling at the
seams? This elective- underscores the importance of ministering to youth
beginning with.. .their parents.
Pornography: never in history has it been so accessible and affordable to children and youth. Learn what is happening online and offline; find out how it affects teenagers and get informed as to what you can do about it. Plus, pick-up some strategies to keep you, your youth, and your co-workers clean in an X-rated culture.
How can you be a voice of hope that that helps kids heal and overcome? Learn practical tools for helping kids grow beyond their pain, leading a ministry of affirmation, connecting youth to their identity in Christ, and counseling tips for overcoming low self esteem.
Dan Brown’s best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code has sold more copies than the Bible in the last year. With a movie adaptation set to come out this May, are you prepared for the secrets, lies, conspiracies the movie will present? This elective is for anybody — those who haven’t read the book and those who read and liked it.
Whether you are a beginning youth leader, or a veteran youth worker, this elective will serve as a “checklist” of essential ingredients that make for an impacting youth ministry to urban teenagers.
Do you have a vision or dream that will
change the worid? This elective will help
you learn how to take your idea for a new
ministry, non profit or business to completion.
Learn how to articulate your vision, speak to
potential donOrs and sponsors, craft a program
or business plan and find the ight people to help you.
The most basic information of starting an afte school
program. What you need to know to protect yourself and
your church. Where to get the help you (might) need with
curriculum, fundraising and programming. Who to talk to
when you have questions. You can do it! I can help.
In the ever changing worid of youth ministry, it is difficult
to stay in the game for the long-haul. Is there a way to
make youth ministry a l~elong career path? This elective
will take a look at strategies and tools for those who
desire to take a long journey with their youth, and
eventually retire as youth ministry veterans.
A look at the life of adolescent girls and
strategies to help them. Some of the topics we
will investigate include: dating and sexuality,
emotional issues, and relational aggression.
Working with young people in tough neighborhoods can be
tiresome and at times depressing. During this elective
you will be challenged to find God where most of us
would not expect to. That is in the ‘Worst” people and
in the ‘Worst” places. We’ll conclude with Jacob’s
thought “surely the Lord is in this place, and I was
not aware of it.”
Do you want to see the violence stop on the
streets? It starts with transforming the
heart. Most outward behavior is a symptom of
deeper issues of pain and brokenness. This
elective will walk through some practical
steps to helping students change from the
inside out.
If you or members of your team are
experiencing physical, mental, or
spiritual fatigue, then this elective
is for you. Thriving in ministry requires
the nurturing of your spirit, soul, and
body. This elective will provide you
with the knowledge to build your ministry
capacity for the challenges that you will
face in the future.
This elective examines four paradigms of
youth ministry presently operating in the
urban context. They are as follows:
1) Traditional Youth Ministry Paradigm,
2) Liberal Youth Ministry Paradigm,
3) Activist Youth Ministry Paradigm, and
4) Prophetic Youth Ministry Paradigm.
Have you ever wondered what the fascination Is
with Tupac, and why his legacy is still strong? This
elective will break down the persona, life, philosophy,
and spiritual relevance of Tupac Shakur. We will be
discussing ways to integrate and respond to Tupac,
hip-hop culture, and the new land scape of urban ministry.
Let’s not forget about our college and young
adult members in our churches now that prom
and high school graduation is over. How to
minister to the challenges and issues of those
in their early twenties to mid- thirties. How to
minister to the group that is too mature for the
teenage youth department, but is still vibrant and youthful.
As urban youth workers, we struggle with the outward
behavior of the young people in our communities on
a daily basis. This elective will help you better
understand how many of these behaviors are
responses to other issues. We will then dialogue
about ways to move them from brokeness to a place
of hope in the Kingdom of God.
You’ve got gang questions? We’ve got gang answers.
Come and participate in a forum type setting with
current or recently ex-gang members to get a more
complete understanding of the gang mentality.
Have you ever seen kids struggling with the same
negative life patterns each week?
Reaching these kids may require looking at more
than just their spirituals needs. Hear from some
practitioners who are touching ids lives comprehensively.
Dr. Robert Laurent has said that the number
one reason young people leave the church
is lack of involvement. I believe that the most
effective way to change the lives of students
is to get them involved in service and
leadership. This session will explore ways to
help young people find their gifts and utilize
those gifts in the life of the church.
Becoming the right person and recruiting the
right people are the keys to being successful
as you start off in youth ministry. Come and
learn about these ministry essentials from
over 20 years of youth ministry experience.
Learn how to discover and develop the
mission, vision and values that will honor the
Lord, reflect you, your team and your ministry
and impact your community for Christ.
Imagine a world where youth pastors and
police officers are partnered together to
mentor students, help them find God’s hope
for their lives and where the people of God
care for law enforcement agencies as they
protect our urban streets. Police Chaplains
have the potential to be the men/women
of God’s peace, connect with the Police
Department and community being served,
build relationships with the most at-risk
youth and impact the Police Department and
community with God’s hope and love.
In this workshop we will discuss a chapter out
of my book The Love of the Game: The Great
Commissioner’s Draft. This message
encourages us to beware of Satan’s bait
which sometimes leads to identity theft in
our lives as leaders. We will focus on how
the enemy breaks down our “defense” and
what we need to be aware of to persist in the
“game” of urban youth ministry.
The transition to college can be a challenging
experience for the faith of our youth. Learn
about equipping your youth to navigate
the faith challenges they’ll face in secular
universities - relativism, relationships, racism
and more. Learn to help them not just to
survive in college but how to thrive and
grow. Teach them how to prepare your youth
before they go, how to send them & how to
encourage their growth while they are “away
at school.”
Did you know that we sin against God when
we abuse the environment? Rarely do we
think of caring for nature as a sacred act
of a loving God. Yet scripture extols our
responsibility as caretakers of God’s creation.
Learn how we as Christians can honor God’s
gift in our personal life and ministry and
through daily actions of stewardship that
sustain and protect the integrity of all life.
Do you have a hard time understanding this
new generation and knowing how to reach
them for Christ? What is postmodernism
and how does it affect our approach to
the Gospel? This session will provide an
overview of the postmodern culture, shed
light on how postmodernism will affect
the future of youth ministry and address
guidelines for evangelism.
Do your students listen to music? Is there a
white earphone cord constantly attached to
their ears? Have you ever wondered what
the importance, relevance or significance is
of music to this current generation of kids?
Well, this is the class for you! We will take a
look at some practical ways of interpreting
musical messages, understanding how music
is a form of expression and art and most
importantly, how to locate Jesus within music
today.
This workshop will explore a theology of
church development, as well as provide four
practical stages for developing an urban,
multi-ethnic, and/or hip-hop church. Vision,
purpose, strategic planning and core team
development are just some of the elements
that will be broken down within the four
stages.
Paul was one of the most effective
cross-cultural ministers, ministering in a
multicultural environment. Looking at the
apostle Paul as an example and using the
Corinthian church as a model, this workshop
will explore the challenges of diversity facing
our schools, neighborhoods and student
ministries today.
Christian charities and ministries receive
80% of all charitable giving in the U.S. and
nonprofit websites are capturing a huge part
of that. Come and learn how to hook your
website into this income stream and enhance
your search engine hits. We’ll also look at
how to crack the “workplace giving” hurdle
and receive corporate “matching funds.”
“The tongue has the power of life and
death, and those who love it will eat its fruit”
(Proverbs 18:21). How many times have
you heard your teens use certain “words” so
loosely that it gets you upset? You think to
yourself “If they only knew!” Well, allow us to
share with you a bible study of these certain
“words” that you can take home and share
with your teens.
Faith-based initiatives are still a relatively
new concept. Come and join an exciting and
interactive time of learning as we discover
opportunities and identify potential pitfalls to
working with federal grants.
- Learn the “language”
- Learn the “customs”
- Learn about opportunities
If you’re into graphics, geekery or graffiti,
come connect to talk about artistic processes
and inspiration. Share tips, tricks and trade
secrets that you use. If nothing else, come
to share what works for you and meet others
who do what you do.
Have you clearly identified your theological
and philosophical foundations for urban youth
ministry? Ministry issues such as urban youth
culture, multi-cultural ministry and program
development are addressed everyday.
But how does our theology speak to these
issues? This session is designed to present
a model for biblical reflection that is practical
for both new and seasoned youth leaders.
You will be challenged to be more relevant in
your teaching and application of Scripture.
Are you struggling to help students reach
their maximum potential because you are too
busy spending time on disciplinary issues?
Are you feeling burned out or frustrated
with the kids you’re trying to reach? If so,
join us for this interactive workshop where
we will discover and practice some very
concrete ways to provide consistent and safe
boundaries for children and teens.
What’s going on here? Why is the faith
community fragmented? Why am I not being
welcomed into the “hood”? Why are people
suspicious of me? What can I do about the
opposition I am facing? Are there deeper
issues that I need to be aware of?
From the Gospels to Antwone Fisher to a
scene from a school counselor’s office, we’ll
discuss our responsibility and needed skills
in dealing with young people who may be
hostile, angry, hurting or deeply confused.
Recommended resources include Larry
Brendtro and Scott Larson’s The Resilience
Revolution, the Forty Assets, and More.
Urban youth have few role models of success
beyond their youth leaders. Connecting youth
to a vision of their future not only includes
developing their faith and obedience, but
also their minds and passions. Preparing
youth for college is not usually on the mind of
youth leaders, but this session will offer some
practical ways of helping students think about
choices, goals, and overcoming barriers to
graduating and going on to college.
Homosexuality is becoming the most divisive
issue facing the Christian community today,
especially in urban centers. These workshops
will emphasize the powerfully healing effect
that the redemption of those with same-sex
attraction can offer our communities.
Part 1 will highlight the common base of
brokenness, out of which homosexuality
emerges, and the healing available to all. It
will be a challenge to the “we-them” mentality
and a call to sexual integrity for all who desire
to minister to the homosexual.
How does the real you meet the real me?
Moreover, how is God revealed to us? Is HE
a part of my story? How do we create “our
story”? Story in its truest sense is the locating
of one’s own soul through the reflection of
one’s own journey and finding out in the end
that we are all connected! Through the telling
of our story, we not only find ourselves but
also each other and in that place, the nature
of God is revealed in community.
What is 1+1? Why does 1+1= 2? What are
the differences between these questions?
Get the point? Different questions require us
to think on different levels. Come discover
Blooms Taxonomy and the different cognitive
levels of questions that will help your youth
to go deeper in their thinking and learning.
Asking questions is a skill that we can all
develop. Find out how.
This workshop will provide an understanding
of the role of power and influence that the
Hip-Hop sub-culture plays in the spiritual
development of youth. You will be able to
discern Hip-Hop’s messages of spirituality
and leave this workshop equipped with
tools and a deeper understanding of how to
connect the message of the Gospel in and
through the spirituality of Hip-Hop.
Harambee Junior Staff Program was created
to bring Christ, structure and confidence into
at-risk youth in our neighborhood. These
young people enter the program to make
money but find new friends who challenge
them to get through the struggles of life.
They get to where the value is not in making
money but belonging to something that is
bigger than them, a Christian community.
The urban church is about more than the
Sunday morning worship experience; it is
about building a holistic and Christ-centered
community. This workshop will explore a
holistic approach to ministry which will lift
up ministry areas and models, including
Christian Formation, Kingdom Advancement
and Community Development. Five Core
Values (known as the “Five E’s”) will be
presented as a model of building ministries
that make an impact beyond Sunday.
This seminar will assist you in developing
a ministry that takes youth from a “Me-
Centered” focus to a Servant Leadership
focus. Concrete ideas and methods will be
demonstrated that you can transfer to your
ministry.
What do Islamic terrorism, the tide of
socialism/populism in Latin America and
urban violence in the U.S. have to do with
one another? In this workshop, we will
explore the concept of “shalom” and discuss
what the U.S. has/has not been doing to
promote peace and stability across the
globe as it relates to fighting poverty and
oppression. We will discuss how our own
individual roles relates to the government and
church’s role by addressing similar needs in
our own needy communities.
This workshop will give you tips and ideas on
how to get the parents engaged and involved
in your after-school program. You will also
get some insight on What-Not-To-Do. We
will touch on cultural issues with the many
families we work with.
Is scripture relevant to a world where the
divide between the rich and poor continues
to grow? Absolutely! Definitely! Yes! This
workshop is ambitious and participantdriven.
It explores biblical issues such as
stewardship, jubilee and redistribution by
looking at practical economic models such as
common purse, microenterprise, economic
development and community economic
development.
Mentoring is one of the most effective and
least expensive forms of ministry and is a
wonderful tool for reaching young people
who need adult support. This workshop will
explore different models of mentoring, some
Scriptural principles that make mentoring
work and provide some practical guidance on
how to start a mentoring program.
There are too many lone rangers in youth
ministry that end up being burnt up and burnt
out. We will examine practical ways to build
stamina for your personal walk and your
ministry. Learn the different ministry stages
and how to navigate them so that you can
build a life and ministry for the long haul.
Currently Hip Hop Culture is an international
influence on youth. Hidden inside the art
form of rap are the teachings of “Nation of
Islam” and “5 Percent” theology. What are
their core beliefs in light of Christianity? Why
did they originate in the American context?
How do we engage this culture as urban
missionaries? Pastor Jack Hakimian will be
exploring these questions in this workshop.
For 17 years, Mission Waco has been
mobilizing hundreds of middle-class students
and adults toward more compassionate
involvement among the poor through its
weekend Poverty Simulations and Out-of-
Country Exposure trips. The workshop will
describe and give guidelines on how carefully
designed experiences confront many of
the myths about the poor during the guided
training. (Manuals of the Poverty Simulation
available for $10).
Corporate profiteers produce and market
media for a target youth audience they
call mooks and midriffs -- caricatures that
exploit adolescent insecurities and hormones
-- a strategy described as “grabbing below
the belt and reaching for their wallets”.
The result: average teens now consume
digital media for 72 hours each week and
increasingly digest media online in what the
New York Times calls, “Websites Without
Rules.” This workshop will equip you to
respond to this reality.
There is no doubt that if you are in ministry,
organizing your time and programs while
building a team becomes more challenging
each week. What if you had a model to
help you focus your efforts and even help
you evaluate your ministry’s effectiveness?
This workshop will help you organize your
ministry so that your activities are aligned for
Kingdom impact.
The forces of gentrification have brought
the cultural poles together into the same
neighborhood and this new proximity pushes
daunting questions to the forefront of our
outreach strategies. Can you speak wisdom
into the lives of those affected by racism but
at the same time to those who have known
nothing but privilege? Can we wrap our arms
around the Gospel widely enough to be
able to invite people of all ethnic and racial
backgrounds into our church? This seminar
will explore these questions and pursue a
theology big enough to minister effectively in
the new urban world.
Do you need to retreat from the busyness
of ministry and focus on your Creator? We
have just the experience for you. Enjoy this
session of personal renewal - worshipping
our King, looking within, praying for your
family and friends and allowing the Holy Spirit
to renew your call and give you the energy to
move forward. A much-needed oasis for ALL
youth workers.
The statistics on young people leaving the
church (or never attending) is staggering. I
believe that young people have incredible
potential as leaders that needs to be tapped
into, affirmed and utilized in the church. This
Learning Lab is based on a Student Leadership
Training that has been designed as a highimpact,
interactive event for young people with
leadership qualities that takes them to the next
level. We will walk you through key principles in
helping young people become the leaders God
intends them to be.
This workshop will address the subtle ways
boundaries are crossed in the life of a single
man or woman in ministry and how we can
better hold to the established boundaries in
our lives that allow us to live life to the fullest
while serving in ministry.
What does it mean to be on the street? If
you get a youth off the street physically are
they really less street involved? Participants
in this workshop will gain insights into what
it means to relate to the world through street
developed concepts. Participants will be
introduced to values and beliefs that sit below
the surface of urban street culture and to
service delivery philosophies that will equip
youth workers to help kids walk away from
street life.
Junior High is such a pivotal stage in a
person’s life and yet it’s also the most
confusing for both leaders and junior
highers! Come and learn how to be
more effective with your junior highers
by better understanding them and their
world. Understand what they’re thinking, why
they say the things they say or do the things
they do and how to interact with them to have
a greater impact in their lives. You’ll never
be frustrated again when dealing with your
amazing junior highers!
From Hebrew Scriptures to the New
Testament, justice has always been central to
God’s message to humanity. In this workshop
we will explore how the struggle for justice
has been a constant theme throughout
the Bible and what that message of justice
means to us as modern day Christians as we
strive to build the Kingdom of God.
“SEND ME, I’ll Go.” Jesus said if you love me
you will obey my commands (John 14:15).
How can we obey Him and teach others
without understanding His orders? Join us
as we examine what Jesus had to say in His
Great Commission for His people.
We know that there are increasing numbers
of people in our community who are working
hard but are unable to afford the basics. Why
is this happening? What solution can we find
that is systemic, effective and faithful? This
workshop will answer those questions.
We know that there are increasing numbers
of people in our community who are working
hard but are unable to afford the basics. Why
is this happening? What solution can we find
that is systemic, effective and faithful? This
workshop will answer those questions.
The majority of our students have been
affected by a prevailing 21st-Century
phenomenon: global urbanization. If one
formerly had to cross oceans to reach the
nations, one must now cross cultures to
reach the neighborhood. There is no place
for us to hide from this phenomenon; the
church must take its place in the center of
this new reality with the only weapon that
God has given. Come find out what you have
in your possession to win back the souls of
the streets.
Around the country there is a rising tension
between African-Americans and Latinos.
Many urban youth workers find themselves
in the middle of these challenges or are
anticipating them. This workshop is designed
to explore the issues and identify common
spaces for Latino and Black Christian leaders
to work together. Come prepared to share
from your experience and to learn from other
attendees, as well as the workshop leaders.
The Scriptures are alive and colored with
the details of our human experience so why
settle for blah, bland and boring skits? Our
congregations are pining to make a legitimate
emotional connection to the Word and that’s
where the performing arts take center stage.
This writing workshop helps you identify
ways to “pull on the text” and “pour in the
intangibles.” It’s not about being a good
writer ... it’s about being a good reader.
Come and gather with other leaders
who want to begin the day with a time of
unplugged worship. No need to take notes,
no need to come and hear a couple new
things to do. Just come, close your eyes and
lift your voice to our King.
An interactive dialogue with Urban Youth
Leaders working with Pacific Islander youth
and their families! This Lab is designed for
youth leaders to reflect on their work with
young people and their families, locate and
identify past instead of current issues and
re-imagine positive solutions on behalf of the
youth in the Pacific Islander Community.
Is your upper-middle-class-mono-culturesuburban
church ready to welcome the urban
street kid culture? Does the urban student
have to cross a cultural boundary to come to
know Jesus in your church? Is your senior
pastor afraid of the students showing up at
youth group? This forum may raise more
questions than we have answers to but that’s
good! We’ll discuss strategies for promoting
diversity, programming for kids coming
from multiple contexts and creating a safe
atmosphere.
A panel of community development workers
will be sharing how they partner with
community residents, local churches and
city government to establish and sustain
after-school programs that truly respond to
the community’s vision for their neighborhood
while engaging the church in community
transformation. Join us as we work past
who a program belongs to, to mutual
understanding and collaboration that honors
the strengths of those involved.
From kids in gangs to violence in our
neighborhood to just a busy schedule. As
urban youth workers, our lives are full of
stress. In this seminar, we will dive into the
results of a nationwide Fuller Seminary study
of urban youth workers to understand not just
the stress in our lives but also the resources
we need to serve God and kids for the long
haul. You’ll leave with all sorts of practical
ideas that you and others in your ministry can
use starting tomorrow.
This workshop will address the different
seasons of a woman’s life. It will also discuss
some of the hindrances to answering
and honoring your call. This session is
also recommended for men who want to
know how to encourage and facilitate the
development of women on behalf of the
Kingdom of God.
Bridging the gap … making a difference
… impacting lives. These are all things we
want to do but how far are we willing to go?
Hip-Hop and R&B are very controversial.
Can this technique be used in the church? All
music was originated by God so it’s time to
take it back to its original roots. Join us as we
discuss how to effectively take the root that
culture and society use for their beneift and
transform it into something that benefits the
church body and God’s Kingdom.
Did you know that people learn 80% visually
and 20% audibly, but we in the church usually
talk 80% of the time? This learning lab will help
you learn to communicate beyond words by
using drama, video and other relevant methods
to reach this culture while staying Biblically
focused.
Come join the informative and interactive
dialogue about creating inter-dependent and
collaborative networks, as we work together
for God’s Kingdom in our cities. We will talk
about why we should network, how to network,
what some of the barriers might be and we will
discover our roles in the process. Everyone
has a part to play in city-wide networking!
Everybody may not be an artist but we are
all creative because we are made in God’s
image. This workshop gives participants
tools for developing their own diverse
creative worship experience by looking at
the following topics: private worship/public
ministry, the difference between creativity
and artistry, the balance between craft and
enthusiasm, measuring creative excellence
by God’s standard and getting/giving honest
feedback- joyful noises?
Most ministry mailings fail to bring in the
kinds of funds we hope for. Come learn
some basic and new tools that will help you
and your staff increase the return on your
newsletter and appeals. Bring examples of
past pieces which we’ll review and evaluate
to give you practical no cost or low cost
solutions to generate more funds.
Do you have a passion for sports? Do you
want to reach youth and their families in your
community? Would you like to use sports
as an evangelistic tool to reach families for
Christ? In this session you will learn how to
organize, coordinate, and direct an awesome
sports ministry that can help unify and
change the church/community in which
you serve!
Becoming the right person and recruiting the
right people are the keys to being successful
as you start off in youth ministry. Come and
learn about these ministry essentials from
over 20 years of youth ministry experience.
Second Thought takes KRS1’s coined
term “edutainment” and brings it to life!
Edutainment: Engaging Urban Youth the ST
Way allows students to flex their creative
muscles and analyze what is considered
entertainment in today’s hip-hop culture.
Are you satisfied with the results of your
ministry? What if you could get even greater
results? Come discover what missing pieces
may be keeping you from experiencing the
ultimate results in your after school program.
This will be a totally interactive lab – come
prepared to work.
This forum will explore new ways to:
- effectively engage and reach un-churched
students attending public schools
- be a resource for teachers and
administrators
- use the public school forum as a platform
for ministry
In this class you will learn practical ways to
grow your youth ministry. Discussions will
range from creating and passing out flyers to
effective discipleship. This class promises to
revolutionize your youth ministry.
Want to make the leap in your ministry
from mediocre to excellent and dynamic?
Learn the development of Leadership and
Team Based Ministry of Eight Principles
that transcend all situations and models of
ministry. As a backdrop we will explore author
Jim Collin’s research “Good to Great” and
more.
What is gentrification? How do I know if it
is happening in my community? What’s so
bad about development that will make things
“nicer”? This workshop will address these
questions and provide a basic introduction to
how gentrification is affecting communities
and what some ministries have done in
response to gentrification in their area.
Jesus wants you to be healed of the things
that cause you pain and hold you back from
being the person and leader He wants you
to be. Ken Unger will explain the biblical
mandate and some of the methods for
healing your brokenness and will share
the approach he has used successfully
in retreats and seminars across the U.S.
for over 27 years. You will also leave this
workshop with some tools for participating in
the Lord’s healing of others.
Transitions in life are always hard, especially
if your a pre-teen or teen. Come hear how
you can intentially help your youth make
these transitions and not drop-off during
these important times of their lives. We will
discuss the needs of the students as they
transition from 5th to 6th grade, 8th to 9th grade
and 12th grade to College, as well as how to
adjust your ministry to meet these needs.
We are all aware that environment is one of
the greatest influencers of young lives but
in addition to difficult living environments,
what makes this time in urban youth ministry
particularly challenging is the popularity of
Hip-Hop and the message it preaches. This
workshop will explore the connections (and
disconnections) between Hip-Hop and the ills
of our urban cities. It will also give you some
practical ways to transform this environment.
If your church closed today, what difference
would it make in the community that you
serve? We will examine the practical steps
that can establish your church or ministry as
a force to reach your community holistically in
the lives of youth.
We will share the realities of our struggle
for discipline and respect in ministry; we are
not alone! Identify some fundamentals of
understanding respect among adolescents.
Explore some pathways to elevate discipline
(respect) in ministry. We will close with some
encouraging and empowering words from
Scripture.
If you ever wanted to do a High School
Assembly, then this workshop will challenge
you to begin taking the first steps toward
achieving your goal. We will cover topics
such as how to set your vision, the dos and
don’ts, targeting small and large venues and
setup and the public school system.
Have you ever looked out at your community,
saw thousands of youth walking around and
wondered how to pull them together to hear
the Gospel? If you want to learn how to reach
young people through large group meetings,
then this workshop is for you.
Gang members come in all ages, some as
young as seven. Come and learn strategies
that youth workers and parents can use to
keep children from gang involvement. Be
exposed to current approaches to children
in 4th-6th grade who bully, exclude, tease
and rage against other children and want
to emulate gang behavior. You will leave
understanding more about gangs and gang
prevention with children influenced by gangs.
Most churches in urban communities are
small and many are dying off. At the same
time, God is raising up new models of
ministry to relevantly engage the “hood” with
the truth of Christ. Five years ago, Crossover
Church in Tampa, Fl. went from a small
struggling church to a thriving church with
three Sunday services and seven full-time
staff. Come out and hear some practical
advice about recreating the faith community
in today’s urban context.
In this forum, we’ll have open and honest
discussion about issues women face in
ministry. Bring your questions and comments
from everything to cross-gender teams,
supervising boys, working with those who
question your call, plus other important
topics. Ask questions of veteran youth
workers and frontline practitioners and join
the discussion!
Have you ever seen a film and wondered
what the meaning was really all about?
Why is it that so many from the Hip-Hop
generation love films such as Scarface,
Hostel and Silent Hill? Furthermore, is there
any “Jesus” in Hollywood? This elective will
discuss basic film theory concepts, meaning
behind some popular films and challenge you
to go deeper with Christ within films with your
students. Become “skilled” at really seeing
a film.
We all have tried it: Taking the reigns
from society and forging an effective and
contemporary way to communicate God’s
truth that doesn’t turn kids off. But where
do you draw the line? In Kingdom ‘Jacko-
nomics’, Fred Lynch shares practical
methods for striking a balance between being
too worldly for the church and too churchy for
the world.
In communities blighted by absent fathers,
incarceration, underperforming school
districts, drugs and other social ills, how can
youth ministries come alongside individual
youths to equip and empower them for
leadership? Is developing indigenous
leaders even worth the heartache and effort?
Examine the myths, methods and messages
of effective mentorship.
This practical seminar will help children and
youth workers to live and minister from a
learning perspective. Taken from a humorous
parable, you will explore the importance
of creating a learning community in your
ministry.
(Limit 35 Participants-10 extra people can observe.)
Come experience this eye opening simulation
that will help uncover some of the realities of
power and class in our country. Discover
some underlying truths that can be translated
to understand and communicate with our
youth on a whole new level.
As the boundary lines begin to fade in
our community, how do we respond
programmatically to the differing needs
of youth coming from different ethnicities,
cultures and socio-economic world-views?
We must learn to exegete the streets of our
neighborhood and know who we minister
to, in order to program effectively. Students
from the suburbs and the city live right next
to each other and it’s time they started
experiencing the Kingdom and sharing their
lives together.
“Are you dating anyone? When are you
getting married? You need to hurry or you’ll
miss out on God’s plan for you!” Are you
bombarded non-stop with these questions/
statements from those who are in your life?
Do you feel that maybe you aren’t in sync
with God’s will for you? Come and hear what
God has in store for you and your singleness
and understand that He definitely has a
purpose for you!
Youth Ministry requires that we deal with
young people as members of society as well
as individuals. When we only minister to
youth as individuals, we give the improper
impression that society and its institutions are
fine and don’t need fixing. This workshop will
help participants identify policy issues that
affect our young people and their families,
and identify strategies of engagement, that
we might be advocates for justice in their
lives.
This workshop will cover basic truths about
how the brain processes new information
and why we struggle imparting the Word of
God to this generation. We will look closely at
how the Master Teacher Jesus used practical
teaching methodology that coincides with
how the brain is designed to learn.
What is Slam Poetry? How does Slam Poetry
fit into the HipHop Culture? Can Slam Poetry
be a part your ministry? This interactive
session will help you learn the art and skill of
effective Slam Poetry. Find out how to use
your gift of poetry in your ministry, understand
the subculture of Slam Poetry, and learn how
to perform in the market place of other slam
poets. Bring you poetry pieces with you, this
will be an open poetry session.
The Street Team is a growing group of young
adults from the Community of East Palo Alto
who were formerly involved in violent and/or
drug related activities in our community and
have been healed. With the combination
of “street credibility” and the street soldier
methodology these young adults are
extremely effective. Their primary objective is
to build or nurture existing relationships with
the youth who are considered “non-program
youth.” These relationships become a voice
of reason, an option of peace and an avenue
of access to reengage life options.
This workshop will provide strategies for
the urban youth worker in supporting youth
who have been arrested or incarcerated as
they return to the community. Whether in the
context of a formal program or as an individual
act of ministry, urban youth workers can meet
a critical need in our communities by providing
consistent and focused support to youth
who have come into contact with the juvenile
justice system. The workshop will explore the
challenges young people face when they enter
the juvenile justice system and specific areas
that require intervention and support.
My Humps+Smack That = Living Holy?
How to teach your youth that purity of mind,
body and heart matters to God. Learn
creative and practical ways to communicate
this vital message of living an enjoyable holy
lifestyle in the midst of a sex-crazed world.
Current Christian artistic expressions
are often scrutinized and criticized as
unconventional and irreverent. The Creative
Worship Experience is both reverent and
relevant. This workshop will explore the
following topics: unconventional worship and
compromise, ministry behind the scenes,
setting the atmosphere for reverence, and
diverse expressions of worship.
What do you really have to know to help
generations move from being given a fish
to learning to fish to owning the pond?
This workshop lays a solid foundation
for engaging in community economic
development. It will explore the connections
between poverty, community development,
outreach and economic justice. This
workshop will be taught using interactive
exercises and case studies. A list of reference
resources will be provided to participants.
This class will focus on the plight of African-
American male adolescents and their
conditions, while also investigating ways to
disciple them lovingly.
Working with young people constantly
leads us to questions of power and place.
But how does our theology speak to these
issues? Kids often feel that the wonder of
life’s creation is followed by captivity and
occupation. What are some of the places in
our ministries that represent power? What
do those whom we serve have to say about
those places and the power it represents?
The roots of the Christian Community
Development Association (CCDA) stretch
back to 1960 when John and Vera Mae
Perkins relocated their family to the struggling
community of Mendenhall, Mississippi to
work with the people there. This seminar will
walk through the eight components of CCDA
and tell the story of River City Community
Church as they have applied these principles
in Chicago, Il. It will also explore ways that
your ministry can utilize the CCDA philosophy
to minister more effectively in your context.
It has been said that the last seven words
of a dying church are: “We’ve never done
it that way before.” Many youth groups are
“stuck-in-a-rut” of doing the same basic
youth ministry format week after week. This
workshop will help you explore a variety
of ways to do youth ministry differently
by establishing a Biblical basis for doing
innovative, creative approaches to youth
ministry and providing ideas for how to
implement new models without compromising
the message.
Let’s move beyond the Bible Club. Come
hear how public schools are partnering with
churches and faith-based organizations
in ways that would have been considered
“unheard of” 20 years ago. Mentor programs,
after-school programs and church adopt-aschool
programs are just a few ways that
faith groups and public schools can interface
on behalf of the student. We will discuss
several models that will take you beyond
basic programming but will NOT discuss the
latest debate or legal issues surrounding
prayer in schools.
Have you had a hard time balancing ministry
and marriage? Maybe you’re wondering if
the person you’re going to marry can endure
the hardships of ministry? This workshop is
designed to give you balance and direction
on how couples can complement each other
in ministry.
Most artists that have a music or worship
ministry many times look to a record label to
help propel their ministry to the next level or
a national level. Times are changing as the
digital revolution is now here and technology
has made things faster and cheaper. This
session will break down many myths about the
music industry and give some practical advice
along with plenty of time for Q and A.
Amidst a world plagued with pain and suffering,
we often respond with brotherly love and good
works as the Bible dictates. However, God
also wants us to move beyond mere service.
In this forum, a cacophony of voices will invite
us to consider what it means to embody God’s
Kingdom coming on earth, and what it looks
like to begin enacting God’s justice in our
neighborhoods and world.
This workshop will give you the practical tools
for developing and equipping young people for
the work of ministry and leadership. Enabling
them to make a difference on their campus,
neighborhood and youth group.
Over half of the world’s population lives in desperate poverty and the vast majority of those people are children. Can you imagine a movement, motivated by people of faith, which interrupts the cycle of poverty and reverses the systems that keep the impoverished oppressed? What constitutes injustice and what should our response be to the unmet needs of children and families in our communities who deserve better education, more mentors, and access to learning practical life skills?
How do we move from “band-aid” solutions to bringing about lasting change? This session will:
• Help you to answer these questions and more
Our cities are in a world of hurt! As such, our communities and often our own lives are filled with conflict. Fractured relationships and historical differences have resulted in misunderstandings, suspicion, mistrust and rage. Christians are to be intentional agents of reconciliation and peace-building. Learn skills for identifying the sources of conflict and dealing with it constructively whether in our personal relationships, school, workplace, church, home or community.
The pain and trauma of growing up today is overwhelming. Issues like suicide, sexual abuse, gang violence, sexual identity confusion, pornography, and race riots, almost make drugs, alcohol and premarital sex seem “tame” by comparison! Since none of us feel adequately prepared to deal with these challenges, let’s learn together and develop some critical helping skills that go beyond the day-to-day support of a shepherd. Gain valuable strategies and resources for helping youth face, identify and work through their brokenness.
Explore the unique characteristics of a youth ministries that are ‘developmental’ in both philosophy and practice. Developmental Youth Ministry sees evangelism, discipleship, life-skills development, education, and a radical commitment to social justice and community transformation as essential to the process of raising up a new generation of emerging leaders in our ministries.
Mentoring is a relational experience in which one person (mentor) empowers another (mentee) by a transfer of resources. Who was that “one” for you? Mentoring is one of the most powerful, yet under utilized forms of transformation. It is still the best strategy for strengthening youth from broken families! Explore key models of mentoring, core-characteristics of good mentors, learn best practices for having great talks in your mentoring relationships, and get practical ideas you can used in your existing programs or to launch a mentoring program in your community.
Let’s face it, urban leadership is a high calling, but a most difficult one at that! How can you continue to lead bold ministries among the challenges of the hood…without losing your own heart and soul in the process? How can you lead from a position of greater wholeness and health?
In this session, you will gain insights for:
• Balancing life and ministry
• Self-care and setting boundaries in singleness and marriage
• Being a leader of character first, and
• Learn the best practices for staying solid at heart.
Called, but underfunded. Impassioned, and hungry for more. Broke, and feeling alone. How do bi-vocational youth workers pay the bills and buy the stuff necessary to get the job done? Jesus received one recorded offering in his career. The disciples didn't get it. The masses were confused. But a boy with a bagged lunch understood, and his tuna fish sandwich fed 5,000. A husband's debts nearly cost a widow her son’s freedom. The prophet's response: “What's in your hand?” A few drops of oil and a town full of jars later, she bought their freedom. Let's explore how to turn tuna fish and empty bottles into resources for urban ministry.
There’s no doubt that if you’re in ministry, organizing your time and programs while building a team becomes more challenging each week. What if you had a model to help you focus your efforts and even help you evaluate your ministry’s effectiveness? This workshop will help you organize your ministry so that your activities are aligned for Kingdom impact.
Do you ever look at the pain and trauma your kids experience and wonder HOW they are making it? Whether kids hide their pain or make it obvious, as an urban youth worker, you are loving and serving traumatized kids every week. This workshop will help you recognize the symptoms of trauma, respond through a research-based plan called “The 3 Rs,” and develop practical ideas that you and your team can provide for the kids and families in your community.
This elective will give urban youth workers ideas and
examples for curriculum that can help them achieve
discipleship training within their ministry throughout
the year. Copies of various studies will be on
display for tyour viewing pleasure.
Understanding the kind of environment that
promotes healthy development of young people
is important. The Search Institute’s 40 Developmental
Assets are concrete, positive experiences and
qualities essential to raising successful young
people. This elective will provide an introductory
understanding of the asset framework.
This elective will give urban youth workers an
understanding of why some young men need to
rebuild their identities, what can be done to help
them take on the giants in their lives, and strategies
to help them become urban disciples.
We want to empower you to reach masses of teenagers through
large events. Our desire is that you go home equipped to plan
outreach events that attract masses of lost young people in your
community.
So you’ve decided that you want to work for social justice, but
you’re not sure where to start? In this workshop, we’ll discuss what
activism is and isn’t, and the theology and spirituality of activism,
along with practical “how-to’s.” Learn how to avoid burn out,
collaborate with diverse groups in your community, and empower
yourself and others to advocate for social change.
Did you know that the California Gang Laws are sending our
children to prison in packs? We will be discussing Gang Injunctions,
Gang Laws and the effect it plays our our community. We also
will be exploring ways to solve some of these problems.
What is gentrification and what are the impacts on youth when
gentrification and displacement overtake a community? This
workshop will look at gentrification-related community development
issues in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood and elsewhere.
It will borrow from secular community organizing and development
models in that community to glean ideas for engaging and
empowering youth as they confront head-on some social justice
issues that impact their daily lives.
An intense “how to” on how to minister to a community scared
by gang violence. In this workshop you will learn how to start a
“peacemakers” in your city, be instructed on how to minister to
young people that have caused gang violence or that been victims
of gang violence. Also, you will learn how to minister at a funeral
due to gang violence (car wash), hospital visits, to grieving families,
and how to work with local law enforcement, high schools, and on
call incidents.
What’s going on here? Why is the faith community fragmented?
Why am I not being welcomed into the “hood?” Why are people
suspicious of me? What can I do about the opposition I am
facing? Are there deeper issues that I need to be aware of?
Learn how to make Hip Hop and other urban art forms
understandable to school administrators while keeping the integrity
of the art form. This workshop focuses on creating engaging
curriculums that will attract youth and also be desirable to school
administrators and teachers. We will also discuss program
outcomes that are measurable and meaningful to all involved.
In the midst of fractured families, broken schools, and violent
neighborhoods, kids today need more from us than a Bible study
and a prayerful pat on the back. Search Institute’s 40 Developmental
Assets as well as a new research project by Fuller Seminary’s
Center for Youth and Family Ministry give us as youth workers an
invaluable set of tools to help kids thrive not just spiritually, but also
physically, emotionally, intellectually, and relationally.
Based on themes from Orlando Crespo’s book, “Being Latino in
Christ: Finding Wholeness in Your Ethnic Identity,” this seminar will
be explore the intersection between God, faith and culture and
how embracing of our ethnic identity can empower us for God’s
work in our families, communities and campuses. Orlando will share
from his 20 years of college ministry experience to Latino youth and
personally from his own Latino ethnic journey and the ways God
used it to fuel his own passion for others.
Does your youth ministry need a checkup? Have you taken the
pulse of its team leaders lately? To ensure that they are healthy,
follow this prescription: monitor, manage, mentor.
Do you ever look at the big-time trauma and everyday drama your
kids experience and wonder how they are making it? Whether
kids hide their pain or make it obvious, as a youth worker you are
loving and serving traumatized kids every week. This seminar will
help you recognize the symptoms of trauma, respond through a
research-based plan called “The 3 Rs,” and develop all sorts of
practical ideas that you and your team can try with the kids and
families in your community.
Immigrant youth and children of immigrant parents face special
challenges. How can we help them experience the love of God in
their situation? How can we help them move from victim to prophet?
CLUE-CA has been involved with organizing congregations to
support immigrant families and educate on immigration since early
2006. We will bring ecumenical models from all over the country to
this workshop.
God determines the time in history you should dwell and the exact
place you should live so that men would seek Him and perhaps
reach out to Him (Acts 17:26-27). Ministry is not primarily about a
place you go, but a place you live. It is not primarily about a time
set aside in your week, but the time in history you dwell. God has
already set you in your primary ministry location- your community.
Be challenged with how you can impact your community to give our
youth a chance.
In this workshop, you will learn principles for discipling urban
young people into a vital relationship with Christ. If your teenagers
are ready to move on to the “next level” of their spiritual lives (or
you want to nudge them on), this session will give you practical
suggestions and guidelines on how to develop and implement a
discipleship program.
Get practical step-by-step training to use the latest web technologies
for your urban ministry. We’ll cover internet tools like blogging, email
newsletters, websites, and social networking.
The question was raised in the teaching of Jesus (Who is my
neighbor?), We will answer this question within the context of
globalization. Drawing from the scriptures and contemporary
efforts at global justice. We will develop both skills and theological
understanding for the mandate to “carry the gospel to the ends
of the earth”
This workshop will provide practical insights into mobilizing
individuals, groups and churches that want to bring relief and
development to orphans, human trafficking victims and those in
poverty. Best practices, stories and sample initiatives will be shared,
along with avenues for getting involved. This workshop will also host
practitioners who live out these passions.
In communities blighted by absent fathers, incarceration,
underperforming school districts, drugs, and other social ills, how
can youth ministries come alongside individual youth to equip and
empower them for leadership? Is developing indigenous leaders
even worth the heartache and effort? Examine the myths, methods,
and messages of effective mentorship.
Experienced leader will share life lessons on communications with
board, management of staff, making the most of crisis intervention,
dealing with enemies and sin in the camp, utilizing press to
accomplish your mission, and we will speak to each other about
keeping life, family and ministry in balance.
Hear how a youth violence intervention program is bringing healing.
Find out how the Pasadena Police Department, community leaders
and local clergy have managed to get guest speakers from the
public and private sectors to present on issues of interest to local
gang affiliated youth and inspire them to work together to make the
streets a safer place.
Loving sex as a single? Are you wondering how to live holy and love
it? Learn the theology of purity, sex and the body that will transform
your life, so you can radiate it to the youth you work with.
Are you single? Are you available? Do you like long walks at the
park? Well there’s someone looking for you! Someone that wants
you to experience romance, adventure, and excitement. So if you’re
ready for REAL love come on in...
As married women in ministry we are caretakers not only of our
“sheep,” but also of our husbands and children. In this session, we
will have the opportunity to share some of our challenges with other
women and gain a deeper understanding of our role as supporters,
cheerleaders and helpmates for our husbands.
Ministry as a married man comes with its own challenges. You love
your wife, but does she “feel” loved? Many times, our wives and our
children feel overlooked and neglected, yet we feel guilty for not
giving more to ministry. You will have the opportunity to talk about
the specific challenges of being a man in ministry, identify healthy
boundaries, and learn the importance of celebrating and
nurturing your wife.
What does our culture offer as a validation of manhood? For
many youth there are no rites of passage that confirm their arrival
at adulthood, except for the driver’s license, the permission to
purchase cigarettes and alcohol, and the right to see R-rated films.
We will dissect & discuss the following in detail: Manhood @ Risk,
Manhood Re-defined and A Rite of Passage for Young Men.
Mentoring is one of the most effective and least expensive forms
of ministry and is a wonderful tool for reaching young people who
need adult support. This workshop will explore different models of
mentoring, some Scriptural principles that make mentoring work, and
provide some practical guidance on how to start a mentoring program.
This workshop is designed to open our eyes to the ministry of
mentoring. This workshop will help us come to the realization that
we are no longer Youth Pastors but Spiritual Parents and Mentors.
Practical insights on how to be a mentor and how to be mentored
will be shared.
There are too many lone rangers in youth ministry that end up being
burnt up and burnt out. We will examine practical ways to build
stamina for your personal walk and your ministry. Learn the different
ministry stages and how to navigate them so that you can build a life
and ministry for the long haul.
Come learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of NCLB…whether you
are an NCLB program or not, this will be an effective workshop in
learning what must be done to truly leave no child behind; achieving
the sustainable, transformational results we all desire with kids
growing up in extremely adverse circumstances.
This seminar will assist with helping youth workers explore different
ways to approach ministry by three major components: Identifying
the Needs, Various Approaches and A Strong Ministry Plan. This
process will help you strategically think through your program and
explain the elements of the problem and how your ministry can
address the need or problem.
How can an after-school program engage more deeply in community
development? Explore ways in which you can move your ministry
from a youth-serving “betterment” activity to a ministry that has
“far-reaching, long-term and empowering” effects on the community
through creative and meaningful parent involvement.
Most people agree that parents, law enforcement and the
educational system are part of the gang solution. However, parents
are not getting the effective training they need to deter their child
from wannabe or active gang membership. This workshop will
present to you the “effective training” parents need. Role play,
information and Q and A time will satisfy your hunger for answers to
the gang problem in your community.
God’s plan throughout history has been to romance a people to
Himself who will populate His Kingdom-The Bride, His Church.
Jesus announced that the Kingdom had come and Paul built
upon this inauguration. This “legacy” they left is still advancing
and expanding all around the world. Come and learn more about
that legacy through the movement of Fire and Manuever Church
Planting in urban America.
The Classroom Connection to Christ: Want to learn how to maximize
the moment to minister in the classroom? Look beyond the clothing,
cuts, and cussing and see the Character of Christ in your students.
This workshop will give you practical ways to minister in the
classroom and beyond. You will leave with a renewed desire and a
Godly perspective of what a privilege it is to be chosen to educate
this generation.
You’ve got great programs and events for your youth but you’re
always strapped for cash to keep the ministry going. Come hear
and share proven ideas that work to help fund your youth ministry.
Move your ministry from car washes to car detail, from candy sales
to t-shirt businesses, from outcasts to outsource income generation,
from unemployed to temp agency, from clothing drives to thrift
stores, from part-time youth worker to full-time youth worker, from
“begging to blessing,” from ebay to Yahweh!
Defined as the largest mission field; Wow! It can be intimidating
and over whelming. Somehow God chose us to walk in and love all
those students. Don’t miss out on this exciting seminar where you
will get some insight on how to become more than just a fly on the
wall but an active part of your school, community, and even get paid
in the process.
As communicators of truth, one of our greatest tasks is to make the
Bible come alive & be relivant to teens. Discover how to share the
Word of God in exciting new ways. Learn new scriptures and recall
scripture previously memorized. Become skilled at training students
to think, speak and act from a scriptural basis.
This course features an in-depth “rubber meets the road” look at
the strengths and weaknesses of implementing the Incarnation
model in the practice of youth ministry. A fresh perspective of the
Incarnate One’s pattern of life and ministry will be offered in hopes
of bringing greater clarity to the role of the youth minister and
youth ministry outcomes.
Responding To Our Emotional Hurts: Self-Healing For Leaders
Helping Hurting Kids People seem to be hurting and desperate
these days. Some screaming hurts; some subtle, even hidden, pain.
Christ’s was a healing ministry. Many children and youth suffer from
PTSD; others are just confused, hurting and trying to cover it up.
This Elective examines how our healing ministry must begin with us;
we need the courage to face past hurts and be well.
Amid the ruins of an abandoned cathedral where homeless families
were living, Shane and his community caught a fresh vision of what
it means to be the Church. Let’s move beyond complaining about
the Church we see, and let’s start becoming the Church we dream
of. With ancient stories of the early Christians and contemporary
stories of ordinary radicals, Shane will invite us to re-imagine what it
means to be the Body of Christ alive in the world.
This class is for anyone who has taken Dan’s Jesus & Film 101
course at past UYWI conferences. This class will delve deeper into
the theory, conceptual framework, and production of film as it relates
to both Black Popular Culture and Urban Popular Culture. This class
is for anyone who is daring enough to use film and media with their
youth that goes beyond Veggie Tales and G ratings. We will be
analyzing films such as No Country for Old Men (2007), Scarface
(1980), 8-Mile (2003), & The Village (2005) and discovering some
of the Christological messages hidden within the matrix of each film.
We will use Richard Niebuhr’s (1950) framework as a foundation for
Scenario Planning is a tool for anticipating possible different futures
and developing flexible strategies, even during times of change.
This “crash course” will teach participants how to create stories
of the future and to identify commonalities among them so that
opportunities and risks become more clearly defined. Scenario
Planning will also help measure current capacity as well as help to
identify areas that need further development in order to reach future
goals and objectives.
This is a no-nonsense seminar that focuses on the health, social,
and legal implications of the early onset of teen sex. Youth workers
will receive medically sound and biblical based information
regarding human sexuality in a language that will be easy to explain
to teenagers. This workshop will give you tips, tools, and practical
resources needed to deal with today’s sex saturated youth culture.
Today’s urban church must remain a part of the changing climate of
youth culture. It seems that in more recent times, church leadership is
beginning to look at and utilize Hip Hop in weekly services. They are
looking for more ways to reference Hip Hop in sermon titles and some
churches even have Hip Hop Sundays! In crossing this delicate line
however, we must learn how to navigate the lines of misogyny and
sexism that permeate Hip Hop music videos and lyrics. This workshop
will touch on the following issues:
• How do we deal with controlling images in Hip Hop?
• But sex is what they’re sellin’: The objectification of women in video’s
Scripture is filled with ways we can engage each day and
experience through our senses to learn, engage and expand our
thinking about the world, God and each other. Together we will
consider how you might encourage your students to engage a short
term mission experience with intentionality. It might just be more
than what the eye can see!
A discussion of a spirituality of engagement that propels us from the
safe places of intimacy with Christ into the suffering of the world.
focusing on intimacy, obedience, humility, community, service,
simplicity, submission, brokenness, and suffering.
Life change in people happens best within the context of trusting
relationships. How do you get this done in the neighborhood?
Where can I start? What kind of small groups work best with our
“traumatized kids”?
Come hear the pitfalls and moments of reconciliation from 3 people
working together to bring Jesus to their community. The presenters:
a black man from black church culture in Jackson Mississippi; a
Mexican Puerto Rican woman from East L.A. that grew up in a small
Latin church, and a high school Student Body President white guy
who grew up in a beachfront community. Hear how even putting
together this seminar has shown that it’s possible to work together
from radically different environments, ethnic groups and cultures,
but in order to serve a diverse community with no majority, Christ is
calling us to reconcile to one another.
So you are passionate about inner city ministry and are starting to
wonder if planting a church is part of your ministry equation? In this
forum we will discuss real issues related to urban church planting.
Come fill your ministry tool box with wisdom from the forum panelists.
It has been said if we preach the Gospel both parties should be
transformed by the interaction. Come and learn new kids on the
street has informed the theology on ministry of one street
youth organization.
From kids in gangs to violence in our neighborhood to just a busy
schedule, as urban youth workers, our lives are full of stress. In this
seminar, we will dive into the results of a nationwide Fuller Seminary
study of urban youth workers to understand not just the stress in our
lives, but the resources we need to serve God and kids for the long
haul. You’ll leave with all sorts of practical ideas that you and others
in your ministry can use starting tomorrow.
Ever wonder what to do with the 3,000 urban kids down the street
from your church? Learn how to implement the C5 principles of
holistic campus ministry. Time is short! Join the movement
of kingdom collaborators bringing hope, help, and healing to a lost
and hurting generation.
How is it that young people lose 90% of what they said they
believe when they enter college or the workforce? Could it be
that our methods of discipleship was absent of the message of
discipleship? Have we been relevant without righteousness? This
seminar will provide you with a concrete and comprehensive tool
that will help you to equip your youth to live out their faith with
conviction and compassion.
Youth ministries and nonprofits have limited resources while the
expanding available new technology is limitless. How can you as
the organizational leader decide what is needed and how to put
into place technology that will really produce results? A strategic
technology plan can help you budget your time and resources to
best meet your needs. This session will introduce a good planning
outline and process: (1) establish technology leadership group, (2)
define your needs (what problems technology can solve for your
organization), (3) assess current situation and resources, (4) explore
solutions, (5) put your plan in writing including a timeline, (6) develop
Junior High is such a pivotal stage in a person’s life and yet it’s also
the most confusing for both leaders and junior highers! Come and
learn the first steps about how to be more effective with your junior
highers by better understanding them and their world. Understand
what they’re thinking, why they say the things they say or do the
things they do and how to interact with them to have greater impact
in their lives. You’ll never be frustrated again when dealing your
amazing junior highers!
Life in Ministry can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope with
the whole world watching. The demands from students, families,
community, and ministry leadership can be demanding. Add a
dating or marriage relationships to the mix, and it can be downright
scary trying to balance it all! This workshop will take a look at time
management through a Biblical lens. Come and learn how
to maintain a healthy balance in your life!
This class will focus on the plight of African-American male
adolescents and their conditions, while also investingating ways to
disciple them lovingly.
Gospel Hip-Hop, sometimes called Holy Hip Hop, Christian rap,
Christ hop, Gospel rap, or hip-hope, broadly defines a musical
genre, culture, and ministry opportunity that glorifies Jesus Christ to
those that are living in and influenced by hip-hop culture. Expanding
their missionizing practices to the Hip-Hop Generation and the
diverse urban territories they traverse, gospel hip-hoppers – MC’s,
DJ’s, pastors, congregation members, or listeners – act as spiritual
intermediaries, cultural brokers, and “indigenous” missionaries
connecting the church and hip-hop youth across multiple terrains
and social networks. This forum explores both the challenges and
Jill coordinates area churches seeking ways to retain Pasadena’s
racial and economic mix, and to house Pasadena’s 1,000 homeless
and address urban violence. The Legacy Of Housing Heroes—
Transforming Our Communities With Affordable Housing. We will
tour a brief history of U.S. housing policy and housing heroes over
the past 100 years, explore a theology of housing, and eleven ways
that various denominations and groups have created affordability
including Cohousing, Community Land Trusts, Cooperative Housing,
YouthBuild and more. Participants will gain tools in how to evaluate
the various models and discuss which models might be appropriate
for their local context.
“Hip Hop church” has created a buzz. But, what is beyond the hype?
Using current experiences planting The Revolution as a backdrop,
we will briefly explore what a hip hop church is and its benefits,
expose real challenges unique to planting this type of church, as
well as discover some practical ways to be effective.
Throughout scripture God identifies with those who are poor,
validates and qualifies the authenticity of our Christian virtues
in relationship with people who are poor, and uses the poor as
a standard for judgment, and how in reciprocally humanizing
relationships with the poor and non-poor we affirm one another’s
human dignity and together find our way to God.
Dynamic ministry that is multicultural often seems as illusive as
locating the rainbow’s end. Yet there’s rising a number of pioneering
ministries who not only long for multicultural ministry but have gone
through the struggle to see it birthed, and they’d be the first to let
you know that you can do it to! Come and find out some of the
things that they would tell you NOT to do!
With special attention given to the doctrine of providence and
utilizing Luther’s “theology of the cross” as the theological
framework and reflecting upon the contrast between the theology of
suffering and the theology of providence; this workshop seeks to
build practical theological responses to contexts of suffering and
crisis in the urban youth context.
This workshop will examine the various theological perspectives
concerning Christians and violence. The purpose of the workshop
is for urban youth workers to understand violence in the Scriptures
and how to apply the Biblical concept of shalom to the violence
encountered in the urban context.
1st. “The Origin” Basing reconciliation, discipleship, leadership
development and purpose in the Great Commandment. The Great
Commandment in an urban context teaches us that the most
important thing we will ever know and the most important thing we
will ever do. 2nd. “The Perspective of Truth” Dismantling a millennial
identity crisis by rooting our identity in Christ to impact you, your
community and your culture. 3rd. “Even Jesus Needed a Donkey”
The most effective leaders are those who serve the servants.
Empowering students to do the work of the ministry through a
By Youth and For Youth model. How this movement is a new
Ministry brings great blessings but also great responsibility. There
are added pressures for those in ministry who also have the
responsibilities of marriage and family. Whether you’re in full time
ministry or whether you serve as a volunteer, the stress of trying to
balance home life with ministry life can become complicated and
demanding. In this LAB for both husbands and wives, we’ll examine
some of those challenges, help you discover ways to reconnect,
and recover the joy of both the ministry and marriage commitment.
This session will involve some lecture, some discussion and some
interaction with spouses. You will also have the opportunity to learn
The moment Lucifer fell from heaven the world of the occult was
born. Spiritism, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, Fantasy games--all
are the tools of the occult--created and empowered by Satan and
his demons. Dark forces surround us on every side and we must
be prepared to fight them through the awesome power of Jesus
Christ. But what exactly are the tools of the occult, and how do
they operate? How do we detect, understand, and fight against
them? And perhaps, most important of all, what is the best way to
evangelize those involved with them? This workshop examines the
enemy close up and equips Christians for combat.
This session will cover a general history and root causes of Nation of
Islam, Black Theology and various types of “Black Power” ideologies.
It will give the Christian missionary a good understanding of the
underlying issues and how to best interact not only with African
Americans, but all oppressed people seeking social revolution.
Liberation theology is a school of theology within Christianity,
particularly in the Roman Catholic Church. Liberation theology
focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the
Liberator of the oppressed. This workshop will breakdown an
understanding of the theology and how it has influenced justice to
the poor and oppressed within the history of the church.
Come and gather with other leaders, who want to begin the day with
a time of unplugged worship. No need to take notes, no need to
come and hear a couple new things to do, but just close your eyes
and lift your voice to our King.
Adults promise children that if they stay in school they will be
equipped to succeed in life, but we have failed to make good on that
promise for generations. First graders in fall 2008 will graduate
high school in 2020. Come explore how urban ministries can
transform public education within a single generation of students by
activating congregations and becoming answers to prayer.
Cross cultural ministry; The Gospel sometimes calls us to serve and
work alongside folk who are from different racial and socioeconomic
backgrounds. How do we navigate this calling? What is the impact on
the family? If I’m called to ‘relocate’ to a different community, how will
it affect my life and loved ones? How does a ‘white’ person effectively
serve in a cross-cultural setting without doing more damage than
helping? Come and hear from a 20 year, urban ministry veteran about
his perspective on following the call by crossing boundaries.
Bonus: As an added bonus, come and hear Samuel Liotti - a 12 year
old who is living and serving alongside his parents in cross cultural
It works in Orange County and suburban USA, but can it really work
in my hood? In this session we’ll break down what PD really is as
we look at the five New Testament principles of the early church.
You’ll also hear some of the story of Crossover Church in Tampa
and how they have exploded in growth the past five years as they’ve
implemented this Biblical structure.
This is the title of the most recent book that Thomas Nelson is
publishing for author Jeffrey De Leon. This workshop will take a look
at one of the biggest challenges we face in youth ministry as we try
to help young people to make right choices when they don’t care
about the consequences anymore. What are we to do if the values,
the principles and the consequences are not enough to motivate our
kids to do the right thing?
It used to be that girls would bully another girl by ignoring her or
writing names on her locker. Now, girls are using technology to
spread rumors via texting or FaceBook. Or they’re setting a
girl up and showing the fight on YouTube. We’ll look at the
characteristics of relational and physical aggression, how it’s
morphing and how to deal with it in your youth ministry.
In ever growing numbers today, people are fascinated by the
kingdom of the occult. Wicca’s spells and magic circles, Witchcraft’s
charms and altars, the gods and goddesses of the pagan world--all
draw their power from Satan and the doctrine of the demons (1
Timothy 4:1), and it is a power aimed directly at our youth. The good
news is we have already won through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ our Lord! The workshop will explore the world of the occult
and provide powerful weapons against an ancient enemy.
The claims of faith are now common to both major candidates in the
two political parties. We will try to study the teachings of Jesus and
the major platforms of the leading candidates to try and have a more
authentic gospel point of view. Would Jesus vote in 2008? Maybe
not, since he would probably be undocumented.
You have just taken over a youth ministry or need a fresh start and
may be asking questions like, Where do I begin? What is most
essential? How do I connect with new kids? This seminar will give
you a step by step process for mapping out your first two years. You
will: -Gain a blueprint for building your life and ministry -Learn the
“how to’s” of relational youth ministry -Engage core values for shaping
a ministry that fits your urban context.
If the only tool in my tool box is a hammer, then everything looks
like a nail! A comprehensive Youth Ministry requires a multi-faceted
approach that reaches into many areas of the community to produce
healthy, balanced youth. Come evaluate your tool collection and
determine how to connect with other “contractors” to best develop a
well rounded young person.
Our addiction to money and consumption not only affects our
spiritual lives, but it also fuels the exploitation of people and the
planet. What does our purchases have to do with following Christ
and bringing the good news of Kingdom of God to the world? How
can we leave a radical legacy of simplicity in an age of greed,
consumption and waste? Come to be challenged on why we must
stand against the current culture for our own spiritual health and for
the creation of a more just and sustainable world.
When a youth tells you they are dealing with same-sex attraction
and then asks you: “Do you think that my thoughts and feelings are
a sin? What if I do not act out on them? What if I do because I feel
like I am gay? Was I born this way? I believe I was born different
and I don’t want to change. The Bible says I’m an abomination and I
should be put to death. Why?” These are serious questions and can
effect the rest of a person’s life. This workshop will go through each
of those questions in how to productively answer them so as to
build a bridge for eternity.
Are you really called to Street Ministry? We will be exploring
people in the bible that had specific calls to there life. This
discussion will help you figure out if you where called to minister
in the STREETS!
In this workshop you will learn the practical steps necessary to
developing a recording studio as well as explore the additional
opportunities that this creates for your ministry. You will walk
away with tools to get this project underway. We will look at things
like reaching un-churched youth who still want to do music from a
secular perspective and how to disciple them using the studio as an
open door into their lives. We will also explore further outreach and
money making opportunities to fuel your ministry.
When we look at the needs of our kids and cities, and we look at
God’s heart for righting wrongs with His mercy and grace, it’s pretty
clear that justice is on the top of God’s agenda for our ministries.
In this forum, you’ll have a chance to dialogue with several of the
writers and thinkers behind the highly acclaimed 2008 book, Deep
Justice in a Broken World, about how you and your ministry can
be even more involved in righting wrongs around you. From deep
theological issues to practical daily struggles, we’ll wrestle together
with tough questions until we pin down some answers that you can
use in your ministries back home.
This workshop first takes the listener through the broader mindset
of those within the GLBT community and their thought processes
towards God and Christianity. We will then work our way through
The Marin Foundation’s unique theory, practice and application on
how to effectively build a bridge from an evangelical perspective
with someone in the GLBT community.
Language, bi-culturalism, race and generational differences are
just a few of the challenges Latino youth face in living productive
and Godly lives in a hostile America. This seminar will define what
it means to be “Latino Enough” in the United States so that young
Latinos can live out God’s purposes in their lives without anxiety,
fear or shame.
Learn how to bring more excitement to the design of your children’s
service while meeting the needs of the children around you, whether
out in your community or within the four walls of your church.
Does it feel like you are doing all the work? This session will look at
several strategies to identify the talents of community members and
engage them in developing a vision plan for the after school center.
Have you been wondering what this whole Hip Hop thing is really all
about? Do you feel that this Hip Hop thing is just too dang “evil” and
we should just leave it all alone? Well, then this is the class for you!
We will be discussing the historical and cultural attributes of Hip Hop
culture as it relates to ministry and the young people we serve. This
class is for anyone wanting to know a deeper and broader historical
perspective on Hip Hop and go beyond the saggin pants, long
necklaces, Escalades, confusing lyrics, and the “Bitch-Ho” industry
that has dominated the appearance of Hip Hop in this country. We
will be discussing the last 25 years of Hip Hop and discover its deep
Historically, East LA has been a shining example of the challenges
and opportunities that take place in the Mexican-American
community. Taking its starting point from the well-known movie
Stand & Deliver, based upon the experiences of Garfield High
School teacher Jaime Escalante, this workshop will address what
the current state of affairs is in education. A discussion will also take
place which will provide strategies and hope for future.
This workshop will help you to learn how to first, utilize their youth’s
talents and motivate them to take their creativity from their minds to
the stage. We will learn practical steps in
scriptwriting, and the presentation of the piece.
Learn the theological backdrop of Christ’s ability to transform Hip
Hop culture and teach your young people how to raise the ethic in
their music culture. In today’s world Hip Hop, Goth, Rock, and other
forms of popular education dominate the thinking and subsequent
behavior of our youth. More often than not the church’s response
to this is to demonize popular culture and ridicule youth that
choose to participate in popular culture, failing to see the wonderful
evangelistic opportunities that our youth are placed in. The Hip Hop
culture/community specifically, lacks an ethic. This session will deal
with H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic model of “Christ Transforming
What is going on with this culture? What are some of the biggest
challenges we are facing and will continue to face as we try to
communicate Christ in a Post Modern Culture? Can we come
up with a few good ideas to help us communicate Christ in our
culture? This workshop will challenge us to reflect on the challenges
we face as youth pastors. We will also look at some
practical issues that will help us right away.
As communicators of truth, one of our
greatest tasks is to make the Bible come
alive & relevant to teens. Discover how to
share the Word of God in exciting new
ways. Learn new Scriptures and recall
scripture previously memorized. Become
skilled at training students to think,
speak, and act from a Scriptural basis.
Are you feeling burned out or frustrated with
the kids you’re trying to reach? If so, join us
for this interactive workshop where we will
be discovering and practicing some very
concrete ways to provide consistent and
safe boundaries for children and teens.
Should we have rappers on the worship team?
Should we start a hip-hop academy? Do I have
what it takes to witness to hip-hop heads? This
elective will provide timeless principles for
questions like these as well as prepare you
to actively engage in the dynamic world of hip-hop
culture.
This elective will address violence, gangs,
academic failure and other hardcore
destructive behaviors that tear families apart.
You will also be trained to effectively assist
parents in changing this destructive adolescent
behavior.
Part I - Mentoring Program Delivery for
the Most At-Risk Youth
Part 2 - Best Practice Program Principles
for Working with Adjudicated Youth, Teen
Moms and Stay-in-School Programs.
Part 3 -. Program Evaluation: How to
Measure Your Program Effectiveness
Come and explore the parables of Christ to
learn practical things to live out in your
community. Jesus’ stories are as relevant
today as they were in the early days of the
church. You may be amazed at how your
ministry could change as you apply Jesus’
stories to your daily ministry.
Jesus answers this question in part through
teaching through parables. Why would we
celebrate a mustard seed? Why would we pay
people who show up late for work the same
as those who have been working all day?
Let’s imagine how Jesus’ teaching through
parables shape the way we see and do our ministry.
This elective will look at the top 13 reasons why
youth join gangs and the necessary approach any
caring adult can adapt to effectively prevent or
Intervene in a youth’s gang membership.
How do you instill hope and vision for a positive future?
How do we equip our high risk youth towards a
positive future? Is our methodology for ministry able
to withstand the difficulties our young people
experience everyday? How do we show that Christ
is in their midst and with Him they dan withstand
all of the enemies arrows?
Becoming the right person and recruiting the
right people are the keys to being successful as
you start a youth ministry. Come and learn about these
ministry essentials from over 20 years of ministry
experience in youth ministry.
So many young people lack vision for God’s
purpose in their lives. Why? Because all they
see is what they see around them. Learn how
your ministry can help young people see the
possibilities and take steps toward higher education.
lf you are new to social justice, but want
some initial steps to practicing it in your
community, this is the elective for you.
Social justice is more than doing a service
project, but about creating solutions. Come
and learn how to analyze your community
for the purpose of beginning to practice
social justice in your ministry.
Do you wanna know why a certain approach to
Praise and Worship works or doesn’t work
in your services? This elective will introduce the
basic ‘do’s and don’ts’ of worship, particularly for
an urban setting. You will learn what attitudes help
and hinder the flow of worship.
How can the church empower parents to
raise godly kids? What can we provide
to help families that are unraveling at the
seams? What hope is there for dysfunctional
homes and disillusioned heads of
households? This workshop underscores the
importance of ministering to youth beginning
with … their parents.
Currently Hip Hop Culture is an international
influence on youth. Hidden inside the art
form of rap are the teachings of “Nation of
Islam” and “5 Percent” theology. What are
their core beliefs in light of Christianity? Why
did they originate in the American context?
How do we engage this culture as urban
missionaries? Pastor Jack Hakimian will be
exploring these questions in this workshop.
Corporate profiteers produce and market
media for a target youth audience they
call mooks and midriffs -- caricatures that
exploit adolescent insecurities and hormones
-- a strategy described as “grabbing below
the belt and reaching for their wallets”.
The result: average teens now consume
digital media for 72 hours each week and
increasingly digest media online in what the
New York Times calls, “Websites Without
Rules.” This workshop will equip you to
respond to this reality.
There is no doubt that if you are in ministry,
organizing your time and programs while
building a team becomes more challenging
each week. What if you had a model to
help you focus your efforts and even help
you evaluate your ministry’s effectiveness?
This workshop will help you organize your
ministry so that your activities are aligned for
Kingdom impact.
What is in your leadership toolbox? What are the micro-skills that
Next Generation Urban Leaders need? This learnshop will clarify
the core competencies that will distinguish effective city-changing
leaders from the rest of the pack.
Many youth groups are “stuck-in-a-rut” of doing the same basic
youth ministry format week after week. This workshop will help you
develop an innovative, creative approach to youth ministry that will
help to excite your kids so they will look forward to attending youth
group every week.
Do you want to know why a certain approach to Praise and Worship
works or doesn’t work in your services? This workshop will introduce
the basic “do’s and don’ts” of worship, particularly for an urban
setting. You will learn what attitudes help or hinder the flow of
worship, as well as how to engage the congregation.
When your computer is running slow it is usually due to file
misallocations. Therefore, you run the systems defragmentation
program so that the files that have been scattered can be relocated
and put back into order for maximum efficiency. Youth and children’s
Workers must also go through this process when energy has been
zapped, and focus has become cloudy. This seminar is designed to
refresh your thinking and to help you regain a new perspective of
yourself and ministry.
The gifts, grace and yes, the disappointments of being a single
female in ministry are real for so many of us. We play the role of
daughter, aunt, sister, pastor, leader, mentor and sometimes mom.
You are invited to join a conversation with other women about the
following questions in being a single in ministry:
• Where do I find support when I am busy caring for everyone else?
• Is this really what my life is going to be about?
If you are in the frontlines of youth ministry and face the challenges
of mentoring, discipling and leading youth in the midst of a sexually
indulged culture, then this workshop will address the concerns
we have in leading our youth through the process of purity. This
workshop will address building healthy friendships, dating/courting,
abstinence and relationship warning signs.
Come to a place where you will love the word discipline. If you
personally need more of God in your ministry or if you want to see
your ministry team do more than clean up after events then do
your self a favor and explore the spiritual disciplines that still impact
lives in the 21st century.
“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city…pray to the Lord for
it, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jeremiah 29:7) This
workshop explores and examines how God leads His people to
focus their hearts on the welfare of their city and its transformation.
Deepen your understanding of Biblical principles for transformation,
develop a Kingdom Perspective for your city and discover some
practical next steps that can be immediately applied to your
personal context.
This workshop will highlight first amendment rights as well as rights
of Christians on Public school campuses. We will look at state
standards and curriculum frameworks that empower Christians
educators and students. You can do much more than you have been
led to believe. This workshop will help you to live out your faith in
legal and appropriate ways.
Did you know that we sin against God when we abuse the
environment? Rarely do we think of caring for nature as a sacred act
of loving God. Yet scripture extols our responsibility as caretakers of
God’s creation. Learn how we as Christians can honor God’s gift, in
our personal life and ministry, through daily actions of stewardship
that sustain and protect the integrity of all life.
Men who are called to develop leaders often are challenged with
how to mentor and empower the women they work with in ministry.
In this practical seminar, we’ll discuss issues such as power
dynamics, appropriate physical and emotional boundaries, and
mutual respect.
85% of all of children in the inner city come from single parent
households. Many of these women were merely teenagers when
they gave birth to their first child. By the time they reach their midtwenties
it is not uncommon to witness this same Mom with several
children and multiple fathers, who statistically are minimally involved
in family life. Children are often bounced through relatives, day care
and friends merely for the family unit to survive. As urban workers
we are not the Savior, healer or bondage breaker, only Christ is.
Yet, relationship is a very powerful mechanism for change. This
workshop shows how to reach out and minister to the whole family,
children AND their parents.
Does it seem like you’re always in need of volunteers and you just
can’t seem to find them? Does it seem like the most you can hope
for is that your youth just don’t get in trouble? In this workshop
you will learn important principles that will help you become more
effective in moving youth from the sidelines to the front lines of
urban youth ministry. You will learn how to engage youth in the
process of building a stronger ministry and healthier communities.
You will develop a list of next steps to make a shift from betterment
to development.
One of the top three Fundraising professionals in Los Angeles as
named by the Association of Fundraising Professionals will lead a
discussion of a multifaceted and effective fundraising strategy for
your organization. Come and learn how to do the same and share
your ideas for fundraising with your peers.
This is the Urban Youth Workers Institute 2007 Friday Afternoon Session. If you are in the frontlines of youth ministry and face the challenges of mentoring, discipling and leading youth in the midst of a sexually indulgent culture, then this workshop will address the concerns we have in leading our youth through the process of purity. This workshop will address building healthy friendships, dating/courting, abstinence and relationship warning signs. (This information is from Urban Youth Workers Institute)
This workshop shares the CLUE-LA original organizing approach, or ‘faith-rooted’ organizing. It enables faith leaders to contribute their unique gifts and resources to collaborative campaigns for economic justice. Participating in campaigns to remove barriers (like the broken immigration system) that keep workers from full voice and inclusion, are discussed.
Sustaining a vibrant ministry in the city requires a balance of loving God and man (Micah 6:8). This workshop focuses on the spiritual life of the urban worker, encouraging a prayerful, passionate walk with the Lord, characterized by holiness, humility and compassion.
Come and learn the basics of Christian Community Development from CCDA’s co-founders. They share the history and principles of our association and its vision to holistically restore communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of transformation.
Imagine a world where families, youth workers and ministries partner with police officers to mentor students, helping them find God’s hope—a world where Christians care for law enforcement as they protect our urban streets (as the Apostle Paul impacted his jailers in Acts 16). This workshop offers ways to pursue reconciliation and collaboration with police, provides understanding to law enforcement, and discusses police chaplaincy.
An increasing number of youth are not coming to church. How do we meet them where they are? What is the true definition of outreach? How do we address wounds that might have been caused by the church? This workshop focuses on creative ways to minister to youth who wouldn’t walk through your church’s front door.
This workshop introduces an approach to transformational development that holds the role of children and youth paramount—both as beneficiaries and as change agents. Community youth development inspires the way a neighborhood and the young people in it are viewed. Youth participants are challenged to take increased responsibility for God’s transformation of their community, working in synergy and solidarity with adults. Interactive.
What is your current job description? How do your ministry responsibilities align with your calling, skills, spiritual gifts and natural talents? This workshop helps participants gain clarity about how they are wired by God and examines how their gifts, passion and team style can be leveraged for maximum Kingdom impact.
This workshop provides snapshots of successful projects that have been implemented to serve communities in need. The range of programs include community development housing projects for the elderly and familystrengthening educational programs.
We can so easily fail if we have the wrong goal in discipling another person. This workshop covers the Biblical foundations we must lay in the life of another as we trust God in discipleship. Participants examine the role of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in disciple-making and answer the question, ‘What is a disciple?’
Good food should be a right, not a luxury. Yet many poor rural and urban communities don’t have access to fresh vegetables or the means to prepare them. This workshop offers two methods for providing access to good food: building a community garden or farm, and linking farmers directly to customers.
Effective ministries that truly advance community shalom set concrete goals and know how to measure, document, and communicate their progress to stakeholders. This workshop offers practical assessment tools, how-to’s on establishing indicators, and information on identifying best practices against which to measure program models.
Union Rescue Mission works to overcome NIMBYism and provide opportunities for homeless people. This workshop offers a video presentation sharing the ministry’s work and provides strategies on how to be a blessing to homeless friends, identify available tools and use local media in meeting opposition.
When the world talks about RR it speaks of minimizing differences and emphasizing similarities. But when Christ calls his church to RR, He has very different goals. Here, diversity should be celebrated and assimilation should be the exception. Unfortunately, the church often pursues a worldly view of RR. This seminar exhorts attendees to look deeply at their own practices of RR, and challenges participants to let the blood of Christ bring unity.
Affordable housing redistributes land and removes it from the speculative market. They are many ways to create affordable housing: Sweat equity (Habitat for Humanity), shared equity (Coops, Community Land Trusts), Adaptive Reuse, CoHousing and much more. Examine 15 models that have been tried and proven by churches across the US. Look at resources for partnerships and explore how to choose the right partners, and learn how to use a tool that can discern what housing models may be the most appropriate for your community.
This interactive workshop is based around a story of relocation from Chicago’s business community to a fastgrowing suburban LA church. Learn from Diane Miller’s experiences as she shares about her move and how it caused her to understand new ways of connecting in our third culture world.
This workshop focuses on both head and heart and examines key principles to understand and apply when building biblical, multi-ethnic community. Beware: These seven Bible-based principles can change your life and your ministry!
When we take an asset-based community development approach to looking at church we discover that what is needed most in our communities is not more congregations, but more unity of mission among Christians. This workshop offers stories of community development in a small city that once held the record for most churches per capita, and provides ideas about fostering unity in the churches of your city.
Many CCD practitioners have amazing stories to tell about God’s provision, transformed lives or a revived urban street. You’ve learned principles, insights and best practices that are important to share with other CCDers in book form, but how do you get a book written? This workshop, co-taught by an experienced book editor and a six-time author, teaches the basics of navigating the changing publishing world. Interactive.
New Song’s vision is to live out kingdom priorities in Sandtown by loving God and loving their neighbors, doing daily works of justice together on behalf of the community. This workshop discusses the origins of this ministry of education in an urban context, and shares how it established a neighborhood-based wholistic school that offers educational justice for its children.
The poor are isolated by more than economics. Inadequacies in transportation, family support, aid agencies, and even the unique poverty culture erect a series of walls that keep the poor, poor. This workshop unpacks the major barriers to individual and community transformation, and looks at one model for tearing down the walls.
Scripture describes godly leaders as people who attend to their families and important relationships, care for their bodies, and live in moderation. Balanced living is seen as both a means to, and a byproduct of, godly living. Effective leaders understand the importance of balance in life. This workshop teaches participants how to identify priorities, examine use of time, and develop personal growth plans.
This workshop helps youth pastors understand the demographic of the students they are trying to reach and the culture of the youth in their city. Participants learn how to be relevant without losing the relevant message of the Gospel, and discuss programming, effective discipleship, the development of student leaders, and more.
As a leader in ministry, how do you juggle being a wife and a mom? Can you do it all? How do you support your husband while functioning in a defined ministry leadership role? How do you let your family know that they come first? This workshop helps women who grapple with attempting to do it all while constantly feeling like it is never enough.
What is gentrification with justice? What does it mean to participate in transforming a distressed neighborhood? And are we asking the right questions? FCS Urban Ministries celebrates 30 years of learning in urban Atlanta. In this workshop, FCS founder Dr. Bob Lupton, along with FCS directors and staffers, share their story. Participants discover how asking questions shapes neighborhood action, and learn how to collaborate, cut costs and join God in the city.
This workshop is an informal discussion time with Shane. He’ll open things up by sharing a few thoughts, but most of the workshop will be Q&A, discussing ideas, plotting goodness, and stirring up holy mischief. Feel free to bring food, especially if it’s chocolate.
Speak out in solidarity with the children, youth, and families impacted by poverty in America. This workshop presents World Vision’s domestic advocacy platform and provides skills and examples for the civic voice and action of community development practitioners. Biblical foundations and principles of advocacy are included. Participants are equipped to subvert the oppressive systems of their community as advocates for change and increased child well-being.
This workshop teaches participants how to mobilize community, faith-based, governmental, social service, and private resources in a collaborative manner to address all areas of life, empowering those in poverty to attain lasting independence.
This workshop identifies poverty as the root cause of prostitution and ‘women trafficking’ in parts of Africa. It offers a wholistic ministry approach that involves reconciliation to God through evangelism, education, economic development, social justice and advocacy. Participants learn how CCD principles are successfully applied in a different culture, and recognize practical cross-cultural partnership opportunities.
God consistently uses the unlikely—the weak, the foolish, the young and the small—to bring down giant enemies. This workshop examines Biblical principles of the small and weak taking on big challenges, and discusses how to apply those principles to issues that might seem overwhelming in community development. Participants look at modern day CCDA heroes who are identifying big issues and courageously and effectively, taking them on in the name of Jesus.
Over eighty percent of children who grow up in the Church will denounce their faith by the second year of college. Youth pastors and teachers have an incredible opportunity to shape the lives of the next generation, “warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). This workshop explores writing lessons that will challenge hearts, producing hunger and obedience to God in a crooked world.
This workshop challenges participants to the biblical
call to act justly, and offers an opportunity to practice
these steps together: naming systems that keep people
poor; listing the stakeholders (those affected); creating
alternatives; working with policy makers; producing a
campaign; and, growing the ‘we.’
