Live from NYWC!

Howdy all – as I type this I’m sitting on the floor in one of the many “throughways” of the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. I’m here for the National Youth Workers’ Convention, an annual gathering of youth ministry folks put together by Youth Specialties. This is my second time here – I’m not sure that makes me a veteran, but I’m going with it anyway. So, let’s catch up on what’s happened so far.

After waking up to the Atlanta sunrise, thereby bypassing my alarm clock, I headed out for the several-block trek to the GWCC. I found some much-needed Starbucks (I was tired, and it was 38 degrees…), and proceeded to check-in. Once I was registered, I headed for my first lab (the YS term for “workshop”), which was titled, “How to Find, Equip, Retain, and Occasionally Dismiss Adult Volunteers,” given by youth ministry guru Les Christie. I’ve used a lot of Les’s books in my ministry, specifically resources on games for groups, so I was eager to hear him speak about this topic, on which I didn’t know he was an authority.

I know it’s too early to call it, but this may end up being my favorite lab of the weekend. Les really caused me to stretch my thinking and expand my horizons when thinking about what makes a good volunteer. I’ve always had a desire to connect other adults to our youth ministry, but have yet to successfully “connect the dots” to make that happen. Christie gave some practical methods to find volunteers, and exposed many of the reasons people shy away from volunteer leadership. I’ll certainly take a lot of this back with me.

After a bit of time with the folks from PYWA and The Thoughtful Christian, it was time for our large group session, affectionately referred to as “Big Room.” There are 7 Big Room meetings in total this weekend, but this initial one I had been looking forward to for literally months. The reason for this was that I’ve been a huge fan of the speaker for years – the pastor and founder of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA, Andy Stanley.

Let me tell you, I wasn’t disappointed. After some intense worship, and a brief introduction to the convention, Andy took the stage. The theme of the convention this year is “TIME.” Andy’s talk was centered around the idea that in times of uncertainty, leaders must possess clarity and flexibility. I could go on forever about the impact this had on me specifically, but I’ll save that for another blog, perhaps.

At the end of Big Room 1, Mark Matlock from YS came out, with the CEO of Zondervan and a semi-unknown volunteer youth worker whose name escapes me. I do know that he mentioned that he founded YouthWorks, which is, as he described, an organization to give youth workers the things they need to do youth ministry – pretty broad statement there… As there have been major changes in the leadership of YS (Mark Oestricher, President was recently released, as was YS Events coordinator Tic Long), these three talked briefly about changes for the future as it pertains to YS Events and the structure of the organization as a whole. Overall, sparing the details, Zondervan and YS are seeking to continue to empower youth workers to lead teenagers into the world with the strength of Christ. I don’t think we can argue with that.

My next lab is coming up in about 30 minutes, and it’s called “Being a Theological Leader: A Practical Theology of Love, Engagement, and Vision.” It’s being led by one of my favorite workshop leaders of all time, Chap Clark.

More from the NYWC later!