Thoughts on the RADICALIS Youth Ministry Conference: Day #1
Today at Saddleback Church we began our annual RADICALIS (radicalis literally means “from the root”) conference for those working in ministry who want to learn about how to build healthy/biblical ministries and churches around the world. RADICALIS is really 15 conferences in one, including Saddleback’s Purpose Driven Youth Ministry conference, which is where I spent the majority of my day today.
This afternoon our student ministries staff hosted our first two sessions on “What is Purpose Driven Youth Ministry?” and “The In’s & Out’s of Weekend Programming”. While the content in the sessions was great, my favorite part of the day was simply connecting with other youth workers from around the world. It was awesome to get the chance to sit down with youth pastors and here their stories, to hear their excitement and concerns, their successes and frustrations. It was great to hear how youth ministries are thriving in places like Miramar, Florida and rainy Washington. I got to chat with youth workers from the netherlands and hear how God has been moving in students lives in that part of the world.
I guess the thought that stuck out to me the most on day #1 of the conference is this: YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you are a youth worker and you are reading this right now, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you are hurting and burned out, frustrated and confused, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you are looking for new ideas to bring a fresh perspective in your youth ministry, there are other youth workers out there who are ready and willing to share their stories/ideas with you! Other youth workers around the world NEED to hear your stories. We are all in this together! :D
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Pax,
Rob
