PSYM Workshop Descriptions

Reading the Old Testament Through the Eyes of Jesus
Bishop Richard Wilke
We will have a good deal of discussion as it relates to young people and to study of the Scriptures and to appropriate Christian practices.

Leadership Labs: Developing Young People into Transformational Leaders
Hank Hilliard
Preparing youth for meaningful leadership roles is challenging. Too often youth leadership roles revolve around being popular, getting to be the center of attention, or serving in token committee positions with no real responsibility or opportunity to lead. Youth want to lead now and make a difference through leading in meaningful ways. Youth have all the gifts, talents, and abilities to be leaders; however, effective leadership doesn't just happen. It takes training and experience.

Through small group experiences, tasks, and engaging presentations, participants will explore ways to engage and empower youth to to lead. Participants will gain practical tools they can use to equip young people to be transformational leaders within the church walls as well as in their lives and communities.

Leading and Training Your Volunteers
Dara Bell
Youth Directors can’t do it all! We are busier than ever in our local churches. We need solid, sharp volunteers committed to ministry with our young people. We will explore a team model for ministry, what students need from caring adults and what effective leadership looks like. Let’s work together on training our volunteers to do Bible studies, handle discipline issues, raise funds and deal with a plethora of sensitive topics. We will explore what we are up against and strategies for undergirding our valuable volunteer staff.

From the Inside Out: Finding the Balance in the Spiritual & Physical
Becky Jackson
In a ministry that tends to be fueled by soda, pizza and crazy, late schedules, how does the common youth worker find balance in their Spiritual health and Physical Well-being? Finding the balance leads to a longer ministry life, not to mention a youth workers life. Begin your journey on finding the sacred balance – taught by youth ministry veteran and Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach Becky Jackson.

The Next Pentecost: Where the Church, Culture & Spirit Collide
Jarrod Conyers
Obsolete and outdated have become very common words to describe the technology we purchased at Best Buy 6-months to 1-year ago; they are also becoming very common words in our culture today that are sadly ascribed to the Church, where fewer people today seem to find Him. What contemporary trends and historic influences can we identify that lead us to this juncture, and which of them can lead us forward in our Post-Modern Post-Christian HD 3-D 4-G society? Join us as we discuss which movements and ideas can lead us to the next catalyst of Holy revelation and Ecclesiastical change.

Helping Students Discern a Call to Ministry
Julie Peters
This course will give a broad overview of the key components to consider when building a culture of call and raising up young Christian leaders for possible vocational ministry. We will take a look at the MAC (Ministry As a Career) Track model and explore the ways these components might be implemented in various settings.

Secrets & Tips to Making The Web Your Best Ministry Tool
Gavin Richardson
If you are up for saying, "Wow! I never knew I could do that!", then this is the workshop for you. We will be diving into the web and all the different tools and options out there to use it to full advantage for your youth ministry.

A Complaint Free Youth Ministry
Eric McFarland
How to build an atmosphere where youth, parents, and families leave the toxic communication of complaining behind and experience an internal shift toward being more positive, hopeful, and optimistic about their church, community, family, and friends.

Theology is for Everybody: Theological Reflection with Teens
Tonya Burton
This will be a course on how to implement practical and creative strategies for theological reflection with youth.

Helping Youth to Share the Good News
Becky Jackson
We talk about doing it, but do we really empower our students to be the Good News Bearers we say we want them to be? How do we go about truly enabling and freeing our students to spread the gospel? What does that look like within your framework of ministry, church and community? It's time to start talking about it and take home the practical tools to hand your students that will engage them, and enable them to preach, share, and lead others to the Kingdom. Consider this class to be a vital tool in your ministry toolbox.

Raising Up Spiritual Leaders
Brenda Davids
Our youth move out of our youth ministries quickly. How do we help them learn to be spiritual leaders to their peers and adults they are working with? It's important to be forming spiritual leaders as they grow into young adults and adults.

In It To Win It: How to Do the Work of God Without Destroying the Work of God in You
Ben Wheeler
"I'd rather burn out than rust out" is a very common saying among those who do professional ministry. The problem with that is, either way, YOU'RE OUT! We need to develop the tools to stay "In It to Win It." Topics covered in this class will include: Sabbath, Margin, Community, Retreat & Self Care. If you're feeling spiritually empty, emotionally exhausted and on the verge of burning out, this class is for you. If you want to keep from feeling spiritually empty, emotionally exhausted and on the verge of burning out, this class is for you, too!

The Hip-Hop Church
Evelyn Parker
“Lord, holla back” maybe a curious reply for most Christian worshipers during a prayer litany, but it’s a common response for those worshipping in a Hip-Hop Congregation. This class is an exploration of the Hip-Hop Church phenomena. Using interactive processes and the characteristics of biblical interpretation, worship (music & liturgy), preaching, prayer life, teaching ministry, and service, we will examine the nature of the Hip-Hop Church. Participants will gain new insights about the nature of the church as understood in the contemporary setting and the role the church plays in responding to the needs of today’s youth.

What is a Conference and Why Should I Care?
Bill Lawrence
The word "conference" will be a big deal for United Methodists in the year 2012. The General Conference will meet in the spring. Jurisdictional Conferences will meet in the summer. All of the annual conferences will meet in between the others. What are these things? Should people involved in youth ministry care?

Guitar Basics
Eric Michael
Diversify your talents as a youth minister and enable yourself to lead music for your youth group! This class covers the basics of the guitar: chords, strum patterns, and using your capo effectively. Turn yourself into a capable music leader!

Community Building & the Next Step/Playing with the Spirit!
Marcus George 
This class will offer hands-on ideas for building, supporting, and nurturing youth of all ages through play and fellowship exercises. The activities are aimed to spiritually support youth in building trusting relationships with their peers in emotionally safe and challenging ways. We will be active in this class, so dress appropriately for play! 

The Torah: More than Just the First Five Books
Steve Heyduck
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus explained his life and purpose “beginning with Moses.” In 4 sessions this week, we will look at the books of Moses – the first 5 books of the Bible – in a fresh way that will help us see why Jesus started here.

The Life and Work of John Wesley for the Contemporary Church
Billy Abraham
This course will look at the life and work of John Wesley, looking at analogies and disanalogies with our contemporary context and exploring how best to emulate his life and work today.

Surviving to Thriving in Youth Ministry
Gavin Richardson
This is a participatory workshop that will lead you through a process of taking your ministry from that day to day survival mode to a place where you can thrive in ministry.

Interviewing for a Church Job
Eric McFarland
All those long nights of preparing Bible studies, leading retreats, building teams, and sharing Christ's love with students and families has paid off and you are being asked to interview at a new church. Avoid the top 10 interview mistakes that people in youth ministry make and learn how to prayerfully seek what is best for you and the church.

Safe Sanctuaries
Dara Bell
How do we create a safe and welcoming place for our students? Safe Sanctuaries is a practical and necessary expression of a congregation’s commitment to be a safe place where children and youth can experience the abiding love of God and fellowship within the community of faith. Learn how to protect the youth of your community, the volunteers who work with you, and yourself.

Coaching Other Youth Workers to Win
Justin Lefto
After you've been in youth ministry for a while, if you're like me you start to look at other youth workers and long to help to them and their ministries to grow. This course lays the groundwork for you to do that! We will learn how to help others develop their God-given potential so they, and their ministries, can reach their potential.

Fresh Wind, New Fire: Tuning Up & Toning Down Youth Programs
Jarrod Conyers 
Let's think beyond programs, routines, numbers, and the bottom line. Together, let us seek out new ways to provoke your passion, enliven your ministry, and explore new ideas of connecting Christ to the hearts of your kids. This class will engage you in discussions focused on rethinking how we live out and convey the message of the Kingdom of God to reach our churched and non-churched youth.

Paul Was Not a Christian
Walt Marcum
This provocative title from a ground breaking work by Dr. Pamela Eisenbaum in late 2010 will be the springboard for our in depth study of the Apostle Paul. Paul is one of the most important, controversial and misunderstood figures in Christian history. Apostle or apostate? Distorter of the message of Jesus or the one who took Jesus’ authentic message in new directions? Which Paul is the real one? The Lutheran Paul who radically broke with Judaism and its ‘works righteousness’ or the Paul of the New Perspective, a radically Jewish Paul who’s continued to see himself as profoundly Jewish. Modeled like last year’s class on The Historical Jesus, this class will use the latest in scholarly research to explore one of the most fascinating and important figures of our faith. We will be working with both the letters of Paul and the book of Acts as well as the insights of contemporary scholars.

Experiences or Memory Makers
Marcus George
This class will offer insight into the relationship and differences between experiences and memory makers for our youth, parents and God’s church for today so they will nurture tomorrow’s transformation within the kingdom. The class will be referencing the book “Memory Makers” by Doug Fields & Duffy Robbins. “Memories are the milestones by which we mark our journey with God.”

Four Ways to Effectively Counsel with Youth
Terry Parsons
This class is exactly what you need to provide you with proven counseling models to help you address those crucial personal, relational and spiritual issues with those in your care. We will focus on topics such as identity, decision making, relationships and family issues in the context of counseling and spiritual growth.