'YM 13' event to explore youth ministry across generations

“Youth Ministry 2013” (YM 13) — a Jan. 7-8 symposium for all “who are serious about youth ministry” in the Synod — will explore how effective youth ministry “cuts across generational lines,” says the Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer, director of LCMS Youth Ministry with the Office of National Mission, which sponsors such conferences each year.

“It’s a time for learning, professional growth, refreshment and worship,” Dittmer added.

YM 13 will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Irvine, Calif. It is scheduled to begin with lunch on Jan. 7 at 12:30 (Pacific Time) and conclude with a banquet the following evening. 

Keynote presenters for the event will be Dr. Christine Lawton Ross, who directs the Director of Christian Education program at Concordia University, Irvine, and Dr. Holly Catterton Allen, professor of Christian Ministries at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Ark. 

Ross and Allen are co-authors of the book Intergenerational Christian Formation: Bringing the Whole Church Together in Ministry, Community and Worship, scheduled to be published by InterVarsity Press this November. For the conference, they will speak about their research for the volume and insights they present in it — especially as they relate to youth ministry.

“A lot of youth ministry over the last 40 years has separated teens from most of the life of a congregation, [with] youth events, youth rooms, etc.,” Dittmer wrote in an email message to Reporter.

“Ross and Allen make a powerful argument for rediscovering the intergenerational nature of ministry and will place that in [the] context of youth ministry,” Dittmer continued. “How can the very young and very old and everybody in between be connected to spiritual nurturing and mentoring teenagers in the congregation? Their book … will likely become a must read for people committed to building effective congregational youth ministry. We are honored to have them at the symposium.”

Dr. Mark Blanke — director of the Strategic Planning and University Institutes and the Institute for Religious Education at Concordia University, Nebraska, in Seward — is scheduled to present a response to Ross and Allen’s presentation and facilitate discussion about it among those attending the conference. 

An “early-bird practicum” on evangelism/outreach to teenagers is set for the morning of Jan. 7. It will be led by Jonathan Ruehs, director of Spiritual Life at Concordia, Irvine.

The basic YM 13 registration fee is $175, which covers the program, two lunches and the banquet. For those attending the National Association of Directors of Christian Education (NADCE) conference that begins at the same location after YM 13, the youth-conference registration fee is $135.

Housing reservations at the Hyatt Regency are available through Dec. 15 at a rate of $119 (plus tax) per night, based on single or double occupancy. Registrants should ask for the “NADCE 2013” rate.

A brochure about YM 13 that includes a registration form was set for mailing from LCMS Youth Ministry to all Synod congregations by the end of September.

Posted Sept. 19, 2012

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