Rooted hopes to take another step closer to the ultimate youth ministry conference experience with our 2015 gathering in Chicago on October 22-24. Rooted is a ministry driven by practicing youth ministers. Consequently, we know the struggles and needs of the everyday youth minister, fighting the good fight in the trenches. Here is what we think are the essential ingredients for a youth ministry conference that leaves you encouraged, educated, and equipped.
1.) Intimate connections and encouraging conversations
Is there a lonelier job than that of a youth minister? The most frequent accolade our attendees offer Rooted is that we provide the most intimate conference they ever have attended. The design of the conference aims to maximize opportunities for meaningful conversations and relationship building. We eat meals together, organize dinner groups, and have conversation groups and micro-panels, all designed to maximize relational engagement. Rooted is a youth ministry conference where people learn from and feel understood by youth ministry leaders from all over North America.
When you go to a youth ministry conference, you want to hear from people with expertise and authority. The Rooted 2015 youth ministry conference will feature one of our best line ups ever. The lineup includes Dr. Don Carson, one of the premier New Testament scholars in the world; Mark Senter, the leading expert on the history of youth ministry; Scotty Smith, one of the great pastoral preachers in the church today; Mary Willson, one of the best, young Bible teachers in America; David Plant, the founding youth director and preaching staff member at Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, and another dozen leading voices in the field of youth ministry.
3.) Teaching from scripture and proclamation of the Gospel
Rooted has found that most youth pastors are less interested in what a person thinks and more interested in what God’s word says. Rooted offers a youth ministry conference grounded in exegetical teaching from scripture. More and more, Rooted wants to further its reputation as the conference where the message of the Gospel reigns supreme, aiming to be most known for reminding youth pastors of the deep, unconditional love that God has for them through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
4.) A theme that connects the Gospel to the context of your teenagers
This generation of students lives at the tip of the spear, as the first group of people to have fully lived in the technological world of smart devices and social media. Parents and youth ministry leaders alike wonder how to address the virtual existence of teenagers. At Rooted 2015, we will explore the many applications of the incarnation of Christ in the lives of teenagers and the world of youth ministry.
5.) A genuine effort to care for your heart, leaving you spiritually and emotionally renewed
Most youth pastors enter ministry conferences burned out. With Rooted, we hope that God will use the musical worship, the intimate community, the scriptural teaching, and the Gospel proclamation to encourage and restore your soul.
6.) Practical instruction that helps you gain greater skill and more confidence in your vocation
Every youth pastor wants to grow in their vocation during their time at a youth ministry conference. At Rooted 2015, attendees will have the opportunity to learn from leading practitioners in youth ministry about excellence in Bible teaching, partnering with families, integrating students into the church, nurturing relationships with students, leading worship, and addressing contextual matters, like sexuality.
Join us for Rooted 2015!
