What a great weekend at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference! Wow. Every year Group/Simply Youth Ministry and the Inside Track Team of youth workers pull off an incredible experience, but this year was by far the best. I’m not sure exactly what made the difference, but others seemed to agree saying things to me like, “Tim, this conference far exceeded all expectations,” and even, “This is my first time here and somehow I already feel like family.”

Maybe it’s just because of the place I’m in with life. Or maybe it’s because the conference is learning more and more how to live out their values of authenticity, Jesus-centeredness, in-depth learning, relationships, and innovation. Maybe it’s a combination of both.

Some highlights for me were:

• Leaving the conference with many more friends than I had when I came.
• Connecting with several first-timers and “showing them the ropes.”
• All the encouraging stories I heard from youth workers about how LISM has blessed them (I’m more fired up for LISM now than I’ve ever been!).
• Hearing youth workers give so much great advice to teenagers in videos for future Youth Questions episodes.
• The launch of my fourth book, published by Group/Simply Youth Ministry (more about that coming on Friday).
• Hearing the story of how The Skit Guys totally punk’d my wife and Jon Acuff while they were talking.
• The opportunity to encourage, serve, and train other youth workers the best way I know how in workshops and peer panels.
• Being challenged by each of the general session speakers, especially the new “lesser known” Air Time speakers. I loved Air Time!
• Watching my wife thrive in ministering to the “Married To A Youth Pastor Connect Group” she co-led.

The whole conference was just a very encouraging, motivating, and refreshing time. I love hanging out with so many youth workers and everything they work for.

As many of you know, my wife and I love making little family vlogs on our YouTube channel. We didn’t have time at the conference to shoot a vlog throughout each day, but we do have a few vlogs from the conference, which you can watch here if you’d like to see a little of the conference from our perspective:

• Traveling to the conference
• Sunday at SYMC
• Monday at SYMC and traveling home

If you’d like to subscribe to our family YouTube channel for future vlogs, you can do so here.

QUESTION: If you were at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference last weekend, what were the highlights for you?

Posted on March 7, 2012