Skip to main content

2021 Youth Ministry Network

  • Image
    Youth Ministry
Equipping leaders who are seeking to influence the next generation of believers

Sometimes youth ministry is viewed as a non-essential “add on,” a place to serve when one is too young to do anything else or too experienced to move into “real ministry.”  However, the data would tell us that just the opposite should be true.  Ninety percent of believers put their trust in Christ before their 21st birthday.  Strong youth ministry is essential if we want to reach Europe again for Christ.

A high percentage of Christian workers receive their call into ministry while they are still young.  Young people are more teachable, more easily motivated and mobilised, and still have most of their key life decisions before them.  Teaching them to reach their peers and make disciples can prepare a new generation of leaders for the church.

In spite of this, most youth leaders have no specific training on how to effectively lead their local youth ministry.  Learning a philosophy of ministry based on the life of Christ and drawing from the experiences of others who are effective in a European context can powerfully increase their effectiveness.  Quality preparation can also keep them from becoming discouraged or burned out.

The aim of the Youth Ministry Leaders Network is to lay a strong base in youth ministry philosophy from the life of Christ, as well as teach strategies that are bearing significant fruit in a European context.  The participant will walk away with a deeper understanding of what makes a disciple-making youth ministry, as well as have specific tools that can be immediately applied to their setting.  

This year's programme will include lecture options for the whole group and 4 small cohort sessions divided by ministry stage.  The small cohorts will use "Walk 2/6”, a special course designed to equip youth leaders to build disciple making youth ministries following the model of Jesus.  Participants from previous years are encouraged to return and choose a different ministry stage as well as different seminars to keep deepening their youth ministry skills. 

Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.

Applicants should be currently involved in youth ministry and seeking to develop their gifts to better reach and disciple the young generation.

Network Leadership

Terry English is the Director of Learning and Development for Josiah Venture. Prior to moving to the Czech Republic 23 years ago, he also worked with youth and student outreach ministries in the USA, UK, and Norway. In his free time he conducts a large Gospel choir, and enjoys helping other… Read more

Network Speakers

Paul Bowman has 30 years of experience in full-time youth ministry in the local church. He now serves as the national director for Josiah Venture UK. He is committed to training and equipping the next generation of youth leaders, and mobilizing people, prayer and resources for ministry to youth… Read more

Zala Cempre was born and raised in Slovenia. Currently, she lives in the capital, Ljubljana, where she serves as an overseer of children, youth and young adults ministry in her local church. On a national level, she leads a 2-year discipleship program for college students. Until last year, she… Read more

Robert Chestnut is the director of training for Josiah Venture, a youth ministry organization serving Central and Eastern Europe. He studied organizational communications at Cedarville University before moving to the Czech Republic in 2003 where he found a passion for working with young people… Read more

Terry English is the Director of Learning and Development for Josiah Venture. Prior to moving to the Czech Republic 23 years ago, he also worked with youth and student outreach ministries in the USA, UK, and Norway. In his free time he conducts a large Gospel choir, and enjoys helping other… Read more

Jakub Vejmelka has led a youth ministry in his home town for 8 years, and also serves as an elder in the local church. During this time he has been convicted of the strategic importance of equipping and supporting leaders who are called into ministry. He is passionate about creating… Read more

Kristy Williams has 17 years of experience as a full-time missionary in the context of youth ministry and leadership training. She serves primarily in Ukraine, though her love for training leaders takes her to different places across Europe with her missionary organization, Josiah Venture.… Read more

Network Programme

Sunday, 16 May

Since youth culture is a constantly moving target, those who work with young people are often looking for something “new”. What are the latest trends, how do we capture young people’s attention, what will make our programmes attractive and contemporary? While there is nothing wrong with being trendy, the most profound insights about youth ministry are actually very “old”. We forget that Christianity began as a youth movement. Many of Jesus’ disciples were teenagers when he called them. How did his youth group launch a movement that changed the world? If Jesus were to teach us how to lead an effective youth ministry today, what would he say? 

What it takes to start a youth ministry is very different from what it takes to grow one or what is needed to expand its impact after it is healthy. Youth ministries follow certain patterns of development, and require a shift in focus from the leader at each stage. Not understanding these stages can create barriers to growth, since a youth leader will often not naturally concentrate on the right things. Looking at development of Christ’s ministry, how do we understand these stages, and how do we lead our youth group through them?

Monday, 17 May

On Day 2, participants will be divided into five groups depending on the stage each participant is at in the development of his or her ministry. Each group will do a different session of “Walk 2/6”, a special course designed to equip youth leaders to build disciple making youth ministries following the model of Jesus. In these smaller units participants will look deeper into the life of Christ and directly apply what they see to their youth ministry, evaluating their current situation and discovering their next steps. This will happen under the leadership of one of the teaching team, all of whom are experienced youth ministry coaches. Returning participants will be placed in a different track than they were previously in, so they can continue to grow and stretch in their leadership skills.
At the beginning of each track time, there will be a short 10-minute “ted-talk" on a key youth topic that participants can teach in their youth ministry.

On Day 2, participants will be divided into five groups depending on the stage each participant is at in the development of his or her ministry. Each group will do a different session of “Walk 2/6”, a special course designed to equip youth leaders to build disciple making youth ministries following the model of Jesus. In these smaller units participants will look deeper into the life of Christ and directly apply what they see to their youth ministry, evaluating their current situation and discovering their next steps. This will happen under the leadership of one of the teaching team, all of whom are experienced youth ministry coaches. Returning participants will be placed in a different track than they were previously in, so they can continue to grow and stretch in their leadership skills.
At the beginning of each track time, there will be a short 10-minute “ted-talk" on a key youth topic that participants can teach in their youth ministry.

Tuesday, 18 May

COVID has had a big impact on the mental health of young people, which many youth ministry leaders are unequipped to respond to. This session will explore the areas in a young person's life where pastoral care is needed and provide insight on the qualities that we as leaders need to demonstrate if we are to effectively provide pastoral care.

Many ministry teams are feeling burned out by COVID - constantly changing laws and needs of the young people we work with have combined to create a pressure and uncertainty which is impacting not only how we lead our ministries, but our own mental and spiritual health. This session will examine the lessons we can learn from Jesus in how he cared for his people in times of difficulty and uncertainty.

Wednesday, 19 May

In the first session, participants can choose from one of the following moderated breakout discussion and group brainstorms:
- Pastoral care for young people - developing concrete next steps
- Caring for your team - developing concrete next steps
- Using online and social media opportunities in ministry
- Equipping young people to share the gospel with their peers