As part of his work as the Director of Youth Pastor Theologian, Mike McGarry is happy to talk with you about speaking at an upcoming retreat, conference, or church-based session. If he’s not available or well-suited for what you’re seeking, he’s happy to help you identify someone else affiliated with YPT who may be able to speak for your event.

Note: Mike’s availability is currently limited due to writing priorities, please inquire with at least four months prior to the engagement for planning purposes.

Most Popular Workshops

• Understanding GenZ. What are the three pillars of Gen’z religious worldview and how can parents, youth workers, and Christian students respond? We won’t get lost in the weeds of statistics but instead will dig into tolerance, safe-zones, and cancel-culture. 

• Gospel Onramps. Evangelism can be intimidating for teenagers… and for adults! This workshop will help students and leaders develop a better understanding of the gospel, which will give them the confidence to guide conversations to the gospel without all the awkwardness. 

For Students

• Evidence That Jesus Actually Rose from the Dead. If Jesus didn’t physically rise from the grave then our sin has not been forgiven. That’s a big deal! How can we have confidence that Jesus literally rose from the grave? 

• How to Evaluate Culture Through Gospel Eyes. Should we just delete Netflix and throw away our phones, or are there questions we can use to think with discernment about what we watch and listen to?

• How Can I Study (and Understand) the Bible? Most Christians know they should read the Bible, but we don’t always know how to do that. This workshop will give you some basic tools and methods to get begin a Bible reading habit. 

For Leaders

• Rethinking Fun and Games. Fun and games aren’t the enemy, but they can easily become the most important part of youth group. How can youth workers rethink them as a discipleship tool and keep them in their place, instead of allowing them to eclipse the Great Commission?

• Building a Strong Leadership Team. What does it take to be an effective volunteer and how can youth pastors recruit and develop their team of leaders? 

• Youth Ministry as a Bridge Between the Church & Home. What is youth ministry and why is it essential for youth workers to view themselves as the church’s expression of partnering with parents in ministry to teenagers?

• What is Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry? Everyone talks about being gospel-centered, but there’s a lot of fuzziness about what that actually looks like. This workshop will help you develop a vision for what it means to build your entire ministry (not just your evangelism) around the gospel. 

• The Role the Theology in Youth Ministry. Youth pastors aren’t theology professors in the youth room. And yet, youth ministry is theological ministry. How can youth workers teach theologically with confidence? 

• Biblical Essentials for Youth Ministry. Is youth ministry even biblical? It may sound like a ridiculous or inflammatory question - but it’s an important one. What are some core commitments youth ministers must keep in order to lead a biblical youth ministry?

• Expository Preaching in Youth Ministry. What is expository preaching and what are some practical lessons (mostly learned the hard way) about how to practice expository preaching/teaching to teenagers?

If there’s another topic or theme for your retreat or conference, please include that in your email request.

Speaker Fees

Mike is able to speak at events like yours because of his work through Youth Pastor Theologian. Accordingly, speaker fees are paid to YPT directly, not to Mike. We are happy to negotiate a fair fee with you, depending on your budget and the size, type, and duration of the engagement. As you evaluate what you can contribute, please remember that YPT is a donor-funded ministry and is Mike’s full-time work. 

Here are some general requests for hosting Mike

• Hosts are asked to pay travel and lodging expenses. 

• It is appreciated if you can pay a food stipend, but this is an added blessing. 

• Mike would like to have a table with information about Youth Pastor Theologian at the church or conference. This is an opportunity to display materials for people interested in learning more about how they can support theological depth in youth ministry through YPT.