YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY
CAN ONLY GROW
AS DEEP AS YOUR
VOLUNTEERS
Are you training them to teach the Bible…
or hoping they’ll figure it out?
TWO WORKSHOP OPTIONS
HALF DAY
9:00AM-12:30PM
FULL DAY
9:00AM-4:00PM
Led by Mike McGarry & John Gardner
Half or full-day, at break-even cost
Do you wish that you and your volunteer leaders were better equipped to:
Understand the Bible’s role in discipleship
Intentionally plan what to teach at youth group
Move from studying the biblical text to a simple teaching outline
Communicate so that teenagers will hear and understand God’s Word
Participant Testimony:
“I attended YPT’s Teaching Workshop as a brand new youth pastor, and it has completely changed my ministry! I learned how to teach God’s Word to teens in a way that has made them want to engage with it outside of youth group, and that has been the biggest factor in helping our teens become disciples of Jesus. Since I’ve implemented what I learned in the workshop, 12 students have come to saving faith in our youth group, many have recommitted their lives to Jesus, and 40 students have committed to serving Jesus somewhere in the church. Evangelism has skyrocketed amongst the students, which has helped us reach 100 students at our youth group for the first time. The Bible says that God’s Word will never return void, and I’m so thankful to Mike and John for running the YPT teaching workshop and to the Fellowship Church for hosting it in my area!”
Jack, Youth Pastor in Connecticut
Participant Testimony:
“Mike and John are awesome at what they do! Their experience and content are all filtered and grounded in Scripture. Every single part of the workshop can (and should) be integrated into youth ministries across the country for the sake of making Christ's name known among the next generation and for generations to come. Thank y'all a ton!
Boone, Youth Pastor in South Carolina
Teach with depth and clarity.
You don’t have to choose.
YPT’s Teaching Workshop is a half-day or full-day training that your church can host for your team and for the youth ministries in your area. Led by Mike McGarry and John Gardner, you and your team will receive:
1.
PLANNING YOUR TEACHING CALENDAR
Many youth ministries focus on teaching doctrine, or Christian living, or spiritual formation. We will help you develop a long-range teaching strategy that incorporates all of those components as you make disciples.
2.
HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
We will teach you time-tested methods for developing effective lesson outlines that clearly flow from the biblical text to the head, heart, and hands of your teens.
3.
HOW TO TEACH THE BIBLE
This workshop will sharpen your communication skills so you can deliver theologically sound and biblically focused lessons to teenagers with clarity and depth.
The YPT Teaching Workshop will strengthen your whole team to have a unified vision for teaching the Bible to youth. So whether or not you’re the lead teacher of a large youth ministry or a volunteer small group leader or Sunday school teacher for a handful of teenagers, this day will train you to study and communicate God’s Word to teenagers with clarity and confidence.
What’s it cost to host?
We keep hosting fees low by offering every workshop at break-even cost: $2,000. If your church can afford to pay more, that makes it possible for us to serve churches with tighter budgets. The best way to host is together. Invite other churches in your area to co-host and share the expense. If four churches partner, each contributes $500 to train their volunteers together.
Want to host, or simply want more info? Click the button above and complete the short Google form.
FAQ’s
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Every youth leader is called to lead students to know, love, and obey Jesus Christ. We do that through the Word of God.
So… you should bring every youth leader who you want to confidently teach the Scriptures with depth and clarity.
Even though they may not be the ones who write the lessons, volunteers are usually the ones leading small groups and talking with students after the message. Let’s equip them to know how to navigate those conversations well.
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Most workshops are free to attend, since the host is covering the hosting fees. We ask all attendees to register online.
If you are able and willing to donate then you’ll be among those who make this workshop possible for others, too.
Visit YPT’s Give page to support this ministry.
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Hopefully, you’re encouraging your leaders to prepare… rather than enabling them to simply read the curriculum five minutes before students arrive, and then teach it.
Training your volunteers to know how to study the Bible will equip them to prepare their curriculum-led discussions better. We’ll also help them with their delivery and engagement during the lesson.
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Obviously, the half-day and full-day workshops have different schedules. But in general, there are three parts to each workshop:
How to decide what to teach
How to study the Bible
How to teach the Bible
Half-day workshop will move quicker through the training; and full-day workshops will allow for more discussion, table discussions, and Q&A.
The full-day workshop is a long day, but we keep it engaging and make it worth your sacrifice.
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There are a few reasons:
Are you and your volunteers on the same page about the priority of Bible-teaching in your ministry?
Your ministry can only go as deep as your volunteers. I’m confident they love the Lord and love your students… but chances are good they’ve never received any training in Bible study methods or teaching strategies.
Full-time youth pastors are typically the only ones who have budget and time for conferences. Bi-vocational and volunteers simply don’t, but they want and need training too. Let’s provide it!
It’s a great way to build a movement in your community of youth ministries who have renewed their commitment to teach the Bible to youth. Now that you’ve attended the YPT Workshop together, you have a common language and shared experience.
Meet the Team
Rev. Dr. John Gardner
John is the Pastor of Youth Ministries at Grace Church in Longmont, CO. He has served in youth ministry since 2009 and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from SBTS with an emphasis in Expository Preaching to Youth.
Rev. Dr. Mike McGarry
Mike is the Founder/Director of YPT and served as an ordained youth pastor for nearly twenty years in Massachusetts. He earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from GCTS with an emphasis in Ministry to Emerging Generations and has published multiple youth ministry books.
BRING THE WORKSHOP TO YOUR AREA
How hosting works
Apply
Fill out the short form. We’ll follow up to find a date and choose a half-day or full-day workshop.
1.
Invite your area
Invite other churches in your denomination and community. Co-hosting shares the cost and builds a common approach to teaching the Bible.
2.
Apply
You provide a room with tables, a mic and screen (HDMI), and a coffee and snack station. For full-day workshops, a simple lunch.
3.
Since we serve at break-even cost, we also ask to share briefly about YPT at your church the Sunday after the workshop.