Denver Youth Ministry Symposium
Brought to you by the Department of Youth and Family Ministries at Denver Seminary
"Media and Its Impact on Adolescent Life and Ministry"
with guest speaker Walt Mueller
Register for the symposium (While there is no charge, registrations are required for lunch.)
Today's youth are engaging media in new ways. Because they live in a world where technology is developing at warp speed, today's children and teens are more media-saturated and media-savvy than any prior generation. Researchers report that on average, children ages 8 to 18 spend a total of eight hours and 33 minutes a day exposed to a wide variety of media, including television, movies, books, magazines, video games, computers and music. The amount of time spent in school, at church and in conversation with their parents pales in comparison. Not only that, but more and more kids are using media alone in their rooms. Seven out of 10 have a television, and one of five has a computer. Family viewing time is becoming a thing of the past. As a result, a growing number of kids are processing everything they see and hear void of adult imput. In today's world, media is rising and shaping the kids.
If you want to know and understand more about media and its impact on adolescent life and your ministry as well as gain insight in how to effectively respond, we invite you to join us for the first Denver Youth Ministry Symposium on Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 9am to 3:15pm on Denver Seminary's campus. The symposium is free of charge, and lunch is included. It's a great opportunity to network with other youth ministry leaders and agencies and receive continuing education and encouragement for your work and ministry with youth in the Front Range.
Register for the symposium (While there is no charge, registrations are required for lunch.)
About the Speaker
Walt Mueller is the founder and president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding and has been working with young people and families for 31 years. As a result of his work with CPYU, Walt has become an internationally recognized speaker and author on contemporary youth culture. He has written extensively on youth culture and family issues and is the author of the following books: Opie Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Where Faith, Family, and Culture Collide (Standard Publishing, 2007); Youth Culture 101 (Zondervan, 2007); I Want to Talk With My Teen About Movies, Music & More (Standard Publishing, 2006); Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews to Christian Truth (InterVarsity Press, 2006); and the critically acclaimed Gold Medallion Award winner, Understanding Today's Youth Culture (Tyndale House, 1994). He is also a regular contributor to numerous journals and magazines. Walt and his wife Lisa live in Elizabethtown, PA and have four children.
A Message from Walt:
"For over 30 years I have worked with teenagers and their parents. During that time I have realized there is a widening cultural-generational gap that needs to be closed.
"On one side stand parents and adults, many puzzled and scared by the rapidly changing world of children and teens. One father asked me, 'How will me son ever hear the still small voice of God with all those other voices yelling in his ears?'
"On the other side stand children and teens longing for parents and other significant adults willing and able to help them through the confusing maze of today's youth culture, leading them to an emotionally and spiritually healthy adulthood.
"I'm convinced it's a gap nobody wants. If we take the time to understand and really know kids, then we'll be able to cross into their culture, close the gap, and give them the Biblical answers and positive direction they so desperately need! Today's children and teens will only be a 'lost generation' if we forsake our God-given responsibility to love and lead."
Register for the symposium (While there is no charge, registrations are required for lunch.)
About the Symposium
The Youth Ministry Symposium is a six-hour gathering in which youth workers, paid and volunteer, church and parachurch, come to Denver Seminary's campus to hear one of the top presenters and practitioners in the field. The day is complimentary, including lunch and a morning break. The main purpose is to provide continuing education to help increase your ministry effectiveness. Secondary purposes include the opportunity for sponsors (Denver Seminary, Gordon College and Group Publishing) to thank you for your important work in reaching kids for Christ while helping you build important networks of those with the same Kingdom-purpose and calling.
Register for the symposium (While there is no charge, registrations are required for lunch.)
History
The event has its beginnings in the Northeast in November 2003. Youth ministry professors at Gordon College's Center for Student Leadership (located in Wenham, MA) discovered through discussions with local, veteran youth pastors that there was a great need for appropriate continuing education training. Existing training opportunities were described as either too impersonal, too simplistic or too expensive. The Youth Ministry Symposium was developed to meet the needs and desires of these youth pastors.
What began as a one-time event has grown into an event that is highly attended by youth leaders and pastors in the Northeast. With the success of the events in Massachusetts, discussions about developing a similar symposium in the Front Range area began. Continued discussions have opened the door for Denver Seminary, Gordon College and Group Publishing to join together to share in the planning and expense of the first Denver Youth Ministry Symposium. Past speakers at the Northeast symposium have included Rich Van Pelt, Dave Rahn, Walt Mueller, Christian Smith, Kenda Creasy Dean and Chap Clark. A future symposium on the West Coast is also under consideration.
Register for the symposium (While there is no charge, registrations are required for lunch.)
