Online conversations equip congregations to nurture young adults

Funded by the Texas Methodist Foundation and produced in coordination with Perkins School of Theology Office of External Programs, a series of online learning conversations will give participants practical tools to serve teen and young adult Christians. Free for participants, these live conversations are perfect for laypeople, youth workers, and clergy who want to gain additional tools for ministering to teens and young adults in their congregations.

Five webinars are scheduled for this spring on Jan. 20, Feb. 10, Mar. 3, Mar. 24, and Apr. 7. Each of the live Zoom sessions are scheduled for noon on a Thursday and will last one hour. There is no fee to register, and registration is open to everyone. Register at www.timothycircle.com/live-learning.

The series will feature short, practical teaching videos from ministry experts and will include the opportunity for participants to engage in small group discussions with one another.  Because of the live nature of these conversations, these sessions will not be recorded, and those interested in participating should register and attend each conversation on the day it is hosted.

This online conversation series is hosted by the Timothy Circle, a ministry of the Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College.

“Our goal with these learning conversations is to give laypeople additional ideas and understanding to use in their churches to better support 14-24 year old Christians. We want every church setting to be as conducive as possible to young people hearing and following God’s voice,” says Britt Bradley, director of the Timothy Circle. “It’s an incredible opportunity for United Methodists in Texas to learn from respected and creative ministry leaders at no charge.”

• Thursday, Jan, 20, 2022: Romal Tune, “Vocational Discernment and Visioning Through the Power of Story”
  Romal Tune is the author of the books Love Is an Inside Job and God’s Graffiti. He is the creator of ClereStory Education, a nonprofit that teaches communities about the importance of mental health helps individuals create empowering narratives about who they can become in the world and an action plan to make it happen. Romal was also the keynote speaker at the United Methodist Church’s YOUTH2019
• Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022: Bart Patton & Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison, “How Can Our Congregation Have a Great Youth Program Without Any Paid Staff?”
  Bart Patton is the director of the Office of External Programs at SMU Perkins School of Theology. He has 20+ years’ experience as a pastor and youth minister in three denominations, and has done extensive ecumenical work with churches large and small in rural, urban and suburban environments. He previously served as the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry Education at Perkins.
  Priscilla Pope-Levison is a Research Professor of Practical Theology at SMU Perkins School of Theology. A United Methodist pastor who started a youth group in her first pastoral appointment, she has also served as chaplain at North Park University, evangelism professor at Duke Divinity School, and Theology and Women’s Studies professor at Seattle Pacific University.
• Thursday, Mar. 3, 2022: Dr. Kara Powell, “Assessing Your Youth Ministry: 3 Big Questions That Change Teenagers”
  Kara E. Powell is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) and Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. In addition to her roles at Fuller Seminary, Kara serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange, and volunteers in student ministries at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena.  She is the author or co-author of numerous books, including 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager, Faith in an Anxious World, Growing With, 18 Plus, Growing Young, and The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family.
• Thursday, Mar. 24, 2022: Rev. Wendy Mohler-Seib, “How Youth Hear God’s Voice”
  Wendy Mohler-Seib is the Director of Faith Formation at the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College where she directs the Summit Youth Academy, a Lilly-funded high school youth theology institute. Wendy teaches at Southwestern College in Kansas and in the Perkins School of Youth Ministry. She brings 20+ years of ministry experience ranging from full-time youth ministry, bi-vocational youth ministry, and pastoral ministry.
• Thursday, Apr. 7, 2022: Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean, “What Do Youth and Young Adults Want From the Church?”
  Kenda Creasy Dean is an ordained United Methodist pastor and the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. She works closely with Princeton’s Institute for Youth Ministry and in 2013 she co-founded Ministry Incubators.  Kenda is the author of numerous books, including Knee-Deep in Flotsam: Why Churches Innovate and How to Start; and Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church.

Registrations are open to anyone, lay or clergy, and can be found at www.timothycircle.com/live-learning.

The Timothy Circle is a network of adults, churches and ministries joined to nurture faith and calling in young people (ages 14-24). It offers resources and support to each part of the network, as well as tools to help young Christians discern God’s call in their lives, whether in a secular profession, through volunteering, or in a ministry setting. For more information on the Timothy Circle, visit www.timothycircle.com.

The Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship is based at Southwestern College, a United Methodist-affiliated college in Winfield, Kan.  It manages and supports a variety of educational programs — both online and in person at the college — that increase discipleship and Christian leadership skills.