My first experience with the Ignite Youth Conference was in 2011. I was a new youth leader at a very small church and was willing to grasp at anything to help my youth and myself to grow. Although we were a small group of six people we felt welcomed at every turn and found ways to connect with other groups that were there.
As a youth leader I think it’s important to make contacts and to have a network of people that are all trying to accomplish the same goal, to strengthen our youth and to share the gospel. The contacts I made have been a valuable asset, especially since our group was small and our resources limited. I was able to connect with other groups and provide opportunities for our churches teenagers that I might not have otherwise been able to.
From a teen perspective, my students felt the conference was able to offer them topics that were relevant to what they are experiencing. As their leader, I was excited when they expressed their frustration over not being able to attend every session offered for students. I even had one student complain that the conference wasn’t long enough which was quite a statement coming from a teen that at times isn’t very interested in “Church”.
All in all the conference is great, everything moves at a pretty fast pace, but that’s the way everything seems to move these days. I was at Ignite 2012 and will be there again in 2013.
If you are interested in Ignite or want more information about the conference, visit www.ignite-youth.org. Ignite Youth Conference is Hosted by Grace Church in Partnership with LifeWay and The Baptist Convention of Iowa. This year’s conference dates are March 15 & 16, 2013.
