Sounds like it'll be a good discussion. Can't wait to be there! I feel people are pulling away from the Purpose Driven craze and heading toward something more like what the book "Simple Church" describes. I know that's where my ministry has gone, anyway.

But ultimately, I don't think it's really about copying one person's model or someone else's. It seems like ministries keep jumping from one bandwagon to the next, thinking that it will be the solution for what they want to see happen in their church. Instead, churches need to get serious about seeking the Lord and His vision for their ministry and running with that. Imagine what our churches would look like if we all did that and developed a model of ministry based on what He lays on our hearts?

Hey Tim Schmoyer - it will be great to meet you, I regularly read your blog and find some great help there -

I would like to discuss the question, "are we ready to adapt?"
In my experience many youth pastors are early adapters as far as culture and ministry goes, but I really struggle to see how this would work in a youth ministry independent of a whole transition in the local church...like how long can a radically different style of youth ministry last in a normal (i.e. purpose driven) church?

That's something I'd love to discuss...

I don't think we can wait for the rest of the church to be ready to adapt. If we do, the church may well die while we wait. It's been my experience that youth ministries and children's ministries can often lead the way in changes. At the very least, we are setting the stage for what the church can/should be when these students are adults. It's also been my experience that the leadership doesn't care so much about how you do things as long as you are getting the numbers they want. It's sad, but true. So if you can document that your numbers are good (whether that's bringing kids in to a program or making contacts and ministering to kids outside of the church), most leadership will allow some variations to the whole church program.

I've also found that being honest with my students helps them understand- such as saying things like, "We have to be careful because this other thing is really working for the adults in our church. We don't want to negate their experience just because it's different from ours. People worship and connect with God in lots of ways. Different doesn't mean wrong. We can find our own path and share that with them, but we don't have to force them to do things our way." Hopefully the reverse is true, and you can share that concept with your church leadership as well. It's not an "us vs. them" thing. If you can create change and a different culture in your youth ministry without creating an atmosphere of "us vs. them," it tends to be healthier for everyone.