Some of my favorite events are with Download Youth Ministry (DYM). Not only do I get to pour into a group of youth leaders all week long, but I get to do it alongside many of my youth ministry friends from all over the country. I might be a bit biased, but these events are a small picture of what the church should look like—unified in supporting one another for the sake of reaching more of the next generation for Jesus.
These 2 conferences are:
• Your First Decode in Youth Ministry
• DYM 100 Roundtable
I’ve been attending and helping with both events ever since they started, and it’s something I look forward to each year!
This year, between the 2 events, I had youth pastors from California, North Carolina, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Iowa, and even Canada in my group. Some of the things we learned about and discussed were: measuring what really matters in our ministry, how to shepherd our students and teams, how to lead well during turbulent times, how to incorporate apologetics into our ministries, how to manage our time well, and more.
And of course, I was also able to point several youth leaders to NNYM and all the free resources and networking opportunities we offer as well.
Steve Cullum 