Conferences vs. Training

By Doug Franklin November 18, 2011

In youth ministry today there is a great debate, do youth workers want a conference or do they want training? To be fair most youth conferences say they do provide training. The truth is the training they provide is one-way. A speaker stands up and tells the audience what they think about a subject. In training youth workers personally interact with content contextualizing it for their ministry. Small group training is on the rise and many youth pastors are looking for cohorts to join. Conferences have many positives: broad range of subjects, many experts, worship, resources and lots of fun. Training has many positives as well: focused training, collaboration, deep learning and accountability. As you think about your growth needs as a youth worker what do you prefer?