This month, Montreat Conference Center is highlighting upcoming events for youth and young adults and looking at how these events tie into other elements of our ministry. Surely, it’s no surprise that events like Montreat Youth Conference and Middle School Conference have a deep spiritual focus. However, today we wanted to outline a few of the ways that these conferences impact the spiritual lives of young people. Specifically, we find that youth are called to define their faith as they participate in reformed worship, hear from prominent church leaders, and engage in faith-based discussions with mentors and peers during these events.
With roots in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), reformed worship is an important part of most Montreat Conference Center events — and our youth conferences are no different! Youth attend daily worship services where they participate in prayer, scripture readings, and song. Through these various elements, all in attendance are challenged to explore their faith while also being affirmed and united as children of God.
Worship services and daily keynotes also expose youth to God’s word as it is proclaimed by various faith leaders. Conference pastors and keynoters often express new ideas, educate youth on interpretations of scripture, and challenge youth to consider their faith, helping them to further define it in the process. We believe that it is important for youth, just as it is for adults, to hear from a variety of perspectives as they navigate their faith journey, knowing that different leaders can draw on varied experiences and offer new ways of understanding that help to facilitate spiritual growth.
However, participating in worship and learning about faith will only go so far if youth do not have an opportunity to consider what they’ve heard and faithfully respond. This is what makes discussions in Small Group and Back Home Group so important! In these settings, youth are provided with a safe space to ask questions, share their own experiences, and receive and offer support from their peers and group leaders. This is one reason why youth often cite Small Groups as being their favorite part of the event — it’s where the themes presented in keynote and worship come together!…