The conference wants to help churches provide meaningful experiences for growth for our young people while preparing them for life as adults and as disciples of Jesus Christ. Check this page for resources meant to help bolster youth group ministries in your local churches.
Materials for Youth Leaders — Discipleship Ministries of The United Methodist Church offers lessons particularly targeted to youth-aged students. This resource provides leaders with instruction, needed materials, activities and discussion points. Some are for classroom settings. Others are for worship environments. All may be adapted to your setting and youth group size.
Great Plains leaders from across the connection have come together to create a free, online Confirmation resource for local church use. This resource includes 17 Confirmation lesson videos, activity suggestions, and Confirmation tips to support your local church in its Confirmation journey. This resource is intended to supplement Sparkhouse’s “colaborate: Methodist History & Doctrine” curriculum. We encourage all churches to purchase the Leader’s Guide and Student Handbooks for the most effective Confirmation experience. Please visit the Sparkhouse website to purchase the Leader’s Guide and Student Handbook.
Access this free resource by submitting a quick registration.
Sometimes a little structure can help make a youth meeting more manageable for leaders and more meaningful for young people. This brief Small Groups devotion and conversation guide can provide some simple guidelines for icebreakers, prayer time, the introduction of scripture and an invitation to reflection, a time for gratitude and a closing.
Ministry Leadership Initiative offers cohort training, coaching, and consulting services for youth, children’s and congregational ministry. MLI offers a two-year commissioning program, with monthly support, for youth and kids ministry staff and volunteers.
BeADisciple.com, out of the Institute for Discipleship at Southwestern College, offers online courses related to Youth, Children, and Retreats. Online Certification in Youth Ministry is also available in collaboration with Ministry Leadership Initiative.
Perkins School of Youth Ministry, out of Perkins School of Theology at SMU, coordinates training programs exclusively designed to resource those in the church whose ministries focus on youth and young adults. Certification is available. Dallas, TX.
Youth Can Lead Now! — This resource guide, developed by the folks at McPherson (KS) First United Methodist Church, explores youth leadership through the eyes of Ben Wheeler, director of youth and discipleship ministries at the church, and Ashley Achilles, a summer youth intern. They share their ideas about what makes a good leader, including key traits, and they provide a framework for discussion and exploration. Scripture is woven throughout this guide, and activities direct participants into times of prayer, meditation and consideration.
Let My People Go is a faith-based antiracism youth curriculum that uses the story of the Exodus as an invitation for Christians to uncover God’s call to anti-oppressive liberation. Let My People Go is created by the Justice and Faith Collective and was commissioned by the Great Plains United Methodist Conference. The curriculum includes six flexible sessions that can be utilized in person or virtually. Click here to get access to the leader guide, videos, student journal, and more!
Nuts and Bolts Drive – Templates, articles, downloads all in one place for you to navigate here!
GP Youth Worker Collective – Join our mailing list of over 500 youth workers in the conference! Each month, you’ll receive an eNewsletter full of devotions, articles, curriculum, grant opportunities, and Great Plains Youth news. Subscribe here.
Great Plains Discipleship Facebook Group – Articles, events, webinars, Live events, and more in our official Facebook group!
Safe Gatherings is the Conference-wide training required for all people engaged in ministry with kids, youth, and vulnerable adult populations. Be sure you and every volunteer is Safe Gatherings certified.
Resources