We all know that sometimes everyone needs a little recharge. If you are in ministry hopefully you are there because you have a passionate fire for what you do (If you don’t, check out this post. But if we are honest, sometimes our fire, although it is there, needs to be stoked and brought back to full strength. 

There are plenty of things you can personally do and you can check those out here. But there is another BIG thing that can give you the supercharge you need to continue on and flourish in your ministry.

My wife was just telling me she feels completely drained in her business and could use a boost. She was explaining that it is a grind for her for the next month and a half until she gets to attend a large conference specific to her business. She knows that when she goes to the conference she will get the boost that she needs to bring her fire back to full strength. It is so true. That is why so many companies send their employees to conferences. They either put on a training conference for all of their employees or they send them to some excellent conferences elsewhere. The exact same thing applies to youth ministry.

Conferences are an excellent way to recharge and give yourself the boost you need to continue on in your ministry with passion and excitement. Here are 3 reasons why conferences give you the boost you need…

1. Being around other youth workers

One of the best tools we have in youth ministry is each other. Learning from other youth workers and being able to share what is truly going on in your ministry and your life is an absolutely invaluable resource. Simply put, we need each other, and what better place to find a lot of other youth workers than at a youth ministry conference?

2. Receiving encouragement

Every youth ministry conference is structured in such a way that the attendees receive a message for their soul. Why? Because everyone needs it. There will be incredible speakers that will have only one purpose, to encourage you and help you draw closer to Jesus. The biggest way that we need to recharge is spiritually and that is exactly what you will receive at a youth ministry conference. You will be encouraged and stretched in your walk with Christ, as well as in your current ministry setting. No matter how difficult, or easy (ya, right) your ministry setting is you will be encouraged to continue strong and keep fighting the good fight.

3. Getting equipped and trained 

One of the best ways to get fired up and re-energized is to receive new information about how to do something in your line of work. That is exactly why my wife knows she will come back with a new passion because she will get to practice what she learns and hopefully improve sales. The same goes for youth ministry conferences. There will be a ton of opportunities to learn new things and through that training, you can experience a new passion and an excitement to try it out in the ministry.

Conferences are an excellent tool and they are 100% worth the cost of admission. If your church does not have a budget to send you, I highly suggest starting a conversation about creating one, raising support or investing personally. The reward is definitely worth the investment. We can all use a boost and conferences are a great way to get one.

Here are a few of the conferences I am looking forward to this year…

~Simply Youth Ministry Conference

~DYM 100 – The registration for this one may be closed already. It is a smaller, more selective conference (only 100 attendees) but I highly suggest keeping your eyes open for the next registration.

~National Youth Workers Convention

-November 16-19

-60+ speakers/artist, 80+ seminars

-I will be teaching a breakout seminar!

TODD JONES has been in youth ministry for 10 years and has a passion for reaching lost students and training youth workers to do the same. He is the founder of  STOKEDONYOUTHMINISTRY.COM, a speaker, author, and pastor. When Todd is not writing or speaking he enjoys surfing, baseball, and most importantly hanging out with his awesome wife and three beautiful daughters. You can connect with Todd at  STOKEDONYOUTHMINISTRY.COM, THETODDJONES.COM, or on Twitter @THETODD_JONES, or Instagram @TODD_JONES.

This post was previously published by STOKEDONYOUTHMINISTRY.COM.