2025 Youth Ministry Leaders Network
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Sometimes youth ministry is viewed as a non-essential “add on,” a place to serve when one is too young to do anything else or too inexperienced to move into “real ministry.” However, the data would tell us that just the opposite should be true. Ninety percent of believers put their trust in Christ before their 21st birthday. Strong youth ministry is essential if we want to reach Europe again for Christ.
A high percentage of Christian workers receive their call into ministry while they are still young. Young people are more teachable, more easily motivated and mobilised, and still have most of their key life decisions before them. Teaching them to reach their peers and make disciples can prepare a new generation of leaders for the church.
In spite of this, most youth leaders have no specific training on how to effectively lead their local youth ministry. Learning a philosophy of ministry based on the life of Christ and drawing from the experiences of others who are effective in a European context can powerfully increase their effectiveness. Quality preparation can also keep them from becoming discouraged or burned out.
The aim of the Youth Ministry Leaders Network is to lay a strong base in youth ministry philosophy from the life of Christ, as well as teach strategies that are bearing significant fruit in a European context. The participant will walk away with a deeper understanding of what makes a disciple-making youth ministry, as well as have specific tools that can be immediately applied to their setting.
This year's programme* will include lecture options for the whole group and 6 small cohort sessions divided by ministry stage. The small cohorts will use "Walk 2/6”, a special course designed to equip youth leaders to build disciple-making youth ministries following the model of Jesus. Participants from previous years are encouraged to return and choose a different ministry stage as well as different seminars to keep deepening their youth ministry skills.
Prior preparation will be set for all applicants.
What Network Participants Are Saying
- "Participating in this conference as the youth group leader of my church has been an incredibly enriching experience. Every day, I am inspired by the teaching and new knowledge I am acquiring. These experiences are not only expanding my understanding and commitment to the faith, but they are also providing valuable tools that I can bring into my ministry with the youth of Rome."
- Rebeca Neciosup Alburqueque, Youth Leader, Italy - "Time at the European Leadership Forum is very helpful and meaningful for my ministry. I have had the ability to meet so many great leaders who have experience in leading youth. I find it so helpful to connect with people who already do what I am dreaming of doing. I am inspired by the leaders at the Forum who treat people so well and show such great examples of leadership." - Gabriele Krulyte, Youth coordinator and radio host, Lithuania
- "Being at ELF is a wonderful gift to me because I learn what the work of other youth leaders looks like. Through other people’s experiences, I learn how to bring youth closer to Jesus. I have learned how to create a safe environment for young people and how important that is, especially today when so many teenagers are struggling with anxiety, loneliness, and depression."
- Buda Vaczi, Youth Leader and Worship Team Member, Hungary
Applicants should be currently involved in youth ministry and seeking to develop their gifts to better reach and disciple the young generation.
Network Leadership
Network Speakers
Mark Abrman has been a full-time missionary in Slovakia for the past 8 years. His primary focus is youth ministry and the development of leaders. He grew up in a missionary family where he was able to do ministry alongside of his parents from a young age. After high school, he attended Word of… Read more
Paul Bowman has 30 years of experience in full-time youth ministry in the local church. He now serves as the national director for Josiah Venture UK. He is committed to training and equipping the next generation of youth leaders, and mobilizing people, prayer and resources for ministry to youth… Read more
Robert Chestnut is the director of training for Josiah Venture, a youth ministry organization serving Central and Eastern Europe. He studied organizational communications at Cedarville University before moving to the Czech Republic in 2003 where he found a passion for working with young people… Read more
Zuzi Džubakovská decided to follow Jesus when she was 10 at a camp. Since then she has been involved with teenage, youth and young adult ministry all her life. After university, she started working in business and continued in marketing and facilitation. Meanwhile, she served in her home church—… Read more
Johnny Stevens has spent the past 20 years working with next-generation leaders in Slovenia. During this time, he has functioned in a variety of leadership and supporting roles in local, national, and international contexts. Johnny and his wife, Brooke, are currently serving as the directors of… Read more
Rico is a passionate evangelist, and former Senior Minister of Evangelism at All Souls, Langham Place in London. Co-Founder of Christianity Explored Ministries, he is a regular speaker at missions and evangelistic events around the world. He’s married to Lucy and they have three young children… Read more
Kristy Williams has 17 years of experience as a full-time missionary in the context of youth ministry and leadership training. She serves primarily in Ukraine, though her love for training leaders takes her to different places across Europe with her missionary organization, Josiah Venture.… Read more
Network Programme
Sunday, 18 May
Since youth culture is a constantly moving target, those who work with young people are often looking for something “new”. What are the latest trends, how do we capture young people’s attention, what will make our programmes attractive and contemporary? While there is nothing wrong with being trendy, the most profound insights about youth ministry are actually very “old”. We forget that Christianity began as a youth movement. Many of Jesus’ disciples were teenagers when he called them. How did his youth group launch a movement that changed the world? If Jesus were to teach us how to lead an effective youth ministry today, what would he say?
What it takes to start a youth ministry is very different from what it takes to grow one or what is needed to expand its impact after it is healthy. Youth ministries follow certain patterns of development, and require a shift in focus from the leader at each stage. Not understanding these stages can create barriers to growth, since a youth leader will often not naturally concentrate on the right things. Looking at the development of Christ’s ministry, how do we understand these stages, and how do we lead our youth group through them?
*Please note: This session is designed for first-time attendees at the Youth Ministry Leaders Network. Returning attendees will attend "Lessons Learned in the Last Year".
This moderated discussion will provide an opportunity for participants to share their experiences implementing into their ministries lessons learned during the previous ELF. This session will help participants learn from, guide, and strengthen each other as we seek to create disciple-making youth ministries.
*Please note: This session is designed for returning attendees at the Youth Ministry Leaders Network. First-time attendees will attend "What Got You Here Won't Get You There".
Monday, 19 May
On Day 2, participants will be divided into six groups depending on the stage each participant is at in the development of his or her ministry. Each group will do a different session of “Walk 2/6”, a special course designed to equip youth leaders to build disciple-making youth ministries following the model of Jesus. In these smaller units, participants will look deeper into the life of Christ and directly apply what they see to their youth ministry, evaluating their current situation and discovering their next steps. This will happen under the leadership of one of the teaching team, all of whom are experienced youth ministry coaches. Returning participants will be placed in a different track than they were previously in, so they can continue to grow and stretch in their leadership skills. At the beginning of each track time, there will be a short 10-minute “TED-talk" on a key youth topic that participants can teach in their youth ministry.
Cohorts will continue to discuss Walk 2/6.
Tuesday, 20 May
In the session, participants can choose from one of the following moderated breakout discussions and group brainstorms:
- First Responders to an anxious generation – practical skills for helping young people in pain
- Equipping young people to share the Gospel with their peers
*Please note: This is one of two sessions for participants to choose from.
We’ll be thinking through how the three principles from 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 of Sovereignty, Integrity, and Creativity are combined in our youth work. So often we can emphasise one at the cost of not properly dealing with another. So, what does it mean to engage in biblically balanced youth work? We’ll then look at an absolutely crucial aspect of any youth work, which is how to work one to one with teenagers.
*Please note: This is one of two sessions for participants to choose from.
Cohorts will continue to discuss Walk 2/6.
Wednesday, 21 May
In the session, participants can choose from one of the following moderated breakout discussions and group brainstorms:
- Caring for your team – developing concrete next steps
- Bridging the gap between pre-teen and youth ministry
Cohorts will continue to discuss Walk 2/6.