Connect is known for offering a high number of quality workshops. This year we will have over 30 theoretical, theological and practical workshops. Each workshop is led by someone who researches it, teaches it or lives it. You’ll walk away loaded with resources and ideas.
The Workshops
Chocolate Provided
How do we Connect, Inspire and Empower Young Women in today’s society?
The To Do’s & Not to Do’s
We will take a look at how we can design programs, create mentoring relationships and plan nights that provide youth workers opportunities to engage with girls and provide an encouraging environment.
Fun & faith at youth group – getting the balance right
In this workshop we will be looking at how to get a good balance between fun team
building and spiritual growth times. I will be sharing tools, insights and structures that I have used to keep the balance and inspire youth. I will also give you the chance to take the lessons learnt from this workshop and create an ideal term plan for your youth group.
Navigating Kiwi Culture out of a Traditional Pasifika world
Mareta will explore identifying barriers that non-kiwis face living in NZ and how to best work with young people battling with church/family traditions and making sense of these.
The Lost art of Inviting
Everything works on the basis of invitation. But in the church and in our youth groups we have lost this art. We’ve swallowed the belief that “If they wanted to come, they would come.” We need to radically rethink this and encourage our young people to open themselves up to how God wants to use them to invite.
Ministry from the Center
This workshop will take the big picture ideas discussed in the key note address and help you apply the challenge of living out of a set of spiritual core values.
Raising Up Young Leaders
In this workshop we explore why and how churches can encourage servant leadership in young people, share research and stories on the effectiveness of mentoring, and introduce the Transformers Raising Up Young Leaders mentoring and discipleship initiative.
Be a Visionary: How to Prepare Your Church for Effective Youth Ministry
What do you want your youth ministry to look like in five years? Are you new to ministry? Want to know where to start? Build your ministry foundation with vision and strategy – faithfully prepare the soils of youth ministry to reap a harvest.
Worship and Worldmaking
We are all captivated by epic stories. We all want to believe we’re a part of such a story. Worship is the place we tell that story and let it shape our lives.
Multiplication vs Addition
Both Multiplication and Addition have their place. This workshop will move from the big picture of considering Jesus and Paul’s core strategy of investing in a few to reach the many to sharing current cross cultural stories from the chalk face of ministry along with some practical steps in choosing to build people before we build programs.
Nailing events in youth ministry – how to plan and host successful youth events/fundraisers.
This workshop is for youth leaders looking to explore and create innovative ideas, to bring youth groups and community together through events. You will get the chance to plan a mock event as well as share and learn ideas through small group discussion. We will also create plans to help with fundraising ideas for the development of your youth group.
Where to from here with Young Adults
This workshop is for youth leaders looking to explore and create innovative ideas, to bring youth groups and community together through events. You will get the chance to plan a mock event as well as share and learn ideas through small group discussion. We will also create plans to help with fundraising ideas for the development of your youth group.
Are you surviving or thriving 2.0: Sharing the journey
In this session we will look at some of the common causes for ministry burn-out and examine some of the ways we can stay healthy (spiritually, emotionally, physically) for the long haul. Topics will include burn-out, self-care, and achieving work-life balance. Come find out how you can have a thriving ministry AND personal life!!
Lets GO FISHING
Yes this is a workshop where you will be fishing for ideas, skills and tools to help you in the planning of lessons for your young people. Here you will learn to HOOK in your audience, keep your LINE strong and utilise your SINKER to reel in your audience.
Why You Shouldn’t Go On A Mission Trip
Why do people go on short-term mission trips? To serve God, to help others, to gain experience. All valid reasons, but what happens if things don’t work out as planned? This workshop addresses some of the challenges involved when cultures, lifestyles, and expectations clash, with a view to helping participants plan thoughtful and fruitful mission engagements.
Indwelling Discipleship
Most of our discipleship involves teaching information to young people which is useful to a point, but neglects the need for them to develop their own relationship with the indwelling Christ. This workshop explores an approach to discipleship by first establishing a Biblical foundation and then exploring practical strategies.
Holiness, Dualism and the Problem of Jesus
Holiness is about purity and perfection right? So how does Jesus manage to be holy while he’s hanging out with sinners? How we understand holiness shapes a lot about our faith and worship, Jesus can unsettle and reorientate this conversation.
What’s in your kete?
In this workshop we will explore how the image of kete can help you unpack what strengths and assets you and your young people bring to your community and we will share helpful resources and stories to help you get the most out of your kete back home.
Trusting God in the mess of daily life
Discussion and practical help in dealing with the doubts and emotional messiness of daily life.
Vocation – Finding your mission in life?
We often talk about God’s plan for our lives, but what do we really mean by this. This workshop explores what vocation or calling looks like, and how we might discern that.
Justice & Action (Just Act)
A fair and just world begins with you and me. Discover creative ways to motivate people to take action.
Dynamic Prayer
So often we sit around in circles praying one after each other hoping that the people before us don’t pray what we have thought to pray about! Dynamic Prayer in that setting looks like two words that don’t belong together! Come and see, in this practical session, how we can encourage all people to get more out of their prayer life.
Conflict Resolution…yeah right
Conflict happens…so how do we navigate it; how do we name the elephants in the room; talk about the real issues and all the time be respectful…
Intergenerational Ministry
Some of the greatest assets for teenage faith development are the adults and grandparents who sit in our pews and have little contact with young people. This workshop explores ideas for making intergenerational youth ministry a reality in your church
The war of the world views; Christianity vs Secularism and other philosophies of the modern world.
This workshop will look at the effect of secular philosophies in the thinking of young people today, inside and outside the church, and how to correct belief systems and communicate the gospel.
Understanding & Equipping Todays Volunteers
Volunteers today are tricky. They have time constraints, want to do things on their timetable, have a high level of skill and many other complicating factors. Alpha works with many volunteers and we’ve found some generic principles that will make you a better volunteer recruiter, manager and leader.
Youth Engagement
Come play with some toys! – And then work out why. This interactive workshop will fuse ABL and Youth Participation frameworks to find fresh perspectives on familiar practices. Often, when we ask young people why they’re involved in something, they’ll reply with “fun, friends, and food” and then maybe something that we think is “more substantial”. How can we ensure that every element of our programmes include an intentional engagement edge? We’ll explore the concepts of meaning, control and connectedness in an applicable sense. You’ll take away some cool research links and maybe a new game or two. And you may have an urge to visit the toy store.
Bible literacy in New Zealand
Hear about Bible Society’s latest research on Bible literacy in New Zealand and what youth leaders can do to effectively engage young people with the Bible.
Community engagement: Getting the church into the community and the communiy into the church
Have you ever wondered how you could get your church into the community and then just as importantly how you could get the community into the church? Well this workshop will aim to help you explore some creative ways to engage and connect both.
Changing gear without the wheels falling off
Change will result in some fall off , people leave, and cohesion does take a hit – so its no good pretending we get a win-win all the time. The thing is not to crash or blow up the ministry. The point is if we need to change purpose or mode of operation and it is
The art of story telling
Come and learn more about the art of storytelling and how to use it to bring the Bible alive to youth in a new and exciting ways. Be prepared to get involved.
God Wants You to Be a Nice Person (and other Lies about Scripture): Engaging Students with the Bible.
What should our approach be to help students (not necessarily Christians) love and think deeply about scripture so that they are not tossed about by every wind of doctrine? How can we help students feed themselves and be transformed by God’s word? (With special attention given to different worldviews and religions).
Practising the Presence of God
Is it possible to enjoy God in the fast lane? In this workshop we will work with the famous line of St Patrick’s great prayer “Christ beside me, Christ beneath me, Christ before me”. Is it possible to know God’s presence with us now?!
Prayer and Personality
Who you are is how you pray! This practical workshop will explore life-giving prayer practices that you are hard-wired for. If in your prayer life you feel bored, stuck or dried-out, you are not alone! Come and find out what will enhance deeper intimacy with God.
Taking the Pulse of a Youth Ministry
After more than 25 years of taking the pulse of youth ministries, you just get to know what the vital signs are. In this workshop we will explore what the key signs of healthy youth ministry are and how you can develop these things in your own patch.
The Evolution of a Youth Minister
Sticking it out in ministry over the long haul requires constant adaption and evolution of not only your ministry but also yourself. How do you reinvent yourself for the next stage of life and ministry?