YTN Annual Gathering
January 29 - 31, 2025 Indianapolis, INThe annual Youth Theology Network (YTN) Gathering brings program leaders together to engage in inspiring ideas.
REGISTRATION OPENS OCTOBER 1, 2024
Youth Theology Network Annual Gathering
Inspire What’s Next
Join the 2025 YTN Annual Gathering at The Westin Indianapolis in Indianapolis, Indiana, and experience opportunities for networking with peers and imagining new ways to continue the work of YTN in the years ahead!
Through plenary presentations and workshop offerings, participants will build their capacity in skills such as recruitment, evaluation, sustainability, and more. In addition to program leaders, the YTN gathering welcomes communications, marketing, and advancement officers from partner institutions to learn more about the YTN and strategize ways to support the programs. Teams will envision implementing the ideas encountered at the gathering by identifying the next most faithful steps upon returning home.
Questions, please get in touch with Heather Wallace.
Plenary Speaker
Josh Packard will present on, "Emerging Generations and the Future of Ministry". In an era of declining institutional trust, the future of faith depends on how effectively we engage with emerging generations. This keynote, tailored for leaders in youth theology and relational ministry, will explore the challenges of sustaining and scaling impactful programs in a low-trust world. Drawing on the latest research in sociology, trust-building, and the art of listening, participants will gain actionable strategies to deepen relationships with Gen Z, overcome challenges like recruitment and sustainability, and create resilient spiritual communities. We’ll explore how to harness the power of relational ministry to build trust and nurture lasting faith in today’s youth.
Dr. Josh Packard is the co-founder of Future of Faithand one of the foremost experts in the spiritual lives of American youth and religious trends in the United States. He is an accomplished researcher in the sociology of religion. He has authored numerous books and articles including Meaning Making: 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations. Josh was previously a professor, founding Executive Director of Springtide Research Institute and Vice President of Strategy with the National Catholic Educational Association.
Workshop Leaders
Workshop Title: Function Over Form: Adapting Your Program for a New Season
The lived experiences of young people, the role of Christianity in America, and the ministry landscape have shifted monumentally in the last four years. Whether your program is two or ten years old, it’s time to adapt for a new season in ways that prioritize a program’s function over its form. This workshop will draw upon the Innovation Lab’s Theological Innovation Process to guide you to identify your program’s specific purpose in 2024, name which components of the program work and which don't as you move forward, and help you articulate tangible next steps. You’ll be introduced to the Lab’s approach to prototyping and how we measure effectiveness and sustainability through the lens of theological innovation.
Pre-Gathering Workshop: Making Participation Predictable: A Hernia-Free Approach to Recruitment (Aqueelah Ligonde and Trey Wince)
The good news is that getting a full roster for your upcoming program is a very doable task. The less-good-news is that it takes some work. Ministry Architects’ leaders Aqueelah Ligonde and Trey Wince will share some key rhythms and disciplines that can produce predictably good results rather than last-minute surprises. In this pre-gathering workshop, take a deep dive on recruitment and participation practices so that you can walk away with a jumpstart on your recruitment process that is easily picked up when you get home.
Pre-Gathering Workshop: Sustainability Through the Lenses of Evaluation and Fundraising (Meredith McNabb and Sue Weber)
Utilize practical tools drawn from the work of evaluation and fundraising in order to develop strategic, effective, and faithful approaches to sustainability for your program. Participants in this interactive workshop will develop a holistic understanding of sustainability and hone their skills in communicating their mission to would-be donors and other funders.
Pre-Gathering Workshop: Sustainability Through the Lenses of Evaluation and Fundraising (Meredith McNabb and Sue Weber)
Utilize practical tools drawn from the work of evaluation and fundraising in order to develop strategic, effective, and faithful approaches to sustainability for your program. Participants in this interactive workshop will develop a holistic understanding of sustainability and hone their skills in communicating their mission to would-be donors and other funders.
Pre-Gathering Workshop: Making Participation Predictable: A Hernia-Free Approach to Recruitment (Aqueelah Ligonde and Trey Wince)
The good news is that getting a full roster for your upcoming program is a very doable task. The less-good-news is that it takes some work. Ministry Architects’ leaders Aqueelah Ligonde and Trey Wince will share some key rhythms and disciplines that can produce predictably good results rather than last-minute surprises. In this pre-gathering workshop, take a deep dive on recruitment and participation practices so that you can walk away with a jumpstart on your recruitment process that is easily picked up when you get home.
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Agenda At a Glance
Wednesday, January 29
9:00 a.m. | Pre-Gathering Workshops
3:00 p.m. | Orientation
4:00 p.m. | Welcome and Opening Plenary
6:30 p.m. | Dinner
7:15 p.m. | Dessert Reception
Thursday, January 30
8:30 a.m. | Worship
9:00 a.m. | Leadership and Connection Panels
11:00 a.m. | Strategy Session with Learning Groups
12:00 p.m. | Lunch
1:30 p.m. | Learning Groups
3:30 p.m. | Workshops
6:30 p.m. | Dinner
Friday, January 31
8:30 a.m. | Leadership and Connection Grant Info Session
9:15 a.m. | Learning Groups
10:30 a.m. | Closing Worship
11:45 a.m. | Sending Remarks from Lilly Endowment
12:00 p.m. | Lunch and Departure
Pre-gathering workshops are an optional day-long opportunity to dive deeper into some of the workshop topics that will be presented during the gathering. Pre-gathering workshop participants are encouraged to arrive the evening of Tuesday, January 30.
Participants coming from the West Coast or attending a pre-gathering workshop are encouraged to arrive on Tuesday, January 28. All other participants may arrive on Wednesday, January 29. Check-in and registration will be available on Tuesday, January 29 and Wednesday, January 30 with check out for all participants on Friday, January 31. Please contact the Westin Indianapolis directly if you need to extend your stay.
Forum for Theological Exploration and Lilly Endowment, Inc. invite each Youth Theology Network program to send up to three representatives to the annual gathering. Representatives could be program directors or coordinators, or institutional representatives such as communications, marketing or advancement officers. Eligible programs are past recipients of a Lilly Youth Theology Network (LYTN) or High School Youth Theology Institutes (HSYTI) grant. Programs do not need to be active or on-grant to attend.
Forum for Theological Exploration
The Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) is a leadership incubator that inspires young people to make a difference in the world through Christian communities. FTE partners with the Lilly Endowment on its Youth Theology Network (YTN) initiative to offer spaces for young people to explore questions about their faith, purpose and call to ministry in the world. FTE’s role is to support, convene, and resource YTN programs and their leaders.
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc.’s primary aim in religion is to deepen and enrich the religious lives of Christians in the United States. LEI values the broad diversity of Christian traditions and congregations today and endeavors to support them in a wide variety of contexts. Over the past 30 years LEI has launched two related initiatives, the Lilly Youth Theology Network (LYTN) and the High School Youth Theology Institutes (HSYTI), that combined to become the Youth Theology Network (YTN) in 2019.
Youth Theology Network
The Youth Theology Network (YTN) is a national network of colleges, universities, and theological schools funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. to identify, ignite and cultivate the gifts of a new generation of Christian leaders who will make an impact in the world. As a partner, the Forum for Theological Exploration (FTE) supports, resources and promotes this national network of theology programs for high school students.
Complete the registration form with your information and select your workshops. Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email and an additional email will follow, inviting you to book your flights through our travel partner Navan. Please see FTE’s travel and reimbursement policies for more information.
FTE will not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend this in-person event. Please be aware that registration will require agreement to FTE’s COVID-19 policy which can be found on this page.