JEFFERSON CITY – How should high school students respond when they face opposition while sharing the truth about Jesus with their friends? In short, they must do it “Out Loud” – with both truth and love. That’s the mission of next year’s Youth Evangelism Conference (YEC).
Bob Caldwell, YEC facilitator, wants to use the two-day event to help maximize this generation’s potential. “We’re trying to equip students in our current culture to clearly share Jesus with love and kindness.”
The Youth Evangelism Conference will run on Jan. 15-16, 2023. It costs $25/person. Monday, Jan. 16, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which means students will have the day off from school. While the date makes logistical sense, Caldwell says it’s deeper than that. “We hope it serves as a mid-school-year spirit lift,” he says. “Students have a lot of opportunities to get spiritual vitamins during the summer because face-to-face peer pressure lessens and because of things like mission trips or Super Summer camp. But usually, by the end of that first semester, a student is especially in need of encouragement.”
The event will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15. “Hopefully that allows youth pastors and churches to worship on Sunday morning and still have four hours to grab a bite to eat,” Caldwell says.
Freshwater Church in Jefferson City will host YEC this year. “There aren’t many places outside of a four-hour drive to Jefferson City,” Caldwell says. “We’ll get done at 4:00 on Monday, so students can get good sleep before school on Tuesday.”
Jared Bumpers, director of student life and assistant professor of preaching and evangelism at Midwestern Seminary, will be this year’s speaker. “A lot of our students are acquainted with Jared, and he does an incredible job,” Caldwell says. Along with messages from Bumpers, students will receive training from local pastors. The band, “Encounter,” will lead the conference in worship.
The Youth Evangelism Conference isn’t just stopping at training, either. They want to give students an opportunity to get out and share the truth about Jesus. “Weather permitting, we hope to go into the community and do door-to-door evangelism that can lead to spiritual conversations,” Caldwell says. “Hopefully, it leads to prayer and sharing the gospel ‘Out Loud.’”
Caldwell says that YEC will hold benefits for the youth leaders, too. “We know the youth pastors we serve are pouring into the students,” he reflects. Events like YEC help reinforce what youth pastors are teaching their students. “We want to run alongside a couple times a year to hold their arms up and help move the needle in their students’ lives.”
Caldwell hopes the Youth Evangelism Conference will have a lifelong impact on the students. “YEC will never be about a 24-hour event,” he says. “It’s about the next 60 years of a teenager’s life.” He believes that this generation’s potential, coupled with the Missouri’s pastoral leadership, can enact great spiritual awakening in the state. “We understand our responsibility to share the gospel, no matter what our culture says. Without a doubt, we need to take Jesus to our family, friends and neighbors.”
For more information about this year’s Youth Evangelism Conference, or to register for the event, visit www.mobaptist.org/yec.