By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be in Austin, Texas, gathered with ministry colleagues for the Progressive Youth Ministry (PYM) Conference; a few days of worship, learning, and conversation with people who care deeply about young people and the future of the Church. This year’s theme, “Resistance Is Love,” is so aptly timed. The conference organizers describe it this way:
“In a world reeling from political and cultural upheaval, where cruelty is celebrated as strength, love can feel fragile or even futile. But love remains (1 Corinthians 13:13) and we believe it is the most powerful form of resistance we have.”
That phrase, love remains, keeps speaking to me. It’s not the easy kind of love that comes and goes with mood or convenience. It’s the kind of love that stays when things get complicated, that roots itself in compassion even when the world rewards indifference and cruelty. It’s the love Jesus lived and taught… a love that shows up, speaks up, and stays put when everything else feels like it’s falling apart. That’s the kind of love I know I want to grow in…and that’s kind of love I hope our ministries help form and uplift in others and one another.
I find myself spending a lot of time thinking about ways our faith takes shape in everyday life. Wondering: How we nurture a faith that can grow through questions, grief, and change…How we help our children, youth, and families not just learn about God’s love, but trust it enough to live it boldly… How we, as a community, embody that love out in the world…offering healing, hospitality, and hope where it’s most needed. These are the thoughts I’ll be carrying with me to Austin where I’ll connect with others who wrestle with these same longings and challenges. And together, I believe we will inspire each other and catch glimpses of what’s possible when love is our guide.
While there, our large sessions will explore how love transforms, challenges, and endures. Sneak peek titles like “Holy Disruption” and “Love in Community Is Resistance” hint at the conversation ahead while keynote speakers, including Brian McLaren and Candace Simpson are sure to inspire and help us imagine what durable, defiant, world-changing love looks like in everyday life. In between those sessions, I’ll be attending several smaller workshops that connect directly with our ministry here at Geneva:
- “Better Ways to Read the Bible” with Zach Lambert
- “Embracing Neurodiversity in Worship and Sunday School”
- “Helping Youth Become Who God Created Them to Be”
- “Ignite Us: Equipping Youth and Adults for Faithful Discipleship”
- a “tiny talk” provokingly titled “Stop Trying to Get Young Adults to Come to Church.”
Each of these topics is an invitation to find new ways to help people of all ages discover belonging and purpose in God’s story. I’m excited because they remind me that formation isn’t just about teaching information; it’s about transformation. It’s about helping people experience love so real that it changes how they see themselves and others, and how they live in the world.
When I return, I look forward to sharing what I’ve learned—ideas, stories, maybe even a few “holy disruptions.” But more than anything, I hope to bring back inspiration and encouragement for the work we share…Because even when the world feels uncertain, love endures. Love remains. And love…the stubborn, grounded, transformative kind of love, is still the most powerful resistance we have.
If you’d like to explore similar topics, please sign up for our upcoming Advent Study. Together we’ll make space for hope and joy to rise even when we’re worn thin…trusting that love still breaks through the weariness, lighting the way toward peace. I hope you’ll join me for this time of reflection and renewal as we actively wait for Christ, whose love still breaks into our weary world.