The annual Youth Ministry Executive Council (YMEC) convenes key leaders in youth ministry to foster relationships with other national leaders, unite in prayer, and sharpen our focus on sharing the good news of Jesus with the next generation.
At YMEC 2026, we are bringing together trusted leaders and forward-thinking voices to help us examine the leadership posture required for this moment. Through sessions focused on personal health, organizational alignment, generational understanding, and relational trust, these presenters will guide conversations that move beyond insight into intentional, Spirit-led action.
Are you ready to listen, discern, and lead together?
Youth Ministry Reimagined: The Relevance Trap, Dr. Leonard Sweet
Reimagining Youth Ministry - Part II: Rekindling the Fire (Christological Re-enchantment), Dr. Leonard Sweet
Reimagining Youth Ministry - Part III: Deeper Ecosystems (The Future of Withness), Dr. Leonard Sweet
The Leadership Spiral: From a Servant to a Self-Serving Leader, Dr. Randall Davis
Aligning Organizational Structure & Leadership with the Spirit's Movement, Debbie Bresina
Gen Z & Alpha Translation, David Eaton
The Future is Listening, Dr. Joshua Packard
DAY ONE SESSIONS
A Day with Dr. Leonard Sweet
Dr. Leonard Sweet connects profound truths into clear, accessible insights, sparking what he calls a "simplexity" movement of thought. He invites us into a journey of semiotic discovery, reawakening imagination as a pathway to deeper faith. Len is a scholar of American culture, noted semiotician, and best-selling author known for bridging faith, academia, and popular culture.
Session #1
Naming the Air We Breathe
Understanding the MAAMAverse as a Faith Formation System
Where MAAMA = MetaAmazonAlphabetMicrosoftApple
How the algorithmic ecosystem functions not merely as technology but as liturgy — shaping identity, hunger, and worship in ways the church must recognize before it can respond.
Youth Ministry Reimagined - Part I: The Relevance Trap
Session #2
The Hunger Beneath the Scroll
Diagnosing the Soul Crisis Behind the Screen
A theological and semiotic look at what this generation is actually starving for — and why digital connection, for all its reach, cannot deliver presence, identity, or meaning.
Reimagining Youth Ministry - Part II: Rekindling the Fire (Christological Re-enchantment)
Session #3
Feeding MANNA in a Metrics Age and a MAAMAverse
Practical Formation for Those Who Bear Real Bread
Reimagining Youth Ministry - Part III: Deeper Ecosystems (The Future of Withness)
Equipping youth ministers to build countercultural tribes of table, Word, and embodied presence—turning the MAAMA generations into the MANNA generations—leading from extraction to abiding, from algorithm to altar.
Session #4
Focused Prayer
Intercession for the Next Generation
Led by Daryl & Donna Nuss
A symphony of prayer on behalf of the next generation
Session #5
Student Panel
How is God Leading the Next Generation
This student panel centers the voices that matter most in youth ministry—the students themselves. Young leaders from local churches will share their honest experiences of faith and the world they're navigating. This isn't theory—it's lived reality.
DAY TWO SESSIONS
Session #6
Personal Posture
The Leadership Spiral: From a Servant to a Self-Serving Leader
Presenter: Dr. Randall Davis – President & CEO, National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM)
Leadership doesn't fail overnight—it drifts. What begins as a posture of service can slowly shift toward self-protection and control. Randy will expose the subtle progression that takes leaders off course and offer practical insight to help leaders stay grounded in humility, integrity, and long-term faithfulness.
Session #7
Organizational Posture
Aligning Organizational Structure & Leadership with the Spirit's Movement
Presenter: Debbie Bresina – Executive Director of Strategic Partnerships, Dare 2 Share Ministries
As spiritual hunger rises among the next generation, are our organizations positioned to respond? Debbie will challenge us to evaluate how our organizational structures, systems, and leadership posture either accelerate or hinder Spirit-led momentum—and how to realign for greater Kingdom impact.
Session #8
Generational Partnership
Gen Z & Alpha Translation
Presenter: David Eaton – Co-Founder/CEO, Axis
Understanding the next generation is essential for meaningful ministry. In this session, David will unpack key insights into Gen Z and Gen Alpha, exploring how culture, technology, and digital life are shaping their worldview—and how leaders can communicate faith in ways that truly connect.
Session #9
Generational Partnership
The Future is Listening
Presenter: Dr. Joshua Packard – Co-Founder, Future of Faith
In a low-trust world, young people are choosing relationships over authority. Josh will help us explore how this shift is reshaping faith formation, and why listening has become a core leadership skill for building trust and lasting influence with the next generation.
Youth Ministry Executive Council is hosted by
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