“For this to be the most important moment of your life on the first night of the best week of your summer, you’re going to have to find yourself in this story.” Pastor Dan Gregory from Grace Church Norton (Norton, Ohio) kicked off the Momentum Youth Conference on Tuesday, July 14, with a message out of Luke 15. He addressed how the younger brother was lost in his bad choices and the older brother was lost in his righteousness, and he called students to see themselves in the story, repent, and turn to Jesus.
The five-day conference was held at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., and welcomed 2,500 students and adults from nearly 100 different churches. Attendees traveled from 23 states and two Canadian provinces, including 8 churches who attended for the first time. Messages for the week focused primarily on the good news of the Gospel, and more than 500 students gave their lives to Jesus. Additional responses included more than 100 students being called to pursue missions, nearly 200 to full-time ministry, and over 250 to missional marketplace leadership.
Of the eight main session speakers, five were Chairs Fellowship pastors. Thursday morning Pastor Jim Brown of Grace Community Church (Goshen, Ind.) walked through the book of Hosea, emphasizing the story of forgiveness. He not only challenged students to understand and receive God’s forgiveness, but to consider who in their life they needed to forgive. “Forgiveness is not saying the offense didn’t matter,” he said, “it’s refusing to let someone else’s sin be your prison.”
Thursday evening Pastor Keith Minier of Grace Fellowship Church (Pickerington, Ohio) asked the question, “Why is the Christian life so hard?” He emphasized that every story has a villain, and that to defeat him we have to discern him. He talked through 1 John 2, explaining the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
Saturday morning Pastor Zac Hess of Grace Polaris Church (Westerville, Ohio) spoke on 1 Peter 4 and how the return of Christ motivates a life for Christ. He talked through four ways our lives are transformed by the return of Christ, calling us to live holy, love one another, serve and build the church, and glorify God. “Every good story has a good ending,” he said, reflecting on how the imminent return of Christ is the good ending to our stories.
Pastor Jeff Bogue of Grace Church (Akon, Ohio) and president of Momentum Ministry Partners concluded the conference on Saturday night in Isaiah 6. He shared his own story of coming to faith, encountering the holiness of God, and being called by God into ministry.
Throughout the week students also participated in dozens of power tracks on topics like being a witness in sports, loving your church family, being shaped by our choices, navigating mental health, exploring careers and calling, sharing your testimony, and studying the Bible. Each day also included different sports tournaments, art classes, outdoor activities, and indoor gaming options.
You can watch the livestream recordings of all the main sessions on Momentum’s YouTube channel here. Youth conference next year will be held at Bowling Green State University on July 13–18, 2027. Get more information about Momentum Ministry Partners on their website here.
Photos by: Lael Nafziger, Jack Nicodemus, & Randi Walle