Banff/NYC – End of an Era

The following letter will appear in the Sept. 1 MB Herald.

Re “Ending an era” (Gathering News Report, August 11). I would like to address some questions raised following the announcement of the discontinuation of the National Youth Conference (NYC).

How was the decision made? In early 2006, we consulted youth pastors and leaders, and reviewed the records and evaluations of past NYC events. A decision was reached in June regarding NYC’s future and was communicated at Gathering 2006.

What are the main reasons for ending NYC? Youth ministry has shifted towards service and mission-focused youth ministry. We want to encourage this direction. This often places churches in the situation of participating in NYC or doing a youth mission trip. Many churches are choosing the mission trip, substituting NYC with cheaper regional and interdenominational youth events. Also, NYC was costly for the conference and expensive for churches to participate in. We felt this was poor stewardship.

What is replacing NYC? Youth leaders are asking for an event targeted towards student leaders from grade 11 to university age, who are ready to be challenged in the areas of action-oriented leadership and evangelism. There is also a desire for the event to be more frequent than NYC’s three-year cycle.

The Canadian conference and MBMSI are partnering to launch an equipping event for the development and mobilization of new leaders in global and national ministry. Details will be announced this fall.

Is there a de-emphasis on youth ministry in our conference? The short answer is no. Our staff is focused on leadership development, particularly among emerging leaders — youth pastors and students in high school and college.

Please see the Banff/NYC celebration video and add your thoughts to the NYC memories blog.

John Neufeld
Coach for Emerging Leaders
Winnipeg, Man.