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Many conferences focus on the “how to” of student ministry; Rooted focuses on the substance: the message of the crucified Christ. What we do is driven by what we believe, or, in other words, our theology informs our methodology. Formulas work in chemistry, but when it comes to the many variables of life, formulas have a hard time keeping up. That’s why ministry done in one place does not always work in another. So, while many conferences focus on how to do different aspects of ministry, this conference follows one singular train of thought: the Gospel.

Rooted is a conference about centering student ministry on the Gospel. It’s about putting aside youth ministry as rules, entertainment, and a pep rally, and focusing on what Christ accomplished on the Cross. Rooted is about considering how the Gospel can be more central and foundational in our student ministries.

Ray Ortlund received his  Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, M.A. from The University of California, Berkeley, and Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Pastor Ortlund served as Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, Illinois from 1989-1998. He currently serves as pastor at Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee (an Acts 29 church) and as a Council member with The Gospel Coalition. Having provided the study notes for the ESV Study Bible, Pastor Ortlund is considered one of the preeminent scholars in the world on the book of Isaiah.

Dr. Timothy George, founding Dean and Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. Regarded as one of the most prominent evangelical voices in the church today, Timothy George has been at Beeson since its inception in 1988. He also serves as Executive Editor of Christianity Today, and on the editorial advisory boards of The Harvard Theological Review, Christian History and Books & Culture. An ordained Baptist minister, he pastored churches in Tennessee, Alabama, and Massachusetts. A highly sought-after preacher and speaker as well as a prolific author, Dr. George has written more than 20 books. His Theology of the Reformers is the standard textbook in its field in many schools and seminaries. Dr. George earned his PhD from Harvard University.

After graduation from Vanderbilt, Mary Wilson served in the youth ministry at Second Presbyterian church in Memphis, TN. She then pursued further study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and while in Massachusetts served in the youth ministry of her local church. Upon graduating in 2009 with a Masters of Divinity and a Masters in Theology (Old Testament), she joined the staff at First Presbyterian in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as the Director of Women in Ministry where she focuses on Biblical exposition and discipleship of women of all ages and life-stages, including youth and their parents.

In a world dominated by conferences focused on the “method” of youth ministry, Rooted offers an opportunity to concentrate on the message. Repeatedly, statistics reinforce that the majority of youth ministry alumni rarely attend church or walk with Christ after high school. Most research surrounding this crisis considers the problem to be the message and theology of youth ministry, which Christian Smith describes as “moralistic, therapeutic deism.”

Rooted creates space for rich theological engagement about the Cross, the Gospel of grace, and God’s Word in the various contexts of student ministry and youth culture. Rooted aims for more effective youth ministry, not based on programs and methods, but by bringing the irresistible message of Christ’s love to the center of everything we do.