The 18th annual Christian Youth Summit is quickly approaching on April 11-12 in Bend, Oregon! We are very excited to host keynote speakers from two of the most popular apologetics and worldview ministries out there today – Summit Ministries and Stand to Reason. Registration is live and required to attend (click here) – do it now in case it fills up!

Our keynote speakers (click here for bios) will tackle crucial topics this year. Research shows that youth who have walked away from their faith say confusion about these subjects played a key role. Research also shows that young people wish the church would discuss tough questions more openly.

Jonathan Noyes’ Keynote Talks

The Truth About Relativism  

We live in a relativistic world. One in which truth has become secondary to feelings and pleasure. During this talk, Jon will explain the history of relativism and show how it’s become the prominent belief in our culture, influencing all areas of life, including morality and even the church. He then offers some tools that help others see what’s wrong with relativism and why it doesn’t accurately reflect the world around us.

Tactics: How to Graciously Share Your Christian Convictions

Have you ever been asked by a friend or co-worker to defend why you believe what you do? Or, have you ever avoided getting into a conversation because you didn’t want to get caught in the hot seat or look foolish? Jon’s dynamic presentation is designed to equip you with tools that will help you enter into and then guide conversations regarding any number of issues found in our culture at large. Learn how to steer a conversation through the use of questions while keeping the burden of proof on the person making the claim. And yes, learn how to get out of the dreaded hot seat.

Kasey Leander’s Keynote Talks

What do I do with Doubt? 

Kasey will dive into the experience of doubt, and the reason to ground ourselves in Christian truth. There will be times in all our lives when we feel doubt. Our culture tells us that skepticism is the same thing as intelligence and emotion is the only reliable guide to truth. But the result is that, when Christians wobble, they’re told to deconstruct. That’s a mistake. Epistemic questions (“what can we know?”) apply broadly to all forms of belief, including atheism. We should (like Matthew Mittelberg says) “doubt our doubts.” Finally, Christianity doesn’t just stands on solid evidence. It predicts and explains our experiences of doubt.

Finding Purpose in an Age of Anxiety

Culture everywhere tells us to look within to find our purpose, but this is a dead end. It leads to burnout, frustration and purposelessness. Christians have a better answer by looking outside ourselves as individuals first – doing the kinds of things we are made to do as beings made “imago dei.” Because God orders, creates, loves goodness and fights for justice, we can take pride in doing the same. In light of that bigger picture, not a single action we take is meaningless, and we’re released from the anxiety of performance.

We Need Your Help

Please help us spread the word about the Christian Youth Summit. Share our registration link (click here), and follow and share Prepare the Way’s posts on Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

We are also in need of Christian Youth Summit sponsors and donors to continue the tradition of making the Summit free. If you would like to invest in helping the next generation stand firm in their faith with a gift, please donate by clicking here.