Anaheim 07

Showing students that God can use their abilities, gifts and interests to minister to others was the goal of ministry tracks, one of several new features introduced at Anaheim ’07. While a typical convention schedule includes morning group sessions followed by seminars, at Anaheim ’07 the Sunday morning group session was omitted and students spent all of the morning in one of 35 ministry tracks.

Track leaders were encouraged to make their sessions as hands-on and creative as possible. The goals of the three- to four-hour ministry track seminars were to help students think theologically about the topic of choice, enhance their skills and send them back to their home congregations with a sense of mission.

When students registered for the convention, they also signed up for ministry tracks. In order to offer personal attention to each conferee, the original goal was to have no more than 30 students in each seminar. In some cases that meant adding additional leaders after registrations were in.

Ministry track options were grouped into three areas: gift development, sports and special interest. Seminar leaders included Fresno Pacific University, Tabor College, MB Biblical Seminary and MBMS International personnel, Mennonite Brethren pastors and denominational ministry personnel.

Just over half the conferees attended a gift development track. For the first hour, the 142 students who signed up for worship-related tracks heard from Anaheim ’07 co-chair Tim Neufeld, an experienced worship leader, about what worship is—and isn’t. Following Neufeld’s challenge, the group divided into interest areas: acoustic guitar, drums, singing, sound, technology and worship dance.

The gift development track also included fine arts options such as drama, drawing, filmmaking and writing. Photography, with 104 registered participants, was the most popular of all ministry track options. Also included in the gift development category were seminars on prayer, discovering spiritual gifts, preaching, evangelism and children’s, youth and out door ministry.

More than 200 conferees traveled to area parks and gyms to improve their basketball, football, skateboarding, soccer, Ultimate Frisbee or volleyball skills and were challenged to view athletics as a ministry opportunity. Another 268 conferees signed up for one of eight special interest tracks about developing cross-cultural friendships, cross-cultural missions, engaging pop culture, identity issues for young women, leadership and sex and dating. Two dozen conferees attended Palm Sunday worship services at area churches.

Ministry tracks were intended to encourage conferees to use their gifts in their home congregations and communities. Students from several ministry tracks put their talents to work at Anaheim ’07. Volunteers from two ministry tracks—singing and worship dance—helped lead worship in one general session. Short films created by students in the filmmaking track were shown. Students in the writing track were asked to join the Leader’s student reporters pool and artists and photographers were invited to submit artwork and photos to the magazine for publication.

For a student’s perspective on ministry tracks, read essays by Leader student reporters.

—CF