Cohort Details
DATES & TIMES

7 Weekly Sessions
Tuesdays, July 14 – August 25, 2026
1 P.M. to 2:30  P.M. ET
12 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. CT
10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. PT

FEE

$299

Cohort Description

In this cohort, you’ll learn a gospel-centered philosophy for student discipleship that will help you to strategically lead students and families with awareness and courage. This cohort will help you to think about youth culture and your local church context. You’ll also learn how to plan events, create a student ministry handbook, how to care for your own soul while in ministry, and how to care for students and parents in crisis.

With your registration you’ll receive:

  • Teaching from Mike McGarry, Cameron Cole, Kendal Conner, Hayden Holmes, Kevin Yi, Tracy Yi, Alex Anderson, and Zach Cochran
  • Opportunities to ask questions on various topics
  • Connection and fellowship with other youth ministers, volunteers, parents, or youth ministry leaders in an affinity breakout group.
  • 2 books, examples of a youth ministry handbook, and other recommended resources to help you grow

 

Those who sign up for this cohort will receive free copies of:

  • Gospel-Centered Youth: A Practical Guide by Cameron Cole and Jon Nielson
  • Lead Them to Jesus by Mike McGarry

 

Are you on a church staff or considering this cohort as a group at a church? If so, check out this brief PDF with three ideas of how to use this cohort as a group. It also has instructions for deep discounts, provided through the support of generous donors. We hope these online learning cohorts will bless the church.

As a result, we never want finances to hinder someone from participating. If you want to participate in this cohort and have a need, please send us an email (cohorts@thegospelcoalition.org) and tell us more about your circumstances.

 

* We are unable to offer refunds for any cohorts

* Registration WITH books closes on July 7 and LATE Registration WITHOUT books closes on July 13

* All sessions will be recorded and available for streaming or download at your leisure in perpetuity and so if you can’t make it live or even for months the material is still readily available for you

* NOTE: we are unable to ship to those outside the USA but please use the coupon code “BOOKS15” for 15% off as our courtesy to international participants. You may also use coupon code “BOOKS15” if you DO NOT WANT the books for the cohort.

* If you have any questions pertaining to signing up for your cohort, group rates, elder/preaching team rates, or church rates email cohorts@thegospelcoalition.org. 

Grow in your ability to cast a biblical vision for youth ministry in your church
Be equipped to understand the youth culture in your church and in your local context
Practical guidance on events, volunteers, and a ministry handbook to organize a sustainable youth ministry
Content Summary
Session 1
The Case for Youth Ministry Biblically, Theologically, Practically (Mike McGarry)

What does the Bible have to say about youth ministry? Does it offer any wisdom for us today? In our opening session, Mike McGarry will answer these questions and offer a compelling vision for the Bible’s perspective on discipleship of youth.

Session 2
Who is the Primary Disciple-Maker of the Next Generation? (Cameron Cole)

In this session, Cameron Cole explores the roles and relationship between the church and the family in the discipleship of young people within the church.

Session 3
Understanding the Generations in Your Local Church (Kendal Conner)

The church is multi-generational. This is one of its many beautiful realities, but it can also come with challenges. In this session, Kendal Conner introduces us to the complexities of generations in the church today and how youth ministries might navigate them for gospel impact.

Session 4
Teaching the Bible to Students (Hayden Holmes)

In this session, Hayden Holmes will take us to the heart of youth ministry: teaching them the Bible in a way that equips them to follow Jesus, understand his word, and cherish each for the rest of their lives.

Session 5
Recruiting, Equipping, and Caring for Volunteers (Kevin and Tracy Yi)

More than youth ministers and parents, it takes the whole church to disciple youth students. In this lesson, Kevin and Tracy Yi will offer their years of ministry insight in how to build and sustain the best team for youth ministry in your church. 

Session 6
Planning and Executing Events (Alex Anderson)

Events are opportunities to teach students the joys of belonging to a church community, but they also involve many levels of organization that can often leave ministers discouraged and worn out. Alex Anderson will help us to think through these aspects in a way that serves the discipleship ends of the ministry.

Session 7
Creating a Ministry Handbook (Zach Cochran)

A ministry handbook sets the ministry on the right safety, organizational, and philosophical rails for it to run smoothly and pursue the biblical vision of youth ministry. In this session, Zach Cochran will introduce the importance and pieces to consider in building a handbook. Examples will be provided.

REGISTER TODAY

Alex Anderson serves as the Pastor of Sunday Ministries, overseeing our students, children, hospitality, and large events, at College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enjoys raising show pigs, hanging out with friends, playing basketball,  and cheering on Duke basketball. He is married to his wife Kayla for 13 years and have three children.

Zach Cochran (BA, University of Tennessee at Martin; MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the vice president of operations at The Gospel Coalition. He has spent the last decade leading in both church and nonprofit contexts, with a passion for gospel-centered ministry and organizational health. Zach is married to Kaitlyn, and they have two sons, William and Caleb. They live in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cameron Cole is the founding chairman of Rooted Ministry and the director of adult and Nextgen discipleship at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s the author of Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth and Therefore I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem in Tragedy. He enjoys writing about hope in suffering and ministry to children, youth, and families.

Kendal Conner (B.A., Union University) serves as a groups minister at Redeemer Fellowship in Kansas City, Missouri. She has served with youth in Central Asia and the United States in both church and para-church ministry contexts. She writes regularly for Rooted Ministry and helps to lead the student ministry leadership cohort for Gospel-Centered Family.

Hayden Holmes currently serves on staff at Sojourn Church J-Town in Louisville, KY as Director of Families and Students. He attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his MDiv. He is married to Jensen, and they have been working together in student ministry for over a decade. Together they have three children – Bennett, Brooks, and Ellie Blake.

Mike McGarry (DMin) is the youth pastor at South Shore Baptist Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, and is passionate about translating sound doctrine for the next generation. He is the author of A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry and Lead Them to Jesus, and a contributor to Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry. He is the founder of Youth Pastor Theologian and cohost of the podcast Thanos to Theos. You can find him on Twitter at @RevMcGarry.

Kevin Yi is the youth and education pastor at Church Everyday in Los Angeles. He is a bi-vocational pastor and has been in the animation industry for more than 10 years. He is the founder of truthmattersministries.com and is currently pursuing a master of divinity at Talbot School of Theology.

Tracy Yi is a mom of 3 who has served alongside her husband, Kevin, in youth ministry for over 16 years. They now serve college and young adults at Church Everyday in Southern California.

Cohort Description

In this cohort, you’ll learn a gospel-centered philosophy for student discipleship that will help you to strategically lead students and families with awareness and courage. This cohort will help you to think about youth culture and your local church context. You’ll also learn how to plan events, create a student ministry handbook, how to care for your own soul while in ministry, and how to care for students and parents in crisis.

With your registration you’ll receive:

  • Teaching from Mike McGarry, Cameron Cole, Kendal Conner, Hayden Holmes, Kevin Yi, Tracy Yi, Alex Anderson, and Zach Cochran
  • Opportunities to ask questions on various topics
  • Connection and fellowship with other youth ministers, volunteers, parents, or youth ministry leaders in an affinity breakout group.
  • 2 books, examples of a youth ministry handbook, and other recommended resources to help you grow

 

Those who sign up for this cohort will receive free copies of:

  • Gospel-Centered Youth: A Practical Guide by Cameron Cole and Jon Nielson
  • Lead Them to Jesus by Mike McGarry

 

Are you on a church staff or considering this cohort as a group at a church? If so, check out this brief PDF with three ideas of how to use this cohort as a group. It also has instructions for deep discounts, provided through the support of generous donors. We hope these online learning cohorts will bless the church.

As a result, we never want finances to hinder someone from participating. If you want to participate in this cohort and have a need, please send us an email (cohorts@thegospelcoalition.org) and tell us more about your circumstances.

 

* We are unable to offer refunds for any cohorts

* Registration WITH books closes on July 7 and LATE Registration WITHOUT books closes on July 13

* All sessions will be recorded and available for streaming or download at your leisure in perpetuity and so if you can’t make it live or even for months the material is still readily available for you

* NOTE: we are unable to ship to those outside the USA but please use the coupon code “BOOKS15” for 15% off as our courtesy to international participants. You may also use coupon code “BOOKS15” if you DO NOT WANT the books for the cohort.

* If you have any questions pertaining to signing up for your cohort, group rates, elder/preaching team rates, or church rates email cohorts@thegospelcoalition.org. 

Content Summary
Session 1
The Case for Youth Ministry Biblically, Theologically, Practically (Mike McGarry)

What does the Bible have to say about youth ministry? Does it offer any wisdom for us today? In our opening session, Mike McGarry will answer these questions and offer a compelling vision for the Bible’s perspective on discipleship of youth.

Session 2
Who is the Primary Disciple-Maker of the Next Generation? (Cameron Cole)

In this session, Cameron Cole explores the roles and relationship between the church and the family in the discipleship of young people within the church.

Session 3
Understanding the Generations in Your Local Church (Kendal Conner)

The church is multi-generational. This is one of its many beautiful realities, but it can also come with challenges. In this session, Kendal Conner introduces us to the complexities of generations in the church today and how youth ministries might navigate them for gospel impact.

Session 4
Teaching the Bible to Students (Hayden Holmes)

In this session, Hayden Holmes will take us to the heart of youth ministry: teaching them the Bible in a way that equips them to follow Jesus, understand his word, and cherish each for the rest of their lives.

Session 5
Recruiting, Equipping, and Caring for Volunteers (Kevin and Tracy Yi)

More than youth ministers and parents, it takes the whole church to disciple youth students. In this lesson, Kevin and Tracy Yi will offer their years of ministry insight in how to build and sustain the best team for youth ministry in your church. 

Session 6
Planning and Executing Events (Alex Anderson)

Events are opportunities to teach students the joys of belonging to a church community, but they also involve many levels of organization that can often leave ministers discouraged and worn out. Alex Anderson will help us to think through these aspects in a way that serves the discipleship ends of the ministry.

Session 7
Creating a Ministry Handbook (Zach Cochran)

A ministry handbook sets the ministry on the right safety, organizational, and philosophical rails for it to run smoothly and pursue the biblical vision of youth ministry. In this session, Zach Cochran will introduce the importance and pieces to consider in building a handbook. Examples will be provided.

REGISTER TODAY
Cohort Details
DATES & TIMES

7 Weekly Sessions
Tuesdays, July 14 – August 25, 2026
1 P.M. to 2:30  P.M. ET
12 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. CT
10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. PT

FEE

$299

Grow in your ability to cast a biblical vision for youth ministry in your church
Be equipped to understand the youth culture in your church and in your local context
Practical guidance on events, volunteers, and a ministry handbook to organize a sustainable youth ministry

Alex Anderson serves as the Pastor of Sunday Ministries, overseeing our students, children, hospitality, and large events, at College Park Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enjoys raising show pigs, hanging out with friends, playing basketball,  and cheering on Duke basketball. He is married to his wife Kayla for 13 years and have three children.

Zach Cochran (BA, University of Tennessee at Martin; MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the vice president of operations at The Gospel Coalition. He has spent the last decade leading in both church and nonprofit contexts, with a passion for gospel-centered ministry and organizational health. Zach is married to Kaitlyn, and they have two sons, William and Caleb. They live in Louisville, Kentucky.

Cameron Cole is the founding chairman of Rooted Ministry and the director of adult and Nextgen discipleship at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birmingham, Alabama. He’s the author of Heavenward: How Eternity Can Change Your Life on Earth and Therefore I Have Hope: 12 Truths That Comfort, Sustain, and Redeem in Tragedy. He enjoys writing about hope in suffering and ministry to children, youth, and families.

Kendal Conner (B.A., Union University) serves as a groups minister at Redeemer Fellowship in Kansas City, Missouri. She has served with youth in Central Asia and the United States in both church and para-church ministry contexts. She writes regularly for Rooted Ministry and helps to lead the student ministry leadership cohort for Gospel-Centered Family.

Hayden Holmes currently serves on staff at Sojourn Church J-Town in Louisville, KY as Director of Families and Students. He attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his MDiv. He is married to Jensen, and they have been working together in student ministry for over a decade. Together they have three children – Bennett, Brooks, and Ellie Blake.

Mike McGarry (DMin) is the youth pastor at South Shore Baptist Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, and is passionate about translating sound doctrine for the next generation. He is the author of A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry and Lead Them to Jesus, and a contributor to Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry. He is the founder of Youth Pastor Theologian and cohost of the podcast Thanos to Theos. You can find him on Twitter at @RevMcGarry.

Kevin Yi is the youth and education pastor at Church Everyday in Los Angeles. He is a bi-vocational pastor and has been in the animation industry for more than 10 years. He is the founder of truthmattersministries.com and is currently pursuing a master of divinity at Talbot School of Theology.

Tracy Yi is a mom of 3 who has served alongside her husband, Kevin, in youth ministry for over 16 years. They now serve college and young adults at Church Everyday in Southern California.