180° Symposium
March 31-April 2, 2026
Andrews University
Hybrid (In-person and virtual)
Created and Hosted by CYE
Sponsored by NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries
and AdventSource

 

General Information

Topic: GOD SHOWS UP

Subtitle: Intense Spiritual Experiences for Young People

Youth ministry takes place on a regular basis with people of all ages leading. The highlights might come at unexpected times, but often stand out at special events. Think of your own spiritual journey. It probably includes highlights and also a gradual shaping over the long term as well.

In 2025, the topic was discipleship—including a process over time of becoming more Christlike. Our topic for the 180° Symposium March 31-April 2, 2026, focuses on the spectacular internal experience—the type of thing when a young person says something to the effect of, “God showed up!” It’s not that God isn’t present at other times, but the moments in which God seems to unmistakably show himself.

The Bible contains multiple examples of this, whether it was Jacob’s vision of the ladder connecting heaven and earth, Moses at the burning bush, Elijah on Mount Carmel, and multiple stories about Jesus in the Gospels and the early church in Acts.

What about now? Can you identify when God shows up? Where is this likely to occur? When? and Why? Does great programming make the difference? Do larger budgets yield more results? Is it completely up to God and we just need to wait? What role does leadership play? Can these things be replicated? How do you deal with things when you expect God to show up, but nothing happens—the fire doesn’t fall?

Because our term “young people” includes children, youth, and young adults, are there similarities regardless of your age or stage in life? Are there differences? Is it more likely that God will show up when the same age group gathers, when the group is intergenerational, or does any of that make a difference?

Those interested in participating in the 180° Symposium in-person or online are invited to register. There is no fee for participating due to the sponsorship of the Center for Youth Evangelism, the North American Division Youth and Young Adult Ministries Department, the Lake Union Conference, and AdventSource, but registration gives you access to the materials and links associated with the symposium.

Those interested in submitting a one-page proposal to present a paper are invited to do so by October 1, 2025. Email it to Steve@involveyouth.org. For more information, see “Be a Writer” or “Call for Papers.” Following are potential topics for papers, or you may come up with your own topic based on the overall topic for the 2026 symposium: “GOD SHOWS UP: Intense Spiritual Experiences for Young People.” For the 180° Symposium, the term “young people” includes youth, young adults, and children (ages birth to 30).

Potential sub-topics and questions to address:

  • How to Know It’s God
  • The Role of Emotions in Sensing God’s Presence
  • How Long Does It Last?
  • The Desire for God
  • Baptism and the Presence of God
  • Summer Camp
  • Short-Term Mission Trips
  • Youth Rallies
  • Bible Camps
  • Vacation Bible School
  • Friday Nights
  • Retreats
  • The Impact of Music and God’s Presence
  • Service Activities
  • Solo Times
  • Pathfinders
  • The International Pathfinder Camporee
  • Mentors
  • The Still Small Voice
  • Miracles
  • Manipulation
  • When God Seems Absent
  • Finding God in the Mundane
  • Temperament and Sensing God
  • Today’s Prophets and Their Message(s)
  • Today’s Priests and Their Practices/Rituals
  • Perceiving God in Nature
  • When Things Get Out of Control
  • Generational Differences
  • Being Intergenerational
  • Prayer
  • Preaching
  • Scripture
  • Music
  • Spiritual Disciplines
  • Sabbath
  • Personal Devotions
  • Discernment
  • Faking It
  • Promotion and Branding
  • Social Media
  • Reporting God Sightings
  • Faith

For information, contact Steve Case.

Click here to Register for 2026
See Travel Information