This blog is Part 2 of The Becoming Movement. If you aren’t sure what this movement is, start here!
The Journey Steps Onto the Field
Every journey reaches a moment when preparation must become participation. For CIC students, that moment arrives at The Playbook Conference. After awakening has stirred their hearts and revival has begun to take shape, students need a space where they can learn how to live out what God has awakened within them. The Playbook Conference is that space. It is the moment where the journey meets the field, where students discover that discipleship is not only something they feel but something they practice. Scripture speaks to this kind of readiness. First Corinthians 9:25 reminds believers that athletes train with purpose and discipline. This verse helps students understand that spiritual growth requires the same intentionality. The conference gives them the tools to train well.
The Purpose of the Playbook Conference
The Playbook Conference exists to help students understand that awakening must lead to action. Revival is not meant to stay inside the heart. It is meant to shape the way students live, think, and respond to God. The conference provides a structured environment where students can learn practical skills for discipleship. Research shows that adolescents grow spiritually when they are given opportunities to explore faith through teaching, practice, and community engagement.[1] The Playbook Conference brings all three together in a single day designed to strengthen students for the field.
The conference theme, Where the Journey Meets the Field, reminds students that discipleship is not separate from their daily lives. The field represents their schools, their friendships, their homes, and their decisions. It is the place where their faith is lived out. The conference helps them understand that God is not only present in spiritual moments but also in the ordinary spaces where they spend their time. A verse like Joshua 1:9, which calls believers to be strong and courageous because God is with them wherever they go, helps students see that the field is not a place of fear. It is a place of opportunity.
The Conference Experience
The Playbook Conference begins at 10:00 a.m. with a large group gathering. Students enter a space filled with energy, worship, and expectation. Leaders welcome them, pray over them, and set the tone for the day. This opening session helps students understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves. It reminds them that discipleship is a team journey. Research on youth engagement shows that large group gatherings help students feel connected, motivated, and ready to learn.[2] The opening session creates that sense of unity.
After the large group opening session, students transition into the heart of the conference: the classes. One of the most important elements of The Playbook Conference is that students can choose classes that speak to their needs, interests, and spiritual questions. Choice matters. Research shows that adolescents engage more deeply when they have agency in their learning and when they feel ownership over their spiritual growth.[3] Allowing students to choose their classes helps them understand that their journey with God is personal and intentional.
Students can choose from several class offerings throughout the day. Each option gives them space to explore what God is calling them to become. For example, a student may choose the Building a Life of Prayer session because they want to learn how to talk to God with confidence and honesty. Others may choose the Exploring God’s Word class because they want to understand how to read the Bible with clarity and purpose. Still others may choose The Leadership Practice Room class because they feel God stirring them to influence their peers with courage and humility. Each class becomes a pathway for students to explore what God is calling them to become within them. Their choices help them see that discipleship is not one size fits all. It is a journey shaped by God’s unique work in their hearts. These classes give students practical tools they can use on the field. They help students understand that discipleship is not abstract. It is lived.
Lunch is served at 12:30 PM, giving students time to rest, connect, and build relationships. Sharing a meal reflects the early church’s commitment to fellowship, as seen in Acts 2:42. Lunch becomes a moment of belonging, where students laugh, talk, and process what they are learning. It is a reminder that discipleship grows in community.
After lunch, students return to the second round of classes. These sessions build on the morning lessons and give students opportunities to practice what they are learning. They might pray together, study Scripture in small groups, or participate in activities that teach teamwork and spiritual discipline. These moments help students understand that discipleship is not something they do alone. It is something they do with others. The conference ends with a closing large group session at 2:30 p.m. Students gather again for worship, reflection, and prayer. Leaders remind students that the field awaits them. They encourage students to carry their awakening into their daily lives. A verse like Second Timothy 1:7, which teaches that God gives a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline, helps students understand that they are equipped for the journey ahead. The conference concludes at 3:00 p.m., sending students out with renewed purpose and strengthened faith. To see a copy of the schedule of events, click here.
The Journey Continues
The journey continues as students move from belonging into awakening and then into becoming. Belonging gave them a place to be seen, known, and loved. Awakening opened their eyes to the presence and voice of God. Becoming now shapes their daily lives as they learn to live out what God has started in them. The Playbook is the language and structure that helps their becoming take form on the field of real life. While this microproject reaches its conclusion, the journey itself does not end. It continues in the hearts of the students who are learning to live with purpose, courage, and faith. The conversation is not over. It lives on in every young person who chooses, day by day, to follow Jesus with intention.
[1]. Brad M. Griffin, Tyler S. Greenway, and Kara E. Powell, “Faith Beyond Youth Group: A Framework for Character-Forming Discipleship in Youth Ministry,” Journal of Youth Ministry (2022): 15, https://www.academia.edu/106337930/Faith_Beyond_Youth_Group_A_Framework_for_Character_Forming_Discipleship_in_Youth_Ministry.
[2]. Barna Group, The Open Generation | How Teens Around the World View the Bible (Ventura, CA: Barna Group, 2022), 29.
[3]. Group, The Open Generation, 36.
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