With some travels across the NCJ this past week I've become more conviced than ever that youth leaders are good at one thing: conspiring.

Both out at Morningside College in Sioux City and back here around WI, OH and MI, I kept running into youth leaders making pacts with one another to do effective ministry with young people. In Madison and Ann Arbor, it's the groups of youth leaders who've created multi-church Fall retreats to build a critical mass of youth and share the duties of leading an exciting weekend gathering of young disciples. In OH, it's a budding guild of youth leaders meeting together to share best practices, pray for each other, and network for effective programs and activities.

Perhaps we don't have to hide in catacombs or in basements to live out our Christian faith in this Midwestern, USA - but a certain level of conspiracy like this is exciting! It's a great model for collaboration and is a witness to the elements of our church bureaucracy that aren't as collaborative or nimble in setting up cooperative ministries.

So thanks ConSPIRITors of the NCJ! Keep up the good work, and I hope to follow your lead!

Carl