Intown Community Church (PCA) in Atlanta will host a conference focused on Gospel-centered youth ministry on Oct. 10-12, 2013. The conference, called “Rooted: Advancing Grace-Driven Youth Ministry,” will focus on offering hope to suffering students.

David Plant, youth director at Redeemer Presbyterian in New York, N.Y., will serve as one of the conference’s plenary speakers.

Other speakers include keynoter Jared Wilson, an author, blogger, and pastor in New Hampshire, and Sharon Hersh, adjunct professor of counseling at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Fla.

Rebecca Heck, Intown Community Church youth director, has spearheaded planning efforts for the conference. She says the Rooted conference is a way for leaders to not only hear the Gospel again for themselves, but to learn how to take that back and apply it to their ministries. Heck says, “We are so excited to host this conference and to be a part of the sending of God’s Gospel to not only a new audience, but an audience who needs to hear that the Gospel doesn’t require a step-by-step program, but a willing heart to rest in God’s grace.”

Mark Howard of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Covington, Ga., who has attended the previous two conferences and serves on the Rooted steering committee, is excited to have the conference in his presbytery. “The content and relationships from Rooted have been an invaluable resource and encouragement in my own life and ministry over the years,” says Howard.  “In a sector of ministry dominated by pressures to perform, Rooted’s emphasis on grace-driven youth ministry provides a much needed reminder of the sufficiency of Jesus and his Gospel to transform lives.”

The conference already has drawn attendees from all over the country, including as far away as Washington, California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Those interested in attending Rooted 2013 can learn more at www.rootedministry.com/conference.