The DMYP is organized according to the paragraphs numbered in the 1200s in the Book of Discipline. A diverse and global group of youth, young adults, and adult workers with those age groups work alongside representatives from each of the General Agencies of the United Methodist Church and a Bishop to vision and interpret program directions for young people of the UMC.
The Shared Mission Focus on Young People was created following the 1996 General Conference. That organization of youth, young adults, and workers with young people from around the world considered several structures in preparing a recommendation for the structure of an official young people’s body to the next General Conference. What would become the DMYP followed previous incarnations of young people in leadership that were called the “National Youth Ministry Organization” and the “United Methodist Youth Organization.” The creation of the DMYP made this body of young people one of the most diverse and globally representative bodies in the UMC, a tradition we are proud to continue. Discipleship Ministries (the General Board of Discipleship) offered to house the DMYP the mission of the DMYP and the mission of Discipleship Ministries aligned: to nurture, develop, and shape disciples of Jesus Christ. As a division of the general agency, the DMYP gets to work closely with Discipleship Ministries staff as well as with the other 12 boards and agencies of the UMC.
We organize the quadrennial, global gathering for young United Methodist leaders, the Global Young People’s Convocation. This event gathers together the global United Methodist family to learn from and about each other. We undertake leadership training, increase cultural understanding, exchange ministry ideas, and form legislation and statements to advocate and increase the ability of young people to act as change agents in the UMC. This event has a rich history dating back to 2006.
We organize the quadrennial event for youth. It is open to the entire denomination and is the largest single event that Discipleship Ministries organizes and sponsors. Thousands of youth and their leaders gather for worship, fellowship, workshops, and the chance to learn more about the connectional nature of the United Methodist Church. In 2019, this event was in Kansas City, MO and we look forward to the next event!
We also create a variety of resources and ongoing support for those in leadership of youth and young adult ministries in the UMC. We remain present on social media and work throughout the denomination to support young people at every organizational level of the UMC.