The application for the 2026 Youth Leadership Cohort is now open! Apply here by September 15th, 2026
The RMC’s Youth Leadership Cohort
WHO: High school youth who are engaged in their local UCC church and desire to gain leadership skills that will impact their church context. Youth, do you have ideas about what your generation (Gen Z/Gen Alpha) might want to see from their church? Leaders, do you have a youth who is an incredible leader of your youth group or of your church context? If you answered yes, then you have what we are looking for!
WHAT: We want to build a cohort of young leaders across the conference to support one another as they offer leadership to their local churches and to the wider Rocky Mountain Conference. Each youth will be asked to identify a project they want to take on that will help their church, and our cohort will be guided through creating a project plan, implementing their project, and assessing that project through the course of the 2026-2027 program year. This cohort will culminate in a presentation during our RMC Annual Celebration in 2027. Here are some ideas of what your project may look like:
- Worship: You have creative ideas about music or liturgy. You want to create a whole worship service to show your church what kind of worship engages your generation.
- Communications & outreach: Your church website or social media needs some updating, and you know how to create an authentic representation of your church in digital contexts.
- Justice-work: You have a passion for a particular need in the community and want to connect your church with community partners to address it.
- Community-building: You have ideas about how to build belonging in your context. You want to help your church step up their hospitality game.
WHY: We believe our youth are both the future of our church and key members and leaders currently in our midst. From research on adolescent religiosity, we know that youth who are engaged in church leadership go on to be adults engaged in church and activism. We also know that churches with active youth leadership tend to be flourishing and vital congregations. Empowering youth empowers everyone!
WHEN: The following events are required. Please see the timeline below:
RECURRING: Monthly check-ins and progress reports. Dates & times will be established during our Zoom Orientation.
Applications will close on September 15, 2026. Apply here!
Selected youth will move on to schedule an intake interview.
Final selections will be made by September 30, 2026.
November 15, 2026: Zoom Orientation from 2 to 5 PM.
Jan 15-16, 2027: Leadership retreat at La Foret Conference & Retreat Center.
JUNE/JULY DATE TBD: Rocky Mountain Conference Annual Celebration at La Foret
Questions? Email the RMC’s Youth Coordinator, Rev. Brooklyn McBride, at brooklyn@rmcucc.org
