Parents

So, your teen wants to come to TLC, and you’re wondering what we are all about? We’re glad you checked in with us!

Teen Leadership Conference began in 1969 on the campus of Baptist Bible College and was the vision of our basketball coach, Jim Huckaby. Rather than a sports camp, he developed a plan for a week-long Bible conference for teens and their youth leaders. This is not camp, but then again, it isn’t really church either. It is a time for spiritual challenge and renewal. We want to see all who attend grow in their walk with God and be challenged toward a life-long commitment of service for their Savior.

TLC has now grown to close to 1,000 teens in attendance each year and necessitated that we add a second week. You can choose either week and receive the same great messages, workshops, counseling, and—lest we forget—fun! Teens enjoy hanging out and getting to know new friends that not only believe in Christ but also face the same challenges they do back home. Based on past experiences, we feel confident that your teen will be saturated with the Word of God and encouraged by Christian fellowship during the week.

Our conference is staffed by experienced adults and college-age counselors. These young men and women are training for career ministry and have gone through a careful selection process and comprehensive training program led by veteran conference directors Glenn Amos and Matt Pollock. Supervised by these counselors, your teen will be housed in our College residence halls and eat in our cafeteria. You can be sure that they’ll get plenty to eat and will have very comfortable housing. Youth workers who attend will stay in separate accommodations on our campus as well.

We hope you’ll browse our site and find the answers to all of your questions. Your church’s youth leader may be helpful as well. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions.

Counselor Testimonials

DREW JACKSON
For two summers I had the privilege of working at TLC as a counselor. The first year I was definitely still “wet behind the ears”. I can remember standing in the back of the auditorium during a time where students could come and talk to us if they had anything weighing on their heart. As I stood there, clutching my Bible, a fellow counselor who could see my anxiety walked over and said, “God is going to amaze you”. And what a turning point that was for me that week as I began to open my eyes and see God actually doing amazing things in the lives of teens. The following year I was eager to apply for the counselor position again. There was no way I could miss out on something THAT big. The new year brought new challenges but this time I was eager to jump straight in to the “big activities”, group devotions, worship, and just hanging out with the guys. I still can’t believe how connected I became with the students even after just one week and how much we all grew in our walk with Christ. It was truly a blessing to work at TLC for those summers. And, through it all, what my friend said that first year proved true … “God is going to amaze you”.

ERIN CAVANAUGH
Counseling at TLC is one of the greatest privileges I have had in ministry! I arrived with an open and excited heart that was ready to serve and love teen girls and left being blown away by God’s greatness and evidence of handiwork in my own life! During my time counseling at TLC, I learned three great lessons in faith—that we learn the most when we go in with the intent to learn, that we know God most intimately when we step outside of our comfort zone, and that God, in His greatness, will accomplish His plan regardless of our shortcomings. It was such a joy to be able to invest into the lives of teenagers—to learn their names, hear their stories, and watch God work in abundant ways in such a short amount of time! I cherished the time I was able to spend with my girls each day, just walking, talking, playing games, or praying with them. The hunger some of the teens had for God ran deeper than I expected, and they often blew me away and challenged me with their thirst for knowledge and their passion for God. I watched as God used powerful messages on leadership, faith, and evangelism to challenge, stretch, and grow each of the teens in different ways. It was even more amazing to see how He was graciously and powerfully using me and working in me each day as I walked through a week of life with these students, and sat through the same life-changing messages as they did. It was a joy to be able to step out in faith, to serve God and serve teens, and in the process be blown away by the incredible greatness and abundant love of our God. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had to serve, and so amazed at the way God uses TLC to strengthen the hearts of His people.