Faith-shaped leadership. Real-world service.

LIFT Conference equips young people to lead with courage, serve with compassion and make a difference in their schools, churches and communities.

Designed for young people in Years 7 to 12, LIFT brings together students, schools, congregations and Lutheran ministry partners for a day of leadership formation, discipleship, service learning and practical action.

Leadership & Discipleship

What is LIFT Conference?

LIFT Conference is a leadership and discipleship experience for young people who are ready to explore what it means to lead through faith, service, dignity and compassion.

Through keynote presentations, spiritual reflections, practical workshops, shared conversations and guided reflection, students are encouraged to see leadership as more than influence or achievement.

LIFT invites young people to discover that Christian leadership is grounded in discipleship, shaped by service and strengthened through collaboration.

Faith-shaped leadership

Practical service learning

Student voice and agency

Collaboration across schools, churches and ministries

Leadership Academy

Leadership that serves the world.

Young people are growing up in a world that needs courage, compassion, justice, dignity and hope.

LIFT helps students connect leadership formation with real-world impact. It gives young people space to ask deeper questions about who they are, who God is calling them to become and how they can serve others.

Students grow in purpose

Students practise servant leadership

Students develop empathy

Students connect faith with action

Students identify practical next steps

WHO IT IS FOR

Who is LIFT for?

LIFT is crafted to empower, equip, and inspire the next generation of Christian leaders across diverse ministry and school settings.

Years 7–12 students

Young people exploring leadership, service, faith, community and purpose.

Student leaders

Students already serving in formal or informal leadership roles.

Emerging leaders

Young people who may not yet see themselves as leaders but are ready to grow.

School groups

Schools wanting to develop a shared leadership language and service mindset.

Congregation groups

Church communities wanting to encourage young people in faith, service and leadership.

Previous LYQ participants

Young people continuing their leadership journey after camps, programs, retreats or youth ministry experiences.

LIFT PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

What students experience

LIFT combines inspiration, conversation, reflection and action. Students do not just listen to ideas about leadership — they explore how leadership can be lived.

Welcome & Connection

Belonging activities, group connection and orientation.

Keynote & Faith Reflection

Explore Christian leadership through stories, Scripture, dignity, service and impact.

Workshops

Practical sessions on empathy, listening, teamwork, servant leadership and action planning.

Shared Conversations

Learn from one another, exchange ideas across communities and reflect with facilitators.

Call to Action

Identify next steps for leadership and service in schools, congregations and communities.

LIFT 2026: Leading with heart. Making a global difference.

In 2026, LIFT brought together young leaders under the theme Leading with Heart. Making a Global Difference.

Students explored how Christian leadership can contribute to a more just, compassionate and hopeful world through spiritual reflections, keynote presentations, workshops and shared conversations.

The conference was organised by Lutheran Youth of Queensland in partnership with Australian Lutheran World Service and Lutheran Education Australia, and generously sponsored by LLL Australia.

Leadership is grounded in discipleship, shaped by service and strengthened through collaboration.

An immersive, place-based conference experience.

LIFT 2027: Leadership through service.

The proposed 2027 LIFT Conference moves beyond a single static venue to include immersive, place-based learning in partnership with Lutheran Services.

Students will have the opportunity to explore local community care and Christian service through ministry engagement, guided reflection, workshops and practical action planning.

Local community service

Step outside the classroom into local care agencies, experiencing first-hand community engagement.

Faith in action

Translate Lutheran values into active service, bridging theology and practical care for others.

Human dignity and presence

Learn the art of active listening and standing alongside vulnerable community members.

Practical leadership pathways

Equip yourself with sustainable skills to lead service initiatives in your own school and local community.

Seeing service in action.

LIFT is designed to help young people connect leadership formation with lived experience. Through site-based learning, interactive storytelling or simulated service scenarios, students can explore how Christian values shape daily care, inclusion and community service.

Aged care and community care contexts
Disability support and inclusion
Mental health, youth and family service awareness
Stories from staff, volunteers and ministry leaders
Reflection on dignity, vulnerability and compassion

Workshop themes

Practical leadership for real communities.

Walking Alongside Others

Empathy, listening and understanding vulnerability.

From Experience to Action

Turning what students observe into practical local initiatives.

Teams That Care

Collaboration, servant leadership and shared responsibility.

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