2026 Montreat Youth Conferences

What Is MYC?

Worship & Keynote

Worship and keynote engage youth in the theme and challenge all in attendance to faith exploration and growth. Using scripture, Reformed theology, and song, youth are affirmed and united as children of God. During keynote, everyone gathers for group building, announcements, and song. During worship, youth hear the Word of God proclaimed in word, song, and action.

Small Group

Small group is a place where youth can share their journey of faith with peers through respectful conversations. Small group sessions are led by trained adult leaders who facilitate honest discussions about the themes presented in keynote and worship. It is an important time where youth can dive deeper into the conference theme, while forming bonds and making dear friends with youth outside of their congregation.

Recreation

We engage youth physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in events that build up the Christian community while having fun! We believe that people who can play together can pray together; people who can sing together can talk together; and people who can dance together can walk together.

Back Home Time

Back Home Groups are the people you come with to Montreat. Each evening groups gather together to connect through prayer and conversation. Our hope is that experiences in keynote, worship, small groups, and recreation will provide all the content youth need to have some meaningful conversations with their back home group. Materials are provided to help adult leaders debrief the amazing events and emotions of each day with their youth.

Mission

We are all invited to participate in God's mission in the world by serving our neighbors.  In addition to collecting offerings on behalf of different mission partners each week, Montreat Conference Center builds mission opportunities into the weekly programming with opportunities are as varied as packaging meals for food insecure communities to educational opportunities to bring change to your home communities. Montreat also partners with local organizations for optional add-on mission programming for groups attending the Montreat Youth Conferences. For more information about those opportunities, please visit the Ways to Participate menu.

Conference & Housing Rates

We want you to be as informed as possible before you register! We've created a page with a lot of information pertaining to registration, conference participation, and things to know while you're here. We highly encourage you to read it before filling out the registration form. It should answer a lot of your questions. Below is information about scholarships, the cost of conference registration per participant, and the combined cost of conference registration and Conference Center and College housing.

Scholarships

We think Youth Conference is an important and formative part of a young person's faith journey and understand that it's not something affordable to everyone. As such, we have a limited number of scholarships available for this conference.

Conference Cost

Conference Center & College Housing Options

Montreat Conference Center Housing Info

Rates are PER PERSON and include room for six nights and meals in Assembly Inn’s Galax Dining Room (Sunday dinner through Saturday breakfast). Linens are included. A $50 per person non-refundable housing deposit is required (this is included in your $100 registration deposit).

* A limited number of triple occupancy Assembly Inn with private bath rooms are available.

Montreat College Dorm Housing Info

Rates are PER PERSON (regardless of how many are in a room) and include room for six nights and meals in Montreat College's Howerton Hall (Sunday dinner through Saturday breakfast). Linens are not included. A $50 per person non-refundable housing deposit is required (this is included in your $100 registration deposit).

View pictures of the dorms here.

*Third person in a room must bring their own sleeping bag, air mattress, or cot.

Private Housing

Make your own arrangements directly with a private cottage owner or rental agency. A private cottager list can be acquired by emailing Daphne Waggener at daphnew@montreat.org.

Refunds & Cancellations

Please view the Youth Conference Guidebook for information regarding refunds and cancellations.

Registering "Extra" Adults

You will have an opportunity to purchase Keynote and/or Recreation wristbands upon arrival at conference check-in. The prices for each wristband are listed below.

Ways to Participate

Montreat Youth Conference is for graduated 8th grade to graduated 12th grade young people and their leaders. Participation in MYC includes access to Keynote and Worship, Conference Recreation,—like late-evening energizer parties, scavenger hunts, and other activities—and Small Groups where you’ll unpack the message of the day and build bonds with other Youth and with God.

Opportunities for Youth

Jeremiah Project (JP) More information will be provided to Back Home Leaders at a later date.

Opportunities for Group Leaders

Small Group Leaders (SGL) Small Group Leaders provide critical guidance for the heart of the Youth and Middle School Conferences by leading small groups. The application will be available after the first of the year.

Back Home Leaders (BHL) are the people that bring youth to Montreat. They often help plan the trip, serve as chaperones while the group is onsite, and guide evening discussions and debriefs in the Back Home Groups.

Chaperones are important to the MYC experience. Chaperones act as drivers, cooks, and covenant protectors. We recommend 1 registered adult per every six (6) youth that attend.

Other Opportunities

MYC wouldn’t be able to exist without the important work done by our wonderful volunteers. As such, there are always opportunities to participate in MYC in support and planning roles! You can register to be a part of a Planning Team or become a Small Group Leader to lead our young people in discussion. For all opportunities, visit montreat.org/get-involved.

Montreat Mission Experience with Asheville Youth Mission

Description: Want to begin your group’s MYC experience with a mindset of mission? Sign up your group to spend Sunday with Asheville Youth Mission (a program of Youth Mission Co). AYM leaders will host a “pre-conference” experience from 9am to 3pm that includes mixers, interactive simulations, guest speakers, group discussion, artistic reflection, and exploration of our call to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. Groups will consider their home context and how they can live differently in it when their week at Montreat is over.

Sunday Montreat Mission Experience is $25/participant. Sunday MME does not include lunch, but you may pre-order and purchase box lunches from Montreat for $15 per person.

Wednesday Montreat Mission Experience will still be offered, and includes your group volunteering at a local agency from 1-3pm on Wednesday afternoon. Cost is $15/person

You can learn more about Asheville Youth Mission at youthmissionco.org/asheville-youth-mission. You will receive additional participation details in your Youth Conference confirmation email.

Resources

MYC Guidebook

We want you to be as informed as possible before you register! We've created a page with a lot of information pertaining to registration, conference participation, and what to expect once you're here. We highly encourage you to read it before filling out the registration form. It should answer a lot of your questions.

Marketing Resources

Past MYC Theme Resources

Looking for photos?

First Youth Conference?

Is this your first time bringing a group to Montreat? Contact Susie Burns to walk you through the process at 828.419.9814 or email her at susieb@montreat.org.

Back Home Leader Information

Back Home Leaders are super important to the Montreat Experience! The link at the button below will provide you with resources and the necessary information to help your youth conference experience be a success.