Ministries geared toward young people are numerous around the world, but likely few have as much history as Christian Endeavor. A youth ministry movement that started in 1881, Christian Endeavor (CE) empowers young people through local churches in 50 countries worldwide. Once every four years, representatives from these countries come together for a “World Convention,” for which Lancaster Bible College was a sponsor in 2023.

See the video LBC showed at the convention below.

Incoming LBC freshman soccer player and Business Administration major Zach Coryell (’27) had the opportunity to be part of the 2023 CE World Convention in Mücke, Germany in July. Zach led workshops, facilitated small group time, organized and ran a soccer tournament and participated in many other ways throughout the convention.

Zach sat down for a Q&A with Christian Endeavor Ministry Director Josh Good about his reflections on participating in an international event, taking on leadership roles in many different ways and how this experience will impact his time at LBC.

Zach Coryell (’27) attends a business/leadership meeting of Christian Endeavor along with another student, Kali, where Zach took part as a delegate for the U.S. to weigh in on vision and direction for the organization.

JOSH GOOD: Tell our readers more about the Christian Endeavor World Convention.

ZACH CORYELL: “The CE World Convention is a time to reconnect with old friends and connect with new ones—a time to grow in your walk with God through worship, community and excitement of new chances. With keynote speakers, workshop leaders and small group sessions, it opens up opportunities for people to share their stories as well as hear the stories of others. The people who work behind the scenes for years in advance to plan for this event, and then who work while there to ensure everything goes as according to plan as much as possible, also make a massive impact on this experience. There are so many parts and pieces of this convention, and to know how many of them interchange to allow for this convention to take place is truly all up to God’s grace. The bottom line about the convention this year and every convention in the past is that everything is about God because He is the reason for all things and no one will ever take that from Him.”

JG: What was your biggest takeaway from the World Convention?

ZC: “My biggest takeaway is that young people need to be given the chance to lead. The theme of the convention was ‘Empower: Make the Planet Shake.’ What better way to do that than by empowering youth to take the lead? Why is this what stuck out to me the most? I have spent enough time in youth groups or at events for youth to see that youth are not put in charge or even given the chance to lead. Every young person has a reservoir of creativity and energy that if brought to light could bring about so many possibilities. Imagine if every youth was given that chance. The possibilities are endless. The time is now to ‘Make the Planet Shake,’ and everyone should have the chance to take part.”

Zach Coryell (’27), left, leads a soccer tournament at the Christian Endeavor World Convention.

JG: What role did you have in this event?

ZC: “I was a volunteer on staff at this event. Along with helping with various details and tasks, I was given the opportunity to speak in a workshop, where I spoke on ‘Honoring God through Sports and Competition,’ and also had the chance to run a soccer tournament on Thursday afternoon. I was also part of the CE World Council Meeting, where I was a part of the team from CE-USA in that meeting.”

JG: What was it like to organize a soccer tournament for people from multiple countries?

ZC: “One might think it was difficult, but I thought it was one of the easiest things I did. Soccer, or football as everyone else in the world calls it, is a universal language. Some people spoke English, but for many it was broken. Others didn’t speak a word of it. But everyone who was there knew how to play the game, and that is how we spoke to each other. We didn’t know each other super well prior to playing, but afterward everyone was talking with each other as best they could and enjoying our time together.”

JG: What impact will your experiences at the World Convention have on you as a student at LBC?

ZC: “My experiences will definitely give me confidence in my own ability, but more importantly it will give me confidence in God’s ability. With God, everything is possible, so when I have a hard time with a class, with a relationship, with a moment of my day or anything else, I can continue to be confident that God will carry me through everything as long as I put my trust in Him.”

To learn more about Christian Endeavor, visit ceworks.faith.