Frequently Asked Questions

We live in a culture of blurry religious distinctions and do-it-yourself spirituality. Youth, especially, need solid ground that will nurture lasting Christian faith. Rather than treating youth as an adolescent subculture and confusing them with experiences that cannot be replicated at home, Higher Things believes in challenging youth to learn the pure doctrine of the Christian faith. By teaching them the same message that they should be hearing at home, youth grow in the fullness of the Christian faith as they come to appreciate historic liturgical practice and its unique focus on God’s gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation for us delivered in Word and Sacrament.

Twelve. The Lord does twelves. He had twelve tribes in Israel. He chose twelve men to be His disciples. Twelve is His Church’s number. His Church was created from His side – from the Blood and Water that flowed on Good Friday when He gave His life for His Bride, the Church. In the Blood and Water, in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, is born the Church. On the Last Day, when the Lord speaks about His Church, there is His Twelve once again – a thousand times over. Standing with the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world in the Book of Revelation are the baptized, His “old” Twelve and His “new” Twelve through all eternity.

This makes 2012 the perfect year for the theme of Higher Things’ Conferences to be “Twelve,” centered upon His Church in the Last Days. Twelve is the Church’s number because it was the Lord’s number first.

Higher Things conferences are generally planned for high school aged youth, but registrants may be any young person who has been confirmed before the date of the conference, including college students and other young adults. We recognize that the age for confirmation may vary from congregation to congregation and just ask that if a group is bringing youth who are not yet in high school that the group leaders be prepared to provide any additional supervision accordingly.

Of course! Non-LCMS youth may register for a conference with the approval of your group’s Pastor and Group Leader. Spouses, personal assistants, and other adults cannot be accommodated as unregistered conference participants.

Registration opens on November 1, 2011 and closes on February 29, 2012, or when a conference location reaches capacity—whichever happens first.

Not only can you register your group online, you can pay deposits and your balance securely online! All you need is a valid HT Account. If you don’t have a free HT Account yet, you can sign up for one at www.higherthings.org. See REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS for more details.

Registration opens on November 1, 2011 and closes on February 29, 2012, or when a conference location reaches capacity—whichever happens first. We work very diligently to keep costs as low as possible while providing the best conferences we can every
year! Here’s how it works out this year:

	Nov. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011	Jan. 1, 2012 to Feb. 29, 2012	After March 1, 2012
Winston-Salem, NC (June 26-29, 2012)	$300	$325	$350
Maryville, MO (July 3-6, 2012)	$300	$325	$350
Irvine, CA (July 10-13, 2012)	$300	$325	$350
St. Catharines, ON (July 17-20, 2012)	$335	$360	$375

Non-refundable deposits of $100 per person may be made at any point during Registration to ensure your group admission to a conference should it reach capacity. However, the per-person rates above are based on the date your group’s registration fees are PAID IN FULL. Partial payments (including non-refundable deposits) do not “lock-in” your registration rates. Additional fees may apply for additions, substitutions, and other changes made after March 1, 2012. All payments must be made in U.S. funds.

Your Registration Fee covers:

• Conference Programming
  • Planning
  • Catechesis
  • Worship
  • Entertainment
• Three (3) Nights of Housing
• Ten (10) Meals
• Conference Handbook
• Daily Services Book
• Conference T-Shirt

Higher Things requires that each group must have at least one (1) male adult for every seven (7) male youth and/or at least one (1) female adult for every seven (7) female youth in your group. Chaperones must be at least 21 years old at the time of registration and approved by the group’s pastor for their role. All chaperones and any other adults attending the conference must also complete the registration process.

If you are unable to recruit the necessary number of chaperones from your church for your youth to attend a conference, Higher Things is happy to help you find other groups from your area who might be willing to share their chaperones with you.

The opening service starts at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday of the conference week (Registration Check-In will run from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and the closing service ends by 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Please schedule your travel so your group doesn’t miss the opening or closing Divine Services.

Groups may also stay on campus for one extra night before and/or after the conference for an additional fee of $40 per person, per night.

The Twelve conference at the Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC has a capacity of 600 registrants. The conference at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO has a capacity of 1,000 people. The conference at Concordia University in Irvine, CA has a capacity of 500 registrants. And the conference at Brock University in St. Catharines, ON (Canada) has a very limited capacity of 200 and is reserved for Canadian registrants and American registrants from states surrounding the Toronto/Niagara Falls area.

Groups are responsible for obtaining their own transportation to and from the conference sites. If traveling by plane, groups will also need to make arrangements for ground transportation from the airport to the campus, and for your group’s private use during the week if you want to go sight-seeing on your own.

A lot. Seriously. A lot. We try our best to keep all conference activities as close together on the sites as possible. But because of the nature of college campuses, you will get your exercise! If someone attending with your group will be unable to walk long distances or will need assistance getting around at the conference, please note this as a special need with their Registration. We will be happy to accommodate anyone with special needs, but need your help to plan in advance.

Any off-site transportation for scheduled conference activities will be provided by Higher Things and is included in your Registration Fee. If groups choose to take their own vehicles to scheduled off-site activities, they will be responsible for any additional charges to do so (parking, tolls, etc.). Groups are responsible for arranging their own transportation for any sight-seeing not included as part of the Conference.

On-site parking is limited at all sites. Detailed information regarding parking (including fees and requesting parking passes, if applicable) will be made available to Group Leaders after Registration closes.

Since Higher Things conferences are held at college campuses, all registrants will be staying in residence halls. Sometimes this means a suite of two (2) double-capacity rooms with a shared bathroom between the rooms. Or some residence halls will have common (single-sex) lavatories with private toilet and shower stalls. We will notify you in advance of the conference of which type of residence hall you will be assigned so you can prepare your group accordingly.

No, but Higher Things cannot reimburse you or discount your Registration Fee if you choose to stay off- campus. Besides, staying in dorms allows youth to get a glimpse of college life and allows youth to get to know other youth at the conference.

Groups should plan for two (2) occupants per room. You may request roommates from within your own group on the GROUP REGISTRATION WORKSHEET. Private rooms are available by request for an additional fee of $25 per room, per night ($75 total for 3 nights). If your group does not fully occupy the available rooms or suites, roommates and/or suite-mates (of the same sex and age group) may be assigned from another group.

Sort of. Wherever possible, male and female rooms will be separated by floor, wing, or building. We will do our best to assign group members’ rooms near one another. Adults will not be housed in the same room or suite as a youth unless there is a direct familial relationship AND both adult and youth are of the same sex.
Please see the HIGHER THINGS HOUSING POLICY for details about housing assignments.

Unfortunately, no. We assign rooms with male and female rooms appropriately separated by floor, wing, or building. Chaperones must be housed with the youth of their groups.

At least 3, usually 4. It sounds daunting, but each year most youth report that worship is the best part of the Conference week and that they miss it once they return home. Every day, youth and adults start their day with the service of Matins or Morning Prayer, followed by Vespers in the mid-afternoon, and end the day together with Evening Prayer. Time for Individual Confession and Absolution is also offered following Evening Prayer most nights, and small groups are encouraged to gather for Prayer at the Close of the Day just before lights-out.

Yes! And they’re all taken from the Lutheran Service Book which many of you use in your own churches. It is a long-standing tradition in the Christian Church to conduct brief prayer services throughout the day. These services provide a great way to keep our days focused on Christ and His gifts for us.

At Higher Things conferences, we want to teach youth about the richness of our confession and introduce them to some of the ways Lutherans have historically practiced their faith. Information will be provided following the close of Registration to help youth leaders teach their groups about these services and the traditions that are often practiced (chanting, kneeling, crossing oneself, incense, etc.) so that youth are prepared to encounter them at the conference.

The conference hymn for the 2012 Twelve Conferences is “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones” (LSB #670). Please make use of this hymn in your congregations in the weeks and months leading up to the conference. It’s a wonderful hymn that we’re sure everyone will enjoy singing together!

YES! The conference choirs are one of the best ways for youth (and adults) from all over the country to get to know each other. Everyone is welcome to sing in the choir, regardless of experience! Information about rehearsal times will be included in the tentative schedule and more details will be provided at check-in when you arrive on site at each conference.

Because it is so difficult to accommodate and select music pieces for the wide variety of instruments people volunteer to play at the conference, instrumentalists will be selected by the Worship and Music staff from those registered for each site. If you’d like to volunteer to play during the conference, contact the Conference Coordinator (conferences@higherthings.org).

Great question! Once we figure out who they’ll all be, we’ll let you know too!

Probably not until June 2012. Sectionals are taught by pastors and other adults attending the conference with their youth groups so we won’t begin to plan those until after Registration closes on March 1, 2012.

No. Catechesis seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. While we try to make sure everyone will have chairs, it’s impossible to predict how many people will attend any one sectional. Sectional seating is first- come, first-seated.

Yes. You may attend at least one sectional during each breakaway and in-depth period! Sectional topics and teachers are chosen with a teenage audience in mind, and they cover a wide variety of topics to help you learn more about your faith. You should have no problem finding a sectional that interests you in each session.

First you must be registered to attend the conference. In order to keep registration fees as low as possible, teachers and preachers are chosen from the LCMS pastors and lay members of LCMS congregations in good standing who are already registered for that conference.

In other words, you must already be registered to serve in this additional capacity. All teachers and preachers must also be comfortable communicating with youth, and teachers should try to prepare sessions that will help teenagers faithfully live out the vocations unique to their stations in life.

Once registered, you may contact the Chaplain and/or Catechist for that conference and volunteer your services. However, we do have a limited number of sectional rooms and volunteering to do so does not guarantee that you will be invited to teach or preach.

We are planning for some scheduled entertainment and/or free time each day of the conference. However, if your group wants to do some more extensive sight-seeing around the conference cities, you should probably plan for an extra day in town to do that. For your convenience, groups can reserve an extra night (Monday and/ or Friday) in their rooms on campus at the time of registration for $40/person/night.

We’re working on planning some really great activities that we’ll be able to tell you about very soon! In the meantime, Google the locations to see if you can guess what some of the options might be! You can also check out photos of past conferences to see what’s been done before.

The number of student volunteers is determined by the number of registrants for each conference. At Wake Forest, we will accept 8-10 students, at Northwest Missouri State University we will have 12-14, and at Concordia University – Irvine, we will have 8-10. Because of the very small size of the conference at Brock University, we do not anticipate needing CCVs at that conference. HT Conferences reserves the right to adjust these numbers if we determine that more or less are actually needed to help with the conference.

You must be at least 18 years old and have completed your high school studies at the time of application.

You will be able to apply online at www.twelveHT.org during the regular Registration period (November 1, 2011 to February 28, 2012). Applicants will be notified by March 15, 2012 if they have been selected to serve as a CCV.

If your church is sending a group to the conference, you should register with your group as well as complete the CCV application so that you are certain to get into the conference, should it fill. If you are selected as a CCV, your registration will then be processed separately from your group. You will also be assigned housing in a separate staff area.

Those who are accepted as CCVs who are not registered with a group for a conference should register as an individual and pay any corresponding registration fees. If selected, Higher Things will reimburse that person for the balance paid as of March 15, 2012.

This is the biggest change from previous years – CCV registration this year will be FREE.

Yes, CCVs will have staff (i.e., “backstage”) access to all areas of the conference and a special conference staff T-shirt. In fact, you will receive multiple staff T-shirts, because CCVs need to be easily identifiable throughout the week!

Applications will be accepted during the regular Registration period, from November 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012. We will have all CCVs selected and notified by March 15, 2012.

Yes, plan to arrive by noon on Monday of the conference week for orientation/set-up, and plan to leave around dinner time on the last day to help pack up after the conference. This is not an absolute requirement —we realize that some of you will be traveling with a group and cannot control these factors.

Registration: Directing groups through the registration check-in area, helping to prepare and distribute materials, directing people to dorms and parking areas, break-down of the information table after the end of the conference, etc.

Speaker Care: CCVs are assigned to a sectional speaker to hand out materials and evaluations in the sectionals, make sure speakers have any needed food and/or beverages, run AV, etc.

Worship: Help setup and breakdown the conference Chapel, crowd control, assist with altar guild duties.

Merchandise: Help set-up and break-down as needed.

General: Help supervise activities, give directions, run errands, answer questions, put up signs, etc.

Photography: Take pictures of everything you can and everyone having a great time.

We never complain that we have too many volunteers! If you live near the conference site, we can always use help transporting staff and CCVs to the conference site. We may need people to just run errands on or off site or you can just help prepare check-in materials too. Unfortunately, we are not able to waive or reduce fees for volunteers apart from the conference staff.

We have a number of conference expenses that may be supported by one or multiple donors. Some specific needs are:

• Scholarships. CCV registrations are paid as a conference expense so that college students don’t have to pay registration fees. These young adults work very hard at the conferences and provide invaluable help for us all. Funds received in the offerings during the conference Divine Services will go toward this expense as well.
• Printing Costs. Higher Things prints conference handbooks and daily services booklets for each registrant; each set costs about $6/person.
• Conference T-shirts. These shirts are a great way for kids to take home a souvenir of their week, and provide unique opportunities for them to confess their faith and what they learned when they wear them at home! We will include your business/organization’s logo on the T-shirts for a single donation of $5,000.
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If you have an HT Account and can’t remember your username, you can request that it be emailed to you using the form at: www.higherthings.org/account.html?forgot=username.

If you need help registering, please email the Higher Things Conference Registrar at registrar@higherthings.org or call 1-888-462-6630. A member of our registration staff will reply to you as soon as possible.

The address for mailing checks has changed! Please remember that the amount due for your group’s registration will be based on the date your check paying the balance of your fees is postmarked. Be sure to send one check for your entire group payable to Higher Things—2012 Conference. All payments must be made in U.S. Funds.

Higher Things Registration
P.O. Box 155
Holt, MO 64048