Registration is now open at higherthings.org for three 2014 Higher Things Lutheran youth conferences — all with the theme of “Crucified.”

The conferences are scheduled as follows:

July 1-4 at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.;

July 8-11 at Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, Wis.; and

July 22-25 at Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

All three youth conferences will run Tuesday through Friday afternoons and be similar in structure, with specific times designated for worship, Bible studies and entertainment.

The “Crucified” conference theme is based on 1 Cor 2:2: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Christ and Him crucified.”

“Crucified. Can you get a more Lutheran topic than Crucified?” asked the Rev. George Borghardt, Higher Things president. “We preach Christ and Him crucified. It will give us an opportunity to talk apologetics and the theology of the cross with the young people in a Christ-centered way.”

“The world looks on the cross and sees a colossal failure,” said Conference Executive Sandra Ostapowich. “The Messiah was publicly executed and His followers went into hiding. Yet, by faith, we know that it was actually Christ’s victory over sin for our forgiveness and where our salvation was won.”

“Christ and Him crucified is the core of our faith, and particularly something we can bring to the forefront as Lutherans,” Ostapowich continued. “For four days at conferences, youth will be immersed in the waters of Baptism. They’ll return home, dripping with the Gospel. They spend the bulk of each day learning various facets of what it means to be Lutheran, repeatedly joining their voices with all believers before them as the church confesses as one in worship, and have a great time daring to be Lutheran.”

A news release from Higher Things notes that it is an LCMS Recognized Service Organization that “holds annual youth conferences and works to promote a distinctly Lutheran identity among youth.”

For more information about the 2014 Higher Things youth conferences, visit crucified2014.org.