How NOT To Be a Youth Pastor

Back on Episode 33, Kyle and Derek talked about how damaging "purity culture" has been to the church. On today's episode, they continue the conversation by talking about some of the positive steps you can take to turn the conversation in a healthy direction.

What should I name our youth ministry? Where do I find adult volunteers? How much pizza should I order? On today's episode, Kyle and Derek take a dive into what it would look like to start a youth ministry from the very beginning.

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference between spiritual warfare and, well... our own stupidity. On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk a little bit about what spiritual warfare is, and how the key to spiritual warfare is to just WRAP it out.

Small group discussions can take a sermon or lesson's effectiveness from good to great. On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about four different types of questions to ask your students and the 10 Rules to Facilitating Small Group Discussion that they definitely didn't make up.

Easter and Christmas are the two big "church holidays" on the calendar, but it's not all roses and butterflies for pastors. Join Kyle and Derek as they talk about some of the difficulties pastors face when the calendar gets busy around these big church services.

As a Youth Pastor, there are some topics that might be important to cover every year. But you don't want to feel like you're preaching the same messages over and over. And I want to write all of my own sermons, but there's already so much good content out there. WHAT DO I DO?!?   Join Kyle and Derek as they talk about finding strategic and impactful ways to plan out their content and curriculum in...

Churches, and specifically youth ministries, love doing events. Grab some pizza and games, and invite all your friends! But what happens when you have an event you've done forever, or maybe only once, that you don't want to do anymore? If the event was good last time, should you automatically do it again? On today's episode, Kyle and Derek break down some of the best ways to kill something that ma...

"Purity Culture" was well-intentioned, but has done a lot of damage to how students growing up in the church view sex. Often times, it leads to a warped view of sex that lasts well into marriage. Join Kyle and Derek as they break down the myths and try to start a healthier conversation about what God designed sex to be.

Shepherding students through the transition from kids ministry to youth ministry is important. The transition from youth ministry to whatever comes next is maybe even more important. Join Kyle and Derek as they talk about how to do these transitions well!

Kyle and Derek talk about how power and influence become idols for pastors, and how they lead to public falls from grace that we unfortunately see all too often in ministry.

On today's episode, Kyle and Derek discuss Biblical literacy in today's teenagers, which Bible translations to read (or not to read), and how to encourage students to dive deeper into the Word.

On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about playing games in youth ministry. We'll discuss why they're important, as well as some of our favorite games that we play with our students!

On today's episode, Kyle and Derek answer listener questions about preparing sermons as a Youth Pastor. If you have questions that you would like to have answered on a future episode, reach out at hownottobeayouthpastor@gmail.com.

On our last episode, we talked about longevity in ministry. Today, Kyle and Derek dive into how to keep things fresh once you've been doing it a while.

Ministry often sees a high turnover rate, but there's a lot of value to longevity in ministry. On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about why longevity is so important, and some ways that Youth Pastors can avoid burnout.

Kyle and Derek love dodgeball and giveaways as much as the next guy. But on today's episode, they talk about how Youth Ministry MUST be more missional than that.

Kyle and Derek talk about one of the most common objections people have to volunteering in youth ministry, "I'm too old," and the value that each age demographic can bring to a youth ministry.

Kyle and Derek are joined by worship leaders Nate & Sarah Englar to discuss their heart for worship and how to integrate worship into youth ministry.

Kyle and Derek kick off the new year with a conversation about LGBTQ culture and how to respond as a youth pastor.

Kyle and Derek take a look back on what God did in their ministries in 2021.

Kyle and Derek celebrate the season by welcoming two special guests to play a Christmas-themed game of "Password"

Youth Ministry can take a hefty toll on Youth Pastors and youth leaders physically, mentally, emotionally, and most of all spiritually. Join Kyle and Derek as they discuss seven myths around the burden that Youth Pastors carry.

Believe it or not, most ministry costs money! On today's episode, Kyle and Derek break down the ins and outs of how to handle finances as a Youth Pastor, some of the best things to spend money on, and what NOT to do!

Christian circles can throw around the word "calling" in many different ways. In this episode, Kyle and Derek dive into what the Bible actually means when it talks about what we, as Christ-followers, are called to.

On this special holiday episode of the podcast, Kyle and Derek turn Thanksgiving foods into on-the-spot sermons.