Middle School Ministry Podcast

Summer is when our students and their families normally take a vacation, but what about us? As ministers, it's really important for us to get away, recharge and refresh. The problem is when most people are off (like during the summer and Christmas holidays) that's usually when our ministries are running full steam! That doesn't mean we don't take time off. It actually means we should be even MORE...

Summer is upon us! So do you promote your students at the beginning of summer or at the end? Or do you have some crazy strategy where some students promote at one point and the rest at another time? Promotion strategy is a huge part of how we launch students on one side of our ministry and how we bring students into the ministry on the other! Here are some questions to consider! How do you launch...

A statistic has been going around a lot recently about the influences on students. Engagement by hours per year: Church = 70-100 hrs (if they attend)Camp = 70 hrs (if they attend)Parents – 400 to 600 hrsSchool - 1600-1800 hrsOnline – 2000-3000 hrs (Youtube, Netflix, Instagram, etc.) If our students are online, maybe we should consider being online in order to reach them too! Some questions to cons...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: I'm honestly having a hard time remembering a Sunday where I felt so tired! Oh well, there's another one in the books! Countdown Video: 3 is a Magic Number I just had to. SchoolHouse rock wins nostalgia for me and makes my students raise their eyebrows at the screen. Win Win. Games: XTreme Tic Tac Toe So we have these little tables set up with tic tac toe boards. Then we...

Fails. They happen a lot. More often than we'd like to admit. They don't always make us feel like rock star ministers and they certainly make for viral videos. But the reality is that when we fail, we learn. In ministry, we might have an amazing idea for an event or plan out the semester and find out that... it failed pretty hard. But when we fail, we can learn from what went wrong and make a bett...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: This Sunday we began a new series on the Trinity. My students have asked about it several times and it felt like a good time to nail it down as a transition into summer. Talking about a topic students are interested in will help keep the momentum and I’ve been saving this one for that purpose! Countdown Video: The Triangle Song This was just a silly song just used to get...

Woohoo! Super big news! Talking Squirrels is no longer flying solo. Michelle Anderson is officially a part of the team and co-host with Ronald! Now you get to hear things from a Texas AND California perspective. You're pumped. I can tell. Our first episode together we talk about our purpose statements for our ministries. What are they and why do we have them? Some questions to consider: What is yo...

Today was Student Ministry Sunday, which we’ve abbreviated to SMS because student ministry is edgy. It’s a day when we have students take over every part of the worship service and service opportunities at church. So here’s a quick “How To” on how you could implement something like this with your church, even if you have a smaller context! Make a Plan with Your Team Sit down with your team and ask...

It's easy to think of summer as the time to do "big events" during the student ministry calendar, like a mission trip or summer camp. But don't neglect the opportunity to do some cool, low key events to build relationships with your students and hang with them! When you look at your summer calendar, think about some ways to incorporate some low key hangs! Some questions to consider: Can you put to...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: Happy Mother's day! Did you talk about mom's today? We didn't! But we did wrap up our series on Wisdom! Countdown Video: Cute Animals Funny video. Cute animals. You can't go wrong. Games: Sit Down If (Your Momma Edition) Another great DYM game! Everyone stands up and only sits down if they've done the thing on the screen! Minute to Win It Wheel Just a quick wheel made in...

This was my first year ever to go to the Orange Conference! I had a blast and really enjoyed the experience. If you have never been, consider going and maybe even taking your children's and student team! It was an excellent conference with something for everyone. Here are some takeaways I got: Some questions to consider: How can you make your ministry personal? You can impress from a distance, you...

 Sunday Morning Squirrels: Another crazy week! Just got back from the Orange conference and just took a nap! Enjoy another crazy episode of Sunday Morning Squirrels! Countdown Video: Bad Day at Work Games: Change Places If This was supposed to be a mixer! If the student has done what's on the screen, they get up and move seats with someone else. Great game for moving students sitting in different...

Summer is close at hand! If you haven't started planning your summer calendar, now's the time to get on it! Chris Hargrove is a buddy of mine serving in Lakewood Georgia and sat down with me to talk planning out his big summer events like camp and mission trip! If you haven't done your planning, listen and get on it! Some questions to consider: Have the big events on the calendar! Supplement the c...

 Sunday Morning Squirrels: Holy cow this was a crazy week! My wife is still recovering from her back surgery, so I had all three of my daughters with me all day today! Which is why I'm recording in the gym while they are in childcare. >.

You only get 52 weeks in a year. No more and no less. There's no way you could teach all 1189 chapters in the Bible to your students in that time (and keep the sanity of you and your middle school kids that is). Since you're going to have to trim down what you teach, what ARE you going to teach? That's what I talk about in this week's episode. What in the world are you going to teach your middle s...

Only a few days left to try the DYM Gold Membership for a month! Check it out for free for one whole month! Sunday Morning Squirrels: We don't have a lot of students show up on Easter. It's totally a culture thing with our church. They come with their whole family, go to service, and then go do something as a family. Because of this, we have "The Easter Rule" given to us by our pastor: If we know...

DYM has really shaped my ministry over the last six years. Going out to southern California has been a huge blessing to me and helped me become a better youth pastor. I hope you might consider checking out Download Youth Ministry, not because it's a great store with great resources, but because it's also a great community of youth pastors who seek to speak into the lives of youth workers. There's...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: Week two in our easter series! I had a volunteer teach for me and it was nice to sit back and listen. But I also need to get better about planning that out in advance! Want to try Sidekick and the other perks of a DYM Gold Membership? Check it out for free for one whole month! Countdown Video: Worst Friends Games: Wheel of Challenges Give everyone a clothespin to put on t...

Look out helicopter parents, here come the lawn mowers! That really doesn't sound all that threatening does it... Still, we're in a new phase of parenting. Parents aren't just swooping in to fix the problems their kids are facing (helicoptering if you will), rather they are making sure their students face no difficulty whatsoever and clearing the way for them before they even get there (or, mowing...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: Getting ready for Easter with a new series: New Life! We broke down communion and celebrated birthdays! Want to try Sidekick and the other perks of a DYM Gold Membership? Check it out for free for one whole month! Countdown Video: AFV Amusement Parks Games: Did They Peep It? Birthday Bash -  We got all March birthdays up on stage. Then we gave out party blowers and put pa...

Click here to sign-up for this amazing conference! The 2019 Youth Leader Summit at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference will be an incredible three days of teaching, worship & fun. Our goals are simple: encourage, equip and refresh.  Join the conversation on Facebook.  Not only will you and your team get some of the most practical youth ministry training available, but you will worship, plan and play to...

I love my wife. She's a rockstar! She's also super busy and not a volunteer in my ministry. A lot of ministers have wives who support their ministry from inside it. Our relationship is different in that Bekah supports me from outside.  We talk about how a spouse can support their minister partner while not being on the inside of the ministry. She's really smart and awesome. You should listen and g...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: A Sunday running around like crazy because of my own kids, but still an awesome Sunday. I'm really glad I've been investing in adult leaders to be around. It makes such a huge difference! Want to try Sidekick and the other perks of a DYM Gold Membership? Check it out for free for one whole month! Countdown Video: Bull Mastiff Competes Games: Letters The Most Common SenseS...

Cartoon pajamas. Lunch boxes for Bible covers. Stuffed animals coming on retreat. Middle school students are still kids in a lot of ways. And if your program is separated out from the high school one, then you'll notice it more than if everyone was combined. What should you do with this information? Are there things you need to consider? Here are some quick observations. How can you take advantage...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: Another great Sunday with middle school students! More talking about PRAISE and learning from mini-case studies. It was a good day! Countdown Video: Kid Snippets - Breakfast Games: Pair Breakers Florida Man Songs: Let It Be Known Give Me Faith Bible Study: Main Idea: The Good News about Jesus is worth sharing! Scripture: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Mini Case Study Examples: Mary wan...