Middle School Ministry Podcast

The Heart Attack Rule! What would you do if you were suddenly taken out of your ministry? What would your leaders and ministry do if you were suddenly taken out? An emergency will come your way at some point. Be it family, medical, accident or other, something will happen when you'll need to bail out. Quickly. Like I had to do a few weeks ago. Listen to hear what happened and what I did. Then down...

Sunday Morning Squirrels: A quick breakdown of our middle school ministry service. I hope it's helpful for you! Games: Mix and Meet Where's the Ball? Songs: Good Good Father Burn Like a Star Bible Study: Main Idea: God is faithful, even when our life is hard. Scripture: Psalm 117:1-2 Mini Case Study Examples: Chad’s dad lost his job. His mom still works, but they have a lot less money for fun stuf...

One Month Trial of Download Youth Ministry Gold Membership Are you swamped for time in your ministry? Do you wish your church would pay for you to have an intern? What if you could get back hours of preparation and planning in your week? That's what the DYM Gold Membership is all about! If you've ever used any of the Download Youth Ministry resources, you already know they offer trench-tested yout...

I met Jeff Selph at the DYM 100 three years ago. We sat and talked because we were at a trampoline place and A) I had just gotten out of my cast for my broken leg, so jumping wasn't really the best for me and B) Jeff used to be a bigger dude, so jumping wasn't really the best for him. That friendship has been really good for me (and for him I hope!) the last few years.  He came to speak at our mid...

Sometimes students are at youth group, but they have no interest in BEING there. That may look like sitting off in a corner by themselves. Or maybe it looks like crocodile tears. I've seen both. What do you do when you have a student who would rather be ANYWHERE else than your program? Well, I've got some thoughts, but I'd love to hear your suggests as well! Scroll down to find my email. Shoot me...

This middle school pastor struggles with pride. I want to be upfront, be seen, and be an important part of the church body. But pride can really do damage to a ministry, a church, and the people who go there. In this episode, I talk about how I fight my pride and offer some suggestions on how you can too. God doesn't need us. He uses us anyways. Someday somebody will take over for you and the chur...

There are two minutes in this show that are gold and I don't talk during any of them. I just got to spend the weekend down in south Georgia with some amazing bi-vocational and volunteer youth leaders who are really making a difference in the lives of students. I learned a lot and was reminded that MOST of our churches in America are 150 or fewer, meaning they have smaller youth groups and even sma...

There's a brand new IKEA opening up around the corner from my house. That's a big deal for us. We got in early to scope it out and honestly, I love the store. It all looks cool, it's set up well, and everything is intentional! They had a big WHY WALL on the exit, talking about why they do what they do with their stores and it got me thinking: when it comes to middle school ministry, what would be...

How do you handle "that one kid" who always disrupts your talks? They constantly draw attention to themselves (both positively and negatively) and sometimes, if you're honest, you kind of deflate when they walk in the room. I have that kid in my group. And I want them to keep coming! But right now it's a challenge. In this episode, I talk about my game plan, as well as what's happened in the past....

The Spring Semester is underway! Students are getting busy and sports are ramping up! That usually means students have to begin to decide if they are going to do homework, practice, or come to church? The Spring Slump is a real thing! How are you going to deal with it in your ministry? Here are some things I talk about in this episode: Make sure your leaders are aware of the Spring Slump and let t...

MLK has come and gone. We went on a march and led to some neat conversations with my daughters. It reminded me of the deeper conversations I had with my students over the last semester. The stereotype of a middle school student is that they are carefree or at least careless. The reality, however, is that a ton of our students are going through deep hurts. How do you deal with them? Here are some t...

Do you know what my busiest day during the week is? Monday.  I'm thinking podcasts are now going to be a Tuesday thing. Cool? Cool. Something I love to do is spend time with other youth workers and student pastors! I love to bounce ideas off of them, listen to what they are struggling with and hear about the wins they are having with their ministries. Networking is a huge thing that can save a you...

Whew! I had a crazy Christmas Break. I don't know about you all but, the season really needed a time to get away and rest. We got away. We almost rested. We need breaks scheduled within our calendars! In order to make it, we have to put times in our ministry calendars that allow us to get away, but also allows our students and leaders a chance to reset and come back! Here's some things I talk abou...

I was hanging out with our student ministry network of youth pastors here in San Antonio and my mind was BLOWN by someone I just met!  He's making a huge push to partner his middle school ministry with his church's senior adult ministry! They're going on a mission trip TOGETHER this summer! Isn't that wild!?  I love the intergenerational aspect of that and it really got me thinking: How can we get...

Chris Hargrove and I continued our conversation from a few weeks ago about how to connect with Middle School students! Here are some things to think about: Utilize social media (if your middle school parents let them have it!) to reach out to students! Make posts that encourage engagement (like polls or questions) so your student ministry social page stay in front of your students' faces! Giving a...