Ministry to Parents Podcast

One of the most significant challenges that parents have today is getting face-to-face with their kids and teens. The frantic pace of life and ever-increasing digital focus we all have can prevent us from engaging each other in ways that help us grow closer to the people we love. We all struggle in some way with having the healthy conversations we need to have. Our growing tendencies to isolate an...

In order to grow as disciples, families need to develop a culture of discipleship in their homes. However, the simple truth of the matter is that a lot of parents are intimidated by the notion of being the primary spiritual leaders for their kids and teenagers. As ministry leaders, we have the opportunity to encourage them to embrace their role, and we can paint a picture of discipleship at home t...

Are you, as a ministry leader or parent (or both), looking for relief from the daily demands of leading? Are you worn down, near empty, or feel like you are being held captive to a schedule that offers no mercy? The daily weight of leading in ministry or at home is heavy and draining. And as our guest this month so wisely puts it, “Adapting to an empty tank is not only dangerous, but arrogant. It’...

This month, we dive into an issue that we all know is at the forefront of child and adolescent development: the question of identity. Kids, teens, and even parents often struggle to embrace an identity that is rooted in their relationship with God. Instead, we frequently feel like we need to perform, achieve, or earn any love or acceptance, and we have great difficulty settling into an identity ro...

Our digital world can be complicated, frustrating, and even incredibly dangerous. But one thing is certain: it’s not going away anytime soon. The constant innovation, proliferation, and saturation of technology in the lives of our kids and teens is why ministry leaders must know how to better lead and equip parents to navigate this ever-changing space. On this episode of the M2P podcast, the team...

In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, the M2P team has a great conversation with youth ministry veteran of 35+ years, Jaymes Curran. Jaymes currently serves as the Director of High School Ministry at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, TX, and uses MinistryToParents in some truly inspiring ways. Our discussion with Jaymes centers around how he is utilizing M2P’s resources to...

Let’s be honest: there’s a lot to manage when navigating daily ministry or family life (or both simultaneously). To say we are “busy” is sometimes an understatement. The frantic pace of life we often live leads us to a place of exhaustion where we simply cannot operate at our best. In our families and in our ministries, we tend to move from event to event and have so much to do that we have little...

This month on the M2P podcast, the team interviews Youth Pastor and author of the 12-Month Student Discipleship Journal , Joel Lusz. Joel holds a B.A. from Taylor University, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. But more impressive than any of the degrees is the fact that Joel is a 40-ye...

On this month’s podcast, the M2P Crew gets together to talk about the importance of mentoring and relational ministry. The kids and teenagers in our homes and ministries need significant and caring adults (other than their parents) who are willing to come alongside them to offer support, encouragement, and even some accountability along the journey. The church can be the best place to build these...

This month on the M2P podcast, we have a great conversation that we recorded live at the D6 Conference in Orlando, with our friend Brian Haynes. Brian is a pastor, teacher, and author whose passion is to restore people, families, and churches. Brian has decades of experience in ministry leadership and, as a father, has a compelling story to tell. His latest book War in the Wilderness, is an incred...

In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, the M2P team has a great conversation with Stuart Hall. Stuart is a husband, dad, speaker, and author who works with Reggie Joiner and the team at Orange. Stuart has been an influential voice in ministry for quite some time while also being the father of multiple kids who played sports in middle school, high school, and on college athletic schola...

This month, we invite you to join us for another episode that we recorded live at the D6 Conference in Orlando, FL. Our special guest for this podcast is Christina Embree. Christina is a church planter, New Gen Coordinator at Plowshares Brethren in Christ in Lexington, KY, and serves as the Minister of Generational Discipleship for the Great Lakes Conference of the Brethren in Christ. She earned a...

In this episode, Sass, Amy, and Kerry are joined by special guest Brock Morgan. Brock is a pastor, author, speaker, consultant, and coach. We spend this episode diving into his book The Anxious Teen to talking about what is happening within this generation concerning anxiety and what we, as ministry leaders and parents, can do to help our kids and teens grow in healthy ways. Brock shares some grea...

We have a real treat for you this month on the M2P podcast as we share the first of three episodes that we recorded live with some of the main stage communicators at the D6 Conference in Orlando, FL. Our first guest is Dr.  Timothy Paul Jones, who is the vice president; C. Edwin Gheens professor of Christian family ministry; and chair of the Department of Apologetics, Ethics, and Philosophy at The...

Lots of things are true in life. No, we’re not talking about death and taxes, but we are talking about the fact that kids and teens will continue to grow and move from one stage of life to the next. In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, Sass, Amy, and Kerry talk about how church leaders can help kids, teens, and parents transition from one place to another in a healthy way. There are...

In this episode, your favorite three M2P April Fools—Sass, Kerry, and Amy—talk about the importance of friendships and how ministry leaders and parents can help kids and teens learn how to build and maintain healthy friendships. This is such a key part of life, and, as adults, we need to be paying attention to how our kids are navigating their relationships and help them see how important the rela...

The madness of March has made it to the Ministry to Parents Podcast. This month we have the usual suspects (Sass, Kerry, and Amy), but we add our friend Brian Housman of 360Family.org and ScreenSmartParent . We have a great conversation about how we, as ministry leaders and parents ourselves, can navigate the chaos and madness of the world as well as how we can build our ministries in a way that c...

The month of February is often filled with thoughts of love, dating, and everything that surrounds this topic that never goes away. In this month’s podcast, Sass, Kerry, and Amy talk about specific ways that leaders in both kids’ ministry and youth ministry can broach these conversations. Oh yeah, and don’t forget the parents!  Not only do we need to be talking to kids and teens about this, but we...

As we kick off a new year, a world full of new possibilities and resolutions awaits us. Some will find the blank canvas of 2023 invigorating, while others will see it as panic-inducing or just the start of another year of broken promises you made to yourself. In this episode of the M2P Podcast, Sass, Amy, and Kerry talk about a resource, My One Word, that you can use to better navigate the possibi...

As we all know, December can be crazy both at church and at home. If we’re honest, life can be crazy both at church and in the home. In this episode, Sass, Kerry, and Amy talk about how, as ministry leaders, we need to learn to slow down and rest. This rest shouldn’t be reserved for time off and vacations, but we should learn how to incorporate rest into our normal rhythm of life and have a mindse...

The month of November is full of lots of games, from the many football (and other) games that a lot of us watch to the family games we’ll play over the holidays. It can be a lot of fun! We’re all also a part of the game of life, which hopefully includes a growing and vibrant faith in God. In this month’s M2P Podcast, we talk about how we, as ministry leaders, can be in the game ourselves and how w...

In episode 060, Sass, Kerry, and Amy sit down to talk a little college football and engage in a conversation about building strong and healthy relationships in the home. We believe that relationships are at the foundation of our lives and that we are created to have healthy community through relationships, starting with those in our own families. So, listen in as the M2P gang talks about equipping...

Under pressure – cue the beat we all recognize from the collab of David Bowe and Queen (or maybe you recognize it more from Vanilla Ice). Either way, this month's M2P podcast is laser-focused on helping parents and ministry leaders better navigate the incredible pressure we are all under to perform. Whether you have a ministry parent trying to lead their kids or teenagers into a healthy minds...

We all know how schedules can spiral out of control and how easy it is for us all to fall into a pace of life and ministry that will run us ragged. This month Sass, Amy, and Kerry talk about practical ways to both help families develop a healthy rhythm and pace of life and how ministry leaders can develop a healthy rhythm and sustainable pace in ministry. They offer some practical tips and big-pic...

Without having a parent ministry plan that equips parents to lead out and live out the Gospel at home with their child, your children’s or youth ministry will never truly thrive. In this episode, new M2P podcast hosts Chris Sasser, Amy Diller, and Kerry Ray discuss children’s ministry, youth ministry, ministrytoparents.com , and the importance of building a parent ministry plan. If you are looking...