Nick Blevins Family Ministry Podcast: Children | Youth | Students | NextGen

In this episode, I talk with Jeff Cochran of  YMLead . Jeff and I talk about leadership development and the system his team uses to develop ministry leaders. He sharethe different components of their plan and how they move people from one level to the next. These principles apply across the board in Children’s and Student Ministry. Jeff Cochran Connect with Jeff on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram E...

In this episode, I talk with  Orange 252 Basics  Large Group Director, Daniel Scott. Dan and I talk about the power of story. We look at how it’s used in the Bible and how we can best leverage that when teaching the Bible story to the kids and students in our ministries. Dan also walks through how to train, develop, and evaluate the leaders who are telling God’s story to your kids and students. Da...

In this episode, I talk with Dale Hudson. Dale is a well-known children’s ministry leader, author, and pioneer. We talk about Dale’s latest book that he co-authored with Bruce Barry & Justyn Smith entitled  If Disney Ran Your Children’s Ministry . Whether you lead children’s ministry, youth ministry, or both, the principles apply across the board. Dale Hudson Connect with Dale on Facebook | Tw...

In this episode, I talk with Jeff Reed of Lifeway Kids. We talk about the changing emphasis in children's ministry over the last couple decades and the growing interest in gospel-centered approaches. We also talk about Lifeway's most popular children's curriculum, The Gospel Project. Jeff Reed Connect with Jeff on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Email: jeffrey.reed@lifeway.com The Church at Spring...

In this episode, I talk with Anthony Prince of Ministry Architects. We talk about what healthy benchmarks are for staffing, volunteers, and budgets in children's and youth ministry. Anthony Prince Connect with Anthony on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Newhope Church Share Your Staffing & Volunteer Ratios I'm running a survey of church leaders to see what their staffing and volunteer ratios are...

In this episode, I interview Tom Shefchunas. Tom is the Multi Campus Middle School Director at North Point Ministries in Atlanta, GA. We talk about introducing the role of a volunteer coach and finding the right people to invite into that level of leadership. He also shares how he determines what to measure in ministry and how he leverages statistics to discern how to make his ministry better. Tom...

In this episode, I interview Heidi Hensley. Heidi is the Children’s Pastor at Bayside Church in California. We talk about tough topics leaders encounter and how to practically approach difficult conversations and situations all across family ministry. Heidi Hensley Connect with Heidi on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram HeidiMHensley.com Bayside Church Notes From This Episode Bayside Church First Tim...

In the this episode, I interview Kenny Conley about the role of the NextGen/Family Pastor. Kenny clarifies what a NextGen/Family Pastor does and we talk about how he brought his children and student staff together as one, unified team. Kenny Conley Connect with Kenny on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram ChildrensMinistryOnline.com MISSION Church Links Mentioned in This Episode Orange  – Orange is an...

In this episode, I interview Terrace Crawford, a veteran of youth ministry with tons of wisdom to offer. We talk about the importance of helping students serve and unpack what that can look like in our churches. Terrace Crawford Connect with Terrace on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram TerraceCrawford.com This Week in Youth Ministry Podcast Links Mentioned in This Episode Going Social: A Practical Gu...

In this episode, I interview Carey Nieuwhof. We talk about his new book,  Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations to Help Your Church Grow,  and unpack what every pastor wants from their family ministry staff. Carey Nieuwhof Connect with Carey on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram CareyNieuwhof.com Connexus Church Links Mentioned in This Episode Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World  (book) – Michae...

In this episode, I interview Brian Dollar, Children's Ministry Pastor and author, about his new book Talk Now and Later: How to Lead Kids Through Life's Tough Topics.  We talk about Brian's role and explore how to equip parents to have tough conversations with their kids now, not just later. Brian Dollar Connect with Brian on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram BrianDollar.com First Assembly NLR  Links...

In this episode, I talk with Ryan Frank about how to effectively recruit and equip volunteers. He points to multiple resources that will help you lead volunteers and yourself well. Ryan Frank Connect with Ryan on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram RyanFrank.com Links Mentioned in This Episode Facebook Groups –  I Love Kidmin  | Stuff You Can Use  | Download Youth Ministry KidzMatter  – Check out artic...

In this episode, I talk with Nina Schmidgall, Family Pastor at National Community Church in Washington, D.C. We talk about how to overcome some barriers and issues that exist when it comes to empowering women to lead in our churches. Nina Schmidgall Connect with Nina on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Email: Nina@theaterchurch.com National Community Church Notes From This Episode Managing Ministry...

In this episode, I interview Josh Griffin, who served as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church before transitioning to work full time with Download Youth Ministry . We talk about tips for teaching students, DYM, and something new they're doing at DYM to help youth workers. Josh Griffin Connect with Josh on  Twitter  and  Instagram DownloadYouthMinistry.com Links Mentioned in This Episode Pur...

In this episode, I interview my friend Bill Hegedus. Bill and I talk about how to best serve preteens and kids who are in their last years of elementary school before moving on to middle school. We also talk about some practical ways his church seeks to partner with parents. Bill Hegedus Connect with Bill on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Email: bill@bethlehemchurch.us Bethlehem Church Links Menti...

In this episode, I talk with my friend Matt McKee about his new book Parent Chat . We talk about some of the content in his book and how parents can lead their children best when it comes to technology. Matt McKee Connect with Matt on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram MattMcKee.me ParentChat.tv Links Mentioned in This Episode Parent Chat: The Technology Talk for Every Family  (book) – Get practical a...

In this episode, I interview Jeremy Lee, founder of Parent Ministry . We talk about the incredibly important topic of partnering with parents and equipping them to lead their children well. Jeremy offers some extremely practical insights and ideas to help us partner with parents better. Jeremy Lee Connect with Jeremy on Facebook  and  Twitter Email: info@ministrytoparents.com MinistryToParents.com...

In this episode, I talk with Gina McClain, Pastor of Children's Ministries at Faith Promise Church . Previously, Gina led children's ministry at Life. Church . We talk about how to implement small groups for kids and what it takes to stick it out long-term in your current church. Gina McClain Connect with Gina on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Email: GinaM@faithpromise.org Faith Promise Church Gin...

In this episode, I talk with EJ Swanson. For many years, EJ primarily taught students and adults in various settings, speaking to over 150,000 each year. A couple years ago, he transitioned back into the local church leading youth ministry, and now all of NextGen at Woodside Bible Church in Metro Detroit. We talk about everything he learned about teaching students and what he's learning now leadin...

In this episode, I interview Ben Kerns, Student Pastor and writer behind averageyouthministry.com. I talk with Ben about the challenges he's seeing in student ministry and how he's tackling them at his church. Ben Kerns Connect with Ben on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram Email: BenjaminKerns@gmail.com AverageYouthMinistry.com Marin Covenant Church Links Mentioned in This Episode Holy Parenting: Mak...

In this episode, I interview Rob Cizek , the Executive Pastor of NorthShore Christian Church in Everett, WA. I talk with Rob about how to lead up and how to hire well in ministry. Rob shares practical tips we can use right away to improve in both areas. Rob Cizek NorthShore Christian Church Links Mentioned in This Episode Orange Interview Matrix StrengthsFinder 2.0 DISC Personality Test Taylor-Joh...

In this episode, I talk with Matt Guevara , the Executive Director of the International Network of Children's Ministry (INCM). INCM exists to connect, train and resource children's ministry leaders and they are probably known most for the Children's Pastors Conference . We talk about the number one priority of a leader, and that's prioritizing our relationship with God. Matt Guevara Connect with M...

In this episode, I talk with Kristen Ivy , the Executive Director of Messaging at Orange and the Director of the Phase Project . The Phase Project was created to help equip leaders and parents to best understand and lead kids at each phase of their life. We talk about the project, the research, the resources they've created and how church leaders can pass that on to their families. Kristen Ivy Con...

In this episode, I talk with Kevin Monahan . Kevin is the NextGen Pastor at 12Stone Church in Atlanta, GA. 12Stone is a large, multisite church averaging 15,000+ in attendance across 9 campuses. In fact, they launched 5 campuses in one day just a couple years ago! We talk about the challenges of managing multiple teams, multiple ministries, and how that can translate to leading teams of volunteers...

In this episode, I talk with Amy Fenton. Amy works for Orange , holding 3 roles in 1. She's an Orange Specialist, serving church leaders who use their elementary curriculum . She leads their Orange VBS team and she leads Live to Serve , an event Orange puts on for children's ministry volunteers. We talk about all of that, but we also talk about a time when Amy stepped in to lead children's ministr...