Student Ministry Conversations

It is the middle of Summer and things might have caught up to us! With both of our hosts being knee deep in mission trips and church camps this month, they didn't have a guest fit the lineup for this upcoming week. Please take a moment and listen to this short encouragement from Brent about keeping on with fighting for students and how to help us out as we continue to get more episodes out for you...

It can be very easy to fall into the tiring practice of finding the newest games, trends and everything else that can lead to comparison in Youth Ministry but what would happen if we didn't have to do that in our ministry? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Devin DiGuilio as they talk about what it means to keep Student Ministry "simple".  You can listen to this episode in a v...

While we all look forward to the excitement and spiritual opportunities that Summer brings with service projects, mission trips, retreats and church camps we also hate how the spiritual high disappears so quickly from students after they return to their normal lives. What if that could be different? What if their experiences this Summer would allow them to grow and continue to strengthen and devel...

As the school year ends and the hectic mess of Summer begins, it can be very easy to over do yourself and commit to too many things or just run yourself to exhaustion with camps, trips and other activities… but are you allowing yourself time to recharge? Are you paying attention to the signs in your life that warn you of running low? What are those signs? Come join the conversation as Brent sits d...

Have you had someone ask you why you play games with your youth group? Has your church financial person questioned your purchase of 50 pool noodles, 25 cans of shaving cream and 3000 water balloons?  Games are not just something to pass the time, or what you do when nothing else is planned. Games can be an essential part of your youth ministry, open the door for conversations and build relati...

We have spent time in previous episodes talking about marriage and how it effects ministry, but what about being single in ministry? What benefits and challenges come from being in ministry without a focus on family or kids or having to revolve around those schedules? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Katie Earles, the Youth Pastor at Remnant Church in Abilene, Texas as they talk...

While there is a decent number of Youth Pastors that are fortunate to have a Full-Time position in Youth Ministry, it's often found that the larger majority of Youth Pastors are working full-time elsewhere and volunteer as the youth pastor or get paid for a Part-Time role, but does that change how ministry is done?  Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Ken Burns, the Youth Pas...

We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus to everybody that we come in contact with but what happens when that also should convict us to be reaching out to the special needs community that is in all of our own backyards? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with his wife, Lesa Aiken who is a Special Education teacher currently and previously worked as a Behavioral Therapist as they...

Most churches today work in what is often called "silo" ministries where each age group (children, youth, adults) all have their own ministries and meet separately outside of the Sunday morning worship service, but what would it look like to have ONE church ministry? What would it look like to have older kids serving the younger kids alongside the adults?  Come join the conversation as Russel...

The beginning few years of ministry can be incredibly daunting and challenging, but also can create the foundations for your ministry leading for decades to come. How do you go about preparing and planning for your ministry when experience isn't quite a reality yet? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Josh Griffin as they talk about the first few years of ministry. Josh is the co-fo...

It's time for another recap episode! Come join the conversation as Russell and Brent sit down and discuss their favorite moments of the past 16 guests on the podcast. We are excited to kick off the second season of the podcast and bring you more conversations with more youth pastors and leaders over more content! We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on...

***This Episode Marks The First Year Of The Student Ministry Podcast***  One of the most desired things for a Wednesday night program is to develop a team of students that leads their peers in worship, but what does that look like? How do you start a worship team? How do you build and encourage the team to be prepared and passionate in leading?  Come join the conversation as Brent sits d...

One of the questions that relentless comes into the mind of Student Pastors across the country is, "Did anything I did for them actually stick? Did it help them prepare for the world outside of High School? Did it prep them to carry their faith into their college years and not give up on their faith?" While it's not a question that often gets answered, it's something that we as the leaders all wan...

Evangelism has gotten too technical in it's definition in some Christian circles, but the bottom line for the Evangelism is "People want to know that you care before they want to know what you care about." The conversations needs to be about not only how you (as a pastor) can evangelize better, but how to equip students for evangelism better as well. Come join the conversation as Brent sits down w...

While many of our listeners probably lead their respective student ministries, we cannot survive without the Associate Youth Pastors, the Youth Ministry Assistants or the Youth Ministry Interns. Regardless of the title, this job requires many different hats and faces many different challenges as they work with a team of people to make ministry happen.   Come join the conversation as Russ...

While many Student Pastors start out single in ministry whether they are in college or just in their younger adult years, many tend to jump into marriage AFTER they start and have a career in ministry. How does ministry and marriage work together? How do they need to be separate? Can there be a meaningful blend that transitions over time? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Lennon N...

Student Ministry has changed for the foreseeable future with groups holding their services online, working to engage more on social media and some even jumping into the virtual church setting. How does your group fit this picture? What are some ways that you can work to take your engagement to the next level when it comes to students online?  Come join the conversation as Russell sits down wi...

While the questions remain the same, the world around us shifts and adds new challenges and opportunities for teenagers as they are learning to discover who they are and why they are meant to be here... But with constantly changing culture, how do we go about walking alongside the students (and parents) as students navigate? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Brad Griffin, the Seni...

There is nothing more rewarding in student ministry that watching students walk through the development of their faith and step into leadership roles within your student ministry let alone the greater church, but how to we encourage and push students to begin to embrace their potential that we see within them? How do we challenge students to get off the sideline and step into serving with their gi...

When we step into a specific ministry (student, children, adult, worship, etc.) we obviously will put most of our focus into the goals and missions of pushing that ministry forward, but what would it look like if you spent more time with the rest of the church that you are a part of? What would it look like for you to invest in all the different areas of the church? Come join the conversation as B...

There are many things that hold tried and true to ministry for decades at a time, if not centuries but there are many different practices in ministry require us to come at situations from a different angle, a different perspective or a different location.  Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Kate Boyd, who is an author, speaker and Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas as they tal...

We all hopefully have realized that we cannot do the job of ministry alone and it takes a group of church members, small group leaders and many others to meaningfully change students through Gospel conversations and so much more, but how do we go about celebrating when leaders are "winning" in their groups? How do we go about leading our leaders in their own growth as a leader as well as have a sy...

Ministry definitely requires some "on the job" training, but there is a wealth of great opportunities for Youth Pastors to continue their education to not only make themselves a better Youth Pastor but also a better leader, counselor and all the other responsibilities that we have in ministry.  Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Lisa Gill, the Director of Student Ministries...

It's easy to get so focused in on the week to week of ministry that we don't take much time planning on the future of our programs, but what does it look like to stop and view your ministry from 3,000 feet above? What changes when you look at the long-term plan of ministry? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Keith Parker, the Student Ministry team lead at Greenford Christian Church...

No matter how long you have been in Youth Ministry, there are always new things to learn and put into practice to make your ministry more efficient and effective. We should always be looking for new ways to better our systems and ministry to bring Jesus to more and more students. Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Dr. David Fraze, David Fraze (D.Min., Fuller Theological seminary)...