The Heart of a Youth Leader

This week, Andy thinks about the challenges that face young people as well as how we need to take good care of ourselves, as youth leaders. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also watch this episode...

In this episode, Andy Castle looks at how our thankfulness leads us to worship and how we need to encourage each other with stories of what God is doing in our lives and in our youth groups. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thriv...

Are you a careful planner or do you prefer to go with the flow? This week, Andy Castle explores both approaches and asks what does God want us to do? 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also watch th...

We all know the 10 Commandments but how are we helping our young people to live them out? A challenging thought this week! 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also watch this episode on YouTube . Fin...

In amongst the busyness and the planning, we need to learn to keep waiting on God, for His leading, His guidance and His voice. But how do we go about this? In this episode, Andy talks about an app called 'Centering Prayer'. You can find about more that here , but Thrive has nothing to do with it, and are not getting any kind of benefit from promoting it! 'The Heart of a Youth Leade...

What if each and every young person had at least one adult praying for them each week? What difference might that make? In this episode, Andy Castle thinks about this a bit and uses this verse from the book of Romans to inspire us with what we can be praying. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context. ...

This is an important episode for many of us. We have a tendency to exhaust ourselves and to be too busy, yet our real need is to be dependent on God for all we need and to stop. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Minis...

Don't be put off by the title! In this episode, Andy Castle explores the danger of youth ministry being more about being nice than receiving the gift of the grace of God. Enjoy! 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth...

This week, Andy Castle talks about the need to not get over-busy or to be over focussed on what we do, but to keep in step with what Jesus is doing and asking us to be like. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministrie...

There's no question how hard youth workers work but it often a thankless task. It is so important to keep our focus right. In this week's episode, Andy talks about keeping our focus on the vision and not on the challenges. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented...

Most of us are either committed planners or we tend to react to circumstances. In this episode, Andy explores how we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, either way, as He is the ultimate builder. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder o...

In the first episode of a new season, Andy Castle looks at how we can have different feelings about the year ahead, and how our outlook affects what we do. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also wa...

Andy Castle looks at Mary, the mother of Jesus, and wonders what would have happened if Mary had said no the Angel Gabriel, and considers how we might need to say 'Yes!' to whatever God asks us to do. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO &a...

It's a busy time of year and the work is full on. In this episode, Andy Castle encourages us to pause during our busyness and to keep focused on what's important. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries...

This week Andy shares a personal challenge and how we need to pursue Jesus more than what we can do for Him. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also watch this episode on YouTube . Find out more at...

In this episode, Andy Castle explores the question, are we praying prayers that we actually expect God to answer? Hope you find it helpful. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive Youth Ministries. You can also watch this episode...

The temptation is to teach young people the right thing to do but not to model it. In this episode, Andy explores what it would look like to be good, safe role models for those we lead. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy Castle, CEO & Founder of Thrive You...

It's easy to get frustrated with your church and as a youth leader to be tempted to lead in a way that is disconnected from the rest of the church. In this episode, Andy Castle encourages us to not give in to this temptation but to do all we can to keep in step with our churches and our leaders. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with child...

Sometimes life gets busy, we get it. But what do you do when it gets too busy? Do you work even harder, even longer? Do you get stressed and start to panic? In this week's episode, Andy looks at the advice Moses gave the Israelites when their journey was not going the way they expected. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and y...

It's so tempting to always be looking for the next 'new thing' in youth ministry, as if there's a secret technique that if we could just learn it. In this episode, Andy Castle explores how it's not a secret we are searching for but rather it's learning to trust in the Lord. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with ch...

This week, Andy Castle is thinking about role modelling and if we want young people to follow Jesus, then we have to make this a priority for ourselves, and looks at how Jesus' relationship with his Father was reflected in his relationship with those around him. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church c...

In this week's episode, Andy Castle, CEO & founder of Thrive Youth Ministries, shares personally about anxiety and how we need to be more honest with one another, if we are to lead our young people well, and safely. 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode is presented by Andy...

 It is so easy to get disheartened and to grumble! In this week's episode, Andy Castle, CEO & founder of Thrive Youth Ministries, helps us to think about why we should resist self-pity and look up to Jesus, because we are actually rich! 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young people in a church context.  Each episode...

In this week's episode, Andy Castle, CEO & founder of Thrive Youth Ministries, sets us the challenge to not stop talking about God with those around us. For many of us we might think about Him and learn about Him but how often do we include Him in our conversations with others? 'The Heart of a Youth Leader' is a weekly series, aimed at all those who work with children and young...

With the sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, youth leaders have a special opportunity to help young people deal with their emotions and feelings that arise from loss. In this week's episode, Andy Castle, CEO & founder of Thrive Youth Ministries, thinks about three different ways we can help and support young people, and point them towards a God who is permanent, and does not le...