Youth Ministry Booster

Send us Fan Mail Teenagers are drowning in noise, and most of them don’t have the brain bandwidth or life experience to sort it all out yet. From the SBC 2026 exhibit hall, we talk with Dr. Kristen Kellen about what it looks like to counsel teens faithfully when anxiety, comparison, and overwhelm feel like the background music of adolescence. If you've ever wondered: "Am I doing enough f...

Send us Fan Mail Gen Alpha Is Here. Is Your Ministry Ready? The students walking into your ministry today have never known life without smartphones, algorithms, or instant access to the world. They're also asking bigger questions than many churches are prepared to answer. In this episode Zac Workun sits down with Dr. Shelly Melia at SBC2026 to discuss what makes Generation Alpha unique,and wh...

Send us Fan Mail This episode wraps up our three-part conversation with Dr. David Odom on Deconstructing Youth Ministry and offers a timely reminders for youth ministry friends. The future of youth ministry doesn't hinge on doing more. It depends on becoming the kind of leader who can faithfully serve for longer.  🎙️ In this episode: Why working harder isn't the answer The hidden cost of...

Send us Fan Mail Before we know it, youth ministry can become really good at running events—and not as effective at making disciples. In Part 2 of our conversation with Dr. David Odom and Deconstructing Youth Ministry, we tackle one of the biggest questions facing churches today. How do we build student ministries that produce lasting faith, not just busy calendars? We explore why teenagers today...

Send us Fan Mail What actually makes a youth ministry fruitful ? Bigger crowds? Flashier events? Viral moments? In this episode  Zac sits down with JP Black to wrestle honestly with those questions: presence, not popularity . From the moment you walk into JP’s student building—covered in photos, memories, and a “Trophy Wall of Awesome”—you can feel a culture of belonging. But the real transformati...

Send us Fan Mail Youth Ministry Deconstructed with David Odom | What If We've Been Doing Youth Ministry Wrong? Have we built youth ministries that attract students… but struggle to form lasting faith? In this first episode of a 3 part series of the Youth Ministry Booster Podcast, Zac Workun sits down with Dr. David Odom from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Youth Ministr...

Send us Fan Mail And we're back! Back in Nashville that is!  Zac and Chad sit down with Kyle Wilshire to talk about why youth ministry has to move past keeping students busy and doing and start forming students who go and live sent.  We unpack the Great Commission, what mission trips can and cannot do, and how to build everyday courage for gospel conversations in real life and online.  Pickup...

Send us Fan Mail When a student walked into the office during the pandemic asking whether his father would live long enough for a transplant, it exposed a gap many youth pastors feel but rarely name: we can teach Scripture and organize programs, but do we know how to shepherd teenagers when fear, grief, and uncertainty overwhelm them? We sit down with Dr. Randy Jackson to talk about a gospel-shape...

Send us Fan Mail Which snack would you like to popsicle?  In this episode, Chad Daugherty joins Zac and the crew for a conversation that starts with dad-life fitness in the “llama lift lair” and ends with a practical blueprint for building a healthy, sustainable volunteer culture. Let's talk about the wild world of Gen Alpha — deodorant before rec, ball pumps on standby, and a suspicious loya...

Send us Fan Mail What if your calendar didn’t own your ministry — but served it? Welcome to the podcast garage Amanda Mejias! Lifeway Specialist for Girls' Ministry and Women in Youth Ministry. Check this pastoral note: We to need to make the move from submission (giving in after the fight) to surrender (choosing trust before the fight begins). In this episode, Zac and Amanda unpack a simple,...

Send us Fan Mail Trade the contemporary hype for a deep concern with holiness!  What if your youth ministry felt unmistakably sacred and still radically welcoming ? In this episode of Youth Ministry Booster , Zac Workun sits down with Ribbin Dorado to explore a youth ministry model built on formation over frenzy, one that helps teenagers love the church they’re actually growing into. Together, we...

Send us Fan Mail Well well look who just sledded into town! Hi Joseph Kellogg!  "Presence rises above parties every time." Joseph traces how one ordinary moment in a youth ministry service became a lifetime of discipling teenagers—with humility, consistency, and deep trust in what God does when leaders simply show up. We talk about Pre-iPhone youth ministry to the post-Christian reality:...

Send us Fan Mail New Year, New Episode. Welcome special guest Wyatt Pennington everybody! A new father, emerging and awesome youth ministry leader Wyatt walks us through a practical reframe: treat parents as partners, not an inbox. He details quarterly parent nights that include worship, teaching for adults, prayer, and a genuine response, plus simple series-based resources that turn “What did you...

Send us Fan Mail Want a youth ministry that outlasts the hype cycle and survives staff turnover without losing momentum? Oh for sure, eh!  This week's conversation with Canadian veteran youth pastor Jonathan Kornelsen dives into the shift from big events to spiritual formation, equipping teens to lead, and building a ministry that actually gets healthier over time. Jonathan outlines nine core...

Send us Fan Mail Cleaner, Braver, More Effective: Youth Ministry in 2026 In this episode of Youth Ministry Booster , Zac and Chad lay our cards on the table, personal stakes, ministry wins we’re chasing, habits we’re cutting, and the simple shifts that actually build momentum with teenagers. 🌦️ Cultural Forecast: Where Teen Attention Is Really Going Teen culture is shifting—and the old plays aren’...

Send us Fan Mail Merry Christmas Adam & Eve everyone!  The holiday calendar swirls, the phone notification buzzes, and suddenly December is deciding everything for you. We pressed pause to talk about the real pressure of ministering well at church and home. Our gift this year to share is presence. Chad and Zac share practical ways to build margin without dropping what matters. There’s a tender...

Send us Fan Mail understand your words. We sat down with the Champion Forest student team to unpack how a “one church, two languages” model becomes one student ministry that actually belongs to everyone. If your context includes Spanish-speaking parents, English-dominant teens, and first-generation families navigating two worlds, this conversation offers a blueprint that’s both practical and hopef...

Send us Fan Mail What if the fastest way to build a strong student ministry isn’t a bigger stage, but a crowded living room? We pull back the curtain on our biggest do-overs: why we’d start with relationships, not programs; why a right-sized room beats a flashy setup; and why coaching volunteers weekly will outperform any event on your calendar. • starting in homes to build belonging • coaching vo...

Send us Fan Mail Ten years in and we’re still showing up, still laughing about late-night Taco Bell runs, and still fighting for youth pastors to feel seen on that drive home after midweek. We rewind to the After Nine roots—two friends comparing notes before weekend trainings—and trace how a simple idea to be a caring voice turned into a decade of community, practical help, and honest talk about t...

Send us Fan Mail 🔥 Feel like you need to throw a last-minute mega event to fix that attendance dip? You’re not alone—but there’s a better way. This week, Chad and Zac kick things off with a hilarious misheard small group moment 😂 and dive deep into the tension youth pastors feel when numbers start to slip. Instead of chasing hype, we talk about trading panic for purpose, and crafting a longer ru...

Send us Fan Mail Hey buddy... Are your teaching methods actually connecting with how today's students learn? I mean they love Roblox, Minecraft, and Cedarwood Scents. In this conversation, Chad and Zac challenge youth ministry leaders to move beyond traditional sermon-style approaches to create more engaging, effective learning experiences. The disconnect is clear: while schools have changed...

Send us Fan Mail "It's all about the numbers." Ever feel like your ministry's is trapped by attendance numbers? What if the most powerful metric isn't quantitative at all? The stories unfolding in your student ministry reveal far more about God's work than any statistical report. We mean it! We want you to measure in stories! This webinar replay reveals why stories ar...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered if there's a way to make meetings less painful and more productive? Kate Downing pulls back the curtain on what makes ministry team gatherings work—or fail spectacularly. Returning guest Kate Downing shares practical strategies for transforming team meetings from dreaded time-wasters into valuable, engaging experiences that build team culture and advance ministr...

Send us Fan Mail Broncos, Gameboys, Doves... er uh Pigeons?  Join Zac for an interview with Shane Pruitt. As they discuss how our culture has shifted to embracing a distorted version of a personalized Jesus while rejecting biblical authority, and why youth ministers must help students discover the authentic Jesus of Scripture. SHOW NOTES • Culture has shifted from accepting God-talk but rejecting...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered why it seems so many youth ministers quit or leave around the three-year mark?  In this candid conversation with longtime youth ministry veteran and author Jody Livingston, we talk the secret to youth ministry longevity.  It's 2 old friends with personal stories, hard-earned wisdom, and practical insights that are meant to encourage youth ministers youn...