Youth Ministry for the Longer Haul Podcast

Let’s face it. Jimmy Fallon is funny. Well, at least most of the time. Don’t get us wrong. We’re not making a major moral endorsement for who and what he’s all about. But rather, we want to take a minute and consider how Jimmy Fallon is pretty much a youth pastor minus Jesus and a youth group. And on top of that, he does it WELL. In this episode, we talk about lessons we ca...

It’s a new year! How are those resolutions going so far? Regardless of how you feel about New Year’s resolutions, the start of a new year is always a great time to evaluate how things are going in your youth ministry and set goals for the upcoming year. In this episode, we talk about the impact Evaluating and Goal Setting has had in our youth ministries over the years. We also share so...

What the heck happened and where did we go? Whew! It’s been a crazy few weeks and months for both of us and a little while since the last episode. We’ve had a ton of listeners and members of the Super Secret Podcast Group asking for an update so this episode is all about what has been happening, where we are, and what the future of the Longer Haul Podcast is.  So in this episode, we&#8...

So why an episode on finding a youth ministry job? Hopefully, you know that our goal at the Longer Haul is to help you achieve longevity in youth ministry.  For us we think of this in two ways, staying in youth ministry for the longer haul, and staying at your church for the longer haul. Both of these are really important for lasting influence and joy. We also understand that the reality is you ma...

We, the Longer Haul Podcast team, are committed to… well… the Longer Haul. That’s why we do the podcast. We know though, from experience that there are times when God makes it known that it’s time to move on. There are seasons of change. The big question we all face is how do we know when it’s time to leave? If God doesn’t send a burning bush, how can we determi...

This weeks interview tackles identity in Christ head on. Todd Jones has written an excellent book called Jesus Colored Glasses. Besides our being jealous of his coming up with a super catchy super cool name for his book, we’re pumped about this interview. Todd gets youth pastors! He’s one of us! As the founder of Stoked on Youth Ministry and as a middle school pastor, he brings a lot t...

Many of us have been guilty of thinking that the teenagers of today are pretty much like all the teenagers that have gone before them. Ahhhhh, if only it were that easy! Research tells us that there are characteristics of the current generation that we need to be aware of as we try to point them to Jesus. This podcast interview will help you dive deeper into Gen Z. We’ll consider some of the...

We all want to see our students sharing their faith.  We would all love to have students leading other students to Jesus.  But what is it that is really keeping this from happening? Look we get it.  This topic isn’t new…even for this podcast, but we believe it is SO ridiculously important. Our friend Greg Stier is back on the show today talking about this very thing.  In it we tackle t...

Over the years we’ve heard people say that we’re only one bad decision away from disqualifying ourselves from ministry. Over and over again throughout the years we’ve heard of friends and peers have to quit serving in the church because of immoral decisions they’ve made. We admit that this podcast topic is not as fun as a podcast episode on the latest and greatest games, bu...

Let’s face it… we live in a hyper sexualized culture! Ok, either you’re giggling like a middle schooler right now or tempted to close this and move on. Stick with us for a second. Parents are overwhelmed and they need our help navigating everything that they’re facing when it comes to their teens dealing with sex. Whether it’s having the talk or helping them avoid mas...

Ah, youth ministry volunteers… Doing ministry by yourself can be a lonely and unsustainable plan long-term. And let’s face it, finding youth ministry volunteers can often be incredibly challenging. It’s not like people are knocking down our doors wanting to work with teenagers. Here is what we know though, having volunteers is important… SUPER important. And once you find y...

Most of our summers are coming to a close and now a new school year of youth ministry is upon us. If you’re like us, you’re probably feeling a little spiritually spent after a busy summer calendar. Often it’s a mixture of feeling blessed because of all the awesome stuff God did in our youth ministry and being worn out from all of the investing you’ve done in others. In this...

Do you ever feel like your ministry is less significant because it isn’t as big as others your see? Let’s get real, youth ministry has enough challenges on its own without throwing in the struggle of size.  But the truth is that you can be extremely effective in youth ministries of any size. Certainly, youth ministries of all sizes bring unique advantages and challenges.  This week Ste...

Not everyone loves teenagers. Wait, what??? As youth ministers, it’s hard for us to understand how some adults don’t like teens. If you happen to be serving in a church who loves teenagers, you know the impact that can have on a student’s life. If you happen to be in a church where some or maybe even a lot of adults seem to not like teenagers, you know how hard youth ministry can...

We all know that youth ministry has its fair share of challenges. We also know that youth pastors LOVE teenagers. All teenagers. Teenagers with special needs creates unique challenges that most youth pastors are ill equipped to handle without some help. In this episode, we ask Lynn Wilkerson some hard questions about how to effectively work with students that have special needs and how to work wit...

Clay Scroggins, lead pastor of North Point Community Church, joins us on the show this week to talk about how to lead when you’re not in charge.  Most youth pastors we’ve met have a pretty heavy dose of leadership built-in to who they are. With that leadership gifting comes the struggle of often being way down the leadership org chart and wishing we could make more decisions than we&#8...

Parent meetings & seminars can be one of the most effective ways to impact the life of a teenager. Trust us! As parents of teenagers, we know how challenging it can be and how we need all the help we can get. Doing them well and getting parents to show up, however, can be a challenge… a big challenge. In this episode of the Longer Haul Podcast, we share ideas from our 20+ years of failin...

Chris is back this week and is joined by his lovely wife Wendy.  After just celebrating 25 years of marriage they’re giving wisdom they’ve learned along the way by way of 25 tips from 25 years of marriage while serving in youth ministry. In this episode you’ll hear honest and transparent keys that Chris and Wendy have learned over the years.  Whether you’re married, want to...

Chris Trent is away this week celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary so…Ed Braswell and  Phillip Higginbotham, who are a  couple of youth pastors from  the Super Secret Longer Haul Podcast Facebook Group  join the show this week to tackle the topic of essentials for a youth worship service. In this episode we cover what you must have for your youth worship services, paying worship leaders,...

Chad Poe joins the Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast this week to talk about effectively communicating with teenagers.  Chad brings a ton of knowledge to the table this week all while keeping you laughing. In this episode we cover what it takes to really communicate well, what it is really like to be a full-time speaker, why illustrations matter, and the four keys every sermon and lesson should h...

This week we’re diving into the subject of youth ministry interns.  Maybe you have an intern or a few interns, but just don’t know what to do with them.  Maybe you just feel you could be doing better with utilizing your interns.  Well, we’ve got you covered in this week’s episode all about youth ministry interns. In this episode we cover how to go about hiring an intern, wh...

The importance of a youth ministry network and community for your longevity can’t be overstated.  Ministry can be a lonely place and having others around you who get where you are and what you’re dealing with can be extremely helpful. So we’re doing a deep dive into networks with why they’re important, do’s and don’t for them, and how to start one if there isn&#...

In this episode Dr. Richard Ross joins us to talk about maturing as a youth pastor. Our primary aim is to help you as a youth pastor stay in youth ministry for the longer haul.  To do this means navigating maturing as a youth pastor. And when it comes to this topic, there’s no one better to bring wisdom than Dr. Richard Ross.  He’s the real deal and you’ll quickly tell that he ha...

Great resources for youth ministry can be the difference between an effective youth ministry and a struggling one.  With so many out there is can be difficult to navigate them and find ones that are really helpful. In this episode we’re here to help with some of our top resources that we use in our ministries.  We love finding new and helpful tools and resources to use so we’ll be doin...

Getting and staying organized in Youth Ministry can literally be the key to staying put for the longer haul. Since it is so important we’re giving you some practical and helpful tips on getting organized in youth ministry.  For some of us (Chris) organization comes pretty easy.  For others (Jody) it doesn’t. But just because it doesn’t come natural doesn’t mean you get a pa...