Youth Ministry Unscripted: The Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast

In this main session talk from the 2024 Rooted Conference in Dallas, TX, K.A. Ellis unpacks the story of Daniel 1. Ellis shares how the same God who delivered Daniel is faithful to deliver us. Ellis is the Director of the Edmiston Center at Reformed Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. “Courage is a habit and it must become ours.” Rooted Resources: Purchase the Rooted Daniel Curriculum How th...

In this second episode of Youth Ministry Unscripted , Isaiah, Josh, and Danny talk real, honest, and raw about some of the biggest struggles they face as youth ministry leaders. They share the biggest challenges that youth pastors and churches face in ministry today, as well as how the gospel shapes us to love Jesus in the difficulties. Serving in ministry has given each of them a love/hate relati...

Offering the 'what' and the 'why' of family ministry, longtime family minister Jimmy Kim also shares the 'how' of implementing family ministry in the local church. Working off the definition of family ministry as " churches equipping and empowering parents to spiritually invest in their kids ," he offers ways to develop a family ministry that works in your context, for the spiritual formation of p...

In this premiere episode of Youth Ministry Unscripted , Isaiah, Josh, and Danny talk real, honest, and raw about gospel-centered youth ministry. The guys talk about ministry failures and how the gospel has shaped them through the hard times. They will stress the importance of youth leaders having places to be real, honest, and raw about the difficulties of ministry. They will also share their grea...

In this episode of the Rooted Parent Podcast, Melissa Kruger, the Director of Women’s Content at The Gospel Coalition, joins Cameron and Anna to discuss her new book  Parenting With Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age. Written from her own experience of raising teenagers,  Parenting With Hope encourages parents to seek the Lord’s wisdom as they parent out of the basic guiding principle...

In this episode, Danny hosts Rooted’s 6th annual book awards. He sits down to talk with Tracy Yi, Chelsea Erickson, Natalie Lett, and Tim Franks to discuss their selections for the 2024 Rooted Book Awards. Listen to hear their topic picks; the categories include best new books for youth ministers, parents, teenagers, and Bible teaching. Here are your 2024 Book awards panelists:  Chelsea Kingston E...

Closing out this series on overcoming disappointments in youth ministry, Danny talks with Kerry Trunfio, the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Life Ministry at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Topsfield, MA. Listen in as Kerry shares why she believes intergenerational integration to be an essential part of youth ministry, as well as some practical ideas for youth ministers who want to incorpora...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Jennifer Ting to discuss the importance of partnering with parents in youth ministry. Jennifer, a new mother and long-time youth pastor, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Ministry to Emerging Generations from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Tune in to hear Jennifer and Danny discuss why parents are so vital in the discipleship of teenagers, pr...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Josh Newton, the Pastor of Student Ministries at The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Barrington, Illinois to discuss the challenges and joys of engaging in relational discipleship with students. Danny and Josh discuss some practical ways youth leaders and volunteers can dig deeper into the lives of students, as well as offer gospel encouragement for youth m...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Stephen Yates, the Assistant Pastor to Students at Intown Community Church in Atlanta, GA. Steve also is a visiting instructor at his alma mater, Covenant Theological Seminary and is currently working on his PhD in youth ministry. You’ll hear Danny and Steve discuss what it means to do theological depth well in youth ministry, as well as how youth pastors can...

How do you know if your ministry is gospel-centered? In this episode, Danny sits down with Mike McGarry, a former youth pastor and Director of Youth Pastor Theologian, to help answer that question. In today’s episode, Mike and Danny discuss the “nuts and bolts” of gospel-centered youth ministry and why it’s so important for our students. You’ll hear them share how youth ministers can trust the suf...

Rooted introduces a new podcast focused on youth ministry in an Asian American context. It features a rotating panel of youth ministers who will talk about issues affecting Asian American youth and anyone ministering to them, whether in the home or in the church. This episode is a sample of what you will hear. The first full episode is available now at RootedMinistry.com/Podcasts . Or subscribe to...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Vince Greenwald, the assistant pastor at Immanuel Church Nashville. Listen in as Danny and Vince discuss the joys and challenges of “equipping the saints for the work of ministry” with their youth volunteers. You’ll hear Vince explain how the truth of the gospel helps him navigate disappointments with youth volunteers, what he’s learned from his past mistakes,...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Cristobal Tong, the Lead English Pastor at 3Stone/NYCAC, where he ministers to youth and college students. Tong also serves as a Spiritual Life Advisor at NYU.  Sometimes the teenagers in our lives and ministries will disappoint us. In this episode, Cristobal and Danny discuss the joys, challenges, and everything in-between when it comes to working with teenag...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Justin Wong, the Pastor of Youth at Chinese Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. They discuss working and serving with Senior Pastors. Justin and Danny share the joys of the work, as well as offering ideas about how to overcome difficulties and disappointments.  Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theolo...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Josh Hussung, the Pastor of Youth and Families at Grace Community Church in Nashville, Tennessee. Josh and Danny discuss how to handle disappointments with the parents of the teenagers in their churches. They discuss how to serve these parents with love and grace, while navigating common difficulties and struggles.  Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers a...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Ericson Joubert, the Director of Student Ministries at East Cobb Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia. From their past interactions with various youth pastors and their own experiences in youth ministry, they discuss how to handle and overcome disappointments with their churches. While Danny and Ericson love their churches, they also know that serving with...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Rebecca Lankford , Isaiah Marshall , and Cameron Cole .  Together, these four created and authored Rooted’s Scope and Sequence Plan to be used with Rooted’s curriculum. Keeping in mind Rooted’s pillar of theological depth, they discuss why having a scope and sequence plan is important and how it can benefit the teenagers in our youth ministries and churches. D...

In this episode, Danny has a conversation with Mac Harris, a youth pastor in Charlotte, NC and the son of a single mom. He authored the last chapter of God’s Grace for Every Family: Biblical Encouragement for Single-Parent Families and the Churches that Seek to Love Them Well, a book written by his mother, Anna Meade Harris. In this interview, Mac discusses how the church can care for single paren...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Anna Meade Harris. She is author of God’s Grace for Every Family: Biblical Encouragement for Single-Parent Families and the Churches that Seek to Love Them Well . She also serves as Rooted’s Senior Director of Content. We discuss how the church can minister and care for single-parent families well. Her words from her experience as a single mom, as well as her...

In this 8th and final episode of the mini-season, husband and wife Danny and Monica Kwon talk about working with the parents of teenagers as it relates to the mental health issues of teenagers and their families. They speak from their experience dealing with the mental health issues of one of their own teenagers, but also as Danny spent 29 years serving as the youth pastor at one church, while Mon...

Danny sits down with veteran youth pastor Justin Wong. Justin serves as the Pastor of Youth at Chinese Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. He has worked with students, parents, and families for the past 24 years. He received his Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.   They discuss how social media impacts teenagers and families from a youth pastor...

Danny sits down with longtime friend of Rooted Alice Churnock. Alice is a licensed professional counselor specializing in adolescents and college students. She enjoys leading seminars for groups both nationally and internationally, and is married and has two young boys in Birmingham, AL. They sit down to talk about the topic of eating disorders in teenagers.  She offers deep insights into eating d...

Danny sits down with longtime veteran Youth Pastor Brock Morgan.  Brock is a popular speaker for retreats, conferences, and camps and has written twenty books including, Youth Ministry in a Post-Christian World and Beautiful Rebellion. Brock is the associate pastor at The Bridge Chino and lives in southern California with his wife Kelsey, their daughter Dancin and their puppy, C.S. Lewis. They tal...

In this episode, Danny sits down with Liz Edrington. Danny and Liz talk about teenage anxiety from a counseling perspective for the church and youth ministry. As Liz has wide experience with youth and adult ministry, she offers a unique perspective on how the church and youth ministries can serve teenagers and families who struggle with anxiety. Liz is the author of a 31-day devotional for teenage...