Youth Worker Collective Podcast

Chris and Jeremy talk about the FREE "Crash Courses in Youth Ministry" eBooks that were released this fall. You can download those eBooks here: https://www.umcyoungpeople.org/lead/crash-courses-in-youth-ministry

In our last episode we talked to Jarrod Johnston about what NOT to do with fundraising. This week, Chris and Jeremy sit down to talk about what DOES work and share fundraising ideas to get you started.

Fundraising is something that all youth ministers have to do. Jarrod Johnston kicks off part one of this two part series talking about what NOT to do.

Mighty Rasing with Discipleship Ministries joins us this week to talk about what transcends cultures in youth ministry as well as what’s different in Christianity across cultures. Mighty talks about conflicts and destruction within the church and how often the youth can be collateral damage.

This week, Ann Kessler talks about overseeing the Family Ministry at First UMC in Loveland, CO and how she empowers her volunteers. She also shares about finding God’s purpose for us and being willing to take risks.

Bart Patton joins us today to talk about his passion of shifting the focus of seminary to lifelong learning. Instead of looking at education as an end goal of attaining a degree, rather creating a community of lifelong learners. Bart also shares some encouragement from Philippians 2:12b-15 as he talks about how God has called us to be stars.

This week we are joined by Jason Scott, found of theministryfinder.com, a website that helps people looking for ministry jobs find churches looking to fill ministry roles. Jason also talks about the idea of perspective and perception and how moving just six inches to the left or the right completely changes how things look.

This week we are joined by Mike Ratliff as he talks about the importance of focusing on the relational aspects of youth ministry. He also shares with us the ways he finds to listen to God's call on his life and how he uses photography as a way to share that with the world.

David Thompson from Trinity UMC joins us this week and starts off with a discussion on entering a season of rebuilding after a worldwide pandemic. He shares the parable of the three servants from Matthew 25 as we talk about the struggles you can face when answering the call to serve God.

This week, Marc Baugh from Auburn United Methodist Church talks about how they maintain small groups as the center of their youth ministry. He also talks about the two rooms where we find Jesus in the book of Luke and how those moments are mirrored in life.

This week, Jeremy Steele sits on the other side of the mic to talk about the difference between building a youth ministry vs. ministering to youth. Jeremy shares the story of Ehud in Judges and discusses the importance of seeing value in all people.

This week we are joined by Curt Franklin as he talks about connecting churches and helping them collaborate with other churches. Curt shares how he is redefining work and taking a true sabbath. He shares the steps he took to trust God and His timing.

This week we sit down with Aileen Jimenez from UMComm in Nashville, TN to talk about the struggles and challenges facing the Latino church during the pandemic, as well as her experiences growing up as a preacher's kid (PK). Aileen discusses hope and how it's playing a role in our communities at this particular time in the world.

Psalm 118:24 says "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." (NLT) Trip Lowry joins us to talk about the neuroscience behind positive and negative thoughts, and how the brain holds on to each. Your brain is like velcro to negative thoughts and teflon to positive thoughts. Trip talks about how we can make positive thoughts stick more than negative ones.

As president of Youthworks, Erica Schimelpfenig shares how they are adjusting what they're doing to help mission teams and the communities they are serving stay safe during the pandemic. Erica talks to us about facing difficult circumstances rather than running from them, much like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, and trust that God will see you through.

We often focus on the “who” and the “what” in youth ministry and forget about the “why.” Jake Mulder challenges us to step back and ask ourselves why we do what we do.

Kara Powell joins us to talk about striving for the kind of unity that Jesus mentioned in John 17. She challenges us to take Jesus' last prayer and make it our first.

This week Mark Oestreicher joins us to share some encouragement through the story of Jairus, as well as some wisdom for youth workers. Mark talks about what has changed and what has stayed the same in youth ministry over the years, as well as some key things for youth workers to pay attention to during this pandemic.

This week Kenda Creasy Dean joins us to talk a little bit about what she sees over the horizon for youth ministry, and how understanding passion can be key to the spiritual lives of teenagers. As we head into 2021, we take a look back at 2020, and there are many things that we can't unsee. Like the rebel on the cross beside Jesus, we simply ask, "remember me".

Join us as we sit down with Trisha Manns and Kathryn Sappington to talk about the Global Mission Fellows Program. You can get more information about the program and find out how to apply at umcmission.org/gmf.

Sam Halverson joins us this week to talk about understanding what it means to ask for the heart of God. Loving as God loves means hurting when God hurts, and you see what humanity can do.

How do we deal with crazy things that are happening in the world? Mark Oestreicher joins us this week to talk about what students need from us as youth workers during this season of unrest.

Things are often tight when it comes to budget, but they are especially tight during a pandemic. Brian Lawson joins us to talk about importance of cultivating a relationship with the church leadership that communicates the value in what you're doing.

This is a difficult time in our world. Don't forget to pause and check on your youth and children's ministry staff. Care for them both personally and professionally.

During this time of social distancing and not being able to gather, many companies have made some great resources available to help you do ministry at a distance.