Leadership matters. That should be a pretty obvious statement, but sometimes theologically-minded pastors can struggle to discern how much overlap really exists between pastoral leadership and leadership in other spheres. Today we’ll be talking about leadership, spiritual gifts, and the “Six Types of Working Genius” in order to help you lead your volunteers, parents, and students more effectively.  Why is good leadership so important for men and women in ministry leadership? What do we risk...

Sex has become central to people’s identity, lifestyle, and even community. But what if sex points to something even greater? Something eternally glorious, determined by God before the world was created? This episode focuses on So Much More Than Sex, a new video-based series for young adults.  Scott Stein is the founder of Prepared to Answer, an apologetics ministry in Ontario Canada. PTA is also the supervising ministry for YPT, so if you enjoy this podcast then you are deeply indebted to...

It’s easy to continue leading our youth ministries the way we’ve seen them run for the last few decades. But it’s more important to build our ministries on a biblical foundation. Instead of making our ministry less relevant to secular youth, maybe this is exactly the type of student ministry they need. Today we’ll hear from Tim Beilharz in Australia about biblical youth ministry in hard places.  Discussion Features: What does youth group in Australia look like? If a youth leader wants to...

On one hand, it seems like everyone is talking about sexuality and gender so it’s easy to feel numb to people saying it’s a big deal. But on the other hand… isn’t that the point. Everyone’s talking about it, but are they talking about it helpfully and in a way that offers counsel that’s both biblical and practical for teenagers? Today’s conversation will point your attention to a new resource that will help your students and parents.  Could you share a brief snapshot about More to the Story:...

Every youth pastor knows they should prioritize partnering with parents, but it’s really hard to do for a variety of reasons. This is especially true for younger youth pastors. Let’s talk about what partnering with parents looks like and how you can get started.  What are some biblical reasons partnering with parents is more than important… it is absolutely necessary.  What are some reasons you’ve seen or heard that make it difficult for youth workers to meaningfully partner with...

Theological depth is important in every ministry context. In this episode, Jordan Francis shares about urban youth ministry and how theological depth applies to inner-city youth. This is a valuable conversation for all youth workers to hear and benefit from.    Jordan Francis is the founder of Reframe Youth and is a Christian Therapist in Phoenix.  Discussion Questions: Could you describe what makes urban youth ministry different from youth ministry in suburban or rural communities?  How...

Discipling new believers is a blessed challenge. Youth pastor theologians need to be thoughtful and have a plan for how to help students in the weeks and months after they make a profession of faith. But how?!  Conversation Includes:  How is the religious climate in Canada different from the Bible Belt and hows that affect the way we minister to youth? Why is a book like “I’m a Christian – Now What?” necessary? How do you envision it being read and by whom?  When students first profess faith...

Video games are big business, but most Christian leaders either don’t take them seriously or only criticize them as a waste of time. How can youth workers begin to think theologically about the allure and world building of video games, while also thinking critically about addiction in order to engage gamers more effectively?  Discussion Includes: What put video games on your radar to start tweeting about video games? What’s the general reaction been to some of the threads you’ve posted over...

Youth Ministry has a long legacy of commitment to missions, but where can that go wrong and how can we think more strategically about giving students a vision for the Great Commission?  Could you share a little about European Mission Fellowship?  What are some similarities and differences between youth missions in the USA, UK and Europe?  What have you seen and learned about casting a vision for evangelism and missions among youth?  Through your ministry with pastors and missionaries across...

Should teenagers become members of the local church? If so, what does that involve - can they vote, join boards and hold positions of leadership? This is a question an increasing number of youth workers are asking, and Justin Wong joins the podcast to chew on it with you.  Discussion includes: What are some of the questions we should be asking about church membership and youth ministry? What happens when you actually implement church membership? When teens become members, what happens...

In this special 50th episode, Mike is joined by three of YPT's regular writers to discuss what it means to be a youth pastor theologian and to celebrate what the Lord is doing through this ministry.  This is a special season for YPT and there are exciting days ahead as we trust the Lord to revive a commitment to theological depth in student ministry. Would you continue to pray for YPT: for Mike to have wisdom about which initiatives to pursue, for generous financial partners to support this...

Youth workers and children's ministry leaders need to work together. This should be obvious and common, but these ministries often fail to have intentional collaboration and transitions. What can youth workers learn from children’s ministry leaders and how can they learn to meaningfully partner with families?   Discussion Includes: Why have you committed to remain serving in children’s ministry?  Could you share your approach to discipling upper-elementary students?  How does your church...

We’re releasing this episode a few weeks before Advent in order to help youth workers prepare well for Advent and Christmas… I think it goes without saying that it’s absolutely essential for us to teach rightly about both the Person and the Work of Jesus Christ.  Who is Jesus? Christians confess that Jesus is the Son of God. But what does that mean about his humanity? It’s important for youth workers to call students to faith in Jesus, and to lead them into conversations about who (and what)...

Preparing students for leadership doesn’t mean we’re always putting them in front of the room. It simply means we’re challenging them to trust the Lord by serving him courageously with their gifts and passions. In this way, student leadership is an expression of student discipleship… but how do we get started? That’s the topic for today’s conversation with Doug Franklin from LeaderTreks.  Discussion Questions: What is leadership, what isn’t leadership, and how does the gospel shape the way we...

In this shared episode, Mike and John Perritt (from Reformed Youth Ministries) take turns asking each other questions and sharing about their respective ministries and discuss resources for youth workers to know about.  Reformed Youth Ministries exists to serve the Church in its efforts to reach and equip youth for Christ. Through its three avenues of ministry (Conferences, Training, Resources), everything RYM does is oriented to help churches as they seek to raise up the next generation of...

It’s unfortunately easy for youth ministry to exclude students who are neurodivergent or who have physical disabilities. These students and their families often experience significant stress in at home, and the church can sometimes add to their sense of not feeling welcomed. This episode from the podcast features a conversation with Sandra Peoples about how youth workers and churches can better serve students and parents with disabilities.  Discussion Questions:  It could be helpful to start...

Evangelism is something that’s commonly talked about, but little practiced. Evangelism isn’t an academic exercise, it’s an expression of the normal Christian life. So, how can we grow as evangelists while also empowering our students to be evangelists?  Discussion Includes:  Why did you write Evangelism: For the Care of Souls and what are you hoping people will take away from it?  What has your ministry as a YoungLife Director taught you about evangelism to teenagers?  When you’re training...

Youth workers want to disciple teenagers into Christian maturity. Over time, we hope they move on from spiritual milk, towards spiritual meat. This is the vision of worldview formation - but what’s that really look like and how do we disciple accordingly?   Discussion Includes:  What do you mean by worldview, and what are some pillars of a distinctively Christian worldview?  As the Director of Worldview Formation as WBU, what are some challenges you’ve encountered with college...

Is seminary worth it? It requires a lot of sacrifice, can be expensive, and some of the classes don’t seem too helpful for student ministry. And yet it provides a unique opportunity for training and ministry development. How can youth workers discern whether or not to pursue further education, and how do we choose amidst the many options?  Discussion Includes:  If I can just buy the books off Amazon and follow some nerdy youtube and podcasts then why would anyone enroll in seminary?  What are...

Mental health struggles are increasingly common, and yet it remains difficult to know how to minister to students who are living with anxiety and/or depression. How can youth workers think biblically and theologically about mental health diagnoses and respond with wisdom and grace?  Liz Edrington has served at North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN in full-time ministry for 8 years and is an adjunct professor at Covenant College. She’s a regular contributor to the Rooted Ministry and is...

To close out our season, Mike is on the hot seat and answers questions from two of YPT's regular contributors, Nick Hartman and Joseph Bradley. The conversation included the following questions: What do you look back at as your biggest failure in student ministry, and what's something you're really proud of?  How have you navigated relationships with other youth workers who aren't theologically-minded and don't share that value for student ministry?  How have you advocated for...

Youth workers agree that we want to make disciples, but it’s easy to fall into a rhythm of ministry that hopes discipleship will happen. Intentionally leading your ministry to value church membership and gospel-centered pedagogy will clarify your focus and provide a discipleship plan to serve your students well.  Why does church membership matter and what would you say to a youth pastor who’s never thought about church membership for their students?  How do you reply to teenagers (and...

Calvinism and Arminianism is possibly the most common theological debate among Bible college students. Some act like it’s a question that determines whether or not you’re even a Christian; and others brush it off as a stupid and inconsequential issue. Why does this debate continue to carry importance today, and how can we learn to partner with each other for the sake of the Great Commission?  Discussion:  What's a basic overview of Calvinism and Arminianism, and why are these pitted against...

Understanding Law & Gospel is incredibly important. This distinction prepares youth workers to teach and counsel in ways that keeps the gospel central while still calling students to holiness and repentance. Without Law and Gospel, we either turn the gospel into a to-do list or we extend so much grace there’s little room for teaching the commands of Christ.  Discussion Questions: Could you summarize what we mean by “Law & Gospel?” What sort of confusion around Law and Gospel have you...

This bonus episode is from the Prepared to Answer podcast and introduces their new initiative, "PTA GO." This is the program through which they're launching like-minded ministries (like YPT) so they can become sustainable full-time ministries that disciple teenagers into a biblical worldview. Listen to this episode to hear more about Prepared to Answer, Truth Snack, and YPT's partnership with these incredible ministries.  There are two podcasts from PTA I want to encourage you to...