We know that pastors, DCEs, teachers and other church workers play a special role as supportive adults for youth. Pastor Ben Meyer joins us to talk about how church workers can be supportive adults and create an environment that encourages other supportive adults.

Bio:

Pastor Ben Meyer is pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Sunbury, Ohio and the president of the Central Ohio Lutheran Immigrant Mission. He and his wife Christine have four children: Timothy, Lucy, Cooper, and Boaz. He also enjoys making BBQ in the backyard when time permits.

Resources:

• Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.
• Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry available at CPH
• Age to Age: An Intergenerational Study of Spiritual Practices by Pastor Meyer

There are over 1000 volunteers who help make the LCMS Youth Gathering run! DCEs Lindsey Schmidt and Leslie Sullivan talk about their experience in supporting our Gathering Ambassadors, Young Adult Volunteers and Team Flex.

Bios:

Lindsey Schmidt has been a DCE for 19 years and is still serving at her first call: Woodbury Lutheran. She serves as the Director of Next Gen ministries and loves working with middle school students. She and her husband Tad enjoy volunteering and serving at the Gathering. This will be her 10th Gathering, having experienced the Gathering from many different seats: participant, young adult volunteer, Primary Adult leader, Community Life Builder, and Planner.

Leslie Sullivan has been a DCE for over 20 years now and this will be her 9th LCMS Youth Gathering. She currently serves as Celebrate Director at St John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. She has been blessed to be married to her amazing husband Brian for 8 years, and they love volunteering and serving at the Gathering together.

Resources:

• Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.
• LCMS Youth Gathering – www.lcmsgathering.com

In this special episode, we interview Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer, who served LCMS Youth Ministry for many years. His stories help give us some wisdom and perspective about youth ministry.

Bio: Rev. Dr. Terry Dittmer had a distinguishing career serving the church. He served as a Lutheran high school teacher, parish pastor, poet, song and hymn writer, and supporter of young people and those who care for them. One of the main ways he did this was as a staff member of LCMS Youth Ministry. He led organizations such as Lutheran Youth Fellowship and served as the department’s communication director. In the early 2000s, he served as the Director of LCMS Youth Ministry until he retired in 2016. He now lives in Kirkwood, MO with his wife Shari. He enjoys his home and backyard and spending time with his children and their families.

Resources:

Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

We believe every young person should have at least five Christian supportive adults in their lives. DCE Hailey Jo Miller comes on the podcast to talk about how she engages and encourages supportive adults in her youth ministry.

Bio: Hailey Jo is the Director of Student Ministry at Memorial Lutheran Church. She's served in ministry for 13 years and loves working with students to affirm their baptismal identity and connect God's word to their daily living. Her current hobby is cleaning up after her 5 children and saying "no" to the 59th snack of the day.

Resources:

• Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry avaliable at CPH
• Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

As we dive into the Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry, Mark and Julianna are joined by DCE Angela Kollbaum to talk about what it means to have warmth, challenge, and grace.

Bio: Angela Kollbaum, DCE, PLMHP is a Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner (LIMHP) and Certified Professional Counselor (CPC) in the state of Nebraska with Lutheran Family Service (LFS). She is a member of a Christian counseling team as a master’s-level prepared mental health and marriage and family counselor. She serves clients in person in the Norfolk and Northeast Nebraska area. Angela also serves Nebraskans through telehealth. She also serves as the director of the LFS Church Worker Wellness Team to provide support, encouragement, and prayer for church workers throughout the LCMS. She is Called as the Director of Christian Education (DCE) at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison, NE.

Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry avaliable at CPH: https://www.cph.org/seven-practices-of-healthy-youth-ministry?srsltid=AfmBOorekrYOVJEP-oK7TM9kmh8fOC_6Ob3v9S9unGIRdDp0RHxTlSTg

Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

Mark and Julianna kick off a series that goes through each of the seven practices of youth ministry. But before they do, let’s take a second to remember how we got these practices to begin with and what they are designed to do.

Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry avaliable at CPH: https://www.cph.org/seven-practices-of-healthy-youth-ministry?srsltid=AfmBOorekrYOVJEP-oK7TM9kmh8fOC_6Ob3v9S9unGIRdDp0RHxTlSTg

Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

The Gathering is more than five days. One of the ways we hope that groups come together is in pre-Gathering Bible studies. Pastor Doug Bender and DCE AJ Vega, members of the Gathering Bible Study Team, join us to talk about the themes and values of pre-Gathering Bible studies.

Bios:

Pastor Doug Bender serves as an associate pastor at Immanuel Lutheran Church and School in Macomb, Michigan. Before serving at Immanuel, Pastor Doug was a campus pastor for six years at Concordia University Wisconsin. One of his greatest passions is supporting and encouraging students and young people in faith and life, and he is thrilled to join the Gathering planning team and for the ways God’s Word will impact countless lives before, during, and after the Gathering!

AJ Vega is the Director of Discipleship and Outreach at St. John's Church and Renewal Church in Denver, Colorado. AJ has served on multiple teams for the Gathering in the past, including serving as an Emcee for the 2019 Gathering in Minneapolis and serving on the Bible Study Team in 2022 in Houston. When not working, AJ loves to spend time with his expecting wife (!) his cat, Bruno, and drinking pour-over coffee in the wee hours of the morning.

Youth Gathering Resources:

• LCMS Youth Gathering Website – lcmsgathering.com
• Facebook Page – facebook.com/lcmsgathering
• Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/LCMSYouthMinistry
• LCMS Youth Gathering Pre- Event Bible Studies www.lcmsgathering.com/biblestudy
• YouthESource Website – www.youthesource.com

It is almost time for registration to start for the 2025 LCMS Youth Gathering! New staff Becky Kammeier and Emily Myers join us to discuss key things to know about how to plan for your registration to the Gathering.

Youth Gathering Resources:

• LCMS Youth Gathering Website – lcmsgathering.com
• Facebook Page – facebook.com/lcmsgathering
• Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/LCMSYouthMinistry

One component that is a part of every youth ministry is time in God’s Word. This episode is a discussion of how you can intentionally plan, choose, and write Bible Studies and Devotions for your teens.

Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

New Orleans is a city with a lot of LCMS Youth Gathering history, and we are excited to be there again in 2025. Listen to Mark and Julianna talk about NOLA as we prepare for the next Gathering.

Youth Gathering Resources:

• LCMS Youth Gathering Website - lcmsgathering.com
• Facebook Page - facebook.com/lcmsgathering
• Facebook Group - facebook.com/groups/LCMSYouthMinistry