As ministry leaders, we’re not just teaching lessons - we’re shaping lives. And the way we teach matters just as much as what we teach. From coloring sheets and object lessons to small group discussions and personal reflection, kids and students engage with truth in very different ways. If we’re not intentional, the transition from children’s to student ministry can feel like a jarring leap rather than a natural step.

In this episode, we pause to consider a vital question: How can we better bridge the methodological gap between ministries to ensure continuity, connection, and lasting faith formation? The answer lies in how we understand their developmental needs, how we design curriculum, and how we walk with them every step of the way.

From the hands-on, activity-rich environment of kids ministry to the discussion-based, peer-focused nature of student ministry, this episode explores how to align teaching methods, curriculum, and relationships to support long-term discipleship. Our guests share practical ideas for fostering continuity and building bridges that not only prepare preteens for what’s next—but help them stay connected to the church for life.

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast with fellow leaders. And if you're looking to strengthen transitions in your own ministry, consider how your curriculum, relationships, and teaching methods can align more intentionally.

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Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

It’s easy for ministries within a church to drift into silos, each one focusing on its own age group, calendar, and curriculum. But when we forget that kids and student ministries are part of a larger discipleship journey, we risk creating disjointed spiritual experiences for the very families we're called to serve. True transformation in the lives of young people happens when ministry teams are united by a clear, gospel-centered vision that transcends age brackets and stage-specific programming.

In this insightful conversation, Chuck Peters and Jay Barbier dive into the critical topic of alignment across kids and student ministries. They explore the dangers of siloed ministry structures and the unintended consequences they can have on discipleship. With a focus on unity, the discussion highlights how a shared vision, intentional communication, and cross-team collaboration can lead to lasting life transformation for the next generation.

This episode invites leaders to step back and ask a powerful question: Are we truly working together, or just working in parallel? When we collaborate, communicate, and commit to a shared mission, we do more than fill seats—we shape hearts, build bridges, and raise a generation that knows and follows Jesus.

If this conversation inspired you to think differently about ministry alignment, take a moment to rate, review, and share this episode with your team or fellow leaders. Let’s build ministries that move together toward one mission, raising up a generation rooted in Christ.

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7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

Every child’s faith journey is a story in progress, but far too often, our ministry strategies treat it like a series of disconnected chapters. When there’s no alignment between kids and student ministries, we risk losing spiritual momentum at the very moments when children are ready to grow deeper. 

In today’s conversation, Chuck Peters and Pastor Jay Strother step into the critical work of closing educational gaps in the church, ensuring that from preschool to high school graduation, our ministries are not just passing the baton, but running the race together. This powerful episode explores the essential topic of educational alignment between kids and student ministries. 

If this episode encouraged or challenged you, please take a moment to rate, review, and share it with your ministry team. Your voice helps spread these important conversations to more leaders who are shaping the future of the Church, one generation at a time.

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Bible Studies for Life

Explore the Bible 

Hyfi

The Gospel Project 

Day by Day Chronological Bible

Read and Remain

Reach Teens

Teach Kids

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Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

In ministry, calendars fill up fast. Between planning events, training volunteers, and caring for families, the pressure to “just get it all done” can pull ministry leaders in different directions. And when kids and student ministries aren’t aligned, the result isn’t just double-booked spaces - it’s missed opportunities for unity, shared vision, and sustainable impact. What if we saw scheduling not just as logistics, but as ministry in itself? What if collaboration wasn’t a burden, but a blessing that strengthens our teams and better serves the families we lead?

In this episode, we pause to reflect on the importance of planning together with purpose and how collaboration can create a seamless, gospel-centered experience for the next generation. Chuck Peters, along with Tristan Meza and Randy Craft, dive into a conversation about scheduling and collaboration between kids and student ministry teams. They unpack the challenges that come with overlapping events, misaligned planning, and lack of communication, and offer real-life solutions for building stronger coordination and unity.

When Next Gen teams plan and lead with unity, families experience consistency, volunteers feel supported, and ministries become more effective in making disciples. Scheduling isn’t just about the calendar - it’s about honoring the mission.

If this episode helped you think differently about teamwork and scheduling in ministry, take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast. Send it to someone on your team, and let it spark a conversation about how you can better collaborate for Kingdom impact.

SHOW LINKS:

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

Ministry to the next generation isn’t just about meeting kids where they are, it’s also about helping them get where they’re going. As children grow, they encounter major shifts: socially, emotionally, spiritually, and developmentally. These transitions, from preschool to elementary, elementary to middle school, and so on, can be defining moments in their spiritual journeys. But if we’re not intentional, these sacred transitions can become a physical gap they metaphorically fall through. In today’s conversation, we’re reminded that the church has an opportunity, and a responsibility, to walk with kids and their families every step of the way. Through intentional environments, clear communication, and milestone celebrations, we can create a rhythm of belonging and growth that anchors a child’s faith in every new season.

In this inspiring episode, Heidi Hensley joins the conversation to discuss how churches can design intentional, engaging environments that help kids thrive through the various stages of ministry. Heidi unpacks the practical and emotional challenges families face as children transition from one ministry area to another. From the importance of emotional safety to the power of milestone celebrations, this episode equips leaders to think deeply about community building, family engagement, and relational continuity across all age groups.

If this episode gave you something to think about or talk about with your team, we’d love for you to rate, review, and share the show. Your feedback helps us serve more ministry leaders just like you who are committed to raising up the next generation with wisdom and care.

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Connect with Lifeway Next Gen

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

In ministry, we often talk about strategy, curriculum, and programming - but beneath all of it is something even more essential: relationships. Without trust and connection between leaders, even the best ministry plans can fall flat. As children grow and transition through the stages of church life, the strength of our relationships behind the scenes profoundly shapes the spiritual experiences they have in front of them.

This week, Jeremy Echols joins the conversation to talk about the power of relationships in ministry leadership, especially within the next generation context. From kids to student ministry and everything in between, Jeremy unpacks the relational gaps that often hinder collaboration, and how intentional relationship-building can create a seamless, unified experience for the families we serve.

In this episode, we’re reminded that ministry is never meant to be done in silos. Whether you're leading preschoolers, preteens, or students, your work is part of a larger story. And when ministry teams communicate, collaborate, and genuinely care for one another, that story becomes clearer, more cohesive, and far more impactful.

If this episode encouraged or challenged you, we’d love for you to rate, review, and share it with your ministry team. Every share helps build a network of leaders committed to working together to see kids and students know and follow Jesus.

SHOW LINKS:

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

One of the most pivotal seasons in a young person’s spiritual journey is the transition from kids ministry to student ministry. It’s a season filled with excitement, change—and often, challenges. As ministry leaders, we want to see continuity and connection, not confusion and inconsistency. But how do we intentionally bridge the gaps that naturally exist between age-specific ministries?

In this episode, Chuck Peters, along with Jana Magruder and Zac Workun, reflect on the importance of collaboration across ministry lines. We examine the relational, physical, and philosophical gaps that often go unaddressed—and how these affect the spiritual formation of the next generation. It’s a reminder that building bridges isn’t just about programs or logistics—it’s about people, purpose, and shared vision.

If this episode challenged or encouraged you, take a moment to rate, review, and share it with fellow ministry leaders. Let’s keep building bridges that lead kids and students into deeper relationships with Christ.

SHOW LINKS:

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen 

Connect with Lifeway Kids

Connect with Lifeway Students 

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

Ministry is a calling filled with joy, purpose, and deep meaning—but it can also carry a heavy weight. Behind every sermon, every program, and every conversation is a leader who is pouring out their heart, often while carrying their own unseen burdens. In a world that doesn’t slow down, and in a church culture that can unintentionally glorify overworking, it’s no wonder so many pastors and leaders are walking through burnout, anxiety, and loneliness.

In this episode, we step into a real and honest conversation about stress in ministry—what causes it, how it affects us, and what we can do to steward our health well. Our guest, Lee Hotchkiss, brings a wealth of experience from his work in pastoral care and counseling, offering encouragement and practical tools to help ministry leaders develop emotional awareness, manage expectations, and build healthy rhythms.

Whether you're a student pastor, a kids minister, or someone carrying the quiet weight of leadership, this episode will meet you where you are and offer hope, healing, and practical guidance.

If this episode encouraged you, take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast with another leader who might need to hear this. Your voice helps spread encouragement and support across the next generation of ministry.

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Connect with Lee Hotchkiss

Stress and Relational Peace

Multiplying Disciple Makers

Handling Stress Effectively

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Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

Have you ever found yourself asking, “What could ministry look like if we truly worked together across every age and stage?” In many churches, kids and student ministries operate in silos—running strong but disconnected. But what if we intentionally bridged those gaps and created a unified approach that served the whole family? What if collaboration replaced competition, and trust shaped every decision?

In this episode, we invite you behind the scenes of Lifeway’s transition to a NextGen model—a bold move to integrate kids and student ministries in order to better serve the church and equip families. You’ll hear honest reflections, practical insights, and encouraging stories from leaders who have walked through both the challenges and the victories of building something new—together.

The team discusses what it took to reimagine structure, navigate leadership changes, and foster trust between ministries that often operate independently. Through transparency and shared experience, they talk about building a new team culture rooted in connection, communication, and shared purpose.

If this episode inspired or challenged you, would you take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast? Your feedback helps us reach and equip even more next generation ministry leaders.

Thanks for listening—and keep pressing forward in faith and unity as you lead the next generation.

SHOW LINKS:

Connect with Lifeway Kids 

Connect with Lifeway Students 

Connect with Next Gen Ministry 

Write for Lifeway 

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry

Have you ever thought about how your childhood dreams shaped the person you are today? For many of us, the journey from our early aspirations to our current calling in ministry is filled with unexpected turns, challenges, and lessons learned. Yet, each step prepares us for the work God has set before us. In this episode, we take a moment to reflect on the importance of embracing diverse family structures in ministry. What if we could see families not just as they “should be” but as they truly are—and meet them with belonging, support, and grace?

This conversation challenges ministry leaders to broaden their perspectives on family dynamics and recognize that not all families fit the traditional mold. Dr. Melia emphasizes the importance of creating a sense of belonging for families of all kinds, particularly single-parent households and those in need. She also discusses the significance of male role models in children's and student ministry and encourages leaders to pursue further education to better serve their communities.

If this episode encouraged or challenged you, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Please take a moment to rate, review, and share the podcast. Your feedback helps us reach more next-gen ministry leaders like you, and your support means the world to us. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes, and we look forward to continuing the conversation next time!

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ETCH Conference 

Connect to Lifeway Next Gen Ministry 

Join us at ETCH NextGen Ministry Conference 2025

Connect with Lifeway Next Gen Ministry