Hybrid Ministry

By Nick ClasonBusiness Religion & Spirituality Christianity Technology Marketing

Hybrid Ministry episodes

February 20, 2025 Episode 137: 3 Reasons Your Announcements Aren’t Working
📊 HYBRID STRATEGY GUIDE
https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book
✅ CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS DONE FOR YOU
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
======================================
DESCRIPTION
Ever feel like no one’s listening to your church announcements? In this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show, Nick Clason dives into the common pitfalls of church announcements, revealing three reasons why they’re not working—and offering actionable solutions to fix them. From battling “inattentional blindness” to cutting through the noise of a digital world, this episode will help you craft announcements that inspire life transformation, not just attendance.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/137
SOLUTIONS
1) HYBRID STRATEGY GUIDE
https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book
2) CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS DONE FOR YOU
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
3) STEAL THIS ANNOUNCEMENT STRATEGY
[VIDEO LINK]
//I CREATED THIS VIDEO SO YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO HIRE ME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OHWZFZHvaA&t=19s
//NUCLEUS
https://www.nucleus.church
//VIDEO OF TIME SPENT ONLINE
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DD5zLeTMitb/?igsh=MTlpMHR5c2I5Yzl5bw==
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
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Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz
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🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick
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🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Nobody Knows What's Going on!
01:40 The Problem
03:58 The Goal
07:43 Reason #1
11:56 Reason #2
17:09 Reason #3
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TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:01:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Do you ever feel
00:00:01:23 - 00:00:02:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
like
00:00:02:19 - 00:00:07:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
knows what's going on at your church? Like
00:00:07:00 - 00:00:14:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you feel like nobody is ever really listened to you when you're giving the announcements?
00:00:14:04 - 00:00:16:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well, in this episode I want to talk about is the
00:00:16:20 - 00:00:28:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
problem with most church and youth ministry announcements. So if you're a youth pastor person in church communication to pastor, this will help increase
00:00:28:03 - 00:00:31:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and uptake your engagement around announcements.
00:00:31:02 - 00:00:42:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I want to talk about the ultimate goal with all church announcements. And finally, stick around because I'm going to share with you three reasons that your church announcements may not be
00:00:42:11 - 00:00:47:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
going as well as you think. Plus, one solution for each of those
00:00:47:11 - 00:00:47:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
reasons,
00:00:47:22 - 00:00:50:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
including a concept called
00:00:50:04 - 00:00:55:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
inadvertent blindness. We're going to dive into that. And I have a free
00:00:55:04 - 00:01:00:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
resource that I think can absolutely change the game for you.
00:01:00:14 - 00:01:00:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I
00:01:00:19 - 00:01:01:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
think part
00:01:01:06 - 00:01:13:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
of our problem here in 2025, in churches in North America, or let's just be honest around the world, is that we need to stop acting as churches. Look, we're in the 1990s
00:01:13:08 - 00:01:17:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and stop making boring announcements.
00:01:17:21 - 00:01:35:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Give me a like, if you've heard the stat that we as humans have a shorter attention span now than goldfish, if that's the case, then we definitely have to figure something out, because you have some great things going on at your church, and if people don't know about it, they can't get to them.
00:01:35:04 - 00:02:03:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let's talk about it. Welcome, my friends, to the hybrid minstrel show. So what is our problem? Our ultimate problem with bad church announcements is that nobody is showing up or that, like, nobody even knows about what we have going on. I actually, I did a video, a while back called Youth Pastor or Event Coordinator. It's going to be linked right up here at the top of the screen if you're watching here on YouTube.
00:02:03:00 - 00:02:05:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But one of the things I've learned in my 14
00:02:05:07 - 00:02:25:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
years of youth ministry experience is that attendance and, just people simply showing up. That's a really important factor to planning a good event. You can have an awesome event, but if you don't have people there, it's going to be a problem. And part of people getting there is knowing that the event is happening and understanding, knowing, hearing.
00:02:25:12 - 00:02:57:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you know, like realizing that you're giving a church announcement that requires action out of them. And the video I explore this kind of tension, right? That many of us in ministry, church ministry, like, regardless of if you're in youth ministry or not, we feel about our jobs and it's this it's right. Is are we meant to be doing what we're doing to ultimately make disciples, or are we doing what we're doing to plan killer events?
00:02:57:21 - 00:03:23:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And sometimes, if you're anything like me, let's just be honest. It feels like we are our job. Like it has morphed much more into an event planner and I don't know about you, but that's not exactly why I got into youth ministry. Right? But the problem, right, that's the problem with our church announcements, is because we have an event and we want people to get to it.
00:03:23:16 - 00:03:50:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Poor attendance is the problem with bad church announcements. Okay. And so if attendance is our issue, if that's the baked in assumptions, that's the baked in desire. And when we say, nobody knows what's going on, it's because nobody is attending our events. That is the no. But that's who that is coming from. So let's take a step back then.
00:03:50:05 - 00:03:59:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Even more right than just the event, then just the good or not so good church announcement and ask ourselves, like, what is our
00:03:59:05 - 00:04:12:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
goal around this event? What is our goal by giving this announcement? All right, so our goal just like the problem or the opposite, the problem, our goal is to get more people
00:04:12:22 - 00:04:14:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
aware of and more people
00:04:14:05 - 00:04:20:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to know about the thing, the event, the Bible study, the workshop, like whatever it is.
00:04:20:22 - 00:04:21:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right.
00:04:21:15 - 00:04:28:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Is that the goal? No, it's not our goal. At least not ultimately,
00:04:28:17 - 00:04:29:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
at
00:04:29:01 - 00:04:29:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
least not
00:04:29:09 - 00:04:53:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
the meta goal. Right? Attendance is not necessary is really the goal in and of itself. But like I said, when we feel like event coordinators, it can feel like the goal, the goal in church ministry, the goal with all of your events, ultimately, the reason you're even having such and such event
00:04:53:19 - 00:04:54:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is
00:04:54:05 - 00:04:56:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
life transformation.
00:04:56:21 - 00:05:28:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Give me a subscribe if you agree with that statement. Life transformation is the ultimate goal, not attendance. It certainly helps having people there at your event because if they're not there, how can their lives be transformed? So I'll give you that. But we have to stop making a Tennessee Ultimate goal. I have to start realizing that we're really trying to be in the business about life transformation, which is done and led down the path through disciple making.
00:05:28:17 - 00:06:08:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so you have to remember that prior to the digital era, attendance was the means to accomplish that life transformation. But we live now in the digital era, and so we can reach people and we can, disseminate a message through much more efficient and effective means. Now, with cell phones and technology and podcasts and YouTube videos and social media and fill in whatever blank you want to write, you got to realize that it's getting people in the room was originally that goal towards life transformation, but that's not exactly the era that we're living in.
00:06:08:08 - 00:06:19:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So what is the goal? If the goal is life transformation, how can we accomplish that? And also, how can we accomplish that in the new digital
00:06:19:05 - 00:06:19:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
era? Right.
00:06:19:16 - 00:06:20:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Churches
00:06:20:01 - 00:06:34:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
like I referenced it in the intro, churches are operating like it's the 1990s. And here's what I mean by that. In the 1990s, if you want to do watch Seinfeld, you had to catch it live on NBC the night that it aired and debuted.
00:06:34:20 - 00:06:49:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you didn't, then you better hope that you have a good DVR, which I don't even know if those are existed in the 90s. And then if you didn't have that, then tough luck. Mean you're going to have to catch that sucker on syndication when it comes out in the summer.
00:06:50:05 - 00:06:59:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Compare that to the drop of Stranger Things season two, where my wife and I, pretty children watched the entire season on
00:06:59:14 - 00:07:00:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a Saturday, right?
00:07:01:04 - 00:07:06:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like it's just a completely different mindset and framework. We live in a
00:07:06:07 - 00:07:26:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Netflix culture, not a cable TV culture, and so people when you have information, they're operating under the guise of it being Netflix, but we're treating it like cable TV, like we said, this thing I'm going to share with you the key to life. Feel like cool, tell me where to find it.
00:07:26:00 - 00:07:34:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you're like, Sunday at 10:00, so only time to find it. That that's a huge cultural disconnect.
00:07:34:06 - 00:07:43:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So I have a few ideas of three different problems and a solution for each of the problem. Let's dive in.
00:07:43:10 - 00:07:57:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So one of the reasons that I think our church announcements can tend to be failing is this. This first concept here, I think, is just that we live in a culture with an oversaturation of noise.
00:07:57:01 - 00:08:20:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, there's so much noise around us. There's so much and so many things that are just simply vying for our attention. And so we as a church, we two are vying for people's attention, piling on, on, Karen, you have a podcast called Inadvertent Blindness. And what he said, he said, really? We really only see what we're looking for.
00:08:21:03 - 00:08:21:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And
00:08:21:13 - 00:08:41:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
so the fact is, if people aren't looking for your church thing, again, that Netflix versus cable TV, if they're not looking for it, like, oh, I heard there was a retreat. So I'm going on the website to find the answer to it. Right? As opposed to us who we're like, we're dishing it out. We're like, well, we announced it on Sunday.
00:08:41:05 - 00:09:01:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
They weren't looking for it on Sunday. Right? It's that oversaturation of noise, inadvertent blindness. Right. So if you think about some of the noises in the world, I shared this a couple videos back. I'll share it again here. It's going to be linked on screen. If you're watching on YouTube to have you take a look. If you're in a podcast catcher, you can scroll down and click the link to our YouTube video.
00:09:01:04 - 00:09:26:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Love to have you over there. Give us a like you show it. But, show up over there. But this video here talks about how we spend our time, especially spending our time online and the online amount of time like that. We as as people, sociology, have spent time on phones and on devices has skyrocketed compared to some of the time prior to the invention of tech.
00:09:26:14 - 00:09:47:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Which, let's just be honest, it's not necessarily a surprise, but it is like it is a like factor that we have to deal with, right? In today's day and age. In 2025, people that don't know what's going on, it's probably because there's so much to pay attention to. So
00:09:47:15 - 00:09:56:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
my proposal, right, my solution is get my free hybrid strategy guide.
00:09:56:21 - 00:10:26:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's linked down below in the show notes. And the reason why that's important is because that will help you shift in some areas from a cable TV culture, where the only time that people can hear you hear the message of Jesus, hear your announcements, whatever the case may be to more of a Netflix culture and it just it encourages you to show up where people are spending their time, which is on social media.
00:10:26:14 - 00:10:46:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right. Give me a segue. Right. If you've ever heard or thought this before, like, hey, we need to get the word out, let's blitz our social channels. And if all you're ever doing is blitzing your social channels with getting the word out, then you're just turning your social channels into an announcement bulletin board. And that's not what those were made for.
00:10:46:04 - 00:11:07:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so you're going to have a less effective reach on those social channels because you're not using them what they were made for. Instead, send an announcement out via like a push notification, a text message, or even like update it on the calendar, right? And like and like what we do is like we encourage our parents, our students to just like, subscribe to our Google Calendar.
00:11:07:05 - 00:11:15:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so something changes. It changes on our end. It'll change on their end if they're subscribed to it in their where in their calendar,
00:11:15:02 - 00:11:27:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
which is what, like an event. That's where an event is meant to be inside a calendar, but not just on your church calendar, on your church website that you want people to go to so that they know about your event.
00:11:27:18 - 00:11:29:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You want it to somehow get to their
00:11:29:10 - 00:11:56:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
personal calendar. That's how people live their lives through their calendars. So use the things that are meant to be used for the purposes that they're made for. And you use social media for the purposes that it's made. For my hybrid strategy, God will help you knock social media out of the park and become more hybrid with some of your messages and other, channels and usages on social media.
00:11:56:12 - 00:12:20:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So the second reason that I believe that some of our church announcements are falling flat is because we as churches are living in a cable TV mentality versus a Netflix or an on demand mentality. Or like, you understand, we've been talking about that in this video. The person who, I think has helped navigate that best for churches is, Brady Scheer up at Pro Church Tools.
00:12:20:14 - 00:12:42:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And, he has a website builder called nucleus. And now, whether you use his website builder or not, and if you don't really have experience building websites, then I 100% recommend nucleus because it's a church, website builder for churches and by church like people. And so you don't have to have a ton of like, website skills to make it happen.
00:12:42:18 - 00:13:02:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like a noob like me can build a website using nucleus. But more than that, like what I want you to understand is that his concept behind it being nucleus is that every church announcement is done on the website. And so as opposed to like you getting up on the stage and
00:13:02:11 - 00:13:02:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
saying,
00:13:02:23 - 00:13:03:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
if you
00:13:03:07 - 00:13:07:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
want like information about bunco night talk to do your aunt Sally.
00:13:07:08 - 00:13:25:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you want information about the youth retreat, talk to youth pastor Ryan. And if you want to give, you can give via, our website. You can do text to give. You can scan this QR code for Venmo. We have Apple Pay, we have Google Pay. And, if you want to know about the prayer meeting, email Chuck.
00:13:26:02 - 00:13:35:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Chuck at our church.com and the kids ministry has a big camp out thing coming up. Swing by and grab a flier in the lobby
00:13:35:18 - 00:13:36:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
like
00:13:36:04 - 00:13:36:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there
00:13:36:14 - 00:13:50:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
were five different call to actions in that, right? There's Sally, there's the youth pastor. There's any different amalgamation of giving opportunities. There's emailing, and then there's a flier. And he said,
00:13:50:00 - 00:13:55:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
make your nucleus, make your church website, your one stop shop.
00:13:55:19 - 00:14:12:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I created a video. I'll link it down below. A couple weeks back. And the video is literally titled, I created this video so that you don't have to hire me. And in it, I talk about my three step strategy guide, which you'll get some of that in my hybrid ministry, strategy guide if you download that from earlier.
00:14:12:17 - 00:14:41:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But in the video, the three step strategy is step number one update and keep your website up to date. Your website should be a reliable one stop shop for everybody, and one of the ways to make your announcements better is to have the support of your website behind it. And so like for example, Brady uses this example all the time, like a trailer for a movie.
00:14:41:11 - 00:15:08:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
When you go to the theater, you're not like sitting there watching a trailer to a movie that you can't wait to see. And it ends with them being like, now on November 27th, it's going to be showing at 11, 1131, 115, 230. And that's going to be in theaters six theaters, seven is going to have at 315. Like, no, that's boring, but that's what we do as churches, right?
00:15:08:16 - 00:15:31:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Bunco night. Here's all the details in the fellowship hall. Bring a dip to share. It's going to be on November 27th. It's going to be at 730. If you don't have any dice, make sure you contact your aunt Sally and she'll bring you an extra pair of dice. That's boring. And so we're trying to take information and make that be the thing that captures people, people's attention.
00:15:31:18 - 00:15:52:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you know as well as I, especially for Chinese social media for that that's not what social is used for. Best, you're not going to get them hooked them with the information. And so what do we do to capture their attention? So a movie trailer is just like, you know, it like makes you like fall in love with the idea of this movie wicked.
00:15:52:09 - 00:16:12:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then when it comes out, what do you do? You go discover when it's playing. You go to the website, you figure out how to get the tickets, you wanted to do it first, and then that promoted you to action in church. We give all the information and hope that that's going to promote people to action, and it has the opposite effect.
00:16:12:12 - 00:16:38:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so if you back up your church announcements with a good website, that's always up to date, you can get on stage and make your announcements good closer to like a movie trailer. Esq knowing that your website is going to answer the questions that people are looking for. So my solution to this cable TV versus on demand world is I have a resource.
00:16:38:16 - 00:17:01:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I have a service called communications for you. It's where I will run your church communications. I will make your website. I'll keep it up to date. I can even help promote and manage some of your socials, and so you can explore more of what that looks like in the link down below. But I'm sure as I'm explaining, like you, you have a good website and all these things, you're like, that sounds great, I don't have time.
00:17:02:01 - 00:17:04:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I can make your announcements better by keeping
00:17:04:20 - 00:17:30:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
your website behind you. Good, clean and up to date. And then reason number three is very simply, your announcements are just boring. Like they're just boring. And what I have for you is an announcement strategy that I want to encourage you to start steeling for better, more crisp and clearer church announcements.
00:17:30:16 - 00:17:31:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And
00:17:31:02 - 00:17:34:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that is going to be linked on the video in the very
00:17:34:12 - 00:17:47:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
next, video, in this, playlist and in this series. And so that's going to be right here on screen. If you see that, go ahead and tap on in so that you can get better and less boring church announcements. We'll see you over there in that video.
00:17:47:20 - 00:17:52:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And don't forget my friends as always to stay hybrid.
18 min
February 13, 2025 Episode 136: 9 Easy & FREE Youth Group Game Ideas
⚡ 9 FREE DYM GAMES ⚡
https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/9-best-dym-products
======================================
DESCRIPTION
🎮 Games & Youth Ministry
This is your ultimate "Oh Crap! I forgot the game" video!
Get all 9 of the games talked about in this video, from downloadyouthministry.com for COMPLETELY FREE!
All I ask for is a simple subscribe, it costs you nothing!
Ready to see my top 9 favorite games of all time?
Let's check it out!
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/136
9 HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR TOILET?
This hilarious game was my very first game in my DYM journey.
I was in a Jimmy John's bathroom and noticed a sign with funny toilet facts on the wall. I took a photo, immediately went back to the office, and created this game. It's not my best designed resource, in fact DYM did some graphical upgrades after I submitted it, but it's on this list because it was one of my first ones.
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/toilet-trivia-game/games-738.html
8 MYSTERY SEARCH
This is a super fun game, where you're tasked to find the hidden item in a busy photo. Think "Where's Waldo" meets "Youth Ministry."
It's a tough contestant based game, I think, because it's fairly difficult, but there's also a social media version which I think is perfect to play on your church's social media
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/mystery-search/games/sports-6938.html
7 VISUAL VARIANCE VOYAGE
A Simple Spot the Difference Game! Social and Widescreen versions available!
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/visual-variance-voyage%3A-fall-edition/holiday-or-seasonal/fall-9043.html
6 FRIENDSGIVING
This game is a fun take on "This or That" Thanksgiving Food and Activities Edition.
One fun way is to play with "celebrities" like your senior pastor.
"Does your senior pastor prefer Ham or Turkey?"
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/friendsgiving/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-games-8387.html
5 BACK TO SCHOOL BINGO
One of my favorite interactive games, where students play bingo based on how they spent their summer. There are categories such as
Church Summer Activities
Vacation
Miscellaneous
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/back2school-bingo/fall/back-to-school-8921.html
4 GIF FLASHBACK
Tests the memory of your students. Watch the GIF, then immediately answer a question related to it.
The questions get HARD!
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/gif-flashback/games-6794.html
3 BRING ME
My All-Time-Go-To game in any moment, you don't need a screen, but we have one for this game.
The first student to "Bring Me ___" wins
That's it!!
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/bring-me-10-game-bundle/games-bringmebundle.html
2 EMOJI PHRASEOLOGY
My best selling game series of all time, we have one for just about every holiday and instance in which you can possibly imagine. Guess the emoji phrase. Widescreen & Social versions included!
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/emoji-phraseology/social-media/instagram-6801.html
1 DUCK DUCK TRIVIA
Duck, Duck Trivia is the first of it's kind. A game inside a game. My favorite Hybrid Game we've ever played!
https://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/duck-duck-trivia/trivia-8705.html
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz
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🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick
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🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
⌚TIMECODES
00:00 "Oh Crap! I forgot a youth group game!"
01:33 Free Game #9
03:18 Free Game #8
05:22 Free Game #7
06:51 Free Game #6
08:35 Free Game #5
10:20 Free Game #4
11:39 Free Game #3
12:33 Free Game #2
13:20 Free Game #1
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:03:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome my fellow cat herders.
00:00:03:21 - 00:00:11:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome my fellow i.t. Specialists. Welcome my fellow pets. Math
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
gurus. Welcome. He's past you. In this video, I'm going to share with you
00:00:17:13 - 00:00:24:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
nine of my favorite games that I have played and created
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and have now published on the download Youth ministry.com website. You can go by any of them. There will be link down below and I would love a review
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
on any of them.
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But why go visit me on the website when I'm
00:00:40:08 - 00:00:54:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
just going to give you a link to download all nine of them for completely free? That's right, you've heard it completely correctly. So in this episode, not only am I going to share with you my nine favorite free games,
00:00:54:06 - 00:00:54:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it is
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
your ultimate
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
in a pinch. Oh crap, I forgot about the game moment.
00:00:59:13 - 00:01:04:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Don't worry, my friend, I got you. Go grab that link. It will take you to drop
00:01:04:03 - 00:01:04:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
box
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and you
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
can get all nine of them for free. But you know would be awesome if as payment
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
for the nine,
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
just simply hit the subscribe button. It cost you nothing. But truly it does benefit me and my channel greatly.
00:01:17:13 - 00:01:29:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That sounds like a deal. Okay, awesome. Let's go. I'm going to be counting down top ten style from episode or from episode? From game idea. Number nine. And so this first one
00:01:29:20 - 00:01:32:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that I'm going to show you, if you're watching here on screen,
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you'll see it is called how well do you know your toilet? Now this game, the reason it's even on this list is because it was the very first game that I ever submitted.
00:01:46:10 - 00:02:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you're looking at it, you can probably tell I think this game was probably submitted somewhere in the realm of like eight years ago. And at that time, I thought that the submission guidelines required all the fonts to be used as Calibri. I don't think I've ever even told anybody this, but in hindsight, the font requirement for Calibri was teaching or document based resources.
00:02:10:06 - 00:02:37:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so this game has the world's worst font for it. But the content is still great, and I even a year ago, Nick, when I had use these fonts. But here's how this here's how this game came into its inception. I was at a Jimmy John's eating lunch and I was in the bathroom washing my hands before I was heading back to work, and I found this, little like placard, this little infographic about toilets.
00:02:37:14 - 00:02:54:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I took a picture of it and I said, these are so funny. I'm going to go home and I'm going to make a game. And so here we go. You can grab this game for free, but it's some it's things like this. Most toilets are a public B flushing the key of flat C use one third of your house is water or D are green.
00:02:54:20 - 00:03:01:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
What do you think it is coming? Your answer below. Of course the answer is B flush in the key of E
00:03:01:05 - 00:03:14:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
flat. There's ten other questions like this. And you know what? I've even put these, into like a video editing software and put a countdown timer on it and I've used this for bathroom break, slide, like a video or something.
00:03:14:18 - 00:03:30:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So that's something fun to do. The eighth game that I love in this game is actually incredibly hybrid, and I, think you guys might like some of this on this channel called Mystery Search. All right. And here's how Mystery Search works. It is, this one in particular is
00:03:30:05 - 00:03:36:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
mystery search Easter egg hunt addition. So what you do is you put a graphic on a screen, right.
00:03:36:22 - 00:03:54:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Here's an instruction slide. If you're watching, this egg right here, you have to find this egg on every slide. So here's the first, you know, the first slide. Where's the egg? Do you find it? Can you see it? Boom. There it is. And it's like this on every single slide. It gets harder, it gets more difficult.
00:03:54:14 - 00:03:58:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
There's video. So that's the still version. There's video
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
versions. And so if you want to try and find out where this is with this guy here, he's, you know, looking at it, it's got music leading to, as you could hear just a second ago. But then you have, like, a contestant on stage, like, where's the, where's the, where is it?
00:04:13:10 - 00:04:23:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then boom, well, egg transition comes in and then this little magnifying glass moves around until it zooms in on where the egg is and boom, sound.
00:04:23:09 - 00:04:33:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay, now that is also an available option in, phone base graphic or phone based video. So what
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you could do
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is you could post this on your Instagram story or on your TikTok and say, find the egg and then post the second one here or link it together and video and then the magnifying glass reducing, and it'll move to the spot where the egg is located.
00:04:48:01 - 00:04:58:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then someone will say, I found it. And if you want to make it interactive, you can poll, you know, poll options. Hey, did you find it? Yes or no beyond this sort of thing.
00:04:58:09 - 00:05:06:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So this is one of my favorite games. Like I said, for free. There is an Instagram or at least a social version in in the room version and
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a countdown version.
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you just want to play
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
this with a five minute countdown clock overlaid on top of it and let people as the countdown is on, you see right here up top corner
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
as the countdown is on, let people go ahead and, play that game as it's going, game number seven, which is again for completely free, is my game called the Visual Variance Voyage.
00:05:30:04 - 00:05:39:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And this is the full edition. So this one, similarly to the last one, also has a social media option. And this one, the way that you play
00:05:39:08 - 00:05:54:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is very simply before this ten minute timer runs out, you need to identify the difference between the two photos. We've all done this in dentist's office. We've all done this in doctor's office, but now it is available to us in youth ministry.
00:05:54:11 - 00:06:12:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So here's an example. Here's question number one. 10s is on the screen. Can you tell and can you spot the difference between these two photos I don't know. It's difficult. There's also a countdown option for this one as well, which is a really fun thing to have on have it looping. So at the end of question ten, can you figure it out I don't know.
00:06:12:02 - 00:06:16:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Here's the answer side. Boom right there. Those leaves are different I'm telling
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you it's not super easy. And just like the last one, there's also
00:06:21:02 - 00:06:31:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a social version as well. So here's what the social version looks like. You got these two catch fall edition. Can you tell the difference between these two photos? These are not broken up into different size.
00:06:31:18 - 00:06:44:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
These are actually the same slides. And so when the ten minute countdown is over all of a sudden boom it's away. And then it will circle and reveal the difference in the differences in the photo. And then the texture on screen changes to
00:06:44:05 - 00:06:52:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
did you get it in time. So that is option number seven. This is option number six is called Friends Giving.
00:06:52:18 - 00:07:09:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you know, truth be told I actually had some other iterations of this. Now I've changed the branding behind it a little bit is called pickle. So you can go to the download Youth Mystery Store and search for a couple of games called Pick Them. But this one in particular, this one is meant to be a Thanksgiving theme.
00:07:09:05 - 00:07:29:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So this is Friendsgiving. And so the instructions are very simple. You have to try and guess what the other person is going to do. So the question here at hand is is the friend we just call all of our contestants in this game friends. Is the friend going to stay at their house or going to travel elsewhere? Now I'm everything like, who's the friend?
00:07:30:01 - 00:07:50:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's where you can have like an opportunity to kind of implement your creativity. It could be your senior pastor and you go to his office to answer these ten Thanksgiving based questions ahead of time. Are you staying home this year or are you traveling? Are you you know, this next question here is, are you going to do a Turkey trot or are you just going to get fat and put on your stretchy pants?
00:07:50:16 - 00:08:06:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Question number three is, you know, are you going to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or are you going to watch NFL football? Spoiler alert you can actually do both, but we're just going to put them against each other. And so you can kind of go through that. If you don't want to use your senior pastor, you can bring contestants up on stage.
00:08:06:12 - 00:08:10:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you don't want to bring contestants up on stage, you can do volunteer leaders or
00:08:10:04 - 00:08:20:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
something like that. But I also have, like a worksheet here and so they can keep track of their answers. You can print this out and give it to everybody, and they can keep track of their answers. Did they get it? Did they not?
00:08:20:10 - 00:08:28:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like I said, there's this version, but and this is like a Thanksgiving version, you can play it like a Friendsgiving or something like that, or there's a pick
00:08:28:08 - 00:08:33:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
on version. You can go grab one of those over, on download using this website.
00:08:33:04 - 00:08:39:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The game option number five is called Back to School bingo. And I love this game because
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
every single player gets a bingo card that looks just like this.
00:08:43:12 - 00:09:02:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so instead of meeting a variety of bingo cards, there's all different numbers and all different letters. You can get the same static bingo card. And the goal is be the first one to fill three in your category or the first person to get a blackout. And so you know the categories you see here at church and youth group, school and extracurricular summer.
00:09:02:17 - 00:09:05:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then there's just rotating slides. So I have in ten church
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
sizes. So for example it's going to rotate through and it's random even though you know it's you know going to be question number one in the church category. Did you go to churches. Our church is youth camp this past summer. So remember this is a back to school timeline event.
00:09:21:17 - 00:09:39:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So it's kind of looking back over the summer. That was as it pertains to church and youth. So did you go to youth camp last summer? And if they did, then they put, a checkmark or whatever on the little bingo spot in the church kind of category. Did you go on a summer missions trip this past summer?
00:09:39:20 - 00:09:45:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So on and so forth. And so you put these in sort of a random order and like, these are obviously all in the church
00:09:45:14 - 00:09:49:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
category. But if you look here at the where the folders are set up, here's the school category.
00:09:49:19 - 00:09:59:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so this one's going to land on one of the school options here. And so, you know, it's did you already buy your school supplies for the upcoming school year.
00:09:59:15 - 00:10:18:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Yes or no. And so it's a way to kind of do a, a recap kind of back to school kind of bingo style vibes sort of thing. So, there's these different rotating slides and if you don't want to use that, you can put it into something like a sidekick and using like people picker and just kind of copy and paste these different clues into that.
00:10:18:21 - 00:10:34:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Moving on to number four, this may be my favorite one on this entire list. I know I have it at four, but I'm I wrote this list a while ago. It's called GIF flashback, and it does have an Instagram version. And what it is is you simply have to watch
00:10:35:07 - 00:10:43:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a classic GIF. So here's the Homer Simpson backs into the back of a bush, and then the multiple choice question pops up on the screen.
00:10:43:14 - 00:10:55:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How many strands of hair on Homer's head did you get it? Let me know down in the comments if you did. The correct answer, of course, is here as it stops one two boom said to you got
00:10:55:03 - 00:10:58:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it right? And so in the same way you can play that on Instagram Stories.
00:10:58:03 - 00:11:06:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Play the gif here. You let them watch it a little bit of time and then you post like the little poll question sticker right here.
00:11:06:18 - 00:11:27:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay. Instead of it having the multiple choice option listed on screen, you you post it either right here or you can post it here on the second one, right in this moment where they can answer it. Then after they answer it, they wait for this second in POV receipts 123456. Like keep going seven eight even more 910 different people in that gif.
00:11:27:15 - 00:11:29:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Did you get it right when
00:11:29:10 - 00:11:48:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you said if there are ten people in GIF flashback, that's all it is. It just shows people and how bad their memory is on something that they just did. Also, we have a very classic game called Bring Me and Bring me, a volume one, volume two, and volume three. And so what did I say?
00:11:48:23 - 00:11:49:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I said you were going
00:11:49:19 - 00:12:07:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to get nine games, but actually you're getting nine, ten, 11 games. And in this game you very simply have to bring and be the first person to bring this item to the person on stage. So bring me a piece of gum. Bonus points if it's straight out of your mouth, bring me some Tic Tacs.
00:12:07:10 - 00:12:22:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Bonus points for this exact flavor of Tic Tacs. Bring me some keys, glasses, a church bulletin, hand sanitizer, a hat. Bonus points if the hat looks just like this a pen, a ping pong ball, a cell phone, and bonus points for the oldest model
00:12:22:14 - 00:12:28:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
cell phone that you get. Three of those, again, is a one of my all time favorite resources.
00:12:28:02 - 00:12:32:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So quick, so simple. Just go ahead and use them. Another one of my
00:12:32:08 - 00:12:50:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
favorites may be my top selling category of games is emoji phraseology. And this one is, volume one. But I have all different hobbies that you can possibly think or imagine. I have a countdown version in this as well. I've Instagram version of this as well, but very simply,
00:12:50:18 - 00:12:53:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you look at the emoji phrase and you try and guess what it is.
00:12:53:12 - 00:13:07:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
What's this looking at here on the screen? What do you think it is? X rocket Scientist of course it's not rocket science. Or this right here a clock and an airplane and a person celebrating is it? Time flies when you're having fun? Of course it is. You know
00:13:07:20 - 00:13:27:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that you can do that on Instagram. You can do that on TikTok, or you can walk around even do men on the street style videos, where you ask people if they know them and try and roast them for how bad they do, but the number one favorite game, Drum Roll please, is actually kind of detailed and explained in my 100th episode.
00:13:27:04 - 00:13:42:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'll have that link right here if you want to go back and watch that from when me and the team I was at, at the church I was at during Covid did a full live, in-person YouTube show. But then we moved back to the campus and we were doing this sort of hybrid model, hence the name Hybrid Ministry show.
00:13:42:10 - 00:14:00:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And, we were creating a duck, duck, goose style game that they could watch, video on the screen, but also play an interactive version of duck, duck, goose. While it was happening on the screen. And so I took that same kind of idea and that same kind of concept. And so how it works is you play a game of
00:14:00:22 - 00:14:02:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
rubber duck trivia, okay.
00:14:03:00 - 00:14:09:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then here's just like the questions in the Rubber Duck trivia. And you can play just rubber duck trivia if that's what you want
00:14:09:08 - 00:14:17:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to do. But what really makes this fun is this is a like for just version video. You just play. You see, here's
00:14:17:08 - 00:14:29:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
five minutes and 32 seconds long. What happens is someone starts ducking and whenever they hear a quack on screen, they.
00:14:29:10 - 00:14:48:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go there it is. When they hear the quack boom. That's when you hear, you know, duck. That's when you hit goose, okay? And then you start running and you start playing. You start going all the while as that's happening. All right. Here in just a minute. If you're watching here on screen, a trivia game is happening and the trivia game stops for no people.
00:14:48:21 - 00:15:08:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so the question right here on screen is, rubber ducks were originally true, true toys. Is that true or false? The people who are playing duck, duck, goose right now, they are having to try and answer this question while playing duck, duck, goose. This is the most middle school game. This is the most like high energy. Just crazy insane.
00:15:08:09 - 00:15:14:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Get people up, get people moving. So put your people round tables, put them in rows or whatever the case might be,
00:15:14:08 - 00:15:33:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and send them going. There's a seven question version, there's a ten question version, and there is a countdown version. So you can go ahead and play this with your students in your next youth ministry or something like that is one of the funnest ways, I think, to kind of interact with the screen and what's happening live in the room.
00:15:33:08 - 00:15:53:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So there you have it. Those are my nine most favorite games that I've created and put on download. Yes, master. But because you are loyal listener to the Hybrid Master show, you get these for free. If you're listening and you're not a youth pastor, grab the link and share it with your youth pastor friend. Give it to them.
00:15:53:13 - 00:16:13:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Gift it to them because the next time they're in a pinch for games, boom! These are nine of my favorite. Actually, living, as we said, would bring me of my favorite screen time. Screen based games. And so excited to have you check those out. And you know what? Link right here on screen is actually going to be the start of our next little playlist series.
00:16:13:20 - 00:16:32:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we are going to be talking about communicating in a noisy world. And next episode is going to be the reasons why your youth ministry and church announcements don't really work. We're going to dive into that. So I hope you tap onto that video. But don't forget my friends and as always, to stay hybrid.
18 min
February 06, 2025 Episode 135: Rules for Teens - Building Real Relationships in a Digital Age
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DESCRIPTION
Social media has transformed how we connect, fueled by the rise of smartphones and evolving platforms. In this episode, we define social media’s roots, from its early pioneers like MySpace and Facebook to today’s dynamic apps like TikTok, and explore how to use technology as a tool to foster authentic relationships. Plus, we share practical tips for building deeper connections and introduce a Phone-Free Family Planning Guide to help balance digital and real-world interactions.
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⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Do Phones Ruin Friendships?
01:47 What is Social Media?
08:10 Idea #1
11:40 Idea #2
13:34 Idea #3
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:01:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Social
00:00:01:00 - 00:00:06:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
media usage has been growing. In fact, it's been growing since the beginning
00:00:06:20 - 00:00:19:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
of time. I would probably attribute the majority of social media growth to the invention of, and the rising prevalence of access to smartphones.
00:00:19:03 - 00:00:19:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If
00:00:19:13 - 00:00:32:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you're watching this video here, go ahead and give me a like. If you remember the invention of the smartphone. And if you don't, then you owe me a subscribe because you're probably a teenager who has only ever had access to a smartphone.
00:00:32:18 - 00:00:56:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That juxtaposition right there is the inherent tension that exists between teenagers and parents who are navigating a brand new landscape. And so in this video, what I want to do, titled Building Real Relationships in the Digital Age, we're going to define what social media, even is. Everyone kind of carries in their own built in and baked in connotations of
00:00:56:21 - 00:00:58:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but what is it really?
00:00:58:10 - 00:01:18:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm also going to share with you some real tips to building relationships in the digital age. And spoiler, some of those tips are actually going to be leaning into tech as a tool to enhance and build some of those relationships, and make sure that you stick around to the very end of the video, because I have for you a phone free activity guide.
00:01:18:23 - 00:01:38:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And what this is going to do is not only give you ideas of, you know, phone free activities that you can do, but it's going to help you navigate some of those conversations, especially with getting some of your friends maybe on board, to do an event that is more phone free, even though they may be a little bit more drawn to an addicted to their phones.
00:01:38:19 - 00:02:02:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And it's also going to help give you a framework as a family, how to also implement some of those events. Welcome, my friends, to the Hybrid Minister show. Hey everybody, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you and I haven't had a chance to meet yet. My name is Nick Clayson. I've been a youth pastor and in youth ministry for 14, going on 14.5, soon to be 15 years.
00:02:02:23 - 00:02:05:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're watching here on YouTube, you'll see a chart
00:02:05:04 - 00:02:27:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that defines social media usage from the beginning of 2012 all the way through when this data was captured in 2023. And I just want to let you know that if you're not watching on YouTube or if you're in the podcast, catch wherever you're listening. There are chapters included so that you can kind of hopper and skip around to the parts of this video that kind of make the most sense to you.
00:02:27:01 - 00:02:50:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But as we're looking at this chart, whether you're watching on YouTube or you just listening to me, describe it via your audio podcast feed, you see that in January of 2012, there were just over, 1400 users of different social accounts. Fast forward to January of 2023, and as you can imagine, that number has ballooned up to 4760.
00:02:50:08 - 00:02:57:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And it's probably a surely greater than 5000 now at this point, as we have surpassed into 2025
00:02:57:03 - 00:02:57:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and
00:02:57:16 - 00:03:21:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
beyond. Well, what exactly is. I think this is important. Right. And so like if you're a chapter person, you move skip this one like the definition of social media. But I think it's important for us to take a quick step back, peel back the curtain a little bit, and really try and understand what social media not only is, but where it's coming from.
00:03:21:17 - 00:03:40:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And it's inherent like reason for even existing in the first place. And so I tried my best. I looked across some websites, I use some I, but at the end of the day, the definition that I sort of came to and use some different like articles for their link down below if you want to read them, is that social media is
00:03:40:04 - 00:03:53:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
online communication designed to create networks and communities where ideas, information, messages, photos, etc. can be freely shared.
00:03:53:08 - 00:04:17:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you think about what's baked into that definition, is the desire for a lot of different things communication, messages, photos, ideas, right? Like it is evolved to a spot where it's more than just a photo sharing avenue or a video sharing avenue. You can communicate ideas. You can communicate information, you can create networks, you can find people.
00:04:18:00 - 00:04:46:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But at the base of it all is social is what it's social, right? At least in its original iteration. And it's original. Inception. The idea and the purpose behind social media was creating community and networks and connections where you could keep up with people you know. Many of us would trace socials roots back to the invention of Facebook and what Zuckerberg did on Harvard's campus.
00:04:46:10 - 00:05:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But believe it or not, social existed even before that. And I would say you could kind of trace some of its ideas back to the 90s when blogs were invented, you know, blogs kind of planted this idea in the world's heads that people, individual people, people outside of the traditional news media outlets and news sources that they could post whatever and whenever they wanted and receive feedback in live time without having to go through that pesky use.
00:05:17:01 - 00:05:39:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like I said of like that third party. And so if you're watching here on YouTube, if you're not linked down below in the show notes hybrid ministry.xyz/135. I use this article from Broadband and Search. It's an article. What it did is it traced some of the very original social networks. So in 1997, some of you might not even know this if you don't give me a like.
00:05:39:09 - 00:06:07:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But six degrees was was what this, this article brought in search what they define as the very first social platform. And then following that in 2002, Friendster and Myspace and LinkedIn all were invented, and Twitter was in 2006. And then Facebook finally came and burst on the scene in, I believe this 2000 and, four, when we officially got the launch of Facebook.
00:06:07:08 - 00:06:33:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And as you know, it originally launched only as an exclusive opportunity on the Harvard campus, but it soon expanded beyond that. And by 2008, Facebook overtook Myspace as the most visited website in the world. 2010 is when Instagram launched, and that's actually when I dived in, dove in, to being a youth pastor. And so, I always say, I was an Instagram baby as a youth pastor.
00:06:33:03 - 00:07:01:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so, I've been around as a youth pastor as long as Instagram has been around, and Instagram launched originally as sort of just a photo sharing app, is meant to be a little bit more artsy than that. Maybe what was going on over in Facebook. And then 2011, Snapchat came. And Snapchat has ushered in a lot of different features that different platforms, especially with the idea of like stories have kind of adopted and made a very like big staple on their platform especially I'm looking at you Instagram and Facebook.
00:07:01:17 - 00:07:13:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then in 2016, TikTok was invented. And in 2020, a few years after the invention of TikTok, it took the world by storm and frankly, ushered in a new social era.
00:07:13:12 - 00:07:24:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, give me a like if you know that as you've watched videos on TikTok recently, do you even recognize or know the people that have posted the videos that you're watching?
00:07:24:13 - 00:07:38:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's the new era, right? Social, in its original iteration, was meant to be about connections and networks, but now it's much more about maybe entertainment, sharing ideas, or even just like humor, right? And
00:07:38:11 - 00:07:38:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
laughing
00:07:38:21 - 00:07:39:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and sharing
00:07:39:07 - 00:07:52:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
things that cause people to laugh. And like I said, you can draw a thread all the way back, especially to the origin of some of these, to the idea behind friendship and community.
00:07:52:09 - 00:08:11:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And speaking of tracing a thread all the way back again, if you're watching here on YouTube, you've seen other chart from that broadband and search article, and it just, lays out the history of social, social platforms and social networks. Go ahead and take a screenshot of that and you can study that later on in your time. But what I want to move on to is I want to
00:08:11:01 - 00:08:19:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
kind of ask this question, how can we build relationships in a digitally based world?
00:08:19:01 - 00:08:36:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, there's, a video that I came across, during kind of like Christmas break, New Year's time, and it shows and I'll, I'll link it here on screen. You can go ahead and take a look at it, but it shows how humans have spent their time over the course of history. And like the 40s and 50s, is primarily family.
00:08:36:21 - 00:09:01:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then quickly friends took over that top spot on the kind of bar graph. But then as soon as the internet was existed, boom, it skyrocketed to the top. And what we know is that while in its original form, social was created for human ideas and connection, it has sort of supplanted what it was originally brought into. Meaningful right?
00:09:01:04 - 00:09:03:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It was meant for us to connect better. But while
00:09:03:23 - 00:09:38:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there's still a possibility of that happening, you know just as well as AI that some of us can spend mindless amounts of time, energy, hours and effort on social media if we're not intentional. So how do we get back to the roots of what we want? Not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak, getting rid of phones and screens and social altogether, but using it in a way that's hygienic in a 2025, always on digitally focused world, I have three tips on how you can build relationships in a digital world.
00:09:38:23 - 00:09:45:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And the first is so simple, right? It's just put the phone down, right.
00:09:45:14 - 00:10:01:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that might seem so obvious and that might seem so basic to you, but the reason why this is important is because you need to understand that the our phones and social and some of these apps are intentionally designed to release a chemical called dopamine.
00:10:01:01 - 00:10:10:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm sure you've heard this before. When you get a notification or when you doom scroll, they're built to be intentionally addictive.
00:10:10:10 - 00:10:25:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so while their art is good and while there can be value behind it, and as youth pastors and parents, we know we can use it even as a tool in our own lives, in our own ministries, in our own families, we also know that they're built to be intentionally addictive.
00:10:25:14 - 00:10:41:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So create a space where you can learn how to put the phone down. In fact, if you go back to the very first episode linked, in the playlist linked right here, the top of the screen, about detoxing in a always on tech filled world, I give some tips. There's even a worksheet
00:10:41:22 - 00:10:47:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
in that video about getting rid and creating kind of phone free environments.
00:10:47:09 - 00:10:51:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I believe if you, look at the worksheet in that one, I have linked like a phone
00:10:51:08 - 00:10:51:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
jail.
00:10:52:04 - 00:11:04:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
What if you did something so dramatic in your own life or your own family, where you created, like a phone jail or a phone locker kind of speak so that you could put it down and you can force yourself to not go back and pick it up.
00:11:05:01 - 00:11:24:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
In fact, I made a New Year's resolution this year that when I got home from work, I want from the time I get home from work until bedtime with my kids, I want it to be phone free. Like I want to put my phone down. I want to live my life and I hope, listen. I host a podcast called The Hybrid Ministry Show.
00:11:24:10 - 00:11:39:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like, I'm all about digital. I'm all about technology. But I also don't want technology to run me. I want it to be a part of my life that's useful and meaningful and that I use. But I don't want it to run me. And so I want to put my phone on, and I want to live my life
00:11:39:23 - 00:11:40:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
with my family.
00:11:40:20 - 00:11:55:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The second idea I have for you is that why you should put your phone down? I'm speaking to those of you who are kind of hard chargers, like, yeah, like get rid of it. The second piece is tech can enhance relationships. So while you
00:11:55:15 - 00:12:03:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
should put your phone down so that you can live your life so that you can enhance those relationships, which is what social was built on foundationally in the first place.
00:12:03:08 - 00:12:22:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Tech is a tool to be used like I just minutes ago. I am late at night, got done watching a basketball game. Shout out to the Oklahoma City Thunder 13 game win streak, longest in franchise history. I was texting my friend in Minnesota hours away, and we're texting about sports and basketball and life.
00:12:22:09 - 00:12:27:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like, I haven't seen him in person in months, but our relationship still exists.
00:12:27:17 - 00:12:51:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We send memes to each other in real, and we text each other and we'll call each other and we'll chat through life. And, you know, monumental moments like tech can still enhance and keep a relationship going, right? I think about group chats. I even think about silly things like sharing memes and reels. I think that's a way in today's day and age, in 2025 and beyond, that can be a love language, so to speak.
00:12:51:02 - 00:13:16:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, like I have a resident now who, was off social media because he was trying to, like, focus more time on his schoolwork. And I, would screenshot or screen record reels or memes of things. He's a big office guy, and we would kind of connect on those, and I'd send this to him in text and he'd be like, thank you for knowing and noticing that I'm not social and for sending this to me so that I can actually, like, see these things.
00:13:16:11 - 00:13:37:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right. Like it's still a way to connect as a matter of the medium. Like it just is a way for us to kind of like share some things, ideas and laugh together. And so that's where this saw this whole idea of hybrid comes in responsible usage. Put it down, but understand that it can still be a tool. The third idea I have for you is create rules for yourselves.
00:13:37:19 - 00:13:43:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Or perhaps if you're a parent, a teenager, if you're a youth pastor, this is where I want to encourage you to maybe
00:13:43:11 - 00:13:54:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
download and share this resource with some of your parents. But what are some of the rules that you can help your teenagers? And, you know, their parents like, create for themselves and create for their families?
00:13:54:23 - 00:13:58:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like I said, I want to try to challenge myself to go phone free from when I get
00:13:58:10 - 00:14:31:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
home from work until my kids go to bed. I don't know what those rules are, but let let break some of those in. You know what? Link down below in episode 131 hybrid Administrator Xyzzy slash 131, I interviewed my friend Ronald, who is, host of the Middle School Ministry podcast, but he also is dad to middle schoolers and he had some fantastic ideas and some fantastic tips about how you can implement this idea of digital to your children, to your kids in a meaningful way, but also in a way that is going to like, help,
00:14:31:20 - 00:14:49:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
help them kind of earn the responsibility of having tech and phones and digital. And so I can't give you like a one size fits all rule. I can, but I don't think that that's wise. I think you need to learn and lean in and kind of learn and discern what needs to go on in your family and with you in particular.
00:14:49:02 - 00:15:18:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so while you may be, I don't want a smartphone at all, I want a dumb phone. Only that can be your rule. But don't make that the rule for everybody. Others. It might be like, I just want to limit my usage. I want to put, you know, timers on my apps. I want whatever that's where. And, you know, episode 132 I laid out the digital detox kind of like ideas, and it comes with some just ideas of rules and maybe some things that you can like, create for yourself, or that you and your teenager can kind of work together and create for yourself.
00:15:18:18 - 00:15:24:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if the whole goal. Right, like if we set the whole goal of social and its original form
00:15:24:11 - 00:15:57:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
was connection to humans, maybe, just maybe, the the the phone usage, screen usage has gone a little bit out of balance, has become a little bit more than we ever sort of bargained for. And so that's why I created this screen free guide, a way to, encourage ways to have screen free or phone free, times with friends and helping kind of facilitate that for your middle school or your high school or and even encouraging and how to kind of go about that and even get that kind of conversation started.
00:15:57:11 - 00:16:19:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And also maybe not just for friends, but also for you as a family. Right. And and maybe while we might be frustrated as parents or as guardians or even as youth pastors with our teenage teenagers usage and maybe even dependance on technology, maybe we have to take a good hard look at ourselves, and maybe they're modeling their usage after us.
00:16:19:12 - 00:16:42:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Or at least they're seeing us. Maybe not being as mindful about it as maybe we hope to be. So that's going to be linked down below. Again, if you're a parent, youth pastor or whatever, I hope that you grab it, use it, send it, share it with a friend. But I also want to encourage you to to help create more opportunities to build real relationships in this digital age and in this cell phone era.
00:16:43:00 - 00:16:55:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Thank you, as always, for being here. Don't forget to stick around. Subscribe. We'll have all kinds of other episodes like this throughout the rest of this year, but don't forget to stay hybrid.
17 min
January 30, 2025 Episode 134: Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives
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⚙️Tech Talks: For Parents and Teens
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DESCRIPTION
🎙️ Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Guide Their Digital Natives is your ultimate resource for navigating the wild world of screens and social media! Designed to spark meaningful conversations, this episode drops 5 practical questions to help parents and teens tackle digital habits together. Bonus: there's a downloadable worksheet, perfect for your next workshop or family night. 🚀
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/134
//DETOX WORKSHEET
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//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA
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⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Tech Talks: Equipping Parents to Talk to their Digital Natives
01:52 Parenting Teens Philosophy
04:10 Question #1
04:44 Question #2
05:34 Question #3
06:36 Question #4
07:16 Question #5
07:51 My Recommended Parenting Apps
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:17 - 00:00:26:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let me guess. If you're a parent trying to talk to your teens about tech and screens and social, you feel like when you're doing so, you're speaking a completely foreign language. If that's you, go ahead and subscribe to this channel. And let me guess, if you're a teenager, having a parent try to relate to you in that tech space and it feels totally cringe.
00:00:26:22 - 00:00:46:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go ahead and give me a like on this video. And if you're a youth pastor, just simply trying to bring the two sides together, well then you're in the right spot. Go ahead and turn the bell on. Because here in this video on the Hybrid Ministry show, what we're going to do is we are going to share. I'm going to share with you my parent and tech philosophy.
00:00:46:25 - 00:01:10:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm also going to share with you five great questions that you can use to start with a family, to open up good discussion around technology. If you're a parent, I'm going to share with you my top three monitoring resources. And finally, stick around to the very end of the video because I'm going to share with you a worksheet that has not only those five good questions shared in this video, but some bonus questions that you can hop over and that you can download.
00:01:10:21 - 00:01:28:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My patrons get it for free. If you're a youth pastor, it's only $4 per month. You'll get all the worksheets that are included in this current playlist that's linked right here that we're in. We're now in part three of four of this parent tech and screens worksheet and playlist, where I'm sharing a worksheet in every single video. The patron.
00:01:28:18 - 00:01:50:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The Patreon subscription is only $4 per month. And so that would cover all of these worksheets. And then some. Along with if you subscribe, you get a bonus podcast where I'm going to talk about what I'm doing weekly in my youth ministry, helping promote creativity, screen safety, hive and hybrid ministry. Welcome my friends to the show that's named after what I call it.
00:01:50:12 - 00:02:28:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry show. All right, so here's my philosophy around technology and screens, okay. The philosophy is very simply this. You just have to start having conversations around it, especially if you are concerned about your teens usage or you might be concerned down the road about it. Start the conversation earlier than you might want. Because here's the thing if you've downloaded either of my last two worksheets or the Digital Detox worksheet or the Feed Audit worksheet, well, you've got to come to understand is that both of those are set to help open up and promote a conversation between parents and between teenagers.
00:02:28:18 - 00:03:03:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you're concerned about it, the way we as parents often handle it is we have some big, explosive sort of like come to Jesus reckoning moment where we think we did the job. But but the change often best happens, and the transformation takes place most naturally through ongoing conversations where the conversations feel less threatening, which is one of the reasons, especially in the last worksheet, where I encourage you as a parent to offer immunity because you may, as you're auditing some your son or daughter's feed, you may find things that you don't want, but because you're saying, hey, listen, it's going to be okay.
00:03:03:11 - 00:03:30:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to work through this together. You're offering them the ability to actually open up and have that conversation, which is ultimately what you're hoping. You're hoping that the conversation will lead to heart and life change and transformation over time, as opposed to just like adjusting and changing the behavior. That's just simply behavior modification. That's white knuckling it as opposed to genuine true heart change.
00:03:30:26 - 00:03:58:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's the goal of all pastors of of should be of all churches is definitely the goal of Jesus. And so lead with grace and understanding versus annoyance and constant frustration. And when you start with that, it hopefully will start to crack open the door towards honest conversations. And so with that philosophy as the foundation, as the backdrop of all of this, let's walk in to these five questions.
00:03:58:03 - 00:04:19:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're here in a workshop, I want to encourage you after each question to just pause it and stop and let parents and teens have these conversations in rows, around tables or wherever, whatever your setting looks like. So the first question is this how does technology make our life better? I want you to I want to encourage you to think about things like perhaps like 360, right?
00:04:19:06 - 00:04:45:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like G.P.S. type tracking things, or even just GPS navigation in general. Being able to get from point A to point B, especially if you're in an unfamiliar place, maybe things like banking or keeping a shared calendar or grocery list, like, all right, think those types of things. In what ways do those things make technology better? If you're watching here in a workshop, go ahead, pause this video and I'll let you have a chance to discuss.
00:04:45:15 - 00:05:03:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us here on YouTube, I want you to now think and ask through this second question, which goes like this. How well do you think I and if you're a parent, I want to encourage you to ask this question. Being willing to be vulnerable, being willing to to, you know, put yourself out there in such a way.
00:05:04:03 - 00:05:29:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How well do you feel like I balance my screen time, right. And again, this is going to cause you and have to ask you to be a little bit vulnerable and maybe even during this section here, when you're having this discussion with your teen, I want to encourage you to maybe look up your current screen time reports. And if you're if you're not happy with or you're unsatisfied with what that says, I want to encourage you then to maybe set a goal for something new.
00:05:29:10 - 00:05:49:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you're watching this live, if you're having a discussion, go ahead, pause the video now. But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number three, which is this. What is your most visited website or app and why? Right. And here's why. The and why part of this question helps you get a peek into their soul a little bit.
00:05:49:06 - 00:06:19:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All right. Helps reveal their hobbies or their desires. Right. Like for me, what I would say one of the most like, visited things for me is, like Instagram. And the reason I like Instagram is because I have a heavy basketball algorithm and I'm a huge basketball fan. And so getting on there, I'm hoping that it will share with me, illuminate with me, give me interesting content around basketball and and doing that the and why part of that question right reveals to you that I enjoy watching basketball.
00:06:19:20 - 00:06:36:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so the and why part of that question hopefully will help reveal on both sides student and parent what it is that they're into, what it is that they're actually looking for, what it is that their phone is feeding them, that they are finding so interesting. So go ahead, pause the video and take a minute to discuss that.
00:06:36:13 - 00:06:56:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But for the rest of us, we're going to move on here to question number four, which is do you feel as a technology brings our family together or tears us apart? And again, I want to consider allowing this conversation to be a free flowing conversation. Let it have immunity, you know, don't get defensive regardless of what the answer is.
00:06:56:09 - 00:07:18:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Don't get defensive here. The other person side, right? I often use the phrase perception is reality. And so in this case allow their perception to be the reality. Don't argue it, don't fight it. But just let them say and speak their peace. So go ahead, take a minute. Have this discussion for the rest of us. We're going to move on here to question number five, which is this.
00:07:19:01 - 00:07:53:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Would you prefer more or less phone time personally? Would you prefer to have more or would you prefer to have less phone time again? Speak freely again. No judgment. Okay. But based on their answers, I want you to set a family goal to work on it together. Especially especially if you are saying you want to have less of it, then I want to encourage you to link down below my detox worksheet, which will give you five tips to work together better as a family to detox, you might have times that you're spending on screen, but once they're right now, link down.
00:07:53:25 - 00:08:16:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Below are the three tools is linked to a video. The three tools that I recommend you exploring for better screen usage, and perhaps even more restrictions on phones if that is something that you're looking to go towards. And so in that video, I debate between or a plus circle, I debate between the Bach, family of products, Bach phones and Bach monitoring.
00:08:16:20 - 00:08:40:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then I also share with you my recommended resource called Covenant Eyes. And why I prefer to use Covenant Eyes is because it has constant screen monitoring. It is analyzing screenshots on a constant basis of every single thing that is being viewed on your screen. Right? Because the difference is, if it's just you URL based, you can sort of find workarounds to that look.
00:08:40:16 - 00:09:00:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Look at your teenager right now. If you're still in this workshop, they know that they can find workarounds to that. But if they want and you want to have a more holistic and a more robust monitoring system, Covenant Eyes will do that. And best yet, if you have an Android, it will do it on every single thing that is seen and is visible on your screen at any given time.
00:09:01:00 - 00:09:22:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Where an apple, it's only showing you what you're using inside the Covenant Eyes browser that simply just said their technology and their API type settings. And so if your son does have an iPhone as much as, the social capital will go down because you have to get them away from the blue bubbles. And Android is better for their long term purity and for your, perhaps, peace of mind.
00:09:22:15 - 00:09:55:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so again, I want to thank you for watching this video. Listen, if you're a youth pastor, I want to encourage you to hop down the link on the show notes and grab this. This parent tech talks in this parent and teen tech talks worksheet and pass it out at a maybe a parent and tech workshop. Even go back and use this video to use it as a springboard for conversations where in this in this worksheet, it's going to allow both sides to kind of share their perspectives on technology usage, as well as offer a slew of other bonus questions.
00:09:55:11 - 00:10:14:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But linked right here in the fourth and final installment of this playlist is video. I'm titling from screen to scene, and we're going to talk about how to be more present in an always digital world. Thank you for sticking around for this entire video. And don't forget, my friends as always to stay hybrid.
11 min
January 23, 2025Episode 133: Scroll with Purpose: Teaching Teens to Use Phones Wisely
🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
📲Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
DESCRIPTION
In this episode of Hybrid Ministry, we tackle the challenge of helping teens navigate their phones with purpose and wisdom.
Discover three essential rules for using social media wisely
A powerful resource to protect your teens from harmful online content
and an interactive "Social Feed Audit" activity to spark meaningful conversations.
Don't miss the downloadable Social Feed Audit Activity—a practical tool for fostering healthier digital habits.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/133
//Social Feed Audit Activity
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/social-feed-audit-activity-for-parents-789323?source=storefront
//📥 DIGITAL DETOX FAMILY WORKSHEET [Episode 132]
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
//3 MONITORING TOOLS
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=wayQHd1zQC09I6qg
TRY COVENANT EYES: https://covenanteyes.sjv.io/g1zVZA
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz
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We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
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🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
⌚TIMECODES
00:00 How to Clean Up Your Social Feeds
01:27 Rule #1
03:12 Rule #2
06:13 Rule #3
06:59 My Recommended Accountability Tool
08:06 Social Feed Audit Activity
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:12 - 00:00:25:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Give me a like. If you've ever heard this argument about social media. Social media is just a bunch of people dancing. It's useless, right? You've probably heard that before. Parents. Pastors. Teachers. Teenagers. I once heard a pastor say, show me your bank account and it will reveal the desires of your heart. Well, I believe that in 2025 and beyond.
00:00:25:26 - 00:00:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Show me your algorithm and it will reveal the desires of your heart. You know the algorithms are so good. They're like, if that's what you see on your social media feed, that's probably what you are wanting to see. That's what you're hovering longer on this with the algorithm knows and is feeding you more of. And so in this video we're going to do is we're going to talk about how you can clean up your feed, how you can audit it, and how you can make it a type of feed that will honor God in the process.
00:00:55:23 - 00:01:14:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We're going to share three rules for social media wisdom. I'm going to give you one resource that's going to help protect you and your team from what you see on your screens, as well as a downloadable worksheet for you to snag at the end. Or hit this QR code here at the bottom so that you can use it.
00:01:14:13 - 00:01:43:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you're a youth pastor. Download it. Share it with your parents. This is one of the best resources I think, that I have ever put together. Welcome my friends to the Hybrid Mr. Show. Hey everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Klassen. I've been youth ministry for 14 years and I have two boys, eight and six, who are squarely in Gen Alpha, and they are waving their way on up into this world of tech and screens and social.
00:01:43:29 - 00:02:04:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so in this video, I want to share with you three my three rules for social media. The first rule is this harmful social media, right? I think a lot of us have this understanding that social media is harmful, right? But I don't believe it's all harmful. I just believe that harmful social media is when you use it mindlessly, right?
00:02:04:29 - 00:02:28:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's equals when you have a mindless use of it. And so what I want to encourage you to do is I want to encourage you to put parameters and rules around your screen and social usage. You know, if you didn't watch the last video, which is going to be linked right here, we went through five different tips to have more of a screen detox type of life in a quote always on world.
00:02:28:10 - 00:02:50:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I don't you don't have to adopt those five rules. I just want to encourage you to have some rules, because when you use it mindlessly, when you use it without any barriers, without any parameters, that's where things get tricky. That's where things get dangerous. And that's where we start to see that addiction set in and people not able to make the right and smart type of choices that we're hoping that they can make in their life.
00:02:50:22 - 00:03:13:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because social and technology has this sort of like, addictive, way of interacting with the neural pathways in your brain. And so that's why there needs to be a set of parameters that you place on yourself, and then maybe even you agree with with some other members of your family. The second rule that I have for you is just simply a question.
00:03:13:23 - 00:03:45:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Is it you or is it a AI? Right? Like I said earlier, show me your algorithm and I'll show you the desires of your heart. Let me give you a positive example of this in my own world. Right? So YouTube, we pay for premium YouTube at our house because my boys like to watch Minecraft videos on YouTube. And once I realized that this was something that was not going to go away, was that they were always going to want and desire and find themselves wanting to explore some of those Minecraft type videos on YouTube.
00:03:45:08 - 00:04:09:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I realized I want to have a little bit more control over the ads or the or taking them away, right? So I pray I pay for premium YouTube. Now here's what's interesting on my account. This very account that you might even be watching this video on when when you log into YouTube on my TV, it's littered with Minecraft videos.
00:04:09:12 - 00:04:34:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like that's almost all that the For You algorithm is sharing and showing on my television YouTube account. Switch over though, when I pull open my cell phone on YouTube because I myself also watch and use YouTube. All almost all it feeds me there is basketball content, all right. Or the types of, podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis.
00:04:34:26 - 00:04:55:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So it's even interesting to me is that it will show me videos that I've of, of channels that I've never even subscribed to, but that I've interacted with, that I've watched before, way before. It shows me videos of things that I'm subscribed to. Right? Which is why, like, I would love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet, please do so.
00:04:55:23 - 00:05:22:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you haven't, if you just watch my videos, the algorithm is going to show my videos to you next time you log in, as opposed to just showing it to you just because you are a sort of like mindless, nameless subscriber. And so I share that to say the algorithm, the accounts, these social platforms, they're really powerful and they're also really smart.
00:05:22:02 - 00:05:48:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so if you're not intentional with your use the AI, the algorithm is going to make decisions for you, right. And that YouTube example, that's a positive example. But let's just switch it to a negative example for a minute. If you're a boy, it's going to assume that you want to see girls on your social media. And if you're not careful, that I will continue to feed more and more and more of that.
00:05:48:24 - 00:06:08:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, listen, I know that that sounds hopeless, and especially if you're a parent, you're like, well, that's exactly what I'm trying to get away from. Not all hope is lost, and I believe that social can be redeemed for good. You can manipulate your algorithm both positively and negatively, and we're going to get in that in just a minute.
00:06:08:11 - 00:06:38:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because my third rule for social media is you need to have accountability. If you don't have an outlet to discuss, I want to encourage you to invite somebody into your life, especially if you are trending down that negative sort of algorithm pathway. Get yourself out of it. Ask somebody for help, throw for a lifeline, but then have a regular rhythm of conversation and a regular rhythm of accountability.
00:06:38:25 - 00:07:04:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Set some goals and then ask somebody, as Paul David Tripp says, ask somebody to be intentionally intrusive in your life. Now, parents, the resource that I use, I use personally and that I recommend we talked about in a previous video, I'll link it down below. We talked about aura. We talked about Bach, but also the one that I like the most.
00:07:04:12 - 00:07:31:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we that we talked about that. I also recommend is a service called Covenant Eyes. Okay. And what Covenant Eyes does is it installs on your phone. It's let's I'm just going to say some it might you might disagree with it. It's better on Android than it is on Apple. And the reason why is that it will run a constant screen monitoring in the background of your phone at every given moment on an Android.
00:07:31:17 - 00:07:59:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
On Apple, it only does it in the in the Covenant Eyes browser. But the nice thing about that, especially on Android, is that you know that if you can't watch every single thing on your kid's phone, you can log in as one of their allies is what they use the the language, the verbiage that they use. You can log in as one of their allies and view their screen activity and literally see snapshot after snapshot of what they're watching, of what they're viewing, of what is on their screen.
00:07:59:11 - 00:08:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so that's why I recommend that. And it's actually linked below in our social feed audit activity worksheet. And in this audit activity worksheet, what it's going to do is it's going to share with you 50 different social platforms to ask about right. Whether you have a great and wide open communication policy with your teenager, or whether it's a little bit more closed off, this will give you the resources.
00:08:24:29 - 00:08:50:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
This will give you a list of resources to ask about, right to inquire whether they have one, even if they don't know that they haven't, even if they're not trying to hide it from you, or even if they maybe are trying to hide it from you, and then you can go through and I recommend that you, offer immunity during this audit process, especially if your boy or daughter, is having a lot of things on their algorithm that you wouldn't approve of.
00:08:50:08 - 00:09:15:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But as you go through, you can audit and you can ask this question, does this honor God? And the good news is that most social medias offer the ability for you to, click something that says, I'm not interested in this and ask the algorithm to feed it to you less often. And so if you go through that activity with your son or with your daughter, you can you can help manipulate their algorithm and then pair that with a tool like Covenant Eyes.
00:09:15:14 - 00:09:45:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You can add back in some constant screen accountability. And maybe you become an accountability person. Or maybe you ask them to invite somebody else into their life a trusted friend, mentor, or adult that can ask them the hard questions of what they're trying to do and the goals that they're trying to set on social media. But in this new year, in 2025, as screen usage and social media usage is becoming more and more prevalent and more and more prominent, I want this tool to be a way for you.
00:09:45:21 - 00:10:09:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Whether you're a parent, whether you're a youth pastor dishing this out to some of your parents, I want you to be equipped with what it takes to start having this conversation about balancing, using what we use on social media so that you will scroll with purpose. And in the very next video, what I want to do is, I want to have you click here on screen, we are going to open up a conversation between parents and between students.
00:10:09:05 - 00:10:21:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we're just simply calling the video tech talks equipping parents to talk to their digital natives. I'll see you over there in that video. But until next time. And as always, my friends stay hybrid.
11 min
January 16, 2025 Episode 132: Digital Detox: Finding Balance in an Always-On World
🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
📥Digital Detox Family Worksheet
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry/shop/digital-detox-family-worksheet-763860?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=productshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
DESCRIPTION
Life today feels like it’s always "on," and teenagers are growing up in a world where there’s no escape from the constant digital noise—even at home. Inspired by Winston Churchill’s midday naps to reset his mental balance, this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show explores how we can help teens—and ourselves—find moments of rest in an always-connected world. As a youth pastor with 14 years of experience, I’ve seen how the challenges of this generation differ from my own. In this video, I’ll share 5 practical tips for a healthier digital lifestyle, from screen-free meals to digital sabbaths. Plus, I’ll introduce the Digital Detox Family Challenge—a [free to Patrons] worksheet to help families reclaim their time and focus. Whether you’re a parent, teen, or youth pastor, join me for practical tools to build healthier habits.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/132
//Churchill Article
https://fullfocus.co/naps/
//Bark & Aura+Disney vs. Covenant Eyes: An Honest Youth Pastor Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWYvsn2Kglk&t=160s
//Family Phone Lock Box
https://walmrt.us/3ZrChfI
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz
--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick
--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Rest for the Soul in an "Always On" World
02:37 The Technology Tension
04:34 Tip #1
06:50 Tip #2
07:45 Tip #3
08:59 Tip #4
10:17 Tip #5
11:57 Digital Detox Worksheet
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:00:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Does
00:00:00:10 - 00:00:03:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it feel like in life that you're just
00:00:03:08 - 00:00:07:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on? Like there's no break, there's no reprieve?
00:00:07:27 - 00:00:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Did you know, ironically,
00:00:10:06 - 00:00:21:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Winston Churchill, who was prime minister of Great Britain during World War One, fighting in at that time the world's greatest and biggest war, said this right. He regarded
00:00:21:19 - 00:00:33:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
his midday naps as, quote, essential for maintaining his mental balance, renewing his energy and reviving his
00:00:33:14 - 00:00:36:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
spirits as a youth pastor for 14 years.
00:00:36:26 - 00:00:44:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One thing that I've found that's unique about this generation of teenagers is that the cell phone has ushered in an era
00:00:44:10 - 00:00:48:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
where they never are able to turn it off.
00:00:48:15 - 00:01:05:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The drama follows them home. Conversations with friends follows them home through group chats and Snapchat. And if they're not a part of it, then the tension or the fact that they're missing out might also be causing anxiety because while you as a parent may be taking their phone away from them, they
00:01:05:25 - 00:01:11:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
don't know what someone else might be saying about them or what other drama they are going to be missing out on.
00:01:12:03 - 00:01:25:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
When I was a kid, that wasn't an option. I was. I was able to go home, and home was able to be my safe spot. And my guess is, if you're a parent just like me, is that you're trying to help your, house be a
00:01:25:23 - 00:01:29:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
safe spot. And if you're a youth pastor, my guess is you're trying to help teens
00:01:29:09 - 00:01:30:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
navigate this anxiety.
00:01:30:27 - 00:01:35:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if you didn't grow up in this phenomenon of technology and digital, where you're
00:01:35:24 - 00:01:54:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
always on, you might not really truly understand what teenagers are going to. That's why if you're a parent, youth pastor, or teenager, I want to toss out five potential tips to help you drive towards a healthier digital lifestyle, and this is specifically aimed towards teenagers.
00:01:54:07 - 00:01:55:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
At the end of this video, I'm going to share
00:01:55:22 - 00:02:15:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
with you my Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. The link is down below in the description. It is free for my Patreon community, so thank you if you are a part of that. If not just a few bucks. And in that resource there are two interactive family elements. So if you're a parent or a youth pastor, feel free to grab it and use it.
00:02:15:12 - 00:02:25:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And youth pastor share it with your parents as a resource to help them towards a healthier digital lifestyle for their teenagers. And as always in the hybrid Ministry show,
00:02:25:11 - 00:02:37:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there are chapters down below at the bottom so that you can scrub ahead or back to whatever is most relevant to you. Welcome, my friends, to the Hybrid Ministry Show.
00:02:37:25 - 00:02:40:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well everyone, welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you and I
00:02:40:18 - 00:02:55:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Nick Clayson, and as I said in the intro, I'm a 14 year youth ministry veteran, but I'm also a parent of kids six, and eight years old. So they're in, squarely in that generation Alpha sort of time frame.
00:02:55:25 - 00:02:59:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I see it on the horizon. I'm not quite there yet,
00:02:59:01 - 00:03:09:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but I've also navigated it with teenagers and youth ministry, for 14 years, obviously still relevantly, and currently helping teenagers Wade
00:03:09:11 - 00:03:10:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through and navigate
00:03:10:04 - 00:03:10:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through this
00:03:10:25 - 00:03:30:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital sort of tension. And so I think that's the biggest thing, right? Is this tension between should we completely abdicate digital or should we teach them how to how to handle it with integrity and with a hygiene that makes sense, and that's going to actually help them as they enter into this world of adulthood and more responsibility.
00:03:30:10 - 00:03:48:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You see, as older generation like myself and even people older than us, a lot of times the mentality is like, your phone is the enemy, just get rid of it, throw it in the lake, throw it in the river and be that as it may, and that might even be the case. Like it might not even it might be something that's dangerous and bad and not helpful to you.
00:03:48:11 - 00:04:07:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right. We they're not going anywhere. That's the hard thing is cell phones and technology. It's not going anywhere. The dial is only getting cranked up more and more and more. And so we're constantly living in this tension of what we want. Like, do we want to be Laura Ingalls Wilder and living out on the prairie versus like, being someone fully immersed in tech,
00:04:07:07 - 00:04:09:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but knowing like, that's probably not good for us.
00:04:09:16 - 00:04:13:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we can also see and know the effects of it. And you got to remember, tech is
00:04:13:06 - 00:04:29:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
still in its infancy in a lot of ways. And so some of these long term effects brain and and anxiety and mental health, like we don't even know what or how much or if any of it affects us. And so here are five tips to help you and your family navigate through detoxing,
00:04:29:28 - 00:04:32:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital and finding balance in this quote.
00:04:32:14 - 00:04:34:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Always on world. Tip
00:04:34:18 - 00:04:34:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
one
00:04:34:28 - 00:04:42:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is potentially consider setting app time limits. You know I've done this in the past. I don't currently have them set
00:04:42:28 - 00:04:58:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
on on my phone. And honestly, the reason behind that is because I'm I'm lazy, right? And I'm not practicing what I'm preaching. But in the past I have set app limitations for things like social media apps that I might scroll more endlessly on.
00:04:58:02 - 00:05:00:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And here's what you got to understand in my current role
00:05:00:12 - 00:05:20:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and job. Like one of my main and primary responsibilities is social media management, content creation and content posting. And so it's made it tricky for me because I can't just say I'm never going to be on Instagram, I'm never going to be on YouTube, or I'm never going to be on TikTok, because that's a key component of our youth ministry strategy.
00:05:20:07 - 00:05:24:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so I'd put like a 15 minute or 30 minute time limit on those apps
00:05:24:29 - 00:05:39:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
so that I could get on. So that I could post so that I could engage with comments, with anyone who's maybe interacted with our content. But then when that 30 minute or 15 minute time limit came to an end on any one of those apps, that would be it for the
00:05:39:19 - 00:05:39:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
day.
00:05:39:29 - 00:05:57:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, of course, my phone offers me right, like more opportunities to, like add more time, add more time. And so like, I would just kind of do that mindlessly and until eventually to the point where I just like would turn it off because I was on vacation or something. And then of course, I haven't gone back, you know, to turn those things back on.
00:05:57:22 - 00:06:25:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that potentially for your, your teen or your tween or, whoever in your house might be, trying to navigate this balance between work and life and social and digital and screens and all of these things. And, linked right here is actually my review of the best parenting apps for 2025 and beyond. And so it's, conversation between, the Bach phone or a plus Circle by Disney or Covenant Eyes.
00:06:25:21 - 00:06:50:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All three have very different kind of approaches to parental controls and stuff like that, but all three are useful and helpful and beneficial. I give my honest youth pastor take and review, but, feel free to go against my opinion on that. Do whatever works best for you and for your family, but maybe consider setting time limits as a way to help balance this always on world.
00:06:50:22 - 00:06:58:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Tip number two is what if you turned your phone on to grayscale mode, right? There's a feature. My wife and I
00:06:58:20 - 00:07:13:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
both did it. And we turned our phones onto grayscale mode, and it was honestly disorienting. And what it does is it's meant to sort of help reduce, sort of those brain chemicals that cause you to be more addicted to your screen.
00:07:14:01 - 00:07:16:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so when you're on it, it's like,
00:07:16:14 - 00:07:41:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you don't like it. Like I remember just absolutely hating it. And I hated looking at my phone. I hate doing all these things. But like, it was helpful because, time limits are force restrictions. Grayscale mode turns down the desire to just continue to be on my phone and continue to be on there mindlessly scrolling, mindlessly scrolling endlessly like it made me want to actually get off of it.
00:07:41:04 - 00:08:06:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So consider that as an option. Turn on grayscale mode on your phone. Tip number three as a family, what if you created screen free meals? What if once a day you as a family, committed to the discipline of having screen free meals? What if maybe maybe meals don't work? What if you chose, and reclaim some of your time as a family to have a one phone free time per day?
00:08:06:16 - 00:08:10:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Maybe that feels daunting and impossible. Then maybe just start at one phone
00:08:10:22 - 00:08:27:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
free time per week where everybody, including the parents, puts their phones away and you engage in one on 1 or 1 on many human discussion at the dinner table, or a family outing, or a family movie night or something like that, where you are phone free, free from distractions.
00:08:27:28 - 00:08:55:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You're you're doing something together and reengaging relationally as a family. And you can even, you know, buy something linked down below, like a phone locker or a phone jail where everyone's phones go in, you know, for a set amount of time, and it doesn't open up until it's over and, you know, emergencies or whatnot. Like if you do it for an hour, even if there is an emergency within that hour, your phone will still tell you at the end of that hour and you'll be able to, you know, handle it as you need to.
00:08:55:14 - 00:08:59:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But it would be a good discipline for you and your family to try,
00:08:59:22 - 00:09:05:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
dialing it up even, a little bit more of a notch from screen free meals. What if you considered a
00:09:05:24 - 00:09:06:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
digital
00:09:06:15 - 00:09:14:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Sabbath? New Sabbath is an Old Testament term and word for taking a break, you know? So, like in the Rhythm of creation,
00:09:14:07 - 00:09:16:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
you look at, the biblical account of creation.
00:09:16:19 - 00:09:35:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
God, created the earth in six days. But then on the seventh day, he rested. And you and I, like those of us who go to church like we know that God didn't need rest, right? Like God, God modeled that for Adam and Eve, and it's it's interesting if you think about it. God created man and woman on the sixth day, and then the seventh day he rested.
00:09:35:20 - 00:09:57:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so Adam and Eve's very first day of being created and being on this earth, they also two not only saw God rest, but they were experiencing that that version of Sabbath. And so what if with your phones, what if with technology, what if you created a quote, digital Sabbath of sorts, perhaps, like on a Saturday or Sunday or like a Friday night to a Saturday afternoon?
00:09:57:16 - 00:10:17:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Like it doesn't have to be one full day. It could be like after work in school on, like a Friday. And then it goes to like a certain time on Saturday, where again, you as a family, maybe throw your phone in one of those boxes and you commit to not, you know, to not being on devices, not being on screens for a certain period of time.
00:10:17:26 - 00:10:35:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then the fifth and final tip that I have for you here, to to engage in a healthier balance of an always on world is what if you just chose to charge your phone, not in your bedroom? I say charge your phone in your kitchen. First of all, you know, you need to know those emfs coming off your phone like they're
00:10:35:17 - 00:10:36:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
bad for you.
00:10:36:02 - 00:10:56:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It literally says it in the terms and conditions on your phone, so don't be right next to it while it's charging. Put it somewhere else, not only for your physical health, but also for your mental health, so that when you're in bed, you're in bed, maybe read, maybe, you know, actually go to sleep, but don't find yourself in there doomscrolling.
00:10:56:22 - 00:11:15:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But consider that as an option or discipline. Parents included kids as well, but keep those things out of rooms. Now just say again 14 year youth ministry veteran. Like, one of the things I've found, especially for teenagers, is gotta get those phones out of their rooms, behind closed doors, and in those privacy private moments. That's where a lot of like, bad decisions might happen.
00:11:15:29 - 00:11:32:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You know, like at summer camp for us, we collect everyone's phone and we charge it in a central spot in the room. They have access to it if their parents call whatever alarms. But we take them from them because we've found that it lights out when kids have phones. That's when shenanigans often happen. And so we take that away.
00:11:32:19 - 00:11:55:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that's just that's just a rule, right? Like we don't confiscate phones for the whole week, but we do collect them and house them, so to speak, and like a cell phone collection location in order to help with behavior, to help with sleep, to help with a lot of different things. And so what if, as the fifth tip, that was something that you and your family committed to charging your phone away from the bedroom.
00:11:55:10 - 00:12:16:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So you might be thinking like, well, now what do I do? Great. I'm glad you asked. Like I said at the beginning, I have, link down below the Digital Detox Family Challenge worksheet. You can go grab that. It's over on my Patreon is $3, but if you want to become a Patreon for $4 a month, you will not only get every one of these resources that I'm giving away over on that site, but you'll also
00:12:16:15 - 00:12:18:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
get a weekly bonus
00:12:18:10 - 00:12:18:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
podcast.
00:12:18:20 - 00:12:19:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And if you're in youth ministry,
00:12:19:29 - 00:12:29:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm just talking through what I do every week, and I'm giving creative ideas to help you lean into digital, but also handle it with care and integrity and dignity. And so
00:12:29:14 - 00:12:51:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
there's a couple of discussion prompts for families and a couple of action steps. And so I would say if you're in youth ministry, this would be a very well, spent $3 to share out in an email newsletter to parents to just encourage them, you know, to try, digital detox with their family, to work through and think through three or, I'm sorry, five different sort of tips to help them in their families.
00:12:51:26 - 00:12:56:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So, link here on screen is the next video in this series, called
00:12:56:18 - 00:13:11:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
scroll with Purpose teaching teens to use phones wisely in this digital age and in this digital world. I'd love to have you check that out. If you're here on YouTube, give us a like a rating, a subscribe. All those things really, truly help us out to be found in search.
00:13:11:26 - 00:13:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But until next time. And as always, my friends, I just want to encourage you to stay hybrid.
14 min
January 09, 2025 Episode 131: Secrets Revealed for Middle School Phone Usage
✏️Collaborative Worksheet
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🎧 Ronald's Podcast
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DESCRIPTION
In this conversation, Nick Clason and Ronald Long discuss the challenges and opportunities of youth ministry in the digital age, particularly focusing on the role of technology and cell phones among middle schoolers. They explore the importance of engagement in content creation, the necessity of guidelines for responsible phone use, and the balance between digital and in-person ministry. The discussion emphasizes the need for open conversations between parents and children regarding technology, as well as collaborative resources for youth pastors to navigate these challenges effectively.
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⌚TIMECODES
00:00 The Role of Technology in Middle School Ministry
04:50 Guidelines for Responsible Cell Phone Use
09:50 Balancing Digital and In-Person Youth Ministry
14:53 Encouraging Healthy Conversations About Technology
20:01 Collaborative Resources for Youth Pastors
TRANSCRIPT
Nick Clason (00:00)
What's up everybody? I'm Nick and this is.
Ronald (00:04)
Hey guys, I'm Ronald Long. How you doing?
Nick Clason (00:06)
We're excited to be here, Ronald. This is a weird thing. This is your show, this is my show, this is our show.
Ronald (00:08)
we are excited to be here.
Whose show is it really? That's a question.
Nick Clason (00:15)
That is the question that people want to know the answer to.
Ronald (00:19)
Did I just take over hybrid youth ministry? I think I did. I did. great. This is mine now. And yours? You get middle school ministry. Yeah, this is it. Tell Andrea. no.
Nick Clason (00:23)
You did, you did. Yeah. Welcome. Well, actually, yeah, and I'm taking over middle school. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you have exactly. Bye, Andrea. Bye. Anyway, you know, Ronald, it's interesting and I'm excited to have this conversation because probably the biggest, one of the biggest pushbacks I get when I'm pushing stuff like in my hybrid ministry, just idea and whatnot is what about middle schoolers?
especially like in our context, we don't get middle schoolers until like, or we get them at sixth grade, which there's an inflection point. And depending on the conservative nature of your church, there could be a lot of those students that have cell phones. And then a lot of students that don't, you know? And so like my main thing with hybrid ministry is trying to intersect people where they are. And I think the cell phone is just a great spot to try and aim for. Right. But what about those middle schoolers that are young and like don't have cell phones? And so.
Ronald (00:57)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
Nick Clason (01:21)
I'm excited to have this conversation with you because you as a lifelong middle school youth pastor and host of podcasts, like you and a dad of daughters in that age age range, right? Like I want to hear your perspective because I'm it feels to me and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but it feels to me like middle schoolers kind of run the gamut. Some that don't even have access to any technology and then some that are just all in way too much. You're a little scared for their well-being, you know.
Ronald (01:29)
EW.
Yeah.
Absolutely, and you're right because their parents also run the gambit too. So for people listening who don't know, I have in my house four teenage daughters. I have 18 year old senior graduating this year, then I have a freshman, a seventh grader, and a fifth grader. So I've got everybody.
Nick Clason (01:54)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, you're right there.
Ronald (02:15)
And my elementary school kid who's in fifth grade, Ruth is telling me about like her friends who have cell phones and have had cell phones since like third and fourth grade. Like that's just been their reality. They have always had a phone. Think of the iPad kid who just like parents are like, yeah, whatever here, right? Here's just the next step up. Go ahead and have a phone. Don't care. Put whatever on it. And then like,
Nick Clason (02:42)
So
Ronald (02:45)
me and my family, this has become our rule, it was our rule with our first, you get your cell phone at the end of fifth grade. And so, and we'll talk a little bit more about this too because I have really appreciated what other parents like told me and helped me figure out. That cell phone only can do a couple things, right? And we stair-step eventually through it.
Nick Clason (02:54)
Okay.
Hmm. So as we like lean into this, first of all, everyone should know, no matter where you're listening, hit the link down below, because Ronald and I put together kind of like a collaborative hybrid ministry for middle schoolers kind of resource. So take it, download it, use it, share it with your parents, whatever you want to do. But especially like here we are post-Christmas, and isn't it so true that most middle schoolers
Ronald (03:30)
Use it.
Nick Clason (03:41)
there's a lot of technology that's given under the tree. And so this is just a very timely conversation, right? Like let's talk about technology use and middle schoolers. give us, like, why you start there where you did a little bit, like dive a little deeper into that. Fifth grader, that's your rule. Is that your recommendation? Do you take it, would you recommend parents take that on more of a case by case type basis? What's the wisdom principle in that, or is it?
Ronald (03:44)
100%.
yeah.
Nick Clason (04:08)
you know, hard and fast, like, yeah, as soon as they're done with fifth grade, they're mature enough to have a cell phone or like, what's your, how do you make that decision? I guess, or how would you coach parents to make that decision?
Ronald (04:17)
So what we went through and what was kind of like the deciding factor for us is, I live in San Antonio and so we have, once my kid was finished with elementary school, our oldest, she had friends who were splitting up into like the four winds, right? And we wanted to give her a way to stay connected to them and so we were like, okay, we're going to give you a phone, but.
Nick Clason (04:36)
Mm.
Yeah.
Ronald (04:46)
Big stipulations. We had it, it's an iPhone, so we locked it down pretty tight to where she couldn't download any apps without requesting permission, so that's a big deal. There's no browser on it. So in fact, my high schooler just got a browser this year for ninth grade. to put that in, yeah, no browser.
Nick Clason (04:51)
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Okay, so that's like all of middle school. Yeah.
Ronald (05:16)
Specifically also, no social media. She actually also just got her first social media, which was Pinterest. you, stair steppin' man. That's a stair step. But that, okay, here's what I tell parents, and here's what I have told parents and what I am taking through. Imagine a cell phone like a car, right? You are, even for the visual.
Nick Clason (05:25)
Okay. Which, does that even count? know, like that's one of those fringe ones.
For sure.
Mm-hmm.
Ronald (05:46)
You're giving keys away to your kid. for the audio too. on. There we go. Little foley. Little foley for our audio listeners. You don't just give the Ferrari away to a 16 year old or a 15 year old and say, right, go figure that out. guess you know more about this than I do. Like, no, no.
Nick Clason (05:46)
There you go.
Those are car keys, people. Ronald's jingling them. We'll narrate this.
Yeah.
Ronald (06:15)
you start that kid backing in and out of your driveway in the beater, right? And so we took that principle and applied it to our kids having cell phones. So like, okay, you're going to get like a not great iPhones, not the brand new one. It's going to be like, the one with the one camera. Yeah. The one camera type deal. And we're going to stair step you through this. Well, that's just an Android, Nick. That's what you.
Nick Clason (06:30)
Mm-hmm. me down. Yeah.
Maybe some crack screens like my Android here.
The glass is apparently weaker.
Ronald (06:45)
That's fine. No, and so we've stair-stepped. so my seventh grader who has a phone, also has a phone in middle school, has a phone but doesn't have, again, social media doesn't have a browser. And we also put like a stipulation on where the phone can go. My girls, I live in a two-story house. All the bedrooms are upstairs. No phones upstairs. Like that's a rule for us. And so when ...
Nick Clason (07:11)
Great rule, by the way. I approve. Yeah.
Ronald (07:14)
When it's time to go to bed, the charger's downstairs and they have to charge their phone downstairs. No phones at the dinner table. In fact, even it's no phones after dinner. So we say, hey, get it done after dinner, no phones. Those are just like things that we have done as a family to be like, hey, here's the deal. We are going to give you permission that expands with responsibility. And then also cool thing as a parent, my kids don't have a cell phone after supper.
Nick Clason (07:18)
Yeah, good.
Mmm. It's good. It's good.
Mm-hmm.
Ronald (07:44)
So if I'm just scrolling on my cell phone after supper, they're like, hey dad, what are you doing? I'm like, yeah, you're right. I need to be off my phone. I need to pay attention to you.
Nick Clason (07:46)
They're calling you out.
That's so smart. That's just like built in accountability right there, for sure. Yeah. And you know, the thing that I, I try and tell parents as well in our context and other youth ministry avenues and whatever, honestly, just like a lot of times the question is what product or what resource do you use to like monitor like your kids screen usage and all those types of things. And rest assured, there are a million different like resources and things out there that you can use and you can lean into.
Ronald (07:57)
It's huge.
Absolutely.
Nick Clason (08:22)
But at the end of the day, the goal is for that thing not to become your kid's parent. The goal is for you to be the parent of it. Right. And so I love your rules because those guidelines are things that you've put in place. Like you can lock down an iPhone all you want, but you can still abuse it if it's in the room and they're on it until way after bedtime or you know, the no, no phones after dinner thing. Like there can be indiscriminate use or just like mindless use of it. And so.
Ronald (08:50)
Mm-hmm.
Nick Clason (08:51)
You're being proactive and in on top of it, you know, and that's, that's what I really like and appreciate because that's the tech. There's always a workaround in the technology. That's what I've found. Like there's no foolproof piece of technology. It's always a work.
Ronald (09:02)
Heck yeah.
No, I figured it out when I was dealing dial-up modem internet and my parents had the protective things when I was in high school. like, I can figure this out, you know? So no amount of blocking software or things like that will get around actual discipleship of your kids. Because you are a person who is imperfect, just like your kids. They're gonna make mistakes. So what do do?
Nick Clason (09:10)
Yeah.
Exactly. Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
That's it. That's it. That's good. That's good. Let's shift gears a little bit then. Let's talk about your, how you've noticed technology, cell phones, whatever, within actual confines of youth ministry. Not just, you you parenting your kids with it, but like, what's it like navigating? Cause in a lot of cases, like we said, you got kids that don't even have it at all versus kids who are like using and fully on like all the social apps. So.
Ronald (09:36)
Like, how do you figure that out? Big deal.
Yeah.
Nick Clason (10:03)
What was your typical practice as a middle school pastor with technology?
Ronald (10:10)
Yeah, of it was just being open about that being a potential barrier between you and other people. And the other thing was not, because I was in a real conservative context, there was almost like some judgment to kids who did have a phone, which was really funny. And so I had to like stamp, yeah, I'm glad you get it. So.
Nick Clason (10:28)
Mm
Yeah, same here by the way, so I can relate to that.
Ronald (10:39)
On the one hand, whenever I had a parent being like, you know what, my kid just say that they don't connect very, they don't have any friends in youth ministry. And I'm looking at their kid, I so remember this one specific instance of girl, phone here, face down, and even her hair like covered the side of her face to where all it was, and she was in a corner on her phone looking down at it and not engaging with the room.
Nick Clason (10:59)
Yeah.
Ronald (11:07)
And then like I got a email three weeks later being like, my daughter is just not making any friends. I'm like, yeah, no joke. I've tried. And so trying to have a conversation with students where it's both not being judgmental, but also making sure they're aware of like, hey guys, if you feel lonely, one of the reasons in a list might be you're on your phone too much and you're missing what's going on right in front of you.
Nick Clason (11:13)
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
Ronald (11:36)
you care more about your online persona or the next funny video than you do your friend who's literally sitting three feet away from you. so trying to navigate that well was always the thing. And so that would just be like application. But on the other hand, you can do that in really great ways to be like, Hey guys, if you've got a phone, text a friend verse right now, someone who's not in this room, text an encouraging verse.
Nick Clason (11:52)
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Ronald (12:03)
so that you can be a light in their life, right? It's both and, right? So I don't like telling a kid, hey, cell phones are the devil, you should never have one. And I don't like telling parents, just give your kid a phone and don't worry about it, because it's absolutely both and.
Nick Clason (12:08)
Yeah. Yeah.
Right.
Yeah, yeah. Well, and that's honestly, that's exactly like what I feel like my entire podcast is predicated on. what this started out of, I don't know, I guess like a moment of frustration and a little bit of like an inflection point. like we'd gone pretty hard in on like digital ministry during COVID. I was working in Chicago and so it was necessitated, like it had to happen.
But then we found some really fun and cool wins out of doing ministry in a digital sort of context and some opportunities that actually opened up for us that weren't available to us doing ministry pre-COVID. And so as we were all sort of coming back from, you know, restrictions and lockdown and all those types of things, we were then trying to navigate this like tension between like how much should we swing the pendulum, right? And so my whole, like my whole thing, like the whole name of this like hybrid ministry is like,
Ronald (13:08)
Yeah.
Nick Clason (13:13)
It's not just your digital, but it's not just your in-person. It's kind of that both and, and I think in all of life, it's easier for us. We like to draw hard and hard and fast lines and be like, cell phones are bad. So you should not, but I like your, you know, your Ferrari example because you have to work, you have to work up to it. You don't just earn it immediately. And so like my contention is as much as we, especially older generations want to lament cell phones and how difficult they are for
ministry and connection and they are like in some cases they definitely are, but like there's also a lot of good, you know, that comes out of them. your friend a verse or group chats. Like group chats are such a simple thing that didn't exist. Was it 10 years ago? 15 years ago? Like even if you have people with Android, like group chats are still a way to stay connected, you know, to one another. but you know, so like that's, that's kind of like my contention is like
Ronald (13:54)
Mm-hmm.
No, you can't connect with people with Androids over group chat. It doesn't happen.
Nick Clason (14:11)
we have to help students navigate this well and not just settle for the easy answer of just throw your cell phone in a river. It's terrible and it's the enemy. And if we think that, then why are we getting our kids these things for Christmas? It's like, I just need to call them at practice. Okay, but now you've opened Pandora's box and that's not necessarily a bad thing, not condemning any parent for doing that. I'm just saying now we have to help them navigate that well, both at the parent level and also while we're like...
Ronald (14:20)
Yeah. Yeah.
Absolutely.
Nick Clason (14:40)
navigating and managing that within like our student ministries.
Ronald (14:44)
Sure, and it's just as important as showing your kid what you version can do and be like, hey, you know what's really cool about you version? It's a Bible reading plan. Let's you and me do it together, parent and kid. Or, hey, as a ministry, we're gonna do this month long Bible reading plan. That's on your phone. Yeah, it's absolutely being able to use the tools that are available to us, because we could have said the same thing about lamenting the invention of the car, taking away our, aw man, we're not as
Nick Clason (14:50)
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah.
Course privileges.
Ronald (15:14)
connected. So yeah, and since this is the middle school ministry podcast too, it matters to a middle school student what you model to them. Because they take that to heart. so my whole thing was not trying to judge those who had a cell phone. But yeah, absolutely. If they're going to be on YouTube,
Nick Clason (15:22)
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Ronald (15:44)
watching you know Mr. Beast do whatever Mr. Beast does then I kind of also want them to hear from their youth pastor every now and then and so that's an easy thing to do like you pastor to take your phone spend five minutes making five reels and then or five shorts for YouTube and be like hey look my kids are gonna get some encouragement for me this week that's it's out there
Nick Clason (15:51)
Why not? Yeah, exactly.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I absolutely. And one thing I've noticed and I've seen in like studies and stuff here recently is like, you know, Gen X boomers even have all sort of like settled in on Facebook millennials. Are you millennial, Ronald? Yeah. All right. Me too. Me too. Instagram, right? It's kind of like millennials favorite platform. Gen Z sort of like made tick tock its thing. We're noticing
Ronald (16:22)
yes, and how dare you.
Mm-hmm.
Nick Clason (16:34)
Jen Alpha's making YouTube kind of their spot. And I, yeah. And I even read that it, for Jen Alpha, it's taking the place of Google as its preferred search engine. And so what an opportunity for us like to be on there, you know, and for middle school kids to see us, to see their youth pastor, to maybe even see themselves or their friends from youth group. You know, if you post shorts, reels, all that type of stuff on there, like
Ronald (16:36)
Yeah, it is YouTube.
Absolutely.
Nick Clason (17:01)
You're so right. Like it's such a fantastic opportunity. it really, just exactly what my whole goal with hybrid is like showing up where they are. Like if they're on YouTube, how cool is it? Like they can get on there and they can watch MrBeast who's all across the country and also their church.
Ronald (17:17)
Well, and to even use the platform like it's currently being used then, how cool would it be if your kid typed in how to study the Bible and they got an answer from their youth pastor immediately? Like you already had a five minute video on how to study the Bible that you had prepared for your kids and it was there, right? Because that's how they're using the platform.
Nick Clason (17:30)
Right? Yeah. Exactly.
Exactly. Yeah, it's not just like, it's not just there for you as a youth pastor to have another channel for announcements, though you can be, but I would, what I encourage people to do is use the platforms for their intended uses. And so if you're going to use it for a thing that you think is what your ministry needs, but it's not in alignment with the intended use of the platform, you're not going to see the same types of results than if you actually use it for what it's being used for, which is answering specific questions.
Ronald (17:46)
Mm-hmm.
Yep. Yep.
Nick Clason (18:09)
And frankly, entertainment, right? And maybe like a little bit of inspiration too. So that's good. So what would you say to a middle school youth pastor or any youth pastor out there, like who's got people in their church like you and like me who are a little leery about cell phone, cell phone usage, middle school. Like what's the, how would you coach them, you know, to either lean in and have that conversation or.
Ronald (18:26)
Mm-hmm.
Nick Clason (18:38)
with parents or how to like manage maybe some of that potential like turbulent waters of, you know, angry parents who think cell phones are evil and of the devil.
Ronald (18:48)
You know what's funny is when I first started in ministry, there was a big deal where we said, don't bring any cell phones to camp. And then there was a really turbulent season in between when we arrived to my kid as a parent saying, my kid will bring their phone to camp or they're not going.
Nick Clason (18:58)
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
yeah.
Ronald (19:18)
And so navigating that in between, I think there are far fewer parents who are going to say that a cell phone is evil. They might be saying, my kid has to have one because I need to be connected and know what's up with my kid at all times.
Nick Clason (19:27)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Ronald (19:35)
which is a different type of unhealth, that's fine. We can go from there. To help a youth pastor navigate the cell phones. Cell phones are bad, right? A cell phone is the same, to use the car analogy. It's a tool. can take you someplace great. It can take you someplace awful. And if you want to be the youth pastor who's like, no cell phones in the youth room. They go in this box over here and we use paper Bible still. Like that's fine.
Nick Clason (19:45)
Yeah.
Yeah, you can do that. Yeah, yeah.
Ronald (20:04)
if you explain that, right? As long as you're saying, why we do this as a ministry, this is the vision, this is what we're trying to accomplish. Do that, but you're going to have parents who, when you go to camp, when you go to retreat, they're gonna push back on you and be like, hey, my kid is going to take their cell phone. I don't care what their rules are.
Nick Clason (20:28)
Yeah. Well, like when did you get a cell phone? Like how old were you when you got a cell phone? Yeah.
Ronald (20:31)
I was 16 and I got a cell phone because my parents were afraid that I was going to get lost when I started driving by myself. So I got my dad's secretary's old Nokia phone.
Nick Clason (20:45)
But so you're 16, right? And now you're the type of parent in that particular age bracket and demographic, you're sending your daughter's kids to camp. like that's all, know, cell phones from the age of 16 for you and on up. Like I was about the same, you know, so here in a couple of years when my kids are old enough to go to camp, I only, that's my like comfort zone, you know? And so like I get their scary stuff on it, but
Ronald (20:56)
Yeah. Yeah.
Nick Clason (21:14)
It's also gonna, it's not, you're not never gonna give your kid a cell phone. So how do we, and that's my thing, how do we help lean in and teach them the good things of it? Put good, good rules and guidelines and guardrails all around it so that you're hopefully protecting your kids and having conversations, you know, with it.
Ronald (21:25)
Yeah.
It's exactly that. It's continued conversations with kids. And even as a parent being okay to say, these are our non-cell phone times to where we're going to talk. I know parents who like to say no phones in the car because that 15 minute, 20 minute drive can be like, hey, we can actually have a conversation as we drive around. But just having conversations about your phone usage. Hey, who are you following? Hey.
Nick Clason (21:35)
That's it, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, so true.
Mm-hmm.
Ronald (22:00)
I or even telling like I will do this with my girls. I'll send them goofy videos and goofy memes Not because I think they're the funniest thing in the world But I'm trying to connect with them on their level like to my own kids and so like It's funny because they don't have social media what I'm doing is screen recording a funny reel I saw and then sending that to them as a message
Nick Clason (22:09)
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah dude. Yeah, for sure.
Bro, that's so committed, but I love it. Like that's, you you're like, we're not doing the social media thing, but I still want you to see this thing that I saw on social media and it's funny. So you'll like it. It's great.
Ronald (22:34)
Yeah, and I want you to know that I'm thinking of you throughout the day. I want you to laugh. This is a funny thing. And yeah, phones aren't the devil. Yeah, so it's trying to continually have a conversation with your kid. And even where you're saying, hopefully they're coming to you and being like, my friend is being dumb in the group chat. They go, okay, what did they say? Talking through what's good to text, what's not good to text, how...
Nick Clason (22:43)
That's great,
Ronald (23:02)
inflection matters and be like, Hey, I know you hate it, but this might be a FaceTime moment because it sounds like you guys are not seeing each other texting back and forth. Maybe you need to like actually talk.
Nick Clason (23:12)
Yeah. Yeah, man, that's so good. Well, anything else, Ronald, before we hang this sucker up?
Ronald (23:19)
I think the most important thing a parent can do with their kid and having a phone is have some guidelines and have lots of conversations. I think if you stick into those two places, like you're gonna be in a spot where maybe sometimes it's uncomfortable, maybe it's sometimes you're giving a little bit more, you're giving more unearned responsibility away than you're ready for, but like that's parenting as a whole. You don't want your 18 year old kid.
to get a cell phone and all social media all at once and be like, well, now I'm gonna learn everything. It's much, I think it's a much better experience for you and the kid if you walk them through the process together with you in the driver's seat sometimes and them in the driver's seat sometimes.
Nick Clason (24:04)
That's good. Yeah, actually, if anyone's listening to this, watching this like here live, like in the next several weeks, like that's what I'm doing on my podcast is I'm doing like some parent and kid kind of like tech talks. And so they're like aimed for youth pastors to like curate or have that conversation with like some downloadable worksheets and stuff like that that they can share. because I think that's, that's the key in all of this. Like it's, it's easier to draw a line in the sand and be like, no, this, like this is it. We're not doing that, but like we,
Ronald (24:16)
Mmm, yeah.
Nick Clason (24:34)
That's the phone has not allowed us to do that. It's not going away. So instead we got to figure out how do we lean into it into what's uncomfortable and maybe like uncertain waters, like lean into it to just open up that continued kind of conversation thing. So I think that's, that's so good. So, yo, if you're listening here for me on my channel, go follow everything Ronald's doing, middle school ministry podcast. It's dope. It's all about middle schoolers and he's got dope co-hosts.
Ronald (24:48)
Absolutely.
Yeah. I just want to thank everybody for listening to my podcast, the hybrid ministry podcast. Thank you so much. That's really great. No, and if you're, if you're listening to this from middle school ministry podcast, you should definitely go check out what Nick Clayson is doing over in hybrid ministry. Some really good stuff, some really helpful things to carry the conversation forward when it comes to the digital world and youth ministry.
Nick Clason (25:05)
that you've taken over.
Yeah, no, I love it. So good. And like I said, we both collabed on a little resource. It's free in both of our show notes, so go grab that. that's it, man. We'll talk to guys next time.
Ronald (25:34)
See you around.
27 min
January 02, 2025 Episode 130: 2024 - A Celebration of You: Hybrid Ministry Stats & Stories in Review
🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
✅Let me Run Your Church Social Media
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
DESCRIPTION
Join us as we celebrate YOU in the "Year in Review for 2024" of the Hybrid Ministry show.
We'll celebrate some statistics, give some shout outs and share the "best of" clips from the 2024 Hybrid Ministry Show.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/130
//BONUS Pod!
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
//Custom Coaching
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/coaching
//GIFlashback Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVHcraeNlC8&list=PLngXlSr64YaIui8LNpnlUI3yFAm9SGrLy&index=5&t=24s
//9 Best DYM Games
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
//No Prep Games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=melm8BS97es&list=PLngXlSr64YaLIJceFHg7w8vxlx5ARqXeg&index=6&t=164s
//Youth Ministry Planning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTQXsananwI&list=PLngXlSr64YaKjRX2ytO0tvzo8VnF6X03t&index=2&t=202s
//YouTube for Youth Ministry
https://youtu.be/ucvXfaVRJ6E?si=aNYGzB08DV6HHD3G
//Interview Series
https://youtu.be/D4vE7_ZqBpE?si=Hdk5X2KRn_SGr6HM
//Hybrid Tools
https://youtu.be/0np1d4Trcn0?si=7OkkCVCmY8Kvx6ha
//Meet Gen Alpha
https://youtu.be/DWYvsn2Kglk?si=FrnlS3C1xDHITyDb
//Social Challenge Framework
https://youtu.be/K_9Ch2KVNH0?si=THozXMi9NqzxJeUt
//Sidekick
https://youtu.be/lXI3ZKSvFY0?si=O-Em7X00hV9waXBE
//Sidekick + ProPresenter Setup
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
//Interview with Nate Clason
https://youtu.be/uplCz1S1nz4?si=sne7LvdGvAgrKU72
//DYM Blog Post
https://blog.downloadyouthministry.com/introducing-hybrid-ministry-with-nick-clason/
⌚TIMECODES
00:00 Welcome to 2025!
00:40 Some Stats & Wins
08:47 Personal Reflections
11:21 Thank You to our Amazing Guests!
14:45 Year in Review
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00;00;00;00 - 00;00;36;11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
What a year it has been. From the incredible wins to the unforgettable moments, we have covered so much ground together. And in this special Year in Review episode, we on the Hybrid Ministry show, we are celebrating you, our amazing community with highlights and stats and the best of the hybrid minstrel show here in 2024. Make sure that you stick around because I've actually distilled a highlight reel of the 2024 Hybrid Mr. Podcast Best Moments.
00;00;36;14 - 00;01;08;04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
This just might be your favorite episode yet. Welcome back, everybody to the Hybrid Minister Show. I as always, I'm your host, Nick Claassen. And today we're going to be taking a little bit of a trip down memory lane to celebrate the amazing year and this incredible journey that you and I have been on together. As we always have on this podcast, we're going to be exploring the cutting edge ministry ideas and equip you with the tools to dominate the digital space in 2025.
00;01;08;04 - 00;01;35;14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's been a ride in 2024, and 2025 is only going to get better. And it is all thank you to you. You know, in 2024, we released a total of 52 audio podcast episodes because we release one every single Thursday. If you haven't liked or subscribed yet, wherever you listen to your podcast, it's free and it will show up in your podcast.
00;01;35;14 - 00;02;13;17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Catcher. Every single Thursday. Why? Because youth ministry often happens for most youth ministries across the country on Wednesday, so who doesn't need a little jolt of energy to get the to get them through the rest of their week on Thursdays? But 52 episodes released because we have not missed a single Thursday in the two and a half or so plus years that we've been doing this podcast, I just want to share with you some some highlights of the top performing video over this last year was a video that I titled top five Last Minute Game Ideas.
00;02;13;17 - 00;02;36;22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
If you're watching here on YouTube, you can see some of the clips being overlaid with B-roll. We also over this year we've had nine different playlists that we've worked through. And so in each of those playlists, there's a obviously a top performing video in each of those playlists. And so our very first playlist we had was the 2024 On Demand masterclass.
00;02;36;22 - 00;02;56;28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And in that video, the five No Prep games was a part of the masterclass. And that video had to, 361 views. And so that was not only the number one video for the year, but obviously the number one in the masterclass playlist. We also dropped a bonus you might not notice we dropped a bonus playlist called the Friday Game Day Series.
00;02;56;28 - 00;03;28;06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It released every Friday on YouTube, and, we covered nine of my favorite DRM games that I use. And so actually, if you had any of those or linked down below in this episode nine of my all time favorite do swim games, I'm giving them away to you completely for free. They are games that are on the, they're on the, they're on the website, the download Youth Ministry website, but I'm giving them away to you in this episode, 100% completely for free.
00;03;28;06 - 00;03;49;29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And the best performing video in that playlist was the GIF flashback episode. We also went through a playlist titled some of the Youth Pastor's Biggest Problems, and the number one episode in that was youth Ministry planning weekend services versus mid week programing. And actually in that episode we ranked youth ministry curriculum. Spoiler it's clear you should try it.
00;03;49;29 - 00;04;12;22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
In fact, if you haven't yet, hit the link down below. Sidekick.tv/pricing if you've never signed up for anything with Diam or Calendar, use the code Hybrid Ministry ten. All one word for get 10% off your first order. We went through the YouTube for Youth Ministry Play lesson playlist in the best performing video, and that playlist was the flagship title episode YouTube for Youth Ministry.
00;04;12;22 - 00;04;33;07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I then took you through some of the hybrid ministry tools and gear that you needed and the the best episode, and that the highest performing episode was the best gear for Digital Ministry in 2024. Must have tech accessories. Then over the summer, we went through an interview series and that episode, the one that was best in that playlist, was the solution to distractions.
00;04;33;07 - 00;04;56;24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
At youth group, where I interviewed my good friend Josh Baldwin from Download Youth Ministry sidekick and co-leader. Then we went through Meat Generation Alpha, and in that playlist, the Ora and Bach versus Covenant Eyes. An honest youth pastor review was the highest performing video in that playlist. Finally, I went to my Social Challenge framework, which is the four things that I'm creating content with students and for students.
00;04;56;24 - 00;05;17;16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I can't tell you, I think that might be my most popular playlist to date cumulatively, and just word of mouth and things I've heard from youth pastors on the street. So thank you so much for that feedback. But the best episode and that one was the third one, how churches can use social media ideas and examples. And finally, the sidekick more engaging youth ministry.
00;05;17;16 - 00;05;39;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Again, the best episode on that one was the live sidekick demo at the day of recording. And again, don't forget Code Hybrid Ministry ten. If you're interested in sidekick or link down below for how we are using to computers to run Sidekick and Pro Presenter seamlessly. To switch between the two, grab that black magic video switcher, it will make your life so much easier.
00;05;39;10 - 00;06;05;21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now listen on YouTube. In total, we had 84,569 views, including our shorts content with 522 hours of watch time and 151 new subscribers. And in the youth ministry space is a fantastic number and I'm so thrilled, with those stats and with those numbers, simply because here I am in my guest bedroom late at night, recording a podcast into the back of my cell phone.
00;06;05;23 - 00;06;26;05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And, I have a real job, and I'm just doing this on the side with my own. Sort of like, equipment at home. And so thank you so much for your support. You might also not know this, but we have an audio only podcast. It drops anywhere you get your podcasts, including Spotify or Apple Music, not Apple Music, Apple Podcasts.
00;06;26;12 - 00;06;51;11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we had almost 5000 downloads. Our biggest month was by far August, with almost nearly 1000 downloads in that month alone. And the number one downloaded audio podcast was my interview with my brother himself. The, YouTube video is linked down below in the show notes. But here's my interview with my brother, Nate Clayson. We talked about social media and how he's doing it in his context and in his youth ministry.
00;06;51;11 - 00;07;13;00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So shout out to all of you again, thank you for an amazing year. Thank you for cruising through the stats with me. But what I wanted to do now is I wanted to share some of the best comments that we've gotten so far this year, and so far today. So from Jesse Johnson, first of all, he disagreed with my take on coffee and saying that Duncan was terrible, which I'll give him that it's not great.
00;07;13;00 - 00;07;30;01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's a chain. But if I have to choose between that and Starbucks, that's what I'm stuck with. That's what I'm going to choose. But he said he said using polls in the welcome loop in sidekick is so easy, I can't believe I didn't think of it. Excited to try that one out. Claire said this in our best parenting app podcast.
00;07;30;01 - 00;07;49;05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We use bark and it has been so wonderful for our family. We have an 11 year old, and it has been a lifesaver. We can monitor everything that she does online, block her from seeing certain websites, track her locations, etc. recently, she disabled the app because her and my husband, we both get notifications, so we went to our daughter immediately.
00;07;49;05 - 00;08;06;29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It turns out she had disabled it because she wanted to watch South Park and Family Guy, as well as some other PG 13 movies. She said nope. Luckily, my husband and I got there before she could see anything inappropriate. We're grateful for bark to bark, for protecting our little girl from online dangers, and protecting her from innocence and inappropriate content.
00;08;06;29 - 00;08;26;05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We love bark. Paul Turner said this about our, why youth ministry. Follow up isn't working. He said, this is great stuff. Lots of idea. I went and bought it. Talking about the box that I sold. I'll be sharing this with my newsletter. If you ever want to collab, let me know. Keep up the great work! And finally, a frequent guest here on this podcast.
00;08;26;05 - 00;08;59;05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Over a year ago we did a Christmas episode together. He was also on one of my interview series over the summer, Eric with the K Williams. He said this is great. Anyone starting out needs to watch this and he's talking about my church social media from scratch episode in the hybrid ministry tools. Man, what an amazing year. But if I'm looking back and if I'm taking on some of my reflections and kind of key moments, I'd have to say it's two individuals, a guy by the name of Tim Kelly and Kendall Eaton, both, by the way, who happen to live in the state of Indiana.
00;08;59;05 - 00;09;21;14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I don't think that the collab done this, but both of them at two different times. Tim actually reached out to me for some custom coaching this year, and that was a super fun and super, just a honestly rewarding process to walk through. And it showed me the value of custom coaching, because what I would have recommended to you in my guest bedroom and to the back of my cell phone camera was a little bit different.
00;09;21;14 - 00;09;38;14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Once I started talking to Tim, which is why I believe custom coaching is valuable for anyone who's interested it. Link down below if you want to inquire about what that looks like. It is a very modest and a very cheap price for custom coaching. Or if you don't want like the one on one zoom type interaction and consider joining our Patreon page.
00;09;38;21 - 00;09;55;04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's a dollar per week for a bonus episode, $4 per month, and I'll just share, stream of consciousness ideas. And you might not need the actual, like, coaching to do this, to do this, but you'll get to glean ideas. And then I was at the I 100 conference, a month ago or so, and Kendall walked up to me.
00;09;55;04 - 00;10;20;02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
He said, man, thank you so much for your podcast is really helpful. It's really beneficial. I shared your playlist, your ideas with some of our social media people and is incredibly, incredibly helpful. And so it's just really rewarding for me to be able to do this and just put this content out into the world, out into the ether and get feedback from real, live human beings and real life people who've come to me, in different instances, in different cases.
00;10;20;02 - 00;10;39;21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Tim, all virtually Kendall in person to say, man, thank you for what you're doing. It really is helpful to me to hear that. And so if if you know you have feedback or anything like that, I would obviously and always welcome that. Lines and channels of communication are completely open. You know, here on this podcast we have a couple of really cool benchmarks.
00;10;40;12 - 00;10;56;27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Just in the month of December, we launched a Patreon page, are selling a couple of products over there, as well as that monthly podcast that I'm talking about. And so that's a pretty fun kind of benchmark kind of new thing for us. And new endeavor. Would love to have you, check that out if that's something you're interested in.
00;10;56;27 - 00;11;19;06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then also, back in August, I got the opportunity to start posting these podcasts to the Download a Youth Ministry blog. So if you're interested in that, you can go blog that download Youth ministry.com to check that out. And the link down below introduces my very first, post on there, actually, Josh Bowman, he introduced me and then I now am an author there on the doing blog.
00;11;19;06 - 00;11;48;07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So that's something that's really, really exciting. But speaking of Josh Bullman, as well as many of our other guests, I would like to thank my different guests that I had on this year. So Josh Boardman, of course, from down the youth ministry, we actually had him on twice. We talked once about sidekick and solutions to distractions and youth ministry and harnessing sidekick and utilizing and using cell phones, to not be a distraction, but instead to be something that you can use to help promote creativity and involvement engagement.
00;11;48;07 - 00;12;13;09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But then one episode, my all time, my favorite episode this entire year was there. Him and I sat down and he brought a service, a mock service order sheet that he put on, and then he said, hey, how can you hybridize this? How can you, make this, accessible to the people sitting online streaming at home? Man, both those episodes go to either one of them now, but that was one of my all time favorite episodes.
00;12;13;11 - 00;12;31;21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I had, Eric with a K on when we talked about better event for promotion, and that was actually a collaborative episode. So the first part of that interview was on his channel, Practical Youth Ministry Tips, and the second part was over here on my channel. And so if you only listen to on my channel, you only heard really half of that conversation.
00;12;31;24 - 00;12;53;00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Of course, I mentioned earlier, my brother, we had David Carpenter, youth pastor from Kentucky, my former resident, Caleb Fly mule, fly wheel, Miata, and again, Zeus take on what we've been doing. And youth ministry and student ministry. He worked with and for me for an entire year in this sort of hybrid, infrastructure. So if you want to hear an honest take here from him.
00;12;53;00 - 00;13;18;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then we had a really special episode dropped this year, our 100th episode. And so for our 100th episode, I went all the way back to the beginning, even before this podcast started. And I talked about, when I started at church in Covid. And so I interviewed my current boss now and my boss then, Darren Sutton, his son, who is our video editor for much of what we did, for our digital online presence, for a show that we created on YouTube called unscripted.
00;13;18;10 - 00;13;44;03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So his son Isaac was on the show. And then I also interviewed Sam Voss, good friend of mine and host of the unscripted show and podcast Super Fun Time. But hey, listen, this year, like, I'm wondering if, as you know, I'm recapping and recounting 2024 if as you got your eyes set on 2025, what are you doing to have a more hybrid, more digital, more creative youth ministry?
00;13;44;03 - 00;14;14;16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Because as my friend and boss Darren says, digital is no longer a luxury. It is now a necessity. And so that's what we're trying to accomplish again over on our Patreon page. If that's something that you're interested in, where I will talk about what we're doing on a week to week basis in our youth ministry over on Patreon, I would love to have you just come check out, listen in on what we're doing, and hopefully maybe just that $4 a month is an investment, enough to help kickstart and spur on your own creativity.
00;14;14;16 - 00;14;38;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We love to have you join us over there. It's super fun. Community. There's all sorts of perks as well. But hey, thank you so much for sticking around for this entire episode. And as promised, at the very top right here, we have an amazing, recap overlay. I went back through every single episode, and I pulled out some of my favorite snippets and clips from the last year.
00;14;38;16 - 00;15;00;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So enjoy this. And as always, my friends, don't forget to stay hybrid. Okay, so there are like three kind of core tenets philosophical things that you guys need to understand when it comes to time management. These aren't tips. These aren't tactics. These are things that you have to understand first. And these have to inform the tips and the tactics.
00;15;00;10 - 00;15;24;16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Know my tips. No amount of tactics will be helpful to you if you don't understand these things. So core tenet number one is that you are 100% responsible for your time. The reason this matters is because this is the difference between is that kid and kid in ministry or is that kid and youth ministry? And if we're talking about youth group numbers and youth group attendance, we need to understand Gen Alpha, but we also need to understand Gen Z.
00;15;24;19 - 00;15;47;01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The kicker on this is that Gen Z, really the youngest Gen Z that we have, is going to be freshmen and sophomores in high school. And now after that, they're waiting on up there in college already, and they are entering the workforce. What should you be? Gen one, number one, start posting longform to YouTube, get a DUI gym membership.
00;15;47;03 - 00;16;14;00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And it looks very different in 2024 and frankly, beyond because of generation Z and now Generation Alpha saving up Z into the adult ministry, conversation Alpha into the youth ministry conversation, it makes me wonder if the future is already here. I think it might be Megan and all her friends, and she brought a lot of her friends to youth group, so this, like kind of mattered because, like, she could bring two, 3 or 4 different friends with her.
00;16;14;00 - 00;16;35;17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
The youth group, they had show choir and it met every single Wednesday night. And so that made Wednesday nights a really tricky night to do youth ministry. But Brandon, the only other boy in the youth ministry, had Tuesday night and Thursday night karate. And then of course, Friday nights are like the football game. Like for most towns USA.
00;16;35;23 - 00;16;58;18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
That's when the high school team is playing his football game. So that really left us with Monday night as an option, which but the pro of, of Wednesday night to me is probably the your most traditional youth night. It's been what, a lot of churches, a lot of youth groups have done for years. And like down here where I live in DFW, Dallas-Fort worth area, a lot of churches do.
00;16;58;18 - 00;17;22;13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Wednesday night, and I came from Chicago. Not many churches did did Wednesday night. And that's just kind of a cultural thing, right. But the pro to me is it's like a midweek kind of jolt of energy. Well. Hey, everyone, welcome to Friday Game Day. In this episode, link down below 100% completely for free. I have for you back to school.
00;17;22;15 - 00;18;04;03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Bingo. And if you're like, I don't need back to school bingo, it's not back to school yet. Well, then head on over to download Youth ministry.com and you can grab my end of the school year. Bingo! Well, that idea of course, is go hybrid. And listen, I'm not saying to completely abandon your in-person meetings. In fact, that would go completely against the hybrid strategy because hybrid is melding together of your digital presence in your in-person presence and making it one in the same, but linked right here on screen and down in the description or wherever you're getting this or hybrid ministry X, y, Z/089 is my 100% completely free strategy guide, is my e-book on
00;18;04;03 - 00;18;32;07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
how I build out a full fledged digital strategy. It's mostly focusing on a done for you social media strategy, but it's anchored by the, long form teaching video, which takes place and is posted weekly every time we teach pre filmed messages on YouTube direct to Camera Pro. Number one, of course, is like develop mentally splitting middle school and high school seems to be appropriate.
00;18;32;09 - 00;19;07;16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
In my over a year journey on this podcast, I have grown to love YouTube. When I started with social media and what I started trying to reach students on the internet, YouTube was a distant kind of far strategy that was on my radar. Like it was like, I'll post some videos over there. But in my time since that, which was probably five, six, seven years ago, I have come to love YouTube and I am more and more convinced that YouTube, in addition to all other digital and social mediums that we can effectively reach students with.
00;19;07;19 - 00;19;30;04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But YouTube is one of the best resources out there. You can always say down below in the description are links. And so for every single video that I post on my Student Ministries YouTube channel, we post two links. The first link is a Next Steps digital type Connect card, and I think about your own viewing habits on social media.
00;19;30;04 - 00;19;55;08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
When you're on there, you're not necessarily on there to just, be informed, right? Link down below is a complete log of every single piece of gear that I have built in the studio.
Isaac Sutton
All of the students in the room who are watching unscripted have bingo cards that coordinated to stuff that know yes, digital integration is not a luxury, it's a necessity.
00;19;55;10 - 00;20;19;09
Sam Vos
It was probably I probably felt God's hand more in like my career, my life in that moment than a lot of other moments.
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Unscripted played a really major role in like the catalyst to especially my podcast and everything like that. I would say the reason for that is simply realizing and understand that students live online.
Darren Sutton
There's a lot I've messed up in my years of youth ministry, but that is one thing that I'm really proud of.
00;20;19;13 - 00;20;30;14
Darren Sutton
Like in the middle of the pandemic, there was not a blank ministry kept going. We're going to try something different.
00;20;30;17 - 00;20;53;12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you should use your cell phone to your advantage.
Caleb "Flywheel" Maeda
I think. I think the things that have been working the most has been getting students involved on the page, not even in terms of like on the page traction as much as like in-person traction.
David Carpenter
We speak to our students on Wednesday nights for about 18 to 22 minutes. Sunday morning there's a, you know, 28 to 32 minutes.
00;20;53;14 - 00;21;24;18
David Carpenter
And we think they probably remember everything we said, right? Like they they wrote the notes, they've got it and they've already applied every one of these points. You know, it was alliterative. And remember my great illustration. And one, you know, when when we're including things that are reflecting on the teachings, I think that reinforces and reminds those who were in the room.
Nate Clason
and seeing you, like, super passionate about it and watching your podcast really, honestly like, and your different videos and clips on like TikTok and stuff to sign it
Josh Boldman | Download Youth Ministry & The Greatest programming specialist in America
every single time you had to type in the password.
00;21;24;19 - 00;21;47;00
Josh Boldman | Download Youth Ministry & The Greatest programming specialist in America
It was a great and I, I got into trouble. One time I was in front of our I like our whole camp, like it was like a thousand kids, right? And sidekick was running and then it crashed and then they had to reopen it. And they're like, from the booth they yell out, what's the password? And in front of 1000 students, I had to say a password into the microphone.
00;21;47;00 - 00;22;09;14
Josh Boldman | Download Youth Ministry & The Greatest programming specialist in America
And here's the best part. You ready for this? It was the same password for everything. Like my my bank account and, all this stuff. So, like, we need to not be afraid of what our students want, and we need to not be afraid of them expressing their opinion. And we need to not be afraid of them disagreeing with each other or with us.
00;22;09;14 - 00;22;36;20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Better event promotion as well as a holistic digital and social media approach for your church and your youth ministry. And this is actually part two. Part one is linked right here at the top of the screen over on another channel, because we're doing a massive mashup collab. And I am joined today by my friend Eric with the K petition, because in just a minute, we're gonna look at the Bark vs Aura
00;22;36;20 - 00;23;01;20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But Aura has parental controls and they are now in partnership with circle. You might remember Circle by Disney, the first video idea that we do it's called Drafts challenge idea number two that we do in our church and in our student ministry is a game called name of the game is seven Questions. A man on the street named transition stab video is where it starts with the video of something else.
00;23;01;20 - 00;23;22;24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And the most popular one I can think about is like a a bull, ramming a guy during the running of the bulls. And then all these people cutting right there to jumping into the back of some chairs and millennial churchgoers said this. They said hybrid church just as much as physical church will be a get this good fit for them.
00;23;22;26 - 00;23;44;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One of the things about five minute countdowns that I actually hate, and I know that as talking to a guy who works for Download Youth Ministry, and that's where a lot of the money is made and a lot of five minute countdowns are sold. I actually prefer, which, by the way, talking to you right now, let this be an unofficial sidekick feature request.
00;23;44;24 - 00;24;11;13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Yeah. Because right now in sidekick, you can, you can loop your announcements, right? You can loop some, like, graphic slides. And I actually prefer that to be the five minute countdown with just the five minute countdown overlaid in the corner, so that all of the announcements that you're announcing and trying to let your students know about are happening, is being seen on the screen.
00;24;11;18 - 00;24;37;06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then the very last piece of it, my favorite piece of it, the piece that I think makes it hybrid, is right. When you open the box, you see this QR code here and it just says welcome video. Scan me. And so we'll have students who are new to the open this up theoretically on their porch, on their patio or wherever they will scan it, and then it will take them to a video right here will be launching here during the course of this playlist, starting officially on December 2nd.
00;24;37;09 - 00;25;00;21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
A brand new bonus podcast. I'm going to be releasing it one time per week. Going to be over on my Patreon page, but a student give them an opportunity to to be a part of this. Give them a seat at the table to let them know that that this church is about the next generation and that matters. Again, it's no longer the day where we can just hand this off to to an unpaid intern.
00;25;00;24 - 00;25;11;10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Hope that they keep our social media on life support. Like get after it. My friends, 2025 is going to be your year. We are here in the Hybrid Ministry show to help.
12 min
December 26, 2024 Episode 129: The Definitive Social Media Strategy for Busy Youth Pastors in 2025 | Hybrid Ministry Guide
🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
✅Let me Run Your Church Social Media
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
DESCRIPTION
Tired of struggling with digital ministry? Join me on The Hybrid Ministry Show as I answer your burning questions about creating a thriving hybrid presence for your church in 2025. From crafting engaging social content to building authentic community, this episode equips you with the tools to succeed in both digital and in-person spaces.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/129
//Hybrid Stratgey Guide
https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book
//Opus Clip
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//Easy & Effective
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaKLwZqOkQe7NzOqSVR0-P1s
//Studio Tour
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/studio
//YouTube for Youth Ministry
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaLHMhNNfqmmmAsKRJ1VCBJl&si=aymQa0f2yHhwqmta
//Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/hybridMinistry
//Coaching
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/coaching
//Comms for You
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
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🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
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OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
🕰️TIMECODES
00:00 Church Social Media for 2025
01:13 Quality or Quantity?
05:05 Announcements or Nah...?
07:02 Social Graph vs Discovery Era of Social
09:44 Social isn't for Interns
11:20 What if it's all messed up?
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:02:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Pastor, youth pastor, church
00:00:02:01 - 00:00:03:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
communications person. Are you struggling
00:00:03:25 - 00:00:06:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to figure out digital ministry?
00:00:06:00 - 00:00:07:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well, here's the deal.
00:00:07:20 - 00:00:13:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I created this video so that you can stop googling church social media tips.
00:00:13:23 - 00:00:18:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And in fact, I created this video so that you don't have to hire me or anybody else.
00:00:18:16 - 00:00:27:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm going to show you and give you what it takes to be able to create a thriving online and digital hybrid presence.
00:00:27:22 - 00:00:30:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, here's the thing. I've been doing this podcast for
00:00:30:02 - 00:00:47:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
over two years now, and in my over two year journey of this podcast and hybrid ministry, I am helping churches do online well. But I'm also helping churches maintain their in-person presence and find that intersection, which is always the goal as we're trying to create
00:00:47:18 - 00:00:53:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a church so that it matches and mirrors people where they are.
00:00:53:01 - 00:00:59:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that intersection is what I like to call hybrid right there in the middle. And so we're
00:00:59:02 - 00:01:11:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
going to dive into some of the frequently asked questions here on the Hybrid Ministry show as we round out 2024 and set our sights to 2025.
00:01:11:01 - 00:01:13:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you not haven't had a chance to meet you.
00:01:13:27 - 00:01:24:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My name is Nicholas, and while I've been doing this podcast for two and a half years, I've been doing ministry for 14 years. And, my journey all along the way has led me towards this hybrid
00:01:24:01 - 00:01:31:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
sort of ministry. But in this episode, we are going to tackle some of the frequently asked questions that I've gotten from people all across the internet.
00:01:31:20 - 00:01:37:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Different groups have been in cohorts. I've run workshops, so I've led asking questions like, what
00:01:37:04 - 00:01:50:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is hybrid ministry? Why is it even important? What is your content schedule? What's your capturing schedule? How do you edit the videos? What is, what would you consult me to do if I was just getting started? And
00:01:50:01 - 00:01:52:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
we are going to walk through all of those things.
00:01:52:25 - 00:02:04:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And as always, if you're here on YouTube, don't forget there are chapters down below at the bottom of the screen so that you can jump around to the question that means the most to you. Welcome to Hybrid Ministry show.
00:02:04:17 - 00:02:16:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Question number one. We alluded to it in the intro, but what is hybrid ministry? My favorite analogy, and this is actually some of the stuff that we're exploring over on my brand new Patreon
00:02:16:18 - 00:02:16:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
page.
00:02:16:29 - 00:02:34:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And some of these questions actually came from some of our brand new Patreon members. Shout out to Jesse. Johnson. Love having you over here. But, some of these questions, are like, what is hybrid ministry? Okay. So some of the questions are like, why? What's the purpose of this? What even is it? So it's important.
00:02:34:20 - 00:02:55:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let's get a baseline okay. Again, chapters at the bottom. If you already know this, jump ahead. But hybrid ministry is intersecting your in-person and your digital, right. We all know in Covid we had digital church only. And we know that we hated it. Struggle with it, didn't know how to engage students. Well, we missed the in-person. And so when, restrictions are lifted, we all came back to in-person.
00:02:55:26 - 00:03:02:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we miss it. We miss community. We miss friendship. We miss praying with one another. We missed sharing meals together,
00:03:02:22 - 00:03:15:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but we did a lot of good ministry over here too. Digitally. Right. And so, we kind of got these two buckets here. You got online only and you got in-person only. Let's let's examine
00:03:15:09 - 00:03:16:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
what each of those are good for.
00:03:16:14 - 00:03:30:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My opinion online is a fantastic content delivery system. So emails, information announcements but also content sermons, podcasts, long form teaching courses, things like that. What is in-person good for
00:03:30:29 - 00:03:37:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that? Online struggles with real, authentic community. Like you. You can have a version of community
00:03:37:06 - 00:03:41:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
because of in-person friendships through like a means like texting or even like chats and stuff like that.
00:03:41:27 - 00:04:03:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But I mean real in-person community, like, we all kind of hunger for it long for. And you, some people like, are in the metaverse and and that's satisfying that sort of age. They're friends with people from a distance. But but a lot of ways like real community life on life, sharing meals together, carrying one another's burdens, prayer requests, honestly, everything in like a shepherding, sort of like
00:04:03:05 - 00:04:04:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
small group space.
00:04:04:18 - 00:04:28:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if we look at a typical Sunday morning sermon, most of it is what we can accomplish with online. And thus in lies the inherent tension. Because everything we can do on a Sunday morning can be easily replicable. And frankly, it's even a little bit more attractive, especially to people like Gen, Gen Z, millennials, even Gen Alpha to consume content, sermons and church services online.
00:04:29:05 - 00:04:45:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But what younger generations are craving and the church has to figure out how to offer it in a way that, either takes the place of Sunday morning or as an attractive alternative to what's going on Sunday morning. Is that real, deep, authentic life on life, biblical community
00:04:45:19 - 00:04:50:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and that intersection of where you're online, which you should have online.
00:04:50:15 - 00:04:59:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you if you're a mostly in-person church hybrid ministry for you is adding in online so that you can have a more robust experience of your church, if you're an online
00:04:59:10 - 00:05:13:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
only church, which are very few and far between, you should figure out how to add some more in-person type elements so that we can intersect between the two online, online, in-person intersects at that hybrid ministry spot.
00:05:13:14 - 00:05:14:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I liken it to
00:05:14:25 - 00:05:39:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Home Depot. Okay, so I can go buy something on Home Depot website completely online experience, or I can go browse the aisles completely in-person experience. But that hybrid moment happens when I pull up my phone and I look on the app and it tells me exactly where I can find that boat, exactly what aisle and exactly what bay I'm in person, but I'm experiencing it through the app digitally, and thus it creates that sort of hybrid moment.
00:05:39:13 - 00:05:55:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you're not, again, already over with us on Patreon, I would love to invite you because that's what we're doing. We're answering how I take my in-person services, and I'm sprinkling in hybrid, and I'm just literally walking you through what I'm doing on a week by week basis. Question number two
00:05:55:12 - 00:05:59:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
why? Like, why all this digital content?
00:05:59:03 - 00:06:05:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Why social media? Why YouTube? Why why why? Well, link down below is my 100% free
00:06:05:23 - 00:06:12:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
hybrid ministry strategy guide. I have been offering this now for over a year and it's gone
00:06:12:29 - 00:06:27:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through a couple of rebrands, but the majority of what I've created in that has remained the same because social media, around the, pandemic time has actually shifted the way that it's been done.
00:06:27:09 - 00:06:29:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right? We were previously in what was known
00:06:29:06 - 00:06:37:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
as the Social Graph era, and now we're in what's called the Discovery era. Okay, so here's just a couple of things that are really important to know.
00:06:37:23 - 00:06:46:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
95% of teenagers say that they have been, will be, or plan to be on YouTube. Now, obviously some of those are power users, and others of those are just
00:06:46:28 - 00:06:50:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
dabbling in it and looking up videos and stuff for their science fair projects.
00:06:50:09 - 00:06:54:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But the fact of the matter is, 95% of teenagers are on YouTube.
00:06:54:16 - 00:07:08:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Furthermore, according to a recent book by Mccrindle. And so it's called Meeting Gen Alpha. They say that Google number one search engine in the world is now being supplanted by Generation Alpha with, you guessed
00:07:08:04 - 00:07:12:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it, YouTube. Also, here's the beautiful thing about YouTube.
00:07:12:14 - 00:07:23:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I got to tell you, like, like I said, I've been creating content for this podcast for over two years and I will still sometimes get I also sometimes get comments I'll get referrals, I'll get people clicking links to
00:07:23:22 - 00:07:36:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
videos that I've made even over a year ago. Right. We don't have that luxury. Oftentimes in churches we create something for the moment, and then that thing dies on our hard drive and we continue on.
00:07:36:06 - 00:07:43:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
YouTube is masterful at promoting and allowing content to live on forever. Content creation,
00:07:43:20 - 00:08:00:21
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
marketing specialists, they call it evergreen content. If you want to know the type of content that teenagers, Gen Alpha, Gen Z, young people in your church are searching, you can use a keyword tool like vid IQ. In fact, I have a link down below if you want to give it a shot and a trial on using it.
00:08:00:24 - 00:08:24:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you can do some research. Like what are teenagers asking? And then you go answer those questions. I'm just gonna be honest with you. Like like you should start there always. As you're planning a sermon series, right? Get some keyword research. What are people looking up online? What are the the big questions to life that they're asking. And then have that and then develop a sermon series.
00:08:24:17 - 00:08:33:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And by the way, if you develop your sermon series based off that keyword research is also going to make a fantastic YouTube video and fantastic YouTube
00:08:33:24 - 00:08:34:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
playlist.
00:08:34:04 - 00:08:42:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All right. Question number three. What is your content schedule and what is your capturing of that content schedule?
00:08:42:16 - 00:08:58:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So according to a website video, 90% of the internet's traffic today and moving on is short form discovery based vertical video, TikTok style, real style YouTube short style videos.
00:08:58:06 - 00:09:10:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
In fact, I have a playlist linked right here on the content that I am creating, not only for my students, but with my students. It's my easy and effective social media playlist. It is the four different
00:09:10:25 - 00:09:20:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
social media types that not only do I have students capturing, but also that I have students editing and helping create that final piece form of content.
00:09:20:20 - 00:09:23:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So my schedule is I post two days a
00:09:23:11 - 00:09:45:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
week, I'm sorry, two times a day, five days a week. So ten different pieces of content. Let me walk through it with you. So in my playlist linked back up here that I said just a second ago my easy and effective playlist. We do four different game style videos, so we do drafts, we do seven questions, we do man on the Street and we do transition and invite style videos.
00:09:45:27 - 00:10:07:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go to that playlist to check out the full, detailed, in-depth thing along with some free templates and downloads. And then an additional piece that we do is a Stay or scroll devotional style video. So that's five different videos, one of each of those that I post every single week. Okay. And I just kind of sprinkle them throughout the pieces of my content calendar that are a little bit like stronger.
00:10:07:15 - 00:10:32:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Again, short form vertical based video is three teaching clips, and those teaching clips come as clips off of our long form teaching content. Now I'm a youth pastor. We don't have live streaming capabilities, nor do we capture our videos live in our auditorium or in our worship space. So we actually sit down direct to camera and pre-filled. More messages made for YouTube with that vid IQ research indicator.
00:10:32:20 - 00:10:50:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we make those videos hopefully answering teenagers questions, creating evergreen content, and also playlists and sermon series that kids are asking for. And then they can go back to in the future when they're struggling with or have big questions about life, faith, God, whatever the case may be. And so that just that piece of content, we drop a different video every single week.
00:10:50:03 - 00:11:10:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It lines up just when we preach a sermon. Right? So if you're preaching a sermon this Wednesday night, you're preaching a sermon the Sunday night. Put that on video posted to YouTube. But off that YouTube video, three short form clips I use opus. I there's a link down below if you want to try out Opus Clip. It's a fantastic AI sermon short generator.
00:11:10:27 - 00:11:30:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I use it every single week in my ministry, so that's five different pieces of, easy and effective content off that playlist through different pieces of social content, using opus to clip them up. And then I got two more other pieces of content. One is our, meme Monday style video. Not video. I'm sorry meme Monday style post.
00:11:30:08 - 00:11:47:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's just about the only, non video post that I do. Not that I'm against non video post, but don't forget I'm a busy youth pastor and so I got this strategy sort of locked in. And so I don't have a lot of time to go back to the drawing board. And I got students and volunteers help them kind of keep it afloat.
00:11:47:01 - 00:12:00:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so we'll reiterate and rehydrate when we need to. But for right now, this has been working for us. And then the 10th final piece of content is, anytime we meet, I get my phone out. I create little like 5 to 8 second clips, vertical video. I take it
00:12:00:24 - 00:12:04:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
into something like a TikTok. I click that auto cut button and boom!
00:12:04:22 - 00:12:15:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I then have a recap video for anytime we meet Sunday morning. Wednesday night I typically do Wednesday night. Now, like I said, my capturing is during the week. Me and anyone else on our team is going
00:12:15:27 - 00:12:23:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to be preaching. We sit down, we pre film all of our series. Like if we do like a four part series, we film all four of those in one day.
00:12:23:06 - 00:12:41:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One shot off teleprompter. All the things link down below is my studio guide. It has all the links to all the gear that we use. If you want to use a teleprompter or if you want to use, get a tripod, different lighting, all that type of stuff, check that out. So that's when we do those. And then on Wednesday nights when our youth ministry is going on
00:12:41:27 - 00:12:46:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
before and after, we have a social challenge that's happening every single Wednesday night.
00:12:46:19 - 00:12:53:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Students know about it. They seek it out. They want to know when and where is the social challenge happening. So two of those videos,
00:12:53:06 - 00:12:56:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Jason, seven questions. Those take place inside, behind a locked door.
00:12:56:22 - 00:13:04:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I walked over a closed door of our studio to come up with soundproofing and all those things run by volunteers and very few leaders.
00:13:04:14 - 00:13:13:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then, our other two videos are transition videos and man on the Street style videos. And so that's us being out and around in our building, in our space. So
00:13:13:06 - 00:13:25:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it's a little bit more visible. And it also helps students sort of be gravitated towards and drawn to what we're doing here on social media. And as far as editing goes, opus II takes care of my editing for my message clips.
00:13:25:07 - 00:13:33:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I do the auto cut one on one on, Wednesday nights. I do that, like right before I start my car and get in to go home. And then the last one I have students
00:13:33:16 - 00:13:44:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
come in early, like early, early on Wednesday night. They're homeschool students, which are two of them. Fantastic. And around 2:00, 3:00 or so, submissions start till about six.
00:13:44:23 - 00:13:49:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so they're in there for 2 or 3 hours, editing videos and, you know, like we give them, you know,
00:13:49:24 - 00:14:00:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
some of them like free retreats or special incentives or we let them stay after and like eat at the leader lunch, you know, eat a leader lunch that we have or whatever. But, mostly they're just doing it because they like it.
00:14:00:14 - 00:14:03:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
They're fun doing it, and it's a good time. All right. Next question.
00:14:03:28 - 00:14:14:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How do you edit videos? Well, I just told you, like, I got students that are helping me, carry that load. I use some I but like the actual platform that I use is my preference is
00:14:14:24 - 00:14:18:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Adobe Premiere Pro. It is the most expensive of all the options.
00:14:18:29 - 00:14:22:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Final Cut Pro is another option. You can check that out if you're interested, or
00:14:22:16 - 00:14:41:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
DaVinci resolve, both of which are cheaper than Adobe Premiere Pro, primarily because Adobe Premiere Pro has a monthly subscription cost associated with it. However, what I learned, churches have paid for it for me for now. And I mean, I, you know, wish I could do something new, do something cheaper, but I don't have the bandwidth to to learn something cheaper.
00:14:41:13 - 00:14:48:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But there are cheaper options out there. You can of course you something like iMovie or Movie Maker on your windows and
00:14:48:02 - 00:14:59:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
cap cut actually has a fantastic editing platform. You can do quite a bit with it and you're going to look pretty professional. You can do that, obviously off of your film, but you can also do it off of like, just a
00:14:59:19 - 00:15:00:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
web editor.
00:15:00:25 - 00:15:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And, I believe that they're, like premium or pro feature fee is not too difficult to, figure out and or not to not not too expensive. Not too high barrier to entry. So if that's something you're interested, go ahead and check out cap cut. All right.
00:15:17:01 - 00:15:23:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Last question I have here from those of you, thank you so much for submitting them via our Patreon community members.
00:15:23:05 - 00:15:40:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Appreciate you guys. Love you guys. Again, if you're interested, check that out down below. Link in the show notes. Question is, if you are consulting me, what order would you start with? Doing something starting from nothing. We have all the in-person, nothing digital. Well, here's what I would do. First of all,
00:15:40:15 - 00:15:43:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
make sure your website is up to date.
00:15:43:06 - 00:16:07:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Second of all, then I would start creating this short form vertical, videos and I would start with three per week. Right. So some sort of recap video, if you can't do a clip of your message, just do a selfie style talking head recap style video of it, right. If you do have like the long form footage of it, drop it into opus clip and try, you know, get a clip spit out.
00:16:07:08 - 00:16:25:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Second video I would do is I would do some sort of educationally based, spirit promoting spiritual practice sort of video. Okay. What I mean by that is like, you can have, a video off your camera, literally any video. One time I filmed a video of a turtle walking across the street in my neighborhood. It can be that simple.
00:16:25:16 - 00:16:41:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You can do text on screen. Three things the Bible says about prayer. 1 to 3. Right? That I'll. And you can do that in any editor. You can use it in the, YouTube shorts that are the TikTok editor, the reels editor. You can bring it into something like cap cut and create it, export it and post it all those different places.
00:16:42:02 - 00:17:01:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But start creating those different types of content. And the last one is how to do some sort of fun thing, some sort of social challenge esque thing. Dress seven questions. And if those are too heavy on the edit side, which they are a little bit heavier on the edit side, they don't have to be, but they can be do man on the street, man, get a microphone, buy a cheap one.
00:17:01:14 - 00:17:17:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Again. I got some links down on my studio. Episode link down below. Buy some cheap mics and walk around and interview students in your space. Right? Like if I was doing this next week. All right, let's pretend you're watching this live end of 2024 and you come back in January. I'd walk around with a microphone.
00:17:17:05 - 00:17:18:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You or a student.
00:17:18:12 - 00:17:38:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay. Off of any camera? Your camera, their camera doesn't matter. Get those two little USB microphones again, link down below, grab those and then walk around. Be like, hey, what's your New Year's resolution this year? And then ask them or give them a microphone and you can do something even funny with it. Like me and a former resident of mine, Caleb, shout out to Caleb Flywheel, my ETA.
00:17:38:09 - 00:17:45:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We put our little mikes, clipped them on to like, spoons, and then we just held spoons so you can walk around with spoons if you want to, like, have some sort
00:17:45:02 - 00:17:51:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
of, like, handle thing to hold. Right. But, you know, like, what's your New Year's resolution? The other person's holding it and they answer and either they have one or they don't.
00:17:52:02 - 00:18:15:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Or have you broken your New Year's resolution yet. And you ask them, and if you get like 8 or 10 of those people answering those questions, then you drop those in somewhere, either on your phone, you can edit something like capture or bring them in something even more powerful, like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci resolve. Whatever your editor of Choices and edit that down, post it, keep them less than 60s and you're off to the races
00:18:15:00 - 00:18:16:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and the eye on the prize.
00:18:16:25 - 00:18:35:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay, when I'm starting with you, the eye on the prize is to get long form videos up to YouTube. Okay, you don't have to do two times a day, five days a week like I do. You do you? I do want you to be regular, and I do want you to start getting your long form pieces of content to YouTube.
00:18:35:03 - 00:18:37:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that's where I come in, because I can offer you
00:18:37:17 - 00:18:51:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
coaching where I'll teach you how to do it, or my communications done for you, or I'll actually do it for you. You film it, send it to me, I'll edit it. We can talk about price. We'll get to it. Both of those are linked down below in the description.
00:18:51:11 - 00:18:51:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But here on
00:18:51:23 - 00:19:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
screen is the definitive social media guide for churches and youth ministries in 2025. I love for you to check that video out. If you're watching here on YouTube, just go ahead and tap that screen. But for the rest of you, I hope you had a merry Christmas. If you're watching this live, no matter when you're watching it.
00:19:10:06 - 00:19:21:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Thank you to all my Patreon supporters. Appreciate you guys. It should be having some merch sent your way. Those of you who signed up before December 2nd, don't forget and as always my friends to stay hybrid.
13 min
December 19, 2024 Episode 128: I made this podcast so you wouldn't have to hire me
🎧 Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
✅Let me Run Your Church Social Media
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
DESCRIPTION
This episode of Hybrid Ministry is your ultimate DIY guide to building a thriving online presence—without hiring me or anyone else. From cracking the content schedule code to creating evergreen videos to simply understanding "hybrid," you’ll get practical tips, tools, and resources to dominate digital ministry in your church or youth ministry.
📓 SHOWNOTES
http://www.hybridministry.xyz/128
//Become a “Hybrid Hero”
https://www.patreon.com/hybridministry
//Hybrid Strategy Guide
https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book
//VidIQ
https://www.vidiq.com/hybrid
//Easy and Effective Social Challenges
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaKLwZqOkQe7NzOqSVR0-P1s
//Studio Gear
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/studio
//Opus Clip
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YouTube for Youth Ministry
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaLHMhNNfqmmmAsKRJ1VCBJl
//Custom Hybrid Coaching
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/coaching
//Communications Done for You
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/comms
👉 STAY CONNECTED WITH NICK
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clasonnick
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hybridministry/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HybridMinistry
Website: https://www.hybridministry.xyz
--------------
🎉 FREE STUFF 🎉
We have all kinds of FREE Things that you can use in your context!
The best way to pay us back is a review or a YouTube Subscribe!
https://www.linktr.ee/clasonnick
--------------
🛠️TOOLS I USE THAT CAN HELP YOU!
Some of the below links are affiliate links in which we do recieve a small commission based on your purchase or use of products
VIDIQ
https://vidiq.com/hybrid
BEST DYM RESOURCES
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/dym
OPUS.PRO FOR AI SHORTS & REELS
https://www.opus.pro/?via=a5d361
//YOUTUBE STARTER KIT FOR UNDER $100
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/youtubestarterkit
//SIDEKICK SETUP GUIDE
https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/setup
🕰️TIMECODES
00:00 Church Social Media Explained
02:05 What is Hybrid Ministry?
05:55 Why Hybrid Ministry?
08:34 What is your content creation and capturing schedule?
14:04 How do you edit your videos?
15:17 If I consulted with you, how would you recommend I get started?
--------------
TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00:00 - 00:00:02:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Pastor, youth pastor, church
00:00:02:01 - 00:00:03:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
communications person. Are you struggling
00:00:03:25 - 00:00:06:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to figure out digital ministry?
00:00:06:00 - 00:00:07:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Well, here's the deal.
00:00:07:20 - 00:00:13:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I created this video so that you can stop googling church social media tips.
00:00:13:23 - 00:00:18:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And in fact, I created this video so that you don't have to hire me or anybody else.
00:00:18:16 - 00:00:27:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I'm going to show you and give you what it takes to be able to create a thriving online and digital hybrid presence.
00:00:27:22 - 00:00:30:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Now, here's the thing. I've been doing this podcast for
00:00:30:02 - 00:00:47:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
over two years now, and in my over two year journey of this podcast and hybrid ministry, I am helping churches do online well. But I'm also helping churches maintain their in-person presence and find that intersection, which is always the goal as we're trying to create
00:00:47:18 - 00:00:53:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
a church so that it matches and mirrors people where they are.
00:00:53:01 - 00:00:59:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that intersection is what I like to call hybrid right there in the middle. And so we're
00:00:59:02 - 00:01:11:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
going to dive into some of the frequently asked questions here on the Hybrid Ministry show as we round out 2024 and set our sights to 2025.
00:01:11:01 - 00:01:13:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Welcome to the Hybrid Ministry Show. If you not haven't had a chance to meet you.
00:01:13:27 - 00:01:24:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My name is Nicholas, and while I've been doing this podcast for two and a half years, I've been doing ministry for 14 years. And, my journey all along the way has led me towards this hybrid
00:01:24:01 - 00:01:31:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
sort of ministry. But in this episode, we are going to tackle some of the frequently asked questions that I've gotten from people all across the internet.
00:01:31:20 - 00:01:37:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Different groups have been in cohorts. I've run workshops, so I've led asking questions like, what
00:01:37:04 - 00:01:50:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
is hybrid ministry? Why is it even important? What is your content schedule? What's your capturing schedule? How do you edit the videos? What is, what would you consult me to do if I was just getting started? And
00:01:50:01 - 00:01:52:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
we are going to walk through all of those things.
00:01:52:25 - 00:02:04:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And as always, if you're here on YouTube, don't forget there are chapters down below at the bottom of the screen so that you can jump around to the question that means the most to you. Welcome to Hybrid Ministry show.
00:02:04:17 - 00:02:16:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Question number one. We alluded to it in the intro, but what is hybrid ministry? My favorite analogy, and this is actually some of the stuff that we're exploring over on my brand new Patreon
00:02:16:18 - 00:02:16:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
page.
00:02:16:29 - 00:02:34:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And some of these questions actually came from some of our brand new Patreon members. Shout out to Jesse. Johnson. Love having you over here. But, some of these questions, are like, what is hybrid ministry? Okay. So some of the questions are like, why? What's the purpose of this? What even is it? So it's important.
00:02:34:20 - 00:02:55:26
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Let's get a baseline okay. Again, chapters at the bottom. If you already know this, jump ahead. But hybrid ministry is intersecting your in-person and your digital, right. We all know in Covid we had digital church only. And we know that we hated it. Struggle with it, didn't know how to engage students. Well, we missed the in-person. And so when, restrictions are lifted, we all came back to in-person.
00:02:55:26 - 00:03:02:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we miss it. We miss community. We miss friendship. We miss praying with one another. We missed sharing meals together,
00:03:02:22 - 00:03:15:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
but we did a lot of good ministry over here too. Digitally. Right. And so, we kind of got these two buckets here. You got online only and you got in-person only. Let's let's examine
00:03:15:09 - 00:03:16:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
what each of those are good for.
00:03:16:14 - 00:03:30:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
My opinion online is a fantastic content delivery system. So emails, information announcements but also content sermons, podcasts, long form teaching courses, things like that. What is in-person good for
00:03:30:29 - 00:03:37:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
that? Online struggles with real, authentic community. Like you. You can have a version of community
00:03:37:06 - 00:03:41:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
because of in-person friendships through like a means like texting or even like chats and stuff like that.
00:03:41:27 - 00:04:03:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But I mean real in-person community, like, we all kind of hunger for it long for. And you, some people like, are in the metaverse and and that's satisfying that sort of age. They're friends with people from a distance. But but a lot of ways like real community life on life, sharing meals together, carrying one another's burdens, prayer requests, honestly, everything in like a shepherding, sort of like
00:04:03:05 - 00:04:04:18
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
small group space.
00:04:04:18 - 00:04:28:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But if we look at a typical Sunday morning sermon, most of it is what we can accomplish with online. And thus in lies the inherent tension. Because everything we can do on a Sunday morning can be easily replicable. And frankly, it's even a little bit more attractive, especially to people like Gen, Gen Z, millennials, even Gen Alpha to consume content, sermons and church services online.
00:04:29:05 - 00:04:45:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But what younger generations are craving and the church has to figure out how to offer it in a way that, either takes the place of Sunday morning or as an attractive alternative to what's going on Sunday morning. Is that real, deep, authentic life on life, biblical community
00:04:45:19 - 00:04:50:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and that intersection of where you're online, which you should have online.
00:04:50:15 - 00:04:59:10
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you if you're a mostly in-person church hybrid ministry for you is adding in online so that you can have a more robust experience of your church, if you're an online
00:04:59:10 - 00:05:13:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
only church, which are very few and far between, you should figure out how to add some more in-person type elements so that we can intersect between the two online, online, in-person intersects at that hybrid ministry spot.
00:05:13:14 - 00:05:14:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I liken it to
00:05:14:25 - 00:05:39:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Home Depot. Okay, so I can go buy something on Home Depot website completely online experience, or I can go browse the aisles completely in-person experience. But that hybrid moment happens when I pull up my phone and I look on the app and it tells me exactly where I can find that boat, exactly what aisle and exactly what bay I'm in person, but I'm experiencing it through the app digitally, and thus it creates that sort of hybrid moment.
00:05:39:13 - 00:05:55:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So if you're not, again, already over with us on Patreon, I would love to invite you because that's what we're doing. We're answering how I take my in-person services, and I'm sprinkling in hybrid, and I'm just literally walking you through what I'm doing on a week by week basis. Question number two
00:05:55:12 - 00:05:59:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
why? Like, why all this digital content?
00:05:59:03 - 00:06:05:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Why social media? Why YouTube? Why why why? Well, link down below is my 100% free
00:06:05:23 - 00:06:12:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
hybrid ministry strategy guide. I have been offering this now for over a year and it's gone
00:06:12:29 - 00:06:27:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
through a couple of rebrands, but the majority of what I've created in that has remained the same because social media, around the, pandemic time has actually shifted the way that it's been done.
00:06:27:09 - 00:06:29:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Right? We were previously in what was known
00:06:29:06 - 00:06:37:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
as the Social Graph era, and now we're in what's called the Discovery era. Okay, so here's just a couple of things that are really important to know.
00:06:37:23 - 00:06:46:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
95% of teenagers say that they have been, will be, or plan to be on YouTube. Now, obviously some of those are power users, and others of those are just
00:06:46:28 - 00:06:50:07
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
dabbling in it and looking up videos and stuff for their science fair projects.
00:06:50:09 - 00:06:54:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But the fact of the matter is, 95% of teenagers are on YouTube.
00:06:54:16 - 00:07:08:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Furthermore, according to a recent book by Mccrindle. And so it's called Meeting Gen Alpha. They say that Google number one search engine in the world is now being supplanted by Generation Alpha with, you guessed
00:07:08:04 - 00:07:12:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it, YouTube. Also, here's the beautiful thing about YouTube.
00:07:12:14 - 00:07:23:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I got to tell you, like, like I said, I've been creating content for this podcast for over two years and I will still sometimes get I also sometimes get comments I'll get referrals, I'll get people clicking links to
00:07:23:22 - 00:07:36:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
videos that I've made even over a year ago. Right. We don't have that luxury. Oftentimes in churches we create something for the moment, and then that thing dies on our hard drive and we continue on.
00:07:36:06 - 00:07:43:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
YouTube is masterful at promoting and allowing content to live on forever. Content creation,
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Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
marketing specialists, they call it evergreen content. If you want to know the type of content that teenagers, Gen Alpha, Gen Z, young people in your church are searching, you can use a keyword tool like vid IQ. In fact, I have a link down below if you want to give it a shot and a trial on using it.
00:08:00:24 - 00:08:24:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And you can do some research. Like what are teenagers asking? And then you go answer those questions. I'm just gonna be honest with you. Like like you should start there always. As you're planning a sermon series, right? Get some keyword research. What are people looking up online? What are the the big questions to life that they're asking. And then have that and then develop a sermon series.
00:08:24:17 - 00:08:33:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And by the way, if you develop your sermon series based off that keyword research is also going to make a fantastic YouTube video and fantastic YouTube
00:08:33:24 - 00:08:34:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
playlist.
00:08:34:04 - 00:08:42:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
All right. Question number three. What is your content schedule and what is your capturing of that content schedule?
00:08:42:16 - 00:08:58:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So according to a website video, 90% of the internet's traffic today and moving on is short form discovery based vertical video, TikTok style, real style YouTube short style videos.
00:08:58:06 - 00:09:10:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
In fact, I have a playlist linked right here on the content that I am creating, not only for my students, but with my students. It's my easy and effective social media playlist. It is the four different
00:09:10:25 - 00:09:20:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
social media types that not only do I have students capturing, but also that I have students editing and helping create that final piece form of content.
00:09:20:20 - 00:09:23:11
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
So my schedule is I post two days a
00:09:23:11 - 00:09:45:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
week, I'm sorry, two times a day, five days a week. So ten different pieces of content. Let me walk through it with you. So in my playlist linked back up here that I said just a second ago my easy and effective playlist. We do four different game style videos, so we do drafts, we do seven questions, we do man on the Street and we do transition and invite style videos.
00:09:45:27 - 00:10:07:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Go to that playlist to check out the full, detailed, in-depth thing along with some free templates and downloads. And then an additional piece that we do is a Stay or scroll devotional style video. So that's five different videos, one of each of those that I post every single week. Okay. And I just kind of sprinkle them throughout the pieces of my content calendar that are a little bit like stronger.
00:10:07:15 - 00:10:32:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Again, short form vertical based video is three teaching clips, and those teaching clips come as clips off of our long form teaching content. Now I'm a youth pastor. We don't have live streaming capabilities, nor do we capture our videos live in our auditorium or in our worship space. So we actually sit down direct to camera and pre-filled. More messages made for YouTube with that vid IQ research indicator.
00:10:32:20 - 00:10:50:03
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And we make those videos hopefully answering teenagers questions, creating evergreen content, and also playlists and sermon series that kids are asking for. And then they can go back to in the future when they're struggling with or have big questions about life, faith, God, whatever the case may be. And so that just that piece of content, we drop a different video every single week.
00:10:50:03 - 00:11:10:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It lines up just when we preach a sermon. Right? So if you're preaching a sermon this Wednesday night, you're preaching a sermon the Sunday night. Put that on video posted to YouTube. But off that YouTube video, three short form clips I use opus. I there's a link down below if you want to try out Opus Clip. It's a fantastic AI sermon short generator.
00:11:10:27 - 00:11:30:08
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I use it every single week in my ministry, so that's five different pieces of, easy and effective content off that playlist through different pieces of social content, using opus to clip them up. And then I got two more other pieces of content. One is our, meme Monday style video. Not video. I'm sorry meme Monday style post.
00:11:30:08 - 00:11:47:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
It's just about the only, non video post that I do. Not that I'm against non video post, but don't forget I'm a busy youth pastor and so I got this strategy sort of locked in. And so I don't have a lot of time to go back to the drawing board. And I got students and volunteers help them kind of keep it afloat.
00:11:47:01 - 00:12:00:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so we'll reiterate and rehydrate when we need to. But for right now, this has been working for us. And then the 10th final piece of content is, anytime we meet, I get my phone out. I create little like 5 to 8 second clips, vertical video. I take it
00:12:00:24 - 00:12:04:20
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
into something like a TikTok. I click that auto cut button and boom!
00:12:04:22 - 00:12:15:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I then have a recap video for anytime we meet Sunday morning. Wednesday night I typically do Wednesday night. Now, like I said, my capturing is during the week. Me and anyone else on our team is going
00:12:15:27 - 00:12:23:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
to be preaching. We sit down, we pre film all of our series. Like if we do like a four part series, we film all four of those in one day.
00:12:23:06 - 00:12:41:27
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
One shot off teleprompter. All the things link down below is my studio guide. It has all the links to all the gear that we use. If you want to use a teleprompter or if you want to use, get a tripod, different lighting, all that type of stuff, check that out. So that's when we do those. And then on Wednesday nights when our youth ministry is going on
00:12:41:27 - 00:12:46:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
before and after, we have a social challenge that's happening every single Wednesday night.
00:12:46:19 - 00:12:53:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Students know about it. They seek it out. They want to know when and where is the social challenge happening. So two of those videos,
00:12:53:06 - 00:12:56:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Jason, seven questions. Those take place inside, behind a locked door.
00:12:56:22 - 00:13:04:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And I walked over a closed door of our studio to come up with soundproofing and all those things run by volunteers and very few leaders.
00:13:04:14 - 00:13:13:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And then, our other two videos are transition videos and man on the Street style videos. And so that's us being out and around in our building, in our space. So
00:13:13:06 - 00:13:25:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
it's a little bit more visible. And it also helps students sort of be gravitated towards and drawn to what we're doing here on social media. And as far as editing goes, opus II takes care of my editing for my message clips.
00:13:25:07 - 00:13:33:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
I do the auto cut one on one on, Wednesday nights. I do that, like right before I start my car and get in to go home. And then the last one I have students
00:13:33:16 - 00:13:44:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
come in early, like early, early on Wednesday night. They're homeschool students, which are two of them. Fantastic. And around 2:00, 3:00 or so, submissions start till about six.
00:13:44:23 - 00:13:49:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And so they're in there for 2 or 3 hours, editing videos and, you know, like we give them, you know,
00:13:49:24 - 00:14:00:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
some of them like free retreats or special incentives or we let them stay after and like eat at the leader lunch, you know, eat a leader lunch that we have or whatever. But, mostly they're just doing it because they like it.
00:14:00:14 - 00:14:03:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
They're fun doing it, and it's a good time. All right. Next question.
00:14:03:28 - 00:14:14:24
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
How do you edit videos? Well, I just told you, like, I got students that are helping me, carry that load. I use some I but like the actual platform that I use is my preference is
00:14:14:24 - 00:14:18:28
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Adobe Premiere Pro. It is the most expensive of all the options.
00:14:18:29 - 00:14:22:16
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Final Cut Pro is another option. You can check that out if you're interested, or
00:14:22:16 - 00:14:41:13
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
DaVinci resolve, both of which are cheaper than Adobe Premiere Pro, primarily because Adobe Premiere Pro has a monthly subscription cost associated with it. However, what I learned, churches have paid for it for me for now. And I mean, I, you know, wish I could do something new, do something cheaper, but I don't have the bandwidth to to learn something cheaper.
00:14:41:13 - 00:14:48:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But there are cheaper options out there. You can of course you something like iMovie or Movie Maker on your windows and
00:14:48:02 - 00:14:59:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
cap cut actually has a fantastic editing platform. You can do quite a bit with it and you're going to look pretty professional. You can do that, obviously off of your film, but you can also do it off of like, just a
00:14:59:19 - 00:15:00:22
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
web editor.
00:15:00:25 - 00:15:17:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And, I believe that they're, like premium or pro feature fee is not too difficult to, figure out and or not to not not too expensive. Not too high barrier to entry. So if that's something you're interested, go ahead and check out cap cut. All right.
00:15:17:01 - 00:15:23:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Last question I have here from those of you, thank you so much for submitting them via our Patreon community members.
00:15:23:05 - 00:15:40:15
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Appreciate you guys. Love you guys. Again, if you're interested, check that out down below. Link in the show notes. Question is, if you are consulting me, what order would you start with? Doing something starting from nothing. We have all the in-person, nothing digital. Well, here's what I would do. First of all,
00:15:40:15 - 00:15:43:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
make sure your website is up to date.
00:15:43:06 - 00:16:07:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Second of all, then I would start creating this short form vertical, videos and I would start with three per week. Right. So some sort of recap video, if you can't do a clip of your message, just do a selfie style talking head recap style video of it, right. If you do have like the long form footage of it, drop it into opus clip and try, you know, get a clip spit out.
00:16:07:08 - 00:16:25:09
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Second video I would do is I would do some sort of educationally based, spirit promoting spiritual practice sort of video. Okay. What I mean by that is like, you can have, a video off your camera, literally any video. One time I filmed a video of a turtle walking across the street in my neighborhood. It can be that simple.
00:16:25:16 - 00:16:41:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You can do text on screen. Three things the Bible says about prayer. 1 to 3. Right? That I'll. And you can do that in any editor. You can use it in the, YouTube shorts that are the TikTok editor, the reels editor. You can bring it into something like cap cut and create it, export it and post it all those different places.
00:16:42:02 - 00:17:01:14
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But start creating those different types of content. And the last one is how to do some sort of fun thing, some sort of social challenge esque thing. Dress seven questions. And if those are too heavy on the edit side, which they are a little bit heavier on the edit side, they don't have to be, but they can be do man on the street, man, get a microphone, buy a cheap one.
00:17:01:14 - 00:17:17:05
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Again. I got some links down on my studio. Episode link down below. Buy some cheap mics and walk around and interview students in your space. Right? Like if I was doing this next week. All right, let's pretend you're watching this live end of 2024 and you come back in January. I'd walk around with a microphone.
00:17:17:05 - 00:17:18:12
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
You or a student.
00:17:18:12 - 00:17:37:19
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay. Off of any camera? Your camera, their camera doesn't matter. Get those two little USB microphones again, link down below, grab those and then walk around. Be like, hey, what's your New Year's resolution this year? And then ask them or give them a microphone and you can do something even funny with it. Like me and a former resident of mine, Caleb, shout out to Caleb Flywheel, my ETA.
00:17:38:09 - 00:17:45:02
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
We put our little mikes, clipped them on to like, spoons, and then we just held spoons so you can walk around with spoons if you want to, like, have some sort
00:17:45:02 - 00:17:51:29
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
of, like, handle thing to hold. Right. But, you know, like, what's your New Year's resolution? The other person's holding it and they answer and either they have one or they don't.
00:17:52:02 - 00:18:15:00
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Or have you broken your New Year's resolution yet. And you ask them, and if you get like 8 or 10 of those people answering those questions, then you drop those in somewhere, either on your phone, you can edit something like capture or bring them in something even more powerful, like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci resolve. Whatever your editor of Choices and edit that down, post it, keep them less than 60s and you're off to the races
00:18:15:00 - 00:18:16:25
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
and the eye on the prize.
00:18:16:25 - 00:18:35:01
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Okay, when I'm starting with you, the eye on the prize is to get long form videos up to YouTube. Okay, you don't have to do two times a day, five days a week like I do. You do you? I do want you to be regular, and I do want you to start getting your long form pieces of content to YouTube.
00:18:35:03 - 00:18:37:17
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
And that's where I come in, because I can offer you
00:18:37:17 - 00:18:51:04
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
coaching where I'll teach you how to do it, or my communications done for you, or I'll actually do it for you. You film it, send it to me, I'll edit it. We can talk about price. We'll get to it. Both of those are linked down below in the description.
00:18:51:11 - 00:18:51:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
But here on
00:18:51:23 - 00:19:10:06
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
screen is the definitive social media guide for churches and youth ministries in 2025. I love for you to check that video out. If you're watching here on YouTube, just go ahead and tap that screen. But for the rest of you, I hope you had a merry Christmas. If you're watching this live, no matter when you're watching it.
00:19:10:06 - 00:19:21:23
Nick Clason | Hybrid Ministry
Thank you to all my Patreon supporters. Appreciate you guys. It should be having some merch sent your way. Those of you who signed up before December 2nd, don't forget and as always my friends to stay hybrid.
20 min

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Hybrid Ministry is complicated and hard. Or is it? How do pastors and youth pastors create a vibrant extension, not replacement, of what's already happening during their weekly church services? To…

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