Pizza & Side Hugs

Do you ever find yourself wondering what you should have in your back pocket as a youth minister? In this episode, the team begins to scratch the surface with items that are helpful to carry with you as a youth minister. 

Promises for many links were made in the episode, but sadly, there is not enough character space. Below are the most niche links!

What did we miss? What is the unique YM tool that you always bring with you?

Power Point Clicker

Gaff Tape

Mini Catechism and Bible

Electronic bull horn

JBL Xtreme/ JBL Boombox

Remarkable

Harmonica 

Flip chart

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So you wanna take your youth group on a trip this summer...awesome! Summer trips can be a huge undertaking and cause some stress, so in this slice, the team covers some helpful tips and tricks for easing the worry that comes with summer trips. Listen in and hear why it might be best to start planning now! 

Reach out with your thoughts! We'd love to hear 'em :)
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Volunteer Episode: https://pizzasidehugs.buzzsprout.com/697273/episodes/15101244-recruiting-a-team

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Are you trying to figure out how to empower the teens in your youth ministry program more? You might be asking questions like "How can I form youth leaders?" or "What does solid youth leadership look like?" These are great questions and one that deserve an answer. In this week's episode, the team dives into examples of what they have seen for youth formation. Listen in to get some answers to these great questions. 

Intro (0:47) 

What is something you got asked to lead as a YM leader that was unique or not quite your job? (2:04)

Big Picture: Why should we spend time developing our young people into faith leaders? (7:00)

Effective Leadership Examples (16:15)

Formation for Youth Leaders (22:20/27:40)

Limitations of Youth Leadership (34:24)

Conclusion (40:37)

What was the best leadership formation you ever received? Send us something! 

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In this episode, the team tackles what it looks like to onboard volunteers. You may have the commitment that people are willing to volunteer, but now you might be thinking "what next?". Learn about getting your volunteers plugged in and rolling, from the first year newbie to the tenth year veteran.

Intro (1:15) 

Do you have your own volunteering experience that stands out as especially well done? (4:20)

Big Picture: What’s the Long Game for your volunteers? (3:40)

Team Meeting or Orientation (5:38)

Extended Onboarding (24:10)

• Brand New Leader (26:00)
• Year 2-3 Leader (31:58)
• Veteran Leader (33:39)

Feedback (38:16)

Conclusion (41:47)

Tell us about a fabulous volunteer of yours! Send us something 

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SUBSCRIBE!

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In this week's episode, the Pizza and Side Hugs team covers parent meetings. You may have some questions about what it can look like to run a successful parent meeting, how to take first steps in building a relationship to be able to partner with parents, and how to encourage attendance. In this short slice, hear about all that and more!

Intro Slice (0:30)

What’s Tough About Parent Meetings? (1:18)

Conclusion (16:33)

Parents listening, tell us what you want out of a youth ministry meeting? What should people be avoiding or including?

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Ever wondered what an out of the park kick-off event could look like? Look no further! The Pizza and Side Hugs team is coming in this week with all the ideas when it comes to a Kick-Off Launch. 

Intro (0:15)  

What’s an all-time YM Kick-Off game you’ve played? (8:22)
Big Picture: What’s the Purpose of a Kick-Off (2:00)
Programming for a Kick-Off (15:00)
Your Kick-Off Should Set You Up for Future Gatherings (20:03)
Promoting your Kick-Off (27:42 )
Conclusion (35:55) 

Let us know what you want us to discuss! Send us something: [email protected]   

 Game Links:
Slip 'n' Slide Kickball: https://www.clarkscondensed.com/diy-slip-n-slide-kickball/
Olympic Game Night: https://ministry-to-children.com/10-wacky-olympic-games-for-kids-ministry/
Stand Up If: https://www.teachstarter.com/us/teaching-resource/sit-down-if-back-to-school-movement-icebreaker/

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Calendar Pro Tips

Season 4, Episode 10

Around the Horn (0:45)
When do you put out a calendar? (1:37)
Design (8:12)
Calendar Consistency/Rhythms of Calendaring (10:05)
Sanity Check/Ministry Check (14:18) 
Conclusion (17:17) 

Send us a screenshot of your calendar so we can get good ideas or judge it hard. We will also accept screenshots of embarrassing moments in ministry.  And anything that fits the tag: #loudjulia

Email us: [email protected]

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So You’re a New Youth Minister

Season 4, Episode 5

Intro (0:13) 

What’s a Mistake You Made Early on in Youth Ministry? (5:15)

Big Picture: You Chose an Incredible Job (3:30)

Quick around-the-horn about why YM is an awesome field of work.

What to Know Right Away (8:20)

• What questions should you ask immediately? 
• Who are the first people you meet with?
• What are reasonable goals for your first year?

Where to Start (23:45)

• Let’s say you’re in your first 3 months of being a youth minister at a new parish setting. What are you working on first?
• There are a lot of people you’re going to be working with. What are the first things you’re doing to serve those various groups?
• What are things that may sound exciting but need to wait until you’ve gotten going a bit?

Where to not Start (31:40)

You Don’t Know Everything (36:44)

• What kind of mindset is needed at the start of this role?
• Where do you turn to for learning and support?
• How do you establish some habits of balance in your life from the start?

Segment: Case by Case (44:04)

Nora from New Albany:

Confirmation is killing me. It seems as though I have so many parents and students who are looking for shortcuts or excuses, and the lack of real commitment is so disheartening. I find myself looking forward to Confirmation finally being over and dreading starting back up again in the fall. What are you supposed to do for students whose parents don’t even really care?

Conclusion (53:15)

Let us know what you want us to discuss! Send us something 

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NFCYM Link: https://nfcym.org/ 

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Diverse Teams

Season 4, Episode 4.5

In our last podcast, we talked about the principles for recruiting a great ministry team. These adults will be core to your mission. One thing we touched on briefly was the need for “the right fit” for a ministry leader. Today, we want to highlight this even deeper by talking about having diversity within your team.  

Julia: Diversity of ages (multigenerational) (4:00) 

Jake: Diversity of ethnicity and race (5:16) 

Rachel: Diversity of ability to connect with various student personalities (6:21) 

Paul: Diversity of skills and geniuses (7:13) 

Best Practices (11:09) 

What are some things you’ve learned about the value or challenge of diverse teams in ministry?

Conclusion (12:44) 

Send us a message about a great youth ministry teammate of yours who had different ideas than you but brought a lot to the team. Or just send us a dad joke and we’ll probably talk about it.

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Recruiting a Team

Season 4, Episode 4

Intro (0:05) 

Big Picture: We Need a Team for Good Ministry (1:30)

Recruiting (9:33) 
Church volunteer recruiting vs. Notre Dame football recruiting operation. 

Find the Right Fit (17:25)

Do Your Research (28:14)

Consistently Reach Out (35:13)

 Retaining a Team 

• Recruiting doesn’t really stop, it just changes over time. 
• We should anticipate it taking 2-3 years for a volunteer to be fully bought into a mission and their role as a mentor. 
• We need to be always thinking about ways to support AND challenge our team to make sure this work is always fascinating teamwork.

Final Thought (51:30)

Conclusion (54:00)

Let us know what you want us to discuss! 
Send us something [email protected]

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