If we want to help our students who are deconstructing, we have to look at some of the reasons that they're walking away. One of the most common reasons is a growing cynicism around church leaders. Here, I talk to my friend, Jay Newman, about the things that have made him cynical toward the church, while holding onto his faith in Jesus (9:16). We also talk barbecue for a minute (56:00)

You can find the Catacomb Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and many other platforms.

The transition from 5th grade to 6th grade might just be the scariest transition a kid or parent can face. In this episode, we talk about that transition and how the church can help make it as smooth as possible. We also talk about our strategy for connecting kids with leaders who care in our ministry environments. 

In this episode, we'll talk with Tyler Scott, Minister of Children's Ministry at Houston's First Baptist Church - Sienna Campus. You can follow Tyler on Instagram @tyrexmosis.

We were in a mental health crisis before the pandemic started, but it's only gotten worse. Cynthia is a Licensed Professional Counselor and the Founder of ThriveOn Wellness Retreat Center. She is especially dialed into the intersection of the local church and the counseling industry. Here, we discuss the needs of Gen Z and how parents can help them navigate mental health issues.

ThriveOn Wellness Retreat Center

One of the top concerns of parents today is related to phones, technology, and screens of all kinds. Whether you're dealing with a kid who is lacking social skills or you've discovered your child dealing with a porn habit, it's important to know what your next steps are! Lucky for you, Tony is here to help! Tony has been helping organizations and individual families with their technology plans for almost ten years. Here, we chat about the average issues that come up in families related to technology and what the next steps look like.

If you want to bring Tony in to speak for your family, church, or organization, visit http://familytechnologyplan.com.

Parental Control Apps Discussed In The Episode:

Follow Tony on Instagram @thetonybianco

If you have kids, the conversation is coming. What happens when a friend comes out? What happens when one of your kid's friends comes out? What happens if one of your kids comes out? I talked with the Martins as they walked through this in the last few months. As always, I hope it's an encouragement to you as you figure out how to talk to your kids about their worldviews.

The research shows that we need to create space for students to ask hard questions in order to engage them. But so many of us aren't prepared for these questions. Whether you're a parent or a youth pastor, you need to start creating space for this! Nathaniel gives us some pointers on how to do that. Nathaniel is the Student Minister at Church at the Cross in Grapevine, TX.

Follow Nathaniel on Instagram @nathanielkuhns

Jenny Sheets works with Legacy685, our Fostering/Adoption Ministry at Houston's First. Here, she tells us how children need healthy attachment in order to form some of the most basic elements of trust. Seriously...this is a good one! It's super applicable for early parents, but parents of teenagers shouldn't sleep on this either!

Make sure to share this with your youth pastor or anyone who is parenting a teenager!

Follow Jenny on Instagram @jprewitts. Follow Legacy685 on Instagram @Legacy685.

Neil Greathouse is a husband, father, pastor, and friend of mine. Recently, we had a conversation about how he brought up the topic of sex to his kids and what he's learned through that whole process. The one thing that we know is that it's definitely not just one talk! Listen in as we try to find some ideas on how to have the most awkward conversation in the world with our kids!

Make sure to share this with your youth pastor or anyone who is parenting a teenager!

Follow Neil on Instagram @NeilGreathouse

Doug Bischoff is the Next Generation Minister at Houston's First Baptist Church - Loop Campus. Recently, he gave a talk to a group of parents of teenagers addressing this question and I wanted to pick his brain! 

Make sure to share this with your youth pastor or anyone who is parenting a teenager!

The Reconstructing Youth Ministry Podcast is a platform to serve parents of students by bringing timely content to parents in the trenches of the teen years. Subscribe and you'll get new episodes directly to your podcast feed!

Mark Cox // Wed, Jan 1, 2022