Ashley is the author of "Communicating to Middle Schoolers" and "The Art of Group Talk." She worked for several years as the Director for Middle School Curriculum at Orange, and is currently the Executive Director of Carry 117, a ministry in Ethiopia which focuses on orphan prevention and family preservation by empowering women. In our talk we discuss the ways in which culture is changing for the teens we are working with, and how to see those changes as opportunities rather than obstacles.

Chris is the author of "Bags: Helping Your Kids Lighten the Load," has been in youth ministry for decades, and also works with Ministry Architects helping churches achieve their ministry goals. Chris has a passion to equip and encourage parents to lead their families in faith. His focus in youth ministry takes a unique view: he focused on helping parents as his target. He still meets with teens every week, but his goal is to equip the parents since they really spend more time with the teens. He shares what he's learned over years of doing this, and you can start to apply it to your ministry!

Listen in to our recent "Townhall" Webinar where three "old heads" of youth ministry talk about some of the roots of Vineyard Youth ministry, and how we can have hope for the future!

Jordan is the National Director for Youth Alpha. Youth Alpha has been completely redone with youth, by youth, and for youth. It has a heavy emphasis on taking into consideration what teens are actually interested in, and it is done in the voices of their peers. It is a truly global team this time and has been shortened to better meet the demands of youth ministry. It also has been created specifically to be easily led by teens in their youth groups and even their high schools.

In my seond interview with Mike McGarry from YouthPastorTheologian.com we dive deeper into what discipleship means, how we define it, and how that influences what we do with our teens. Specifically we talk about the history and importance of catechism, and how we can learn from that model, and apply it to today. But as we do that, how do we make sure we aren't just reaching teen's minds, but are also deeply reaching their hearts? It's a lot to think about, and Mike does a great job unpacking it.

In our conversation with Mike McGarry we talk about how youth ministry is theological ministry. And how we can work to help our teens not just regurgitate answers, but learn how to think for themselves and discover answers. How do we cultivate that kind of culture in our youth group?

Mike is the Founder/Director of Youth Pastor Theologian. He served as a Youth Pastor for 18 years and earned his Doctor of Ministry degree in "Ministry to Emerging Generations" from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Mike is the author of Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith (New Growth Press, 2023), Lead Them to Jesus: A Handbook for Youth Workers (New Growth Press, 2021), A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry: Teenagers in the Life of the Church (Randall House, 2019), and was a contributor to Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry: A Practical Guide (Crossway, 2017).

Josh Griffin is one of the leading voices in youth ministry with 25+ years experience in the trenches, currently serving as the junior high pastor at Mariners Church and before that the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. He's the co-founder of DownloadYouthMinistry.com, YMUniversity.com and heard in 400+ episodes of the DYM Podcast w/Doug Fields. He's created more than 50 youth ministry resources and authored several books including 99 Thoughts for Small Group Leaders. Josh and his wife Angela have 4 kids, which are now all teenagers!

In this episode we talk about the importance of youth ministry especially in today's culture. We talk about discipleship, and how we can disciple teens towards Jesus with all of the competing influences in their lives. And specifically we talk about digital discipleship, and how we can help our teens understand the influence of technology on their faith, and teach them to use it wisely and not be ruled by it.

In my conversation with pastor and theologian Luke Geraty we talk about what it's like to grow up in the Vineyard! Luke recounts the power of individual adults having a positive impact on his faith, and encourages us to remember that one relationship can forever change the trajectory of someone's life. We also talk about low rider cars.....and pets....it gets pretty intense. You won't want to miss it.

John Elmer is one of our SUPER regional leaders and so we were SUPER excited to have him on the podcast this month! In this episode we have a wonderful discussion about whether there really is a tension between discipleship and evangelism in youth ministry. We also spend a lot of time talking about leadership development and releasing our teens into ministry especially missional ministry.

Joel is on of the Vineyard's Super Regional Leaders. In this episode we discuss leadership and leadership transitions. We also talk about the long game of youth ministry, how to minister to families in travel ball, and what Joel hopes to see in Vineyard youth ministry.