Redpoint

Got 3 minutes? Take a quick listen!

Chantal is the youth pastor at Vineyard Community Church in Prosper Texas. In this conversation we talk about how Chantal found Jesus in youth ministry and then was led back to it by him! Then we go deep on two topics: (1) incorporating young people into the church body life and ministry right now instead of waiting; and (2) how her own story of burnout in ministry has lessons for all of us on how to avoid it, bounce back from it, and stay in ministry.

Mike Gay is the youth pastor at Vineyard Gilbert and has served as the Regional Youth Leader for several years for the Southwest Region. In this episode Mike and Christian discuss how to keep an eye on kids who are drifting, appropriate ways to communicate with teens...and then we take a deep dive into leveraging online vs in person tactics for keeping teens connected. Is one better than the other? Are both needed? Does online count? You won't want to miss it!

Jordan Pelphrey is the Student Pastor at Vineyard Northwest in Cincinatti, OH. He and I discuss the importance of creating a culture for Holy Spirit ministry, and some very detailed ideas around how to do this. We also talk about the difficulty of transitioning from one youth leader to another, and how to establish culture as the "new youth person." Last, we talk about intergenerational ministry, and getting more adults involved in the lives of the teens in your ministry.

Adam Greenwell is the senior pastor at Billings Vineyard, in Billings MO. He's also the been serving as the regional youth leader of the Big Sky Region. In this episode we talk about the importance of helping teens form an accurate image of God, and how that impacts how they form their own identity. We also discuss the tension of finding our own identity in our work, rather than in God, and how that also influences our teens. And last, we discuss the temptation to water down the Gospel in order to help people agree with us, and that can end up doing just the opposite.

Rachel is the assistant pastor at Greeley Vineyard in Greeley CO and she's the regional youth leader for the Rocky Mountain Region. In this episode we discuss the importance of biblical literacy amongst teens, and how creating space for doubt and honest questions is all part of establishing a faith that can last. We also talk about how hard it can be to watch your teens struggle, and how to find peace in trusting God in the work of youth ministry.

Jeremy is the Family Life Pastor at Quest Vineyard Church as well as the Regional Youth Leader in the Great Lakes Region.

In this episode we talk at length about building a culture for holy spirit ministry and stories. We also talk about how to build biblical literacy in young people, as well as how healthy rhythms are important not only for the youth worker, but for the youth ministry.

Jason is the pastor of the Streamwood Vineyard Church and the regional youth leader for what has been known as the Midwest North. In this episode we go into a deep discussion about our motives for ministry, how what we "get" out of ministry can become unhealthy, and how to have honest conversations about the pitfalls of youth ministry. We also discuss how to define "success" in youth ministry, why counting heads can be dangerous, and what the point of youth ministry really should be.

In my conversation with Keirstyn we talk about what God is doing in this generation of young people, and how we can take what look like negatives and see how God can turn them into opportunities. We talk about the honor of being trusted by God to work with young people, and the role of passion and faith in keeping us inspired and on fire. We also cover what our goals are in youth ministry: what are we hoping each teen "gets" on any given youth night?

Thomas is the youth pastor at the North Jersey Vineyard and served for years as the director of the Heroic Leadership Institute in Maine. In our conversations, we talk about intentionally investing in teens to help them discover their gifts and purpose. We also discuss working with teen leaders and creating space for them to fail and continue with Jesus. We also tackle some hard questions like, "Should we confront teens who are in sin?" and "Does God really have a "call" on people's lives?"