If you have been in student ministry for any length of time then chances are that you have been to a church camp or a retreat with a guest speaker that has been picked to speak life into the students (and leaders) that are there.

Maybe you are wanting to get your feet wet when it comes to group speaking or you have been asked to speak to a group? What preparation and steps do you take in order to get ready? How do you prepare yourself both physically and spiritually to make sure you are speaking the words of Christ and not something that puffs your own ego?

Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Hunter Smith who is the Student Pastor at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama as they talk about both being the speaker in camps and retreats and hiring the right speaker for camps and retreats.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show notes can be found on our website by clicking here

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While we are all working to develop students and their personal relationships with Christian peers and strengthen their walk with Christ, it's also a responsibility to incorporate students into the life of the church... but how do we do that? What are some different areas that we can get students involved in church through service and attendance?

Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Sam Halverson who is the author of the book "One Body: Integrating Teenagers into the Life of Your Church".

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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One of the challenges of student ministry is building a structure of ministry that keeps students knowing what's to come while also keeping them engaged in the movement of the student ministry. How do we do build this?

Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Cameron Presson who is the Next Gen Pastor at Timber Creek Church in Lufkin, Texas as they sit down today to talk about the importance of creating culture.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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When it comes to conversations, there are a few that will stand the test of time including, "How do I develop leadership qualities in students?" This will be a conversation that we revisit time and time again to provide different voices on the subject. 

Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Brandon Hair who is the student pastor at Calvary Christian Church in Bellevue, Nebraska as they revisit the topic of Student Leadership in ministry. 

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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****THIS EPISODE MARKS OUR FIRST 6 MONTHS OF PROVIDING WEEKLY PODCASTS!****

Being a youth/student pastor is often a short lived occupation that is often times a transition period for many people (whether they transition to another profession or a senior pastor position), but what would happen if it was treated as your career? What would happen if you devoted 10+ years to ministry at the SAME CHURCH? 

Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Jerry Varner who is a Youth Pastor who has been in the field for the past 26 years. They sit down today to talk about the importance of longevity in Student Ministry.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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At one time we though of youth ministry as only our interaction, programs, events and worship with the youth in our group. However now we realize that youth ministry only focused on youth can be a bit one sided. A holistic approach to youth ministry involves ministry to students, families and in the local church.

Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with David Odom (who is an author, youth ministry professor and researcher) as they talk about the three arenas of youth ministry.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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It's pretty safe to say that our culture is HEAVILY influenced by video games (especially pre-teens and teenagers) but how can we use this often un-utilized resource to present opportunities to share the Gospel of Christ with them WHILE they are playing? How can we use video games to break down barriers and walls to have honest, open and real conversations?

Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with Dustin Phillips who is an associate pastor and children's pastor in East Texas, (but he also professionally streams video game content on Twitch as PastorDoostyn) as they talk about how to utilize video games in your ministry.

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here

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The are the future of the group, the ones coming up from the minor leagues (apologies for the baseball pun). No matter how you see it, the children in children's ministry are the future of your program. How are you partnering with your children's pastor to make their development a team effort? 

Come join the conversation as Russell sits down with Lauren Bedevian to talk about how we can partner with the children's ministry. 

You can listen to this episode in a variety of formats including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.   

Show Notes for this episode can be found on Studentministryconversations.org - Click Here 

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We live in a world that is completely smothered by designs and illustrations, images and videos, churches and youth groups but what makes design a skillset that is worth the time to develop in your already busy schedule? Come join the conversation as Brent sits down with David Pruitt as they talk all things design from the importance of design to how you can get started in the design process yourself.

We all have talked ministry before with youth pastors from different churches and it’s always a topic of discussion on what is doing well in their ministry, but what happens when their church is much larger than yours? How do you translate something from a church of 400 kids to a group of 10? Come join the conversation this week as Russell sits down with Kyle Creel, the host of Small Town Youth Ministry Podcast.