The GenSend Podcast

When a student tells you they’ve lost a parent, or they’re being bullied at school or abused at home, what do you say? When a young person experiences trauma, what does effective ministry look like? Shane Pruitt’s wife, Kasi, joins hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey to talk about the Pruitt family’s recent traumatic experience and what pastors, ministry leaders and parents can do to show young people how God is good even when times are bad.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Sharable Quotes:

Sometimes we can have certain demographics in our youth group that we think, “Oh, we’re good. Our kids are on the cheerleading squad and head football dude and doing these things or doing that.” But it’s just not the case. So many of them are experiencing things at home that they’re hiding.  – Kasi Pruitt

It’s not a silver bullet that fixes everything. But the ministries that have a really good equipping ministry of helping students get their eyes off of themselves and onto the cause of advancing the gospel, they tend to end up with healthier students. –  @PaulWorcester

The ministry of presence can be so powerful because every person is going to go through something traumatic, whether that’s with a Big “T” or a little “T”. That’s why I love what Jesus says in John 16. He says, “In this world you’ll have tribulation. But take heart, I have overcome the world.” – @laceyeloisa

Sometimes we wait until something happens and someone needs help and then we’re scrambling trying to figure out what we’re going to do when that person really needs our immediate response. So I would say having a plan ahead of time is always going to be better. Don’t just go, “Hey, I’m here if you need me.” Be proactive. – @shane_pruitt78

Some of us, we want to just fix everything, when really the best approach in a lot of these situations is to slow down. If you don’t know the next step, take the humble approach and don’t seek to fix people. Love people. – @PaulWorcester

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Whether you’re a pastor or other ministry leader, how do you equip your family to thrive in ministry long-term? How do you balance family life and ministry? Anna Gage joins hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey to discuss what ministry leaders and parents can do to balance their commitment to God’s work and their family’s well-being.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:  

Helpful Resources:

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

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Sharable Quotes:

“Sometimes you have to protect your kids that are considered PK or ministry kids from unrealistic expectations that even people in the church have of them. I think sometimes they think because we’re in ministry that our kids are going to be perfect and not do four-year-old things that four-year-old kids do.” – @shane_pruitt78

“There’s almost like this identity attached with being a preacher’s kid—and they think you’re on one end of the spectrum or the other end of the spectrum, so they’re perfect and tidy and wonderful, or they’re super rebellious and crazy and you can’t tame them. – Anna Gage

“I just want to encourage those that are listening that are parents, to have the freedom of trusting the Lord’s sovereignty … yes, point to the gospel, pray for their little hearts, get them in Christian community. Let them be around the teaching of the Word and you living out the Word but trusting the Lord’s work there. I think sometimes, as Christian leader parents, we feel the pressure on our kids to make a decision at an early age. – @shane_pruitt78

“At the end of the day and I think so much, especially as Christian leaders, as pastors, ministers of the gospel, we put so much pressure on ourselves when it comes to raising up godly kids. And so, I would just say, hey, at the end of the day, your kids don’t need you to be perfect. They just need you to follow a perfect Savior and to trust him.” – @shane_pruitt78

“I think there’s beauty in that release, and there’s freedom in that, of knowing that God has a plan for my life, for my sister’s life, for my brother-in-law’s life. Just knowing that He has ordained that before the beginning of time and just trusting and believing that His plan and His will for our lives is good. And so, enjoy the freedom in that. Continue to be faithful in prayer and trust that the perfect Savior that we believe in knows your kids better than you do. And so, I think there’s beauty in that.” – Anna Gage

“We want to live on the edge of faith. And so, God may call us to make sacrifices and to serve as ministry leaders and families, but that is something that God is going to honor, and our kids are a part of that blessing that God will give. So, I’m not saying… This is not a prosperity gospel thing I’m saying, but it is, the Lord will honor our sacrifice and our commitment to Him.” – @PaulWorcester

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According to Lifeway Research, many young adults drop out of church attendance between 18 and 22. Paul, Shane and Lacey discuss the critical gaps in student ministry and share insights on how church leaders and parents can actively participate in helping students navigate these transitions successfully.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

We want to hear how you’re addressing the GAPs in your ministry. Email us at [email protected]. Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Shareable Quotes:

“I don’t know if I love the term seeker sensitive because of how it’s been used in the past. But I do think it’s good to have a fun, welcoming, excellent environment or environments that new non-Christian students can come and attend. The gospel makes sense to them. They’re welcome. It’s fun, exciting. I’m a big fan of all that stuff.” @PaulWorcester

“If you remove one of them [seeker-sensitive and deep discipleship], in a sense, the train falls off the track. So, there’s got to be a come and see, go and tell.”  @shane_pruitt78

“We need to be as teachers and communicators and worship leaders filled with the spirit ourselves and able to respond to that—but also fostering an environment where, hey, if you’re coming, if you’re checking out this event, get ready to encounter God. And that comes with teaching God’s Word in a clear, authoritative and even bold way.” @PaulWorcester

“If you’re in a crowd, and it doesn’t matter if the crowd is 12 or 1200, you’re typically going to have four types of people in that crowd. And I think as communicators, as leaders, we always have to be aware of all four. And maybe even ask ourselves, how am I addressing all four of these people?” @shane_pruitt78

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Is it possible for collegiate and youth leaders to create a thriving culture of committed volunteers? Hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey discuss the significance of building and maintaining strong volunteer leadership teams, emphasizing the importance of casting a compelling vision, training leaders for a lifetime of ministry and creating a culture of commitment and care.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org. 

Subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes:

“One thing we’ve got to realize as leaders is Generation Z—young adults, college students, teenagers—they want more out of church than just going to potluck dinners. You know what I mean? They want more out of church than even just listening to us preach.” @shane_pruitt78

“When you want to build a student leadership team, lead with vision, not just with expectations…” @PaulWorcester

“Don’t make people feel guilty if they don’t want to step into leadership, but make it available to the ones with potential.” – @PaulWorcester

“Ask the Lord of the harvest to call out and raise up laborers for the harvest because it’s His harvest; it’s His laborers; it’s His message; it’s His mission field; it’s His bride. So, we need to go to Him first.” – @shane_pruitt78

“Take really good care of the ones you have, and then they’ll spread the word as well.” – @shane_pruitt78

“You can’t use people. You have to love people, invest in people.” – @PaulWorcester

“It’s about people that are going to be impacted. It starts with the leaders. It starts with us investing in leaders.” – @PaulWorcester

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How do you lead women called to serve in ministry? Hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey talk to Catherine Renfro about the challenges and opportunities faced by women responding to the call of ministry and how they can be effectively led and nurtured in their journey.

In This Episode, You’ll Discover:

Helpful Resources:

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes.

Sharable Quotes:

“God put so many leaders in my life that just believed in me and saw something in me before I even saw it in myself. And I think some of the most helpful things those leaders did was invest time in me.” – @CatherineRenfro

“There’s a whole bunch of young women in the ministry that want to be discipled, need help and need a solid leader. And the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. And there’s a lot of ministries I could place if I had 100 women that wanted to join college ministry staffs, I could go place them all right now.” @PaulWorcester

“We truly believe God never stopped calling people to ministry leadership. For the most part, us as leaders stopped asking a whole generation to consider if God’s calling them the ministry leadership. So, I think now that we’re asking again, people are saying, ‘Yes, I believe that’s what God’s calling me to do.’”  @shane_pruitt78

“I think I know the way the Lord is calling me. I think I know what he wants me to do, but I trust that no matter what, He’s just going to direct my steps, and He is going to open the doors along the way. And all I knew is serve where I could in the church.” @CatherineRenfro

“There’re opportunities out there that you can just take and explore those options. So, I encourage people to take a more of a broader faith-based risk—take a risk for the kingdom and step out in faith and see what opportunities the Lord provides.” @PaulWorcester

“What we need to do is to help them have very real, very deep spiritual disciplines because we’re going to be at our best when we serve and lead and teach out of the overflow of our own with Jesus.”  @shane_pruitt78

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In this bonus episode, Paul, Shane and Lacey join Scott Pace, dean of The College at Southeastern and associate professor of Preaching and Pastoral Ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Catherine Renfro, director of Evangelism at NAMB, to discuss what it means to call out the called and disciple those God has called to lead in ministry.

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

Paul, Shane and Lacey welcome A.J. Griffin, NBA basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks, to discuss what it means to love Jesus, boldly live one’s faith and make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel.

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

Hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey welcome Sean McDowell, associate professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, popular conference speaker and co-author and editor of over 18 books, including So the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World and Same-Sex Marriage: A Thoughtful Approach to God’s Design for Marriage. Listen as they dive deep into the topics of gender, sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues.

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

In this episode, Paul, Shane and Lacey welcome A.J. Swoboda. A.J. is assistant professor of Bible, Theology and World Christianity at Bushnell University, lead mentor for the Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of many books, including After Doubt (Brazos). Listen as they discuss the marks of deconstruction and what Christians and ministry leaders can do when someone wants to walk away from their faith.

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.

In this episode, Paul, Shane and Lacey discuss what the Bible has to say about how the church should respond when a Christian leader has a moral failing, what we can do to love those affected by it and how ministry leaders can avoid moral failure.

Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.