The Sidekick Podcast

Events are crucial for student ministry. You need to have them as they help compliment your overall ministry plan. But is there a real strategy that is involved in organizing your events and calendar?

That is why I brought in Ashley Bohinc to the podcast. Ashley is the Director of Middle School Strategy for the reThink Group (aka Orange). She led a Breakout at Orange ’17 about this very topic and so, in today’s episode, Ashley and I discuss

* Ashley’s ministry background

* What are the difference between Strategic and Random events

* How you can map out the year (Blank image here. Filled out image here)

* What Orange has coming up (especially with middle school ministry) and the Think Orange Podcast that she co-hosts.

If you want to connect with Ashley, you can find her on Twitter (twitter.com/AshleyBohinc). She is very active on social media so definitely hit her up if you have a question.

Also, if you want more information on the ministry Ashley does in Ethiopia, click here.

What do you think?  How are you planning your events in your ministry? Are they strategic or random?  Share your experiences and stories below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here. He’s always looking for great content ideas.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Are Stage Announcements really part of a Church Communication strategy? That is what I asked myself many times before. However, after talking with Adam McLaughlin about his new book, SnorkelFork, I have realized just how effective stage announcements can be to your overall Church communication strategy.

That is why I brought back Adam McLaughlin to the podcast. He has been involved in digital church communications for years, does a podcast at Church Marketing Ideas and works as a Church Communicator in Ft. Myers, Florida. In today’s episode, Adam and I discuss

* How much Adam is enjoying the warmth of Florida

* What is SnorkelFork

* Tips for doing Stage Announcements

* How and why to repurpose Stage Announcements

If you want to connect with Adam you can read his blog here and listen to his podcast here. You can also find him on Twitter (twitter.com/adam_mclaughlin). He is very active on social media so definitely hit him up if you have a question.

What do you think?  How have you utilized Stage Announcements for your Church communication strategy?  Share your experiences and stories below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here. He’s always looking for great content ideas.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Church online has a come up long way since its inception with lots of advancements in the very recent years. With all that has been happening with technology and streaming lately, Sly King is asking the question, is a Channel right for your Church online? Is it an option?

That is why Tom has Sly King on the podcast today. Sly is in charge of Social Media and the Online Church at the Worship Center Christian Church. Sly runs Online Life Groups at his church and uses online methods to train leaders as well. Today, Tom and Sly talk about:

* What Sly has been up to lately

* How is he processing a channel option for his ministry

* How do you get buy in from Church leadership

* What are some options to include in a channel

To connect with Sly, check him out on Twitter (twitter.com/sly_king48).

What do you think? Have you thought about having a channel for your Church Online? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Want to last long term in ministry? You might want to take your health seriously by being active in what you eat and your exercise regimen. That is why Sean Cronin is on the podcast today. Sean is very busy but is also all about health and fitness. So, Tom and Sean talk about:

* What Sean has been up to lately (Passion 4 Planting is a big part of it)

* Why Sean decided to get fit and take his health seriously

* What are some tips Sean has to offer about healthy eating and exercising to stay fit.

Want to chat with Sean about this or possibly other ministry related topics? Check him out on Twitter (twitter.com/scronin716).

If you have an idea for a future topic or interview on the podcast, Tom would love to hear from you. Email Tom some ideas email him here.

So what do you think? Join the conversation and share what you do to stay fit as a minister. What has been effective and not. Share your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick. 

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

It’s hard being a parent. No matter how many training manuals there are out there on how to best parent children, it is hard. As a student minister your primary focus is on students. However, you also have a secondary focus on parents. Not only are you working with parent/child relationships, but you also have an opportunity to help parents be the best.

Even though you may not personally be a parent yourself, you can still help parents be their best. That is why Tom invited Cory Sullivan back on the podcast. He recently wrote a blog post entitled, “Don’t forget the Parents.”

So, in this episode Tom and Cory talk about:

* What Cory has been up to lately

* Why did he write the post about parents and what that means for student ministers

* How student ministers can set parents up to be their best

Cory is a great resource and you can find him here.  You can also follow him on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/big_sully55). He’s a great resource so hit him up and pick his brain.

Also, if you are looking for someone to coach you in Student or Online ministry, email Tom ([email protected]) to set it up.

What about you? How have you set parents up to be their best over the years? What do you do? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Student ministers have a short track record. Most don’t last very long where they end up leaving on their own or because they were let go. But why do they leave and is the reasoning behind them leaving avoidable? Christopher Wesley joins the podcast this week to talk about just that!

So, in today’s podcast Tom and Chris talk about…

* What Chris has been working on lately…there is a lot!!!

* 3 Points on why Student Ministers leave and ways around that

* How can you connect with Christopher and keep up to date on all that is happening with Marathon Youth Ministry.

You can connect with Chris a few different ways.  He’s on Twitter (twitter.com/chrisrwesley), has an awesome blog (http://www.christopherwesley.org) with tons of great insights each week and he also blogs at both YM360.com or DownloadYM.com

So what do you think? How have you see image as a student minister to be important?  Join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick. 

Also, Tom would love to hear from you about what you’d like a future topic to be. To email Tom some ideas email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Whether you enjoy confrontation and hard conversations or not, the reality is that you will have to have tough conversations from time to time.

That is why it is great to have Justin Knowles back on the podcast! Justin is the Lead Next Gen. Pastor of Christ’s Church of the Valley in San Dimas, CA. He oversees Jr. High, High School and College ministries at the church.  He is also a fantastic writer who is one of the core contributors to the Download YM blog.  You can find his blogs here.

In this episode, Tom and Justin talk about a recent blog post Justin did entitled “How To Have Tough Conversations Where Students Still Want To Come Back” and:

* What Justin has been up to lately (here is a hint – a lot!)

* What was the basis of his post about having tough conversations

* Some specific tips on how to have tough conversions with students while still keeping them involved in the student ministry

If you want to connect with Justin you can find him on Twitter (twitter.com/justinknowles3). You can also find his writing at DownloadYouthMinistry.com.

So what do you think? What have you done when you’ve had tough conversations with students before that keep them still involved?  Share your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick. 

Also, Tom would love to hear from you about what you’d like a future topic to be. To email Tom some ideas email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

Joel Pazmino returns to the podcast to talk about something he did recently that created some excitement for his Church Plant.  Joel has been on the podcast before talking about how he has used social media to build relationships in his new area.

But now, as Joel continues to build friendships and build his launch team for his launch this fall, he decided to do something new and fresh. It’s called a Pop Up Event. So, in today’s episode Tom and Joel talk about:

* What Joel has been doing lately and how the Church Plant progress has been going

* What is a Pop Up event?

* What goes into these events and how can you prepare for one in your church or ministry

Joel is a great guy and God is using him and his wife in a mighty way already in Washington, DC. If you have questions or just want to talk to him, you can find him on Twitter here (twitter.com/joelec) and you can learn more about his Church Plant, Columbia Heights Project here (http://columbiaheightsproject.com).

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!

Also, sign up for the Sidekick Scoop (http://ht.ly/TVyKF) to get content from all over the ministry world (especially online and student ministry topics).

What has been your experiences with events and have you ever tried a Pop Up event? Join the conversation by sharing below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick.

Kenny Jahng is an online guru! He was one of the 1st Online Campus Pastors that I heard about and now he is digital strategist seeking to help Churches reach more people in Christ.

That is why Tom has brought Kenny onto the podcast today. Truthfully, Tom has been trying to get Kenny on for some time, but just hasn’t been able to make it work so this is long overdue. In this episode they talk about:

* Kenny’s background in Online Ministry and what he is currently doing right now

* What is the importance of Instagram in the overall social media world. Why and how can churches be using it for their purposes

* The value of making content on each social media channel different

* What is Church Butler and how can it help your church or ministry, especially those smaller churches who don’t have the budget for paid staff position.

Kenny is a great resource AND the best thing is that he is VERY active on social media. You can find him on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/kennyjahng). He’s a great resource so hit him up and pick his brain. You can also check out the Church Butler blog and his personal blog where he writes a ton of great social media content.

What about you? What action steps do you take to implement ideas or change you get from a conference? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.

A few years ago New Life Christian Church, Tom’s church, started doing Church Online. They started with very little and then worked their way up to where they are now. It’s not the end all be all, but there have been some significant advancements and improvements with what they do.

That is why Tom has brought on Daniel Channell, Video guru, Producer and Director for New Life’s Online Campus. As more and more churches make the jump into Online presence and campuses, Tom and Daniel talk about the technology you need to start by looking at what it was like to start New Life Online ministry and where they are now. So, in this episode they talk about:

* What is Daniel’s role at New Life and with the Online Campus

* What tech stuff do you need to start doing Online Church effectively

* How many volunteers do you need to run Online Church

* What advancements has New Life made over the years that have helped.

Daniel is a great resource and you can find him on Twitter here (https://twitter.com/DanielChannell). He’s a great resource so hit him up and pick his brain.

What about you? What action steps do you take to implement ideas or change you get from a conference? Share your experiences below or on social media using #ymsidekick so we can all learn from each other.

To email Tom some ideas on future episodes email him here.

Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it.