The YDisciple Podcast

Youth culture is always shifting, but the fundamental needs of the human person remain. In this episode, Pete and Annie take a closer look at the five fundamental needs of teenagers that have shaped YDisciple's approach to youth ministry: The Need to be Understood, the Need to Belong, the Need to be Transparent, the Need to Think Critically about Faith and Life, and the Need for Guidance.

What does it actually look like to meet these needs in the lives of young people today? Pete and Annie explore why listening with curiosity matters, how genuine belonging creates space for faith to grow, and why teenagers need adults who are willing to be authentic rather than pretend to have everything figured out.

They also discuss the importance of making room for big questions. As teenagers grow and develop, their questions about God, suffering, and the meaning of life become more complex. Rather than offering simplistic answers, we can walk alongside them, take their questions seriously, and help them discover truth.

These five needs aren't exclusive to teenagers. They're fundamental human needs that remind us what it means to accompany one another well. Whether you're a youth minister, parent, teacher, or mentor, this conversation offers a helpful lens for building relationships where young people feel seen, known, welcomed, and supported as they grow in faith.

What if the Bible is more than a book we read on our own? In this episode, Annie sits down with Mike McDonald, Chief Strategic Relationships Officer at BibleProject, to talk about helping people discover the Bible as one unified story that leads to Jesus—and why that mission is something we can all share.

Mike shares the heart behind BibleProject, an organization that creates free resources to help people understand Scripture. He also talks about a culture built on generosity, humility, creativity, and collaboration, and why he believes there is no competition in the kingdom of God.

The conversation explores how Scripture can bring people together across different Christian traditions. Rather than beginning with what divides us, Mike explains how looking at the larger story of the Bible—from Genesis to Revelation—can help us see Jesus at the center. He also challenges us to rediscover the communal nature of Scripture: reading, asking questions, and wrestling with God's Word alongside other people.

Finally, we talk about what this looks like in practice, especially in youth ministry.

Want to learn more about BibleProject and explore their free resources? Visit bibleproject.com.

Have questions about your own youth ministry? Connect with a YDisciple coach to talk through your challenges and get practical advice tailored to your context. Your first coaching call is completely free. Visit ydisciple.com/coaching to schedule a call.

We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts on this episode and let us know what topics you'd like us to explore next.

What if the things we’ve learned through youth ministry aren’t actually just for teenagers? In this episode, Annie, Pete, and Father Chad VanHoose explore what the rest of the Church can learn from the way we minister to young people.

From the need to belong and be understood to the importance of friendship, fun, mentorship, and guidance, many of the things we recognize as important for teenagers are actually deeply human needs. We never outgrow our need to be known, to have people walk alongside us, or to experience the joy of life in community.

The conversation also explores what happens when adults realize they don't have to pretend they have everything figured out. We all need people who can mentor us, challenge us, and help us grow—and we all need opportunities to encounter Jesus for ourselves, not simply lead others toward Him.

Finally, we talk about what this could mean for the life of the Church. What would happen if our parishes became more intentionally multigenerational, if youth ministry wasn't treated as something separate, and if the Church embraced the things youth ministry does well as part of discipleship for everyone? Because maybe youth ministry has more to teach the Church than we realize.

Have a question or topic you'd like us to discuss on the podcast? Email us at [email protected].

Want to talk through your own youth ministry context? Connect with a YDisciple coach for a free coaching call at ydisciple.com/coaching.

If this episode was helpful, we'd love for you to rate and review the podcast wherever you listen!

Ask yourself:

What does youth ministry have to offer in a world where young people can find almost any piece of content they could ever want with a few taps on their phones?

Emma Chaplin, Associate Director of Alpha in a Catholic Context, joins Pete and Annie for a conversation about why the answer isn't necessarily better content. Alpha and YDisciple both create content, but both recognize that content is ultimately a tool. What really matters is what happens around it: the relationships, the conversations, the hospitality, and the space where people can ask honest questions and encounter Jesus.

Emma shares how her experience working in a coffee shop helped her see the value of "margin"—those unstructured moments where people can slow down, talk, listen, and simply be present to one another. Pete and Annie connect that idea to youth ministry, where some of the most meaningful conversations can happen before the program starts, while everyone is hanging around, or in the moments that weren't planned at all.

The conversation also explores the idea that young people need to belong before they can believe. Rather than rushing through every question or trying to fit discipleship into a perfect process, ministry leaders are invited to create spaces where young people feel seen, known, and loved—and where they can become hungry for deeper questions.

Learn more about Alpha in a Catholic context at alphausa.org/catholic.

Looking for support in your youth ministry? Connect with a YDisciple coach at ydisciple.com/coaching and get practical advice from someone with real ministry experience. Your first coaching call is completely free.

The ministry year is starting, and if you're a youth minister, you probably already feel it.

There's excitement around a new year, but there's also a lot to do. Programs need to launch, volunteers need to be trained, students need to be welcomed, calendars need to be filled, and suddenly it feels like you're sprinting before you've even made it out of the starting blocks.

In this episode, Pete and Annie share five practical ways to start your ministry year well. They talk about safeguarding your personal prayer, building margin into your calendar, looking ahead instead of always reacting to what's urgent, taking a breath when things don't go according to plan, and—perhaps most importantly—prioritizing relationships.

Ministry is relational, and healthy ministry isn't built by simply getting more things done. It's built by staying close to Jesus, creating sustainable rhythms, and making sure the people you're serving don't get lost in the middle of everything that needs to happen.

Looking for support in your youth ministry? Connect with a YDisciple coach at ydisciple.com/coaching.

You can talk through what you're facing, ask questions, and get practical advice tailored to your ministry context. Your first coaching call is completely free.

About This Episode

It's easy for youth ministers and ministry leaders to think that fostering vocations means hosting a vocations night, bringing in a religious sister or priest, or encouraging young people to consider religious life. But what if vocation discernment starts much earlier—and much more simply?

In this episode, Pete and Annie are joined by Sister Karolyn Nunes and Eve Anders of the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George for a conversation about prayer, discernment, freedom, and accompanying young people as they discover God's invitation for their lives.

Sister Karolyn, a vocation director with more than a decade of experience accompanying young women in discernment, emphasizes that discernment isn't just something we do when deciding our vocation. Discernment is a way of life. The goal is to help young people learn how to recognize the voice of Jesus in their everyday lives.

What happens when a teenager who once said, “I hate YDisciple,” eventually becomes a YDisciple mentor—and discovers that she actually loves it?

In this episode of The YDisciple Podcast, Pete Burds and Annie Grandell sit down with Lauren Riggs, a former YDisciple small group member, former mentor, NET Missionary, and current NET Mission Staffer. Lauren shares her unique experience of seeing YDisciple from both sides of the small-group relationship.

Lauren remembers her own experience as a teenager: watching videos in a dark room, falling asleep during confirmation, and feeling like there wasn't much real discussion happening. But when she returned as a mentor after high school, she discovered a very different approach. Instead of simply moving through content, her small group focused on conversation, relationships, flexibility, and creating space for the girls to be themselves.

That experience became a powerful lesson in what YDisciple is actually trying to accomplish: programs don't make disciples—disciples do. Resources can help facilitate a conversation, but they can't replace the relationship between a mentor and a young person.

Ultimately, this episode is an encouragement to mentors and ministry leaders: you don't have to have all the answers, perfectly lead every conversation, or make every meeting go according to plan. Sometimes the most fruitful thing you can do is slow down, listen, empower your young people, and follow the pace of the Holy Spirit.

Ask yourself:

Why does one part of ministry leave you energized while another part seems to drain you completely? And what if the answer isn’t simply about personality, but about the way God has gifted you to contribute to a team?

In this episode of The YDisciple Podcast, Pete Burds and Annie Grandell dive into Patrick Lencioni’s Working Genius framework and explore how it can give ministry leaders language for understanding the way they naturally approach their work. Rather than simply categorizing personalities, Working Genius looks at how ideas move from a question or need all the way through implementation and completion.

Pete and Annie walk through the six working geniuses—Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement, and Tenacity—and discuss how each contributes something unique to a healthy team. They explore the difference between the work that naturally energizes us, the work we can competently accomplish, and the work that tends to frustrate or drain us.

The conversation also explores what this looks like in real ministry settings—from parish teams and volunteers to mission staff and small group mentors. If the ministry is going to be bigger than any one person, we need to recognize the gifts already present in the people around us and create opportunities for those gifts to serve the mission.

Ask yourself:

In this episode of The YDisciple Podcast, Pete Burds and Annie Grandell bring their spouses, Emily and Jason, into the conversation for an honest look at marriage, family, and life in ministry.

Together, they talk about the unique challenges that come with being married to someone whose work involves relationships, retreats, late nights, travel, and a calling that doesn't always fit neatly into a 9-to-5 schedule. They also share plenty of stories from their own marriages—including the mistakes, tensions, and lessons they've learned along the way.

Pete and Annie talk about the importance of boundaries and expectations—especially when ministry schedules are unpredictable. The spouses share what it looks like to communicate about time, surrender jealousy, support one another's callings, and recognize that different seasons of life may require different roles.

And, because this is the YDisciple Podcast, the episode isn't all serious. The conversation ends with a surprisingly revealing question:

What is a quirky habit your spouse has that you secretly love?

From improvised songs to “bobcat” chip bags and questionable road-trip navigation, it's a reminder that healthy marriages aren't built only on big spiritual conversations—they're also built on friendship, humor, and learning to love the little quirks of the person beside you.

Whether you're married to a ministry leader, serving in ministry yourself, or simply trying to figure out how your vocation fits into family life, this episode offers an honest reminder: your ministry matters, but so does the person sitting across the table from you.

Ask yourself:

What if the most powerful kind of discipleship starts with something incredibly simple: a few people, a little time, and a willingness to say yes?

In this episode of The YDisciple Podcast, hosts Pete Burds and Annie Grandell dive into the remarkable story of Jan Tyranowski, a Polish tailor whose quiet life of prayer and discipleship had an extraordinary impact on the Church. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, Jan was asked to care for the young people of his parish after many of the priests were arrested. His response was simple: gather a small group, pray together, and share life together.

That small group became known as the Living Rosary, and of the ten young men Jan mentored, eight eventually became priests. One of them would go on to become a bishop, cardinal, pope, and ultimately St. John Paul II.

Pete and Annie explore why Jan's story matters so much for youth ministers today. His life offers a powerful example of how small-group discipleship doesn't need to be complicated, expensive, or built around the latest program. It can begin with simply loving the people in front of you, creating space for prayer and relationship, and trusting God with the fruit.

They also reflect on the reality that ministry leaders rarely get to see the full impact of their work. Jan died before John Paul II became a bishop, meaning he never saw just how far his investment in one young person would reach. His story invites us to trust that God can multiply the small acts of faithfulness we offer today.

Ask yourself: