Vitals for Youth Ministry

We talk honestly about Pastor Jeff Leake’s legacy and how spiritual fathering shapes a healthier way to lead in youth ministry. We share five lessons that move relationships from transactional to transformational so students and leaders grow with security, trust, and purpose. 
• spiritual fathering as a core youth ministry calling and the “third voice” students need 
• belonging before becoming, giving a secure place without performance 
• shifting away from transactional ministry with students and leaders 
• seeing potential early, speaking affirmation, and trusting people with opportunity 
• protecting the person before the platform, including rest, therapy, and sabbatical wisdom 
• measuring success by what others become rather than what we personally build 
• carrying legacy forward without becoming clones, letting a mentor’s voice keep shaping how we lead 
If you love this episode, make sure to share it with somebody. If you know somebody who’s walking through something like this, and it could be of any help, please share it with somebody. Do us a favor, you know, give us a review on you know one of the one of the platforms, whatever platform you’re listening on. Leave a comment on YouTube, subscribe, like, hit the button, share all the good stuff. 

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We come back from a long hiatus to honor Pastor Jeff, Caleb’s dad and our lead pastor, after his sudden death and the shock that followed. We talk candidly about carrying grief while still leading people, and how God meets us with grace when we feel like we’re not ourselves anymore. 
• recounting the night of the medical crisis and the hours that changed everything 
• naming the unique weight of grieving as a church community while still gathering to worship 
• rejecting the idea of “normal” grief and releasing the need to perform healing 
• reframing the goal from getting over grief to growing enough to carry it 
• holding the paradox of joy and loss during new milestones and major life change 
• exploring biblical lament, honest prayer, and the comfort of God’s nearness 
• learning from sitting Shiva, presence, silence, and shared memories 
• practicing support that works, including community, counseling, boundaries, and self grace.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

In this episode, we sit down with Sam McCollough from Feed.Bible to explore hopeful trends in youth ministry and equip next generation leaders to guide students toward lasting faith. We unpack what it means to be “emerging committed,” identify markers of spiritual formation, and share strategies for discipling students in a world shaped by AI and digital culture.

Discover how to close the gap between nominal faith and resilient belief through authentic youth discipleship, including:

• Trends in Gen Z engagement and the quiet revival
• Understanding Gen Alpha as digital natives navigating an AI-driven world
• Defining and spotting emerging committed Christians
• The 65% Christian claim vs. the 16% committed core
• Practical ways for next generation leaders to move students from nominal to resilient faith
• Using AI as a tool for growth, not a replacement for pastoral responsibility
• Modeling wise tech use for students and parents
• Concrete next steps for sermons, small groups, and leader training

Whether you lead a youth ministry, mentor student leaders, or are passionate about spiritual formation, this episode with Sam McCollough equips you with insights and strategies to disciple the next generation with wisdom and courage.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

A heart-first kickoff to season two on the power of abiding in Jesus, why confidence flows from intimacy with God, and how to diagnose fruit to find the root. We talk with John Zick about honest stories, simple rhythms, and practical boundaries to guard your heart and lead from overflow.

• Defining abiding as ongoing relationship with God
• Rival mentality versus true fulfillment
• Fruit diagnostics from Galatians to locate your roots
• Anointing versus approval and the danger of autopilot
• Practical boundaries and calendar blocks for health
• Integrating prayer into ordinary moments
• Resetting vision for ministry by guarding your heart
• Resources from the Called Initiative and how to connect

Connect with John Zick!

✉️  [email protected] 

Check out the CALLED free resources at called.ag.org

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We share a field-tested playbook for building a healthy youth leadership team, from recruiting people who care to training them with simple rhythms that last. Ashton Peters unpacks “The Third Voice,” showing how mentors help students from unchurched homes grow with steady guidance.

• Leadership development as the engine of sustainable youth ministry
• Recruiting seasoned adults and diverse voices beyond “cool factor”
• Practical sources for volunteers, including the church secretary and lobby time
• Clear onboarding with expectations, shadowing, and a simple booklet
• Support roles that prevent burnout and let small group leaders focus
• Weekly huddles, monthly meetings, and an annual retreat as core rhythm
• Spiritual parenting and mentoring for students from unchurched homes
• Gritty realities of youth ministry and how teams walk through hard things
• Tools and resources for content, training, and consistency

Buy “The Third Voice” by Ashton Peters on Amazon or MyHealthy Church to grab the book today!

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We pull back the curtain on youth ministry insecurity, comparison, and the pressure to make every Wednesday hinge on one person, then map a better way—equipping leaders, planning with purpose, and building systems that last. Gabby O’Rourke shares candid stories and a practical framework to turn vision into sustained growth.

• Naming insecurity and resisting comparison
• Equipping volunteers over owning the night
• Character, calling, culture, competency as a framework
• Prayer-led recruiting of multi-generational teams
• Yearly scope and sequence for content planning
• Small group prep and response culture that disciple
• Assessing ratios, roles, and Wednesday flow
• Fixing foundations before cosmetic changes
• Opening feedback loops and receiving input well

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We sit down with Reggie Dabbs to explore how presence, scripture, and bold invitations move students from passive listeners to active disciples. From back-row handshakes to altar calls, we unpack a simple, focused path to help students live on mission every day.

• Making mission normal in daily life
• Earning trust with presence and integrity
• Using scripture as the engine of change
• Writing messages backward from response
• Leading clear, bold altar moments
• Staying tender by avoiding green rooms
• Modeling testimony without losing depth
• Encouraging discouraged leaders as tag changers
• Practical tips for prayerful preparation

Give us a review, give us a like, give us a share on any of the platforms you’re watching.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We talk with Carrie Brooks about building a safe, Jesus-centered community where students can belong while they figure out what they believe. From a hilarious living-room play to a practical playbook for small groups, this is a master class in culture, habits, and care.

• Why belonging is the on-ramp to belief
• Five measurable habits for small-group leaders
• Structuring grade and gender groups that move up together
• Leading discussions where students talk more than leaders
• Using labs to practice Bible reading, prayer and evangelism
• Showing up at student events and building camaraderie
• Recruiting and retaining leaders through care and vision
• Creating low-cost, high-impact group events
• Why consistency and a three-month test matter

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

We explore how authority from God creates confidence without ego and why rebuilding Bible literacy is the safest path back to health in youth ministry. John Rush shares stories, practical tools, and a call to play the long game: disciple deeply and watch evangelism grow.

• Authority that produces humility and courage
• Candid youth ministry stories and lessons learned
• Celebrating innovation without losing formation
• Assessing Bible literacy with simple AI tools
• Measuring fruit of the Spirit, not just attendance
• Keeping the found as a pastoral priority
• Shifting preaching from clever to substantive
• Gen Z’s hunger for stability and doctrine
• Relational ministry beyond the stage
• Ethical, effective use of AI in prep
• Discipleship as the engine of evangelism
• Student-led movements built over time

If you love the podcast, give it a like, give it a subscribe, give it a share, give it a review, whatever platform you’re on

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!

Phil Johnson shares how to create a youth ministry culture centered on missional living by modeling authentic evangelism and celebrating students who live out the Great Commission in their daily lives.

• Discipleship and evangelism should be integrated, not treated as separate ministry focuses
• Creating a missional culture starts with what we celebrate in our youth ministry
• Students often focus on their unique calling while neglecting the broader mission of sharing Jesus
• What gets celebrated gets remembered, gets repeated, and gets replicated
• Personal stories of life transformation carry more weight than theoretical teaching
• The priority should be falling in love with the mission before pursuing specific assignments
• Gen Alpha seeks adults who will slow down and walk with them through their questions
• Building a missional culture takes years of consistent modeling and intentional celebration
• Ministry leaders should not only share the gospel from stage but model evangelism in daily life
• Practical elements like mission trips and campus outreach reinforce missional values

Utilize the Vitals for Youth Ministry assessment tool with 25 questions that will give you a health score on each of the five vitals.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below! It has everything you need from free sermon series, training resources for your leaders, and tools to help you assess the health of your ministry.

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸  @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸  @calebmleake

This episode is sponsored by:

World Serve International

🔗  Click Here!

Allison Park leadership Academy

🔗  Click Here!