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Trade the contemporary hype for a deep concern with holiness! 

What if your youth ministry felt unmistakably sacred and still radically welcoming?

In this episode of Youth Ministry Booster, Zac Workun sits down with Ribbin Dorado to explore a youth ministry model built on formation over frenzy, one that helps teenagers love the church they’re actually growing into.

Together, we unpack a fresh durable, and repeatable,  youth ministry framework designed for long-term faith formation:

• A two-hour Sunday night gathering that prioritizes formation over games
• A monthly rhythm that includes a Student Sabbath at home, complete with table liturgies
• A mid-month Worship in the Round, where students lead and testify
• Sacred worship spaces using incense, kneelers, and iconography to signal reverence. Elements of signs, symbols, and wonder. 
• Memorizing creeds, spontaneous testimonies, and students “fighting for the mic” to name where they see God at work
• Teaching shaped by the lectionary, offering a balanced diet of Scripture and resisting cherry-picking

We also talk about rethinking leadership in student ministry:

• Hospitality leaders who cultivate belonging
• Formation leaders who guide 30-minute Bible circles
• Thoughtful training, interviews, and resources that treat leaders as ministers—not just volunteers
• Language that dignifies the calling and responsibility of those shaping students’ faith

At the core is the soul of the youth pastor. Ribbin challenges leaders to abide in Christ (John 15), practice the daily Examen, read Scripture beyond sermon prep, and develop a living rule of life. Teenagers don’t just hear what we teach, they catch what we love. 

We lead from overflow, not exhaustion.

Finally, we reframe success in youth ministry:

• Are students worshiping with the broader church?
• Are families practicing prayer and Scripture at home?
• Two years after graduation, are students rooted in a local church?

Formation is a long obedience in the same direction—formed inwardly and sent outwardly.

Subscribe, rate, and review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. Check out Lifeway.com/Essentials for free roundtable days this spring in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, and North Carolina. Sign up and bring your team.

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