Youth Ministry Podcast

After 104 episodes, it's time for the Youth Ministry Podcast to release its Greatest Hits album. Today, Jake and Erik discuss their favorite episodes from the past two years and say "farewell" (for now) to this podcasting endeavor.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Today Jake and Erik look through the lens of their combined 30 years experience and ruminate on what they would've told their younger selves when they were starting out in youth ministry. Also, Jake asks listeners for some help.

You have a lot to think about as a youth minister, and most of it is related to what's in front of your face every day: registration forms, staff meetings, lesson planning, receipts, and the clogged sink in the youth room. Who has time to consider things like user experience and graphic design? YOU, that's who! Today Jake and Erik offer some suggestions for how to step away from the daily grind and design meaningful ministry moments at your church.

Departing from a congregation is almost never easy, and yet most ministry professionals will say "goodbye" to several churches during their career. In this episode, Jake and Erik discuss ways to leave a church with grace for yourself and grace for your congregation.

Teens spend an average of nine hours online each day. Social media is ubiquitous. Young people and figuring out their online and in-person identities on the fly every day. How can the church support young people and their parents as they encounter the complicated and wonderful world of social media? In this episode Jake and Erik talk about their recent interactions with parents and teens on the topic of social media and offer suggestions for how to facilitate these conversations at your church.

Live, from Sparkhouse Headquarters in Minneapolis, MN – it's the 100th episode of the Youth Ministry Podcast! In this very special episode, Erik and Jake are joined by members of the Sparkhouse team to give you a look behind the scenes of the ministry of publishing. Plus they'll give you a recap of all the shenanigans that took place during their outrageous lock-in.

Youth ministry isn't something you do alone. Not only do you have leaders in your congregation to support you, but you can partner with other church youth groups for all kinds of activities. Jake and Erik discuss their experiences with shared ministry events and offer suggestions for things to consider when planning these outings, retreats, and trips.

If you're around young people, you've probably heard of TikTok. In a little more than a year since it was launched, TikTok has become one of the fastest growing and most popular apps in the world. Today Jake and Erik discuss the ways youth are interacting with this video app. Then they bring on their resident expert, Erik's teenage daughter Anna, to answer their questions and to set her father straight on a few things.

Jake and Erik took a road trip to Sparkhouse HQ to prepare for the 100th Episode Spectacular. In today's episode they rehash what they discussed in the car, including; establishing healthy boundaries with youth, what to do when holidays conflict with church programming, and when to perform background checks for mentors.

Youth Ministry is an ever-changing vocation. It's important for adults to learn new ways of teaching, relating, and leading young people. There are countless ways to develop new skills for ministry—events, conferences, conventions, books, coaching, consultants, and cohorts—but which ones are right for you? In this episode Jake and Erik discuss the anatomy of a great professional development experience and offer some questions to ask before attending your next continuing education event.