Youth Ministry Podcast

We’ve all been there before. You want to take your students on a trip that will give them life experience, provide opportunities for transformation, but need to make sure it happens for less than $250 per student. Whether it’s mission trips, church camp, or a fun ski outing—trying to fund these youth ministry staples can be a challenge. How do you do it effectively? When should you ask the parents to kick in? Students? Should the church finance these trips? And maybe most importantly: is youth ministry a never-ending capital campaign?  In this episode, Bryan and Erik think about what makes fundraising necessary, moments when it shouldn’t be, and one of them admits to 15 years of consternation.

Church should be a safe place for everyone—especially children and youth. There are lots of ways to make our buildings and events safe for kids, but having a thoughtful and robust child protection policy is integral to that work. In today’s episode, Bryan and Erik will discuss what makes a good policy, how to get the conversation started in your congregations, and the inevitable gray areas that will need navigating.

With the coming of the new year, a few things are certain. Decorations need to be taken down, football games require watching, and – for some – resolutions will be made. Whether it’s to eat healthier, be present with our friends and family, or work out more, many people ring in the new year with a desire to transform empty and tired parts of their life. In this week’s episode, Bryan and Erik try to be better.

Lock-ins! You love them. You hate them. You love to hate them. Wherever you land on the topic, lock-ins have been a staple of youth ministries for decades. But what makes a meaningful experience? How do you fill those 12 hours in a way that not only encourages kids to come back, but also gives them a discipleship experience? In this episode, Bryan and Erik discuss their successes and failures, offer up some practical skills, and try to figure out exactly who is responsible for the rise of lock-ins in youth ministry.

Everybody loves Christmas music. Well, almost everybody. Whether you’re singing in a choir, shopping at the mall, or just humming along in your car—the best Christmas music can be emotional, uplifting, or nostalgic. From pop music to 4-part choral performances, there’s a song or album for everyone. In this episode, Bryan, Erik, and special guest Erin Gibbons, discuss what makes a good Christmas song, what makes a bad one, and definitively answer one of the season’s most pressing questions.

What makes a great Christmas movie? Is it the story of that one special gift? Or maybe it’s an examination of life, love, and family. And what about Jesus? Should Christmas movies be explicitly Christian? In this episode, Bryan, Erik, and special guest Andrew DeYoung discuss the best and worst Christmas movies, what is and isn’t a Christmas movie, and are confronted with a shocking revelation.

No question brings more fear into a youth worker’s heart than, “How many kids did you have in youth group last night?” For millennia (or at least the last twenty years), youth workers have struggled with how to think about numbers in youth ministry. Do they matter? Is attendance an appropriate metric for the health of a youth ministry? And of course—are 100 students better than 10? In this episode, Bryan and Erik discuss when numbers are important, how they can hurt a youth ministry, and one of them questions their integrity.

People may think youth ministry is a never-ending string of go-cart rides, laser tag battles, and games of dodgeball. (Think about how glorious that would be…) But in reality, a healthy youth ministry is filled with teaching and other discipleship activities—all of which require a solid map. As youth workers, knowing where you’re going in a lesson is invaluable. And knowing how to write an effective lesson plan will make your life as a youth worker much easier. In this episode, Bryan and Erik discuss the holy lesson plan and realize they aren’t good with metaphors. Madeline Hunter Lesson Plan

• Anticipatory Set – review previous lesson, icebreaker, visual prompt
• Objective and Purpose – “today we’re going to ______”
• Input – leader conveys information
• Modeling – show students what you’ve just taught
• Checking for Understanding – “are you with me?”
• Guided Practice – students put learning into action, with supervision
• Independent Practice – students put learning into action, w/o supervision
• Closure – “what did you learn today?”

The National Youth Workers Convention is one of the few places where thousands of youth workers can gather and talk about the things that really matter. Namely, how can you get out of doing lock-ins...forever? In all seriousness, NYWC has been serving youth directors for decades with books, training, curriculum, and the occasional 9-square dodge ball tournaments.  In this episode, Bryan interviews NYWC attendees, veteran and first-timers alike, and realizes there aren’t enough youth ministry books in the world.

The church has long used words that may or may not translate into broader culture. Relational, Missional, Fellowship (used as a verb, as in “This is some sick fellowship we’re doing!”). And any list of church words wouldn’t be complete without “attractional.” Attractional Youth Ministry is a divisive topic in student ministry circles. It’s also a bit of a Catch-22. How do we attract students to our ministry if we’re not using laser tag and worship bands? Shouldn’t the Gospel be enough of an attraction? Does every youth activity have to be punctuated with a moment of discipleship? In this episode, Hosts Bryan Bliss and Erik Ullestad talk about getting students involved in authentic and meaningful ways, while trying to figure out if “attractional” is actually a word.