Youth ministry is messy work. Being involved in the lives of teenagers means we get to see the good and the bad. It’s easy to celebrate the good. It’s challenging to know what to do with the bad. All of us have had moments where we called kids out for their behavior, speech, or attitude. Not our favorite thing.

In this episode, Brock, Shannon and Steve talk about when to confront students. How do we strike a balance between calling them to higher things, yet not policing them all the time? How do we do so with grace, love and truth? Add in watching their lives unfold on social media, and the pressure we feel to defend our ministry reputation, and it becomes overwhelmingly difficult.

But what if we create an environment where confession is real? What if our default isn’t judgement but love? What if we are with them in the mess, what theologian Andrew Root calls “Place Sharing,” so they will see Jesus in us?

There’s no perfect way, but there is a better way. We are looking for it in this conversation.

Mentioned in this episode:
Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry by Andrew Roothttps://www.andrewroot.org/books/

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Helping Students Stick (Episode 34)Every youth pastor wants to reach more students, and we are notorious for finding gimmicks to attract them. But what we really want is for students to come and stay.

On this episode, Steve and Shannon talk about what students today might really be looking for. What does youth ministry offer that other places in their lives do not? And how do we create environments that provide the sense of belonging and transcendence that will keep them coming?

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Making Youth Ministry Simple Again with Eric Miller, Part 2 (Episode 33)We are once again joined by Eric Miller, National Director of Ministries for Momentum Ministry Partners. MMP influences hundreds of youth pastors and youth ministries around the country through their Momentum Conference, Urban Centers, Cohorts, Education, and Podcast. Eric brings a wealth of experience and perspective to what is working and isn't working in youth ministry these days.
One common struggle for many of us is comparing ourselves and our ministries to the ones we see on social media. But the heart of what we do isn’t found in 60-second highlight clips of our best messages; it’s found in the unique culture we create and the day-to-day relationships we form in our students. We help them move from Point A to Point B in their faith – that’s the essence of simple and effective youth ministry.
Two old friends talking shop, and reminiscing about the time we tried to fix the then-still -single Eric up with a date at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference in Chicago.https://buildmomentum.org/

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On this episode, Steve is joined by Eric Miller, National Director of Ministries for Momentum Ministry Partners. MMP influences hundreds of youth pastors and youth ministries around the country through their Momentum Conference, Urban Centers, Cohorts, Education, and Podcast. Eric brings a wealth of experience and perspective to what is and isn't working in youth ministry these days.
Eric and Steve are also longtime friends from Eric's days as a youth pastor in Frederick, MD. In addition to endless hours spent hanging out, talking youth ministry, and praying together, Steve got to witness the origins of Eric's relationship with his wife, and Eric was there for the origin of the Youth Ministry Sherpas. 
Two "old" youth pastors talking shop, and inviting you into their conversation. We hope you are as encouraged as we were.
Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-ministry-sherpas-coast-to-coast/id1333665959
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com 
Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C 
Follow us on Instagram!

Email us at [email protected]

We’re all here! It’s not easy getting us all in the same room these days, with schedules, work, wildfires, and Brock going to Disneyland. But we did it. And we had a great conversation about our own spiritual rhythms and practices. It’s not easy staying in tune with God when the world is in chaos and our lives are full of demands. But it’s also not optional. How else will we survive these troubled times, and pass on healthy spiritual lives to our students?
The goal: To be able to tell students, “Watch me, and do as I do.”

Mentioned in this episode:

Lectio 365
https://www.24-7prayer.com/resource/lectio-365/

Bible in One Year https://bibleinoneyear.org

Dallas Willard
Abraham Heschel
Disneyland

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According to a recent cover story in The Atlantic entitled “The Anti-Social Century” (by Derek Thompson), we are living in a time when many of us would rather stay home and organize life around our online bubble than hang out with friends or neighbors. Does this ring true, even after covid? Does this contribute to the rise in teen anxiety?  Is this something we notice among our students and families, and should it be something we are concerned about? If so, doesn’t youth group seem like the perfect solution?
Shannon and Steve have a spirited conversation around how to leverage the trends of our current culture to provide community and friendship for students and parents in our churches.
Plus, for the first time, Steve and Shannon are at odds. Shannon is excited for the T-Swift vs. Eagles Super Bowl. Steve is thinking he might be anti-social and skip it.
Mentioned in this episode:
Derek Thompson
https://www.theatlantic.com/author/derek-thompson/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/
Jonathan Haidt
https://jonathanhaidt.com/https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/book

Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youth-ministry-sherpas-coast-to-coast/id1333665959
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com 
Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C

We’ve all seen the news. Wildfires have brought devastation to many communities along the Pacific Coast. Shannon’s church in Malibu has been spared (so far), but she and her family were right on the edge of the evacuation zone. Their bags have been packed for weeks. These fires have brought real trauma to her family, church, school, and community.
In the midst of a life-altering event like this, how do we function as youth pastors? What is our role? How do we balance the tension between protecting our own family’s well-being and sanity, and ministering to others? How do we help students understand that hard times do not diminish the power or presence of the Lord in their lives? How do we think about the future and our dreams of “returning to normal?”
These are the real questions Shannon has been forced to ask over the past month. Given the inevitability of trauma and tragedy in this world, they are the questions we will all need to ask at some point.
If you want to know how to help, email us at [email protected] and we will connect you with a local ministry that could use your help.
Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C Follow us on Instagram!Email us at [email protected]

Let’s face it – youth ministry is hard. It can be fraught with frustrations, doomed by discouragement, and crushed by conflict. We’ve all felt like quitting. We’ve all felt like the grass has to be greener at the church lawn down the street. The most recent data from the Youth Worker Compensation Survey shows that the average youth pastor stays at a church less than 5 years, and leaves youth ministry around year 10.**https://www.chemistrystaffing.com/resources/compensation-youth-pastor-2024/
But what if we persevere? What if we find ways to survive the past, thrive in the moment, and high five the future? 

On today’s episode, Brock and Steve talk about longevity in youth ministry. In a vulnerable and encouraging conversation, we talk about the things that almost drove us out, and how we found ways to commit to staying in it for the long haul. Brock has been a youth pastor for over 30 years at a variety of churches. Steve has been at his church for 25 years. What have we learned about sticking it out, and what did we gain on the other side?
This was the reason this show was created in the first place, and longevity has been a frequent topic of conversation, but it’s one we need to have again and again.
It was so good, we did it twice. That, and that fact that Steve was tired from a retreat and forgot to hit the record button.
Anyway, we truly hope this is helpful to someone who is discouraged and thinking of quitting.
Shannon’s community is still reeling from the California wildfires.  If you want to know how to help, email us at [email protected] and we will connect you with a local ministry that could use your help.
Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C Follow us on Instagram!Email us at [email protected]

The crew is back together for a new episode about that old nemesis of youth pastors everywhere: Travel Sports! Shannon is just entering the Sports Parent Phase. Steve is a few years removed from it. Brock is smack in the middle of a softball apocalypse. Travel sports (and other high demand activities in our kid-centric world) are not going anywhere soon. How do we connect, speak about, shepherd, encourage, coach and even challenge parents and kids to think about sports in relationship to youth ministry and spiritual growth? Do we give up, give in, give them heck, or find a way to come alongside them in the midst of their busy and frantic pursuit of the elusive golden scholarship?

By the way, we recorded this late in 2024, shortly after Shannon’s church nearly burned in a wildfire. Since then, things have gotten worse in Malibu and other areas near LA. If you want to know how to help, email us at [email protected] and we will connect you with a local ministry that could use your help.

Mentioned in this show:
https://www.andrewroot.org/the-end-of-youth-ministry/

Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com 
Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C 
Follow us on Instagram!Email us at [email protected]

Happy New Year from the Youth Ministry Sherpas!

Shannon is out with a sick kid, but Brock and Steve got together anyway to look back on 2024. What a time to be alive! Literally. I mean, Brock had a freaking heart attack last year! That rattles the emotions and priorities in one’s life, for sure. We are both grateful to be given another year of friendship and calling in youth ministry. 

Which brings us to 2025. What’s next for the church? What changes do we predict, prophecy and prognosticate coming down the pike for youth ministry this year? Our answers might surprise you. They are guaranteed to make you think. And hey, if we’re wrong, just stone us.
It’s our first show of 2025. We are glad you are with us, and we hereby resolve to be more consistent this year!

Give us a 5-star review on iTunes.
We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C Follow us on Instagram!Email us at [email protected]