Youth Ministry Unscripted: The Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast

In this episode of the Rooted Podcast, Cameron Cole interviews Mark Gignilliat about preparing students for their college religion class – a setting which can often be conflicting for kids coming from a rich youth group setting. Students struggle with where to place their beliefs while they engage with critical and historical religious issues. Mark Gignilliat is a professor at Beason Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama and served as a youth pastor for four years while working on his MDiv. From RTS. He earned his PhD at St. Andrews in Scotland.

Dave Wright, Coordinator for Youth Ministries in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, spoke at the 2015 Rooted Conference about…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dave Wright, Coordinator for Youth Ministries in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina, spoke at the 2015 Rooted Conference about integrating students into their respective churches. Dave’s story involved once placing a higher priority on student-to-student relationships, but after a trip to England realized the imperative value for students to have and build relationships outside of each other, and outside the youth leadership. Listen to this podcast to hear Dave discuss integrating youth into the lives of the average congregation-member.

From our Editor-in-Chief, Charlotte Getz: This was a really hard conversation. All five of us are white. We struggled to…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

From our Editor-in-Chief, Charlotte Getz:

This was a really hard conversation. All five of us are white. We struggled to know what to say, to see our role as a part of the problem and a part of the solution when it comes to race relations. Who are we to talk with any real wisdom or experience about reconciliation with our black brothers and sisters? I, along with Dave Wright, Sarah Seibels, Andy Cornett, and Liz Edrington, recorded this episode on July 12th – the week following the shooting deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and five Dallas Police Officers. As a group, we were devastated, appalled, and feeling pretty helpless about each of these tragedies. We almost canceled the recording. But we realized several mutual concerns as leaders of youth: how do we bring students into the conversation about the immense racial tension going on in our country? How do we, leaders of predominantly white and affluent churches, teach our kids to become a force of reconciliation, rather than keep a safe distance (physically and emotionally) from the conflict? Most importantly, what does Jesus say about all of these things? We thought these questions and concerns were so critical that we decided as a group to humbly stumble through some potential ways forward. We hope this episode spurns some thoughts, ideas, and hope for you in your own ministries.

We’re thrilled to share Peter Ong’s humorous yet poignant talk from the 2015 Rooted Conference in Chicago. In his plenary…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

We’re thrilled to share Peter Ong’s humorous yet poignant talk from the 2015 Rooted Conference in Chicago. In his plenary session, Peter delves into John 20:24-29, the disciple Thomas, cultivating a pathway for students to doubt, and leaning into a theology of failure (the gospel of grace). Peter Ong planted King’s Cross Church in Flushing, NY in 2012, finding his motivation for church planting to be the many young people he has discipled over the years.

Philip Walkley, Executive Director of Service Over Self (SOS) in Memphis, gave an excellent workshop at the 2015 Rooted Conference…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Philip Walkley, Executive Director of Service Over Self (SOS) in Memphis, gave an excellent workshop at the 2015 Rooted Conference in Chicago. In it he says, “If you’re going to disciple your students and teach them the whole gospel, a part of that has got to be teaching them about the biblical call to love and serve the poor.”

SOS (based in Memphis, TN) exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in undeserved neighborhoods through home repair and leadership development.

It’s summer, which means many churches are preparing to send their youth on a mission trip. In this podcast, Cameron…

Hosted by: Danny Kwon, author of Teenagers and Mental Health; Becca Heck, M. Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary; Isaiah Marshall, Rooted's Director of Ministry Development; and Josh Hussung, M. Div. in Pastor Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.