Youth Pastor Theologian

Episode 7: Discipleship in Youth Ministry (Vince Greenwald)

Youth Pastor Theologians know they should be making disciples, but we aren't always sure what that really looks like. After all, isn't everything a matter of discipleship to some degree or another? In this episode, we talk with Vince Greenwald (Director of Student Ministry at Immanuel Church in Nashville) about how he and his church build a gospel culture that makes lifelong disciples of the next generation. 
What is discipleship, and what are some ways you’ve seen discipleship misunderstood? 
How did you built and implemented a discipleship plan at Immanuel? 
It’s common for people to think about the gospel as it pertains to evangelism. What role does the gospel play in discipling students? 
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Episode 6: Ministry to Pastor’s Kids (Barnabas Piper)

Pastor's kids are normal kids, living under the microscope. On one hand, there's nothing "special" about them. On the other hand, their family identity as a "pastor's family" places them under scrutiny in some pretty unique ways. So, how can youth pastors be prepared to care for the pastor's kids in their ministry? And what if those pastor's kids are their own kids?! 
This conversation with Barnabas Piper includes the following
What are some ways that PK’s needs are different from others in our ministries? 
You talked to a lot of other pastors’ kids to write your book “The Pastor’s Kid.” What from those interviews and conversations continues to stand out that would be helpful for our listeners to hear. 
When you wrote your book “The Pastor’s Kid” you weren’t a pastor. But you are now. How did that book help you process your own upbringing and parenting style in a way that prepared your daughters for being pastors kids? 
How can youth workers show special care to PKs without feeding into entitlement?
Buy Barnabas Piper's books (especially "The Pastor's Kid: What it's like and how to help")
Listen to Barnabas on the Happy Rant Podcast
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber. You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page. Some links above are Amazon Associates links, which helps YPT purchase new resources for study and research. 

Episode 5: Partnering with Parents (Walt Mueller)

Most of us know that we should be partnering with parents, but we aren't always sure where or how to begin. In this episode, Mike talks with Walt Mueller from the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding about ways youth workers can partner with parents. Topics include:
Walt shares the story about how CPYU came about as an effort to partner with parents.
How can younger youth pastors partner with parents without overstepping their bounds?
If parents are called to be the primary disciple-makers of their kids, what role do youth pastors play?
What are some ways that younger youth pastors can co-disciple students alongside parents? 
How can youth workers be agents of reconciliation between parents and students during conflicts without taking sides? 
Learn more about Walt's ministry at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, checkout his long-form weekly podcast Youth Culture Matters, one-minute daily podcast Youth Culture Today. Walt also highlights CPYU's newer podcast, The Word in Youth Ministry, about teaching Scripture to students. 
Check out Walt's books - especially his book The Space Between, which helps parents understand the internal and external influences working on their kids during adolescence. Yes, it's an old'ish book, but it's still relevant and is very accessible.
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber.
You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page. Some links above are Amazon Associates links, which helps YPT purchase new resources for study and research. 

Episode 4: Social Media and Youth Ministry (Chris Martin)

Social Media is ever-present in teenagers' lives. Although it's easy to highlight all the ways social media and technology has introduced serious challenges to students' lives, there are also some benefits and blessings. How can youth workers grow in their wisdom and set a faithful model in their personal use and in the youth ministry's approach to social media and technology? 
It’s safe to assume that Social Media isn’t going away anytime soon… what are the major platforms and what are their benefits and dangers? 
There are some startling correlations between teenager’s mental health and the prevalence of smart phones and social media. How can we navigate that relationship? 
TikTok is a pretty controversial platform for youth workers today. How do you respond when people ask if their youth groups should have a TikTok account? 
What are some important guidelines you recommend youth workers to employ in their own use of social media, both for their own good and to establish healthy boundaries between themselves and students in their ministries? 
Chris Martin is the Content Marketing Editor for Moody Publications and is the author of Terms of Service (among other books). He's also the "youth pastor emeritus" at his church, where he still volunteers in the student ministry.
Buy Chris' book "Terms of Service," sign up for his weekly newsletter, and follow him on Twitter. 
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber. You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page. Some links above are Amazon Associates links, which helps YPT purchase new resources for study and research. 

Episode 3: Doubt and Deconstruction (Barnabas Piper)

In this conversation, Mike talks with Barnabas Piper about Doubt and Deconstruction. It's only natural for teenagers to experience doubt as they begin to discern what they really believe about faith and the Bible. In many churches, doubt feels like a dirty word and students keep their doubts to themselves. This has increasingly led to teenagers and young adults who deconstruct their faith only to find that it doesn't mean anything to them anymore. 
What's the difference between "Unbelieving Doubt" and "Believing Doubt?" 
What is the role of suffering in cementing students' faith? 
How can youth workers create a culture where doubt is welcome? 
What is deconstruction, and what are the different forms of it? 
Buy Barnabas Piper's books (especially "Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith")
Listen to Barnabas on the Happy Rant Podcast
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber. You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page. Some links above are Amazon Associates links, which helps YPT purchase new resources for study and research. 

Episode 2: Youth Culture (Walt Mueller)

Walt Mueller joins the YPT Podcast to talk about youth culture. On this episode we discuss: 
Why it's important for youth workers to be aware of what's happening in youth culture.
How do we respond to those who say we shouldn't study "counterfeits," but just focus on teaching the Bible and sound doctrine? 
How do we prioritize teaching Scripture while faithfully contextualizing the message to students who are swimming in youth culture. 
Learn more about Walt's ministry at the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, checkout his long-form weekly podcast Youth Culture Matters, one-minute daily podcast Youth Culture Today. 
Check out Walt's books - especially his latest, A Student's Guide to Navigating Youth Culture
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber. You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page. Some links above are Amazon Associates links, which helps YPT purchase new resources for study and research. 

Episode 1: What is a Youth Pastor Theologian (Chris Talbot)

Our inaugural episode features Chris Talbot, program director of youth and families at Welch College, and youth pastor at Sylvan Park Church in Nashville. He's also the author of one of the best but least-known books on youth ministry, "Remodeling Youth Ministry." Join this conversation, where Mike and Chris talk about what a youth pastor theologian is, how "theological" do you really need to be to be considered a youth pastor theologian. 
What is a youth pastor theologian?
Why has youth ministry tended to overlook the important of theology?
Doesn't theology only breed divisions? Why would we introduce it, then, into our youth ministries?
What role does theology play in the way we minister to students who are hearing very different messages at church and in the broader culture? 
What's the difference between teaching theology and teaching theologically?
Buy Chris' book, Remodeling Youth Ministry
Follow Chris on Twitter: @c_talbot
Visit Youth Pastor Theologian's website
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
Please consider sharing YPT's podcast and our articles with your friends, and leave a rating/review on your podcast subscriber. You can contact us with any questions and recommend both topics and guests on our website's Submissions Page.