Youth Pastor Theologian

Episode49: Leading a Faithful Children’s Ministry (Sam Luce)

Youth workers and children's ministry leaders need to work together. This should be obvious and common, but these ministries often fail to have intentional collaboration and transitions. What can youth workers learn from children’s ministry leaders and how can they learn to meaningfully partner with families?  
Discussion Includes:
Why have you committed to remain serving in children’s ministry? 
Could you share your approach to discipling upper-elementary students? 
How does your church navigate the transition from children’s ministry into youth ministry? If there are other ways you’ve seen that transition done well, could you also share those? 
Are there some common misconceptions youth workers have about children’s ministry?
What are some lessons or practices that are common in children’s ministry that are overlooked in student ministry? 
Sam Luce is one of the Pastors at Redeemer Church in Utica, NY and his blog, samluce.com is one of the top children’s ministry blogs online. Sam is working on two books, one with Moody and the other with New Growth Press, so keep your eyes open for those. 
Books
New City Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism
Resilient: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church, by Awana
Show them Jesus: Teaching the Gospel to Kids, Jack Klumpenhower 

Episode 48: Avoiding Heresy at Christmas (Todd Miles)

We’re releasing this episode a few weeks before Advent in order to help youth workers prepare well for Advent and Christmas… I think it goes without saying that it’s absolutely essential for us to teach rightly about both the Person and the Work of Jesus Christ. 
Who is Jesus? Christians confess that Jesus is the Son of God. But what does that mean about his humanity? It’s important for youth workers to call students to faith in Jesus, and to lead them into conversations about who (and what) Jesus is… fully God and fully human. This conversation with Dr. Todd Miles will help youth workers proclaim the nature of Christ in a way that teenagers can understand. 
 
Discussion Questions: 
What is Christology, how does good biblical Christology articulate the Person of Christ, and why is it important for teenagers? 
In your book, Superheroes Can’t Save You, you explain some of the major heretical teachings about Christ by using different superheroes as representatives. Could you share a few examples with us… 
What’s at stake when someone accidentally holds to one of these heretical interpretations? Is it really that big of a deal? 
As you look around today, what are some of the more common Christological heresies that can sneak into our churches without us noticing, and how can youth workers guard against those? 
As we approach Advent and Christmas, what recommendations do you have for youth workers about teaching the incarnation simply and with theological depth? 
Todd Miles is a Professor of Theology at Western Seminary and on pastoral staff at Gresham Bible Church, and is the author of some of my most-recommended books for youth pastors - Superheroes Can’t Save You: Epic Examples of Historic Heresies, A God of Many Understandings? The Gospel and Theology of Religions, and most recently, Cannabis and the Christian: What the Bible says about Marijuana. 
Order Todd’s books (and read them!)
Superheroes Can’t Save You: Epic Examples of Historic Heresies
Cannabis and the Christian: What the Bible says about Marijuana
A God of Many Understandings? The Gospel and Theology of Religions
Follow Todd on Twitter/X: @TL_Miles
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers. Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry collects ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch the heartbeat of Youth Pastor Theologian is written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 
 

Episode 47: Student Leadership as Discipleship (Doug Franklin)

Preparing students for leadership doesn’t mean we’re always putting them in front of the room. It simply means we’re challenging them to trust the Lord by serving him courageously with their gifts and passions. In this way, student leadership is an expression of student discipleship… but how do we get started? That’s the topic for today’s conversation with Doug Franklin from LeaderTreks. 
Discussion Questions:
What is leadership, what isn’t leadership, and how does the gospel shape the way we approach that question? 
Could you share a little from your own background about your own personal journey of leadership development? 
How did you discover the power of leadership development in ministry to teenagers? 
When we say that leadership development is an expression of discipleship, what does that mean? 
As a youth pastor, I’ve had many starts-and-stops in launching student leadership teams. Most of them fizzled out after just a few meetings. What are some common struggles youth pastors face and how can we set our students up to really catch a vision for spiritual leadership? 
If someone’s listening and they want to get started but don’t know what the first few steps would be, what would you recommend? 
Doug Franklin is the Founder and President of LeaderTreks Youth Ministry. Doug and his wife, Angie, live in the Chicago area and were instrumental in the months leading up to YPT's launch.
Resources mentioned:
LeaderTreks Missions Trips
Rethinking student leadership (free ebook)
Deep Discipleship Curriculum
Student Leaders Start Here
I Am a Disciple: student devotional
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers. Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry collects ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch the heartbeat of Youth Pastor Theologian is written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 46: Resources for Youth Workers (John Perritt, from RYM)

In this shared episode, Mike and John Perritt (from Reformed Youth Ministries) take turns asking each other questions and sharing about their respective ministries and discuss resources for youth workers to know about. 
Reformed Youth Ministries exists to serve the Church in its efforts to reach and equip youth for Christ. Through its three avenues of ministry (Conferences, Training, Resources), everything RYM does is oriented to help churches as they seek to raise up the next generation of the Church with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
John Perritt's Books
RYM's Track Series
Mike McGarry's Books
(note: YPT is an Amazon Affiliate and financially benefits from purchases through the links above. If you'd like to purchase great resources while helping YPT, please use the links above. Thank you for your support.)
 
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers. Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry collects ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch the heartbeat of Youth Pastor Theologian is written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 45: Ministry to Students with Disabilities (Sandra Peoples)

It’s unfortunately easy for youth ministry to exclude students who are neurodivergent or who have physical disabilities. These students and their families often experience significant stress in at home, and the church can sometimes add to their sense of not feeling welcomed. This episode from the podcast features a conversation with Sandra Peoples about how youth workers and churches can better serve students and parents with disabilities. 
Discussion Questions: 
It could be helpful to start by talking about verbiage - what do we mean by disabilities and why is the community moving away from the phrase “special needs”? 
When we’re talking about ministry to students with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent, it can quickly get overwhelming to really understand what we’re talking about. Could you give a basic overview of what these phrases mean for our listeners who are new to the conversation? 
How should youth workers think about disability from a biblical and theological framework? 
What are some unique stresses and challenges these families experience that would be good for pastors to be aware of? 
Obviously, youth ministries don’t have the same resources and support as a public school to provide one-on-one aides and we haven’t usually received much training, so what are some ways that our youth ministries could realistically make some changes to be a welcoming space? 
Most of the special needs students who come to youth group are likely considered mild/moderate in needs and are mainstreamed in their school classes, so they can often slip under our radar because there isn’t always something visible about their disability. What counsel do you have for youth workers that will equip us to better minister to these students? 
About Sandra:
Sandra Peoples (M Div, PhD student) is the disability ministry consultant for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, an adjunct professor for Liberty University, and the author of Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family. She and her family live outside of Houston, TX.
Resources Mentioned
YPT Podcast 37: Serving Students with Special Needs (Bryan Barrineau)
Joni and friends
Sandra's ministry website
Sandra's Podcast: The Key Ministry Podcast
Sandra's Book: Unexpected Blessings
Sandra on Twitter: @SandraPeoples
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers. Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry collects ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch the heartbeat of Youth Pastor Theologian is written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 44: Evangelism as the Care of Souls (Sean McGever)

Evangelism is something that’s commonly talked about, but little practiced. Evangelism isn’t an academic exercise, it’s an expression of the normal Christian life. So, how can we grow as evangelists while also empowering our students to be evangelists? 
Discussion Includes: 
Why did you write Evangelism: For the Care of Souls and what are you hoping people will take away from it? 
What has your ministry as a YoungLife Director taught you about evangelism to teenagers? 
When you’re training new youth workers or volunteers to practice evangelism to teenagers, what do you emphasize? 
When you’re training teenagers to evangelize, what do you emphasize for them? 
What do we mean by "conversion," and how does a youth worker’s theological understanding of conversion influence their evangelism? 
Sean McGever is area director for Young Life in Phoenix, Arizona, and an adjunct faculty at Grand Canyon University. He is the author of The Good News of Our Limits and Born Again: The Evangelical Theology of Conversion in John Wesley and George Whitefield. His latest book is the main topic of our conversation today, which is published by Lexham Press, Evangelism: For the Care of Souls. He speaks, teaches, and ministers across the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Follow Sean on Twitter/X at @seanmcgever
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers. Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry collects ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch the heartbeat of Youth Pastor Theologian is written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 43: What is a Christian Worldview (Rhyne Putman)

Youth workers want to disciple teenagers into Christian maturity. Over time, we hope they move on from spiritual milk, towards spiritual meat. This is the vision of worldview formation - but what’s that really look like and how do we disciple accordingly?  
Discussion Includes: 
What do you mean by worldview, and what are some pillars of a distinctively Christian worldview? 
As the Director of Worldview Formation as WBU, what are some challenges you’ve encountered with college students? 
What counsel do you have for youth ministers to help their students begin forming a Christian Worldview while in middle school and high school? 
If you could choose two or three areas to really focus on as we disciple teenagers, what would you emphasize? 
I don’t think you’ll need to persuade our listeners too much, but if you were talking with a parent who doesn’t think their teenager needs doctrine or theology, how would you respond? 
As we wrap up, is there a final word of encouragement or admonition you’d like to say to the youth workers listening?  
Dr. Rhyne Putman is associate a Professor of Theology and Culture at NOBTS vice president of academic affairs and director of worldview formation at Williams Baptist University and associate professor of theology at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of When Doctrine Divides the People of God and The Method of Christian Theology: A Basic Introduction, In Defense of Doctrine. Resources
Recommended books:
10 Questions Every Teenager Should Ask (and answer), by Rebecca McLaughlin
The True Story of the Whole World, by Michael Goheen
Rhyne’s books:
The Method of Christian Theology
When Doctrine Divides the People of God
In Defense of Doctrine
Follow Rhyne on Twitter: @rhyneputman
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers! Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry captures the essence of Youth Pastor Theologian in one ten-chapter book, written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK.

Episode 42: Is Seminary Worth It? (Doug Ponder)

Is seminary worth it? It requires a lot of sacrifice, can be expensive, and some of the classes don’t seem too helpful for student ministry. And yet it provides a unique opportunity for training and ministry development. How can youth workers discern whether or not to pursue further education, and how do we choose amidst the many options? 
Discussion Includes: 
If I can just buy the books off Amazon and follow some nerdy youtube and podcasts then why would anyone enroll in seminary? 
What are some benefits and shortcomings of the traditional seminary/M.Div. model? 
If someone listening is feeling compelled towards seminary but they aren’t sure how to discern which school is right for them, what advice do you have for them to make a wise decision? 
How can seminary students who are listening to this podcast get the most out of their seminary experience… academically, spiritually, and personally? 
Some of our listeners would probably LOVE to enroll tomorrow, but they simply can’t. How can they continue their theological and ministry formation? 
Doug Ponder is a teaching pastor at Remnant Church in Richmond, VA, and Professor of Biblical Studies at Grimke Seminary. 
Follow Doug on Twitter: @dougponder
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers! Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry captures the essence of Youth Pastor Theologian in one ten-chapter book, written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 41: Inviting Anxious Teens into the Better Story (Liz Edrington)

Mental health struggles are increasingly common, and yet it remains difficult to know how to minister to students who are living with anxiety and/or depression. How can youth workers think biblically and theologically about mental health diagnoses and respond with wisdom and grace? 
Liz Edrington has served at North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN in full-time ministry for 8 years and is an adjunct professor at Covenant College. She’s a regular contributor to the Rooted Ministry and is the author of Anxiety: Finding the Better Story. 
Discussion Includes: 
What’s important for youth workers who have never struggled with their mental health to know about mental health? 
A basic framework for thinking biblically and theologically about mental health diagnoses. 
Why do you think anxiety and depression is so common, and how do you encourage youth workers to care for these students? 
You recently published a 30 Day Devotional for teenagers about anxiety and finding a better story. What do you mean by “finding the better story” and could you share a little about the book? 
How do you speak gospel hope to students who are struggling with depression? 
Order Liz’s book, Anxiety: Finding The Better Story (a 31 day devotional for teenagers)
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YPT has published an ebook that's a free download for subscribers! Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry captures the essence of Youth Pastor Theologian in one ten-chapter book, written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

Episode 40: Mike on the Hot Seat (with Hartman & Bradley)

To close out our season, Mike is on the hot seat and answers questions from two of YPT's regular contributors, Nick Hartman and Joseph Bradley. The conversation included the following questions:
What do you look back at as your biggest failure in student ministry, and what's something you're really proud of? 
How have you navigated relationships with other youth workers who aren't theologically-minded and don't share that value for student ministry? 
How have you advocated for theologically-deep youth ministry in the churches where you've served?
How would you encouraged younger youth workers to pursue longevity in youth ministry?  
If you're trying to recruit someone to serve in vocational youth ministry, what's your pitch? 
Joseph Bradley is the student pastor at Second Baptist Church of Arkadelphia in Arkadelphia, Arkansas 
Nick Hartman is the associate pastor of students and discipleship at Mt Carmel Baptist Church in Cross Plains, TN
Nick & Joseph's two recommended YPT resources:  
Robin Barfield, The Posture of the Youth Pastor
Episode 28: Discipleship as Catechesis (Dustin Messer) 
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