Youth Pastor Theologian

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)
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
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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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Episode 39: Gospel Centered Pedagogy and Church Membership as a Discipleship Pathway (Justin Wong)

Youth workers agree that we want to make disciples, but it’s easy to fall into a rhythm of ministry that hopes discipleship will happen. Intentionally leading your ministry to value church membership and gospel-centered pedagogy will clarify your focus and provide a discipleship plan to serve your students well. 
Why does church membership matter and what would you say to a youth pastor who’s never thought about church membership for their students? 
How do you reply to teenagers (and parents) who say church membership isn’t important for teenagers? 
What do you mean by “gospel centered pedagogy?” Could you explain that with a few examples that contrast it with non-gospel-centered pedagogy?
Justin Wong is the Pastor to Youth at Chinese Baptist Church in Houston, TX. He has earned his Doctor of Ministry degree and is currently working on his Doctor of Education. Justin and his wife have who daughters. 
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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 38: Can Calvinists and Arminians Be Friends (Chris Talbot)

Calvinism and Arminianism is possibly the most common theological debate among Bible college students. Some act like it’s a question that determines whether or not you’re even a Christian; and others brush it off as a stupid and inconsequential issue. Why does this debate continue to carry importance today, and how can we learn to partner with each other for the sake of the Great Commission? 
Discussion: 
What's a basic overview of Calvinism and Arminianism, and why are these pitted against each other? 
Why is this theological difference important for youth workers today? Can’t this remain a theological debate from long ago? 
What is a "Reformed Arminian"? 
What are some practical ways you’ve seen youth pastors’ soteriology affect their day-to-day ministry?
How can youth workers partner with other pastors or churches who believe differently about this topic? What practical suggestions do you have and what boundaries might be good to draw?
Chris Talbot, program director of youth and families at Welch College, and youth pastor at Sylvan Park Church in Nashville. 
Recommended Reading: 
40 Questions on Arminianism (J. Matthew Pinson) 
The Promise of Arminian Theology (Bracey & Watts)
The Quest for Truth (Forlines) 
Chris’ new book: Christians in Culture: Cultivating a Christian Worldview for All of Life
(note: the links above are Affiliate Marketing links that provide a small financial benefit to YPT, which we use to provide future content for you.) 
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
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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.