Youth Pastor Theologian

Episode 31: Talking About Race with Youth (Michelle Ami Reyes)

It’s tempting to avoid direct conversations about racism because it immediately raises people’s alarm systems. We all bring our personal baggage into the conversation and we don’t want to cause offense to anyone through disagreements. How can youth pastor theologians model faithful ways to have sensitive conversations? 
How can youth workers in mostly white youth groups care for the non-white students in our ministries - especially when we witness racism or cultural insensitivity? 
How does the gospel reshape the way we think and talk about racism? 
What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about race conversations, and how can we avoid serious misunderstandings. 
Sometimes we simply misunderstand each other. But sometimes we really do fundamentally disagree with our brothers and sisters in Christ. How can we disagree with each other well and navigate that with trust and respect from both sides of those disagreements. 
Michelle Ami Reyes is the creator of Seasoned with Grace and writes at the intersection of multiculturalism, faith, and justice. She is the author of Becoming All Things, and co-author of The Race-Wise Family. Michelle lives in Austin, Texas with her pastor husband, and two amazing kids.
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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. 
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Episode 30: Youth Ministry in the UK (Nic Bianchi & Anna Lane)

What does youth ministry look like in the UK? Mike talks with some friends from England to hear about their ministry context and what their regular ministry looks like. 
Can you remind our non-UK listeners about grades and graduation for teenagers, and how does this affect the way you structure your ministries? 
The UK context is the direction things in America are heading. With that in mind, what are nonChristian youth like in the UK, and what are some ways to reach them with the gospel? 
What would Mike change about his book A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry, and how has his view on youth work changed now that he has two teenagers of his own? 
Nic Bianchi is children and youth worker at Cheam Baptist Church
Anna Lane is children and youth worker at Grace Church, Worcester park
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Episode 29: The Gospel in Evangelism and Discipleship (Greg Stier)

The gospel is not an evangelism tool, it’s the message of life that we declare to saints and sinners. In this conversation, we want to clarify what the gospel is and how to keep it central in both evangelism and discipleship. Greg also highlights the importance of good theology in our evangelism. 
Could you share a little about your own story and how that’s impacted your calling to equip others for evangelism? 
What is the gospel? 
Why is sound doctrine important for evangelism, not just for discipleship? 
What role does the gospel have in discipleship? 
You’ve taught and spoken a lot about “gospelizing” your youth ministry. What does that mean and what’s it look like?
If someone is leading an established ministry, how would they go about gospelizing it? 
Greg Stier is an evangelist, author, speaker, and founder of Dare 2 Share Ministries. He’s also the husband to Debbie and dad to Jeremy and Kailey.
Greg’s books:
Unlikely Fighter
Gospelize Your Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry in the 21st Century, edited by Chap Clark
Connect with Greg on Twitter: @gregstier
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Episode 28: Discipleship as Catechesis (Dustin Messer)

Every youth pastor wants to make disciples. But how do we do that, and what can we learn from church history? Catechesis isn’t a boring or stuffy class for people to attend but a highly relational journey where the mentor disciples a student through the core doctrines, habits, and disciplines of the Christian life. Youth workers who want to make lifelong disciples have much to learn from this long-held pattern of discipleship. After all, we aren’t the first Christians who are trying to pass the faith to the next generation. 
Discussion Questions:
What is catechesis and how is it different from a catechism? 
What’s the benefit of catechesis today? 
Why do you think catechesis has lost favor in most churches today? 
What are some core principles of catechesis that we can recover for discipling the next generation today? 
If someone is coming from a nonliturgical tradition where catechesis and catechisms are completely foreign, how might they begin to introduce these lessons into their youth ministry? 
Resources mentioned in the episode: 
Center for Baptist Renewal
Gary Parrett & JI Packer, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way
New City Catechism 
To Be A Christian, an Anglican Catechism
The Westminster Larger Catechism 
YPT Article: How Catechesis Can Transform Your Youth Ministry 
Dustin Messer is vicar at All Saints Dallas in Texas. He also teaches at Kings College and Reformed Seminary. 
Follow Dustin on Twitter: @dustinwmesser 
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Episode 27: Serving Youth with Special Needs (Bryan Barrineau)

Every church has students with a variety of special education needs, but our youth ministries are often under-equipped to appropriately minister to these students and their families. What should youth workers know about special education and how can they be better equipped to serve these young men and women? 
Discussion includes:
How can youth workers think theologically about the reality of special needs? 
How can youth workers better care for students with special needs - especially regarding youth with mild/moderate disabilities. 
Within the dynamics of regular youth group programming, how do you encourage students to welcome struggling learners? What are some basic modifications we can make? 
What does ministry look like to students who are on the autism spectrum or have another more significant diagnosis? How can we best care for and disciple them?
How can youth workers minister to and support parents of students with disabilities? 
Resources mentioned:
ldaamerica.org - Learning Disabilities Association of America. A great place to learn about various learning disabilities. 
Stephen Grcevich, Mental Health and the Church: A Ministry Handbook for Including Children and Adults with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, and Other Common Mental Health Conditions 
Amos Yong, The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God
Bryan Barrineau is the Lead Student Pastor at First Baptist in Enterprise, Alabama. He’s been a youth pastor for 22 years, he and his wife have two kids. Bryan recently completed his Doctor in Education from SouthWestern Baptist Theological Seminary, his dissertation was entitled Technology-Mediated Ministry and its implications for local church discipleship. 
Follow Bryan on Twitter: @bryanbarrineau
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Episode 26: Ecclesiology and Youth Ministry (Charles Hedman)

Many church-based youth ministries operate as parachurch ministries that are funded and housed by a church. There’s little connection or integration with the church congregation. Thankfully, there’s a renewed sense of commitment within youth ministry to integrate students into the life of the church. But why is this so important, what’s it look like? 
Why is it important for a youth ministry to be intimately united within the church? In short, what does ecclesiology have to do with youth ministry? 
What do students lose when youth ministries are disconnected from the church? 
It’s difficult to navigate the relationship between youth ministry and the local church. Youth pastors are often skeptical of such calls, assuming it’s a subtle way to question the validity of youth ministry. And churches often feel like teenagers just don’t want to be there or like they need to be more attractive to hold students’ attention. What would you like to say about this scenario?
Can you tell us about how you’ve intentionally structured your youth ministry to be an extension of the church’s ministry to teenagers rather than structuring youth group as a replacement for involvement in the church? 
If someone is in a more traditional youth ministry system and they want to elevate the role of the church in the way they minister to students, where would you recommend we begin? 
Charles has nearly 15 years of experience working with youth, in both parachurch and churches. He oversaw the youth ministry at Captial Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC for most of the last decade and is currently taking a sabbatical from pastoral ministry as he and his family care for an ailing family member. 
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Episode 25: Faith, Doubt, and Everything (Matt Bellefeuille)

Faith and Doubt are topics every youth worker needs to help students navigate. These seasons of doubt and be long and unsettling. So what does it look like to patiently endure with these students and what does discipleship look like in the midst of it? 
Matt Bellefeuille served as a youth pastor for about a decade before starting a ministry called Truth Snack, which supports and ministers to doubting Christians.
Could you share with us your own story of faith and doubt and how that’s shaped your current ministry? 
What’s a good first response when you talk with teenagers who are navigating doubt? 
Obviously, there’s no “one cause” behind doubt and deconstruction. Are there a few factors or themes that youth workers could keep in mind as they listen to students and try to discern what’s at the root of their doubts? 
What does faith look like for students (or youth workers) who are working through their doubt? 
Sometimes it can feel like doubt will last forever, but it doesn’t need to. Can you give us some hope and confidence as we wrap up this conversation with a word about the gospel for those who are facing doubts? 
Learn more about Matt's series, Faith, Doubt, and Everything in Between. 
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Episode 24: Cultivating Faith That Lasts (Danny Kwon)

Every parent and every youth pastor wants their teenager to continue walking with Jesus throughout adulthood. But that’s increasingly not the case. What leads to that and what can we do about it? In this episode, we talk with youth ministry veteran, Danny Kwon. Discussion includes, 
What are some trends you’ve observed that you suspect play into teenagers leaving behind their faith during adulthood?
How can a youth ministry prioritize making lifelong disciples over settling for big-impact events right now? 
How do you think church attendance (not just youth group attendance) plays into this concern?
Is there a way for youth pastors to have hard conversations with parents when they observe patterns that seem to de-prioritize faith to their kids? 
For the young youth workers listening, especially those who don’t have kids… how can they meaningfully come alongside parents in a way that supports passing down the faith? 
Danny Kwon is the youth and family pastor and adjunct youth ministry professor outside of Philadelphia. He’s the author of multiple youth ministry books - Mission tripping (a guide to youth ministry missions) and A Youth Worker’s Field Guide to Parents. 
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Episode 23: Gospel Contextualization in Youth Ministry (Clark Fobes)

Some people say contextualization is a compromise of the gospel. Others say it’s just unnecessary, and we just need to preach the gospel. Both of those opinions misunderstand what contextualization actually is. In this episode of the YPT Podcast, we’re focusing on the gospel and culture, and discussing contextualization as an expression of faithful gospel proclamation in your particular culture. 
What is contextualization, and what are some common misunderstandings people can have about it? 
What is the unchanging gospel? 
I’ve heard you talk about the Eastern, Western, and Tribal cultures and how those cultures lead to different types of gospel presentations. Could you share a little about that as an example of what you mean by faithful contextualization? 
Are there a few basic principles that can help youth workers avoid over-contextualizing and under-contextualizing? 
What does gospel contextualization look like in youth ministry? 
Clark Fobes is the Associate Pastor at First Church of San Francisco. Clark is also one of the co-hosts of the Thanos to Theos podcast, along with Mike and Kevin Yi
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Episode 22: Asking Questions to Prompt Deep Conversations (Hartman & Bradley)

Every youth leader knows how challenging it can be to facilitate meaningful and deep conversations. It can be so discouraging to prepare for meaningful ministry only to receive one-word answers and silence. In this episode, we're joined by two of our regular blog writers to discuss how we can learn to ask better questions that prompt meaningful conversations. 
What makes for a good question? 
What are some lessons you’ve learned the hard way about asking good questions? 
After you’ve prepared your message or small group lesson and it’s time to develop questions, how do you go about crafting those? 
What’s your favorite go-to question to ask students when you’re trying to strike up a conversation? 
What advice do you have for youth workers who are either socially awkward or just not good at question-asking? 
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
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