Youth Pastor Theologian

Episode 53: Video Games and Youth Ministry (Patrick Miller)

Video games are big business, but most Christian leaders either don’t take them seriously or only criticize them as a waste of time. How can youth workers begin to think theologically about the allure and world building of video games, while also thinking critically about addiction in order to engage gamers more effectively? 
Discussion Includes:
What put video games on your radar to start tweeting about video games? What’s the general reaction been to some of the threads you’ve posted over the last few months? 
What are some changes you’ve observed in video games from the time when you were a teenager to today? 
As a pastor and theologian, could you offer some biblical and theological reflection about what video games offer that’s so appealing to teenagers and young adults? 
How do you pastor and counsel men or women who are addicted or who are too enamored with the virtual world? 
What recommendations do you have for parents regarding video games? How can they establish healthy boundaries without simply taking a hard black or white stance?
Patrick Miller is a pastor at The Crossing. He hosts the podcast Truth over Tribe and is the coauthor of a book by the same name. He is married to Emily and they have two kids.
Recommended Resources
Patrick’s article: The Case for Taking Video Games Seriously
Patrick’s podcast: Truth Over Tribe
Patrick’s book: Truth Over Tribe
Love Thy Nerd
Gamers to Follow: TV Preacher Guy, Jon Rush
Above links include Amazon Affiliate links, which bring a small financial benefit to YPT, which we use to provide you with new resources. 
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YPT's ebook, Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry, is a free download for subscribers. This book 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 52: Intentional Youth Missions (Alison Woodrow)

Youth Ministry has a long legacy of commitment to missions, but where can that go wrong and how can we think more strategically about giving students a vision for the Great Commission? 
Could you share a little about European Mission Fellowship? 
What are some similarities and differences between youth missions in the USA, UK and Europe? 
What have you seen and learned about casting a vision for evangelism and missions among youth? 
Through your ministry with pastors and missionaries across Europe, what are some important principles or lessons you’ve learned that would be good for youth workers to hear? 
What advice would you offer to youth pastors who are planning their youth missions trips - how can they be more intentional and targeted on long-term fruit? 
Alison Woodrow is the Engagement Support Lead for European Mission Fellowship, a gospel-centered ministry based in the UK who supports pastors and missionaries across Europe. 
Learn more about EMF on Facebook, Twitter/X, and YouTube
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YPT's ebook, Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry, is a free download for subscribers. This book 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 51: Church Membership for Teenagers? (Justin Wong)

Should teenagers become members of the local church? If so, what does that involve - can they vote, join boards and hold positions of leadership? This is a question an increasing number of youth workers are asking, and Justin Wong joins the podcast to chew on it with you. 
Discussion includes:
What are some of the questions we should be asking about church membership and youth ministry?
What happens when you actually implement church membership? When teens become members, what happens next?
How has your church culture shaped your approach to church membership?
What are some common objections?
At what age should teenagers be able to vote?
What do you do when a student wants to join but a parent is opposed?
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. 
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
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YPT's ebook, Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry, is a free download for subscribers. This book captures the essence of Youth Pastor Theologian in one ten-chapter book, written by six different contributors from across America, Mexico, and the UK. 

50th Episode!!! (Featuring Jason Engle, Alex Tufano, & Will Standridge)

In this special 50th episode, Mike is joined by three of YPT's regular writers to discuss what it means to be a youth pastor theologian and to celebrate what the Lord is doing through this ministry. 
This is a special season for YPT and there are exciting days ahead as we trust the Lord to revive a commitment to theological depth in student ministry. Would you continue to pray for YPT: for Mike to have wisdom about which initiatives to pursue, for generous financial partners to support this ministry, and for us to keep focused on developing resources that youth workers can use for student discipleship. 
You can learn more about becoming a ministry partner here
YPT Resources mentioned in this episode:
Should We Celebrate Baptism and the Lord's Supper at Youth Group? (Will Standridge
YPT Facebook Group (make sure you answer those membrship questions!)
Podcast episode 39: Gospel-Centered Pedagogy and Church Membership (Justin Wong)
Fun and Games in Youth Ministry (Mike McGarry)
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 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 49: 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
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter/X: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
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
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter/X: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
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.)
 
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter/X: @youththeologian
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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
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter/X: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
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
Join YPT's Facebook group: @youththeologian (make sure you answer the membership questions)
Follow YPT on Twitter/X: @youththeologian
Follow YPT on Instagram: @youththeologian
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.