Youth Ministry For The Longer Haul Podcast

Recently on our super secret Facebook Group, we were asked to address the topic of how to deal with discipline with teenagers. We immediately loved the idea as we remembered how much of a challenge this issue has been over the years. Because we knew it was a tough topic, we decided to invite back as a special guest, veteran youth pastor Seth Buckley. The wisdom he brought to the discussion did not disappoint. So, unless your youth group is picture perfect with no behavior issues what so ever, take a listen and let us know what you think. Have an idea for an episode? Join our Facebook Group! We'd love to hear it! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, DiscipleNow resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com For being a loyal listener us

Episode 90! We're pumped! We both started doing youth ministry in the '90s so we thought it'd be fun to do an episode highlighting all of the things we've seen change over the years... can you say overhead projectors??? It turned out to be a fun one with a few great tips along the way. If you didn't serve in youth ministry back then, you'll definitely be scratching your head as to how we got by. Enjoy! Speaking of what didn't exist in the '90s... Facebook Groups! We'd love to have you in ours! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group LINKS MENTIONED: Carmen's Satan Bite the Dust Carmen's A Witch's Invitation Carmen's The Champion SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, DiscipleNow resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com For being a loyal listener use promo code: LONGE

Trust us when we say that there comes a time in all ministry callings where something will not go your way and you will face discouragement. Don't get us wrong! We love what we get to do! Youth ministry can truly be one of the most rewarding gigs out there. But with great potential for reward comes the great potential for disappointment. When that happens, what do you do? How do you stay the course, keep your eyes on Jesus and not get discouraged? We know we don't have all the answers, but we did take time to share some of the things we've found helpful along the way. We hope after listening to this one, you'll have the tools you need to stay encouraged for the Longer Haul! Oh yeah... and JOIN THE FACEBOOK PODCAST GROUP! We'd love to have you. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump in on some of our giveaways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, stude

We had a chance to sit down with teaching pastor and youth ministry communicator, Nick Person. Nick LOVES youth pastors and clearly has a heart for youth ministry. We're all likely going to face changes in our calling at some point in our ministry or at least be asked to do things that we didn't sign up to do. In this episode, Nick talks about how his journey started in youth ministry but unexpectedly led to his being a teaching pastor at his church in Tennessee. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump in on some of our giveaways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, DiscipleNow resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com For being a loyal listener use promo code: LONGERHAUL for 20% off your next order. *some exclusions apply*  

When Alan Smith found out he was going to be transitioning at his church from being the youth pastor to the campus pastor, he also learned he'd be mentoring the youth pastor that took his place. Alan started mentoring his youth pastor by writing out lessons for them to look at together. Before he knew it, he had the makings of a book. So, he and his wife set out to put together Let's Go: Creating and Sustaining a Thriving Youth Ministry. In this episode, Alan talks about where the book comes from and we take time to dig into several chapters from the book. It didn't take long for us to get into some great discussion about what it takes to experience longevity. You'll enjoy this one! PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump in on some of our giveaways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: Let's Go!: Creating and Sustaining a Thriving Student Ministry SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study

Ben Trueblood knows his stuff. As the Director of Student Ministry for LifeWay Christian Resources, Ben and his team are passionate about pointing students to Jesus through everything they do. Years ago Lifeway did a study often referred to as the "drop out" study that revealed how many students leave the church when they graduate high school. If you've been in youth ministry very long, you too know that this is a reality for many students that have been through your ministry Now, they've once again taken another look at the habits of students and what's happening when they graduate high school. But this time, they're taking a positive approach trying to think through how we can help kids maintain their relationship with Christ during "after graduation" years. They really believe that making a difference is within reach. In this episode, Ben unpacks some of their findings and takes a moment to dig deep into one particular idea that's making a huge difference in the lives of teenagers. PODCAST GROUP! Come a

Some of our episodes and interviews can be tough. This week's episode is one of those episodes. The truth is though, that if you've been in youth ministry very long, you've probably had students in your ministry who have struggled with self-harm or suicidal thoughts. In this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Jamie Dew. Jamie is the Dean of the College at Southeastern. That sounds pretty fancy, but the thing you really need to know is that he has the heart of a youth pastor. In this episode, he'll help us to understand some of the issues facing so many of our teenagers. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump in on some of our giveaways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: TLH011: Equipping Students to Defend their Faith Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary The College at Southeastern JamieDew.com SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, DiscipleNow r

We all probably recognize the importance of discipleship when it comes to our youth ministries.  While there are a ton of different ways to approach this, we've not seen any that are more effective than a DiscipleNow. So whether you're a DiscpleNow pro or whether you have no idea what one is, you're gonna find this interview with Jon Messarra is solid gold.  Jon is the Yoda of DiscipleNow weekends so sit back take a listen and learn from the master. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump in on some of our giveaways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: SWATMinistries.com SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! ym360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, DiscipleNow resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com For being a loyal listener use promo code: LONGERHAUL for 20% off your next order. *som

One of the major challenges in youth ministry is that often we can serve for years and years before we actually see fruit from the seeds we've planted in the lives of teenagers. We're convinced, though, that youth pastors ARE making a difference in the lives of teenagers and that often God uses youth pastors when they least expect it. It's often the little things done or said that can literally be used by God to impact the direction of a kid's life. Illusionist Jared Hall knows this well. Jared has traveled the world using illusions and comedy as a way to share the gospel When asked about how it all started, he points to a conversation that he had as a teenager... with his youth pastor. In this episode, you'll be encouraged by his story. Also, if you've ever thought about learning a little magic, stick around to the end and Chris will share with you some of the resources he's used to learn the "tricks" of the trade. Ha! PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to j

When it comes to serving in youth ministry, it can be really challenging navigating the world of finance and salary. We often have questions like: Am I getting paid fairly? How am I supposed to support a family on what I'm making? Is it ok for me to ask for a raise? These are common questions youth pastors have and can really impact longevity in youth ministry in a negative way. There's no question that some youth pastors go from church to church to church as a result of issues with salary. Youth Pastor Dan Navarra was struggling as well with navigating the world of youth pastor salary so he did something about it. A few years ago, he started the Youth Pastor Compensation Study. Now, the 2018 study is available and he recently sat down with us to talk about what all he discovered. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: ypcomppros.com FREE Youth Pastor Compensation Webinar Youth

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Seth Buckley from First Baptist Spartanburg. He's been a youth pastor since 1982 and is still going strong. You'll want to listen to this interview as he gives some quick things he's learned that he believes are keys to longevity. Long story short, we love talking about longevity, but Seth... TOOK US TO SCHOOL! PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: StudentMinistryNetwork.com ymconclave.org SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, Disciple Now resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com. For being a loyal listener use promo code: LONGERHAUL for 20% off your next order. some exclusions apply. HELP OTHER YOUTH PASTORS! If you enjoyed t

Let's face it. Jimmy Fallon is funny. Well, at least most of the time. Don't get us wrong. We're not making a major moral endorsement for who and what he's all about. But rather, we want to take a minute and consider how Jimmy Fallon is pretty much a youth pastor minus Jesus and a youth group. And on top of that, he does it WELL. In this episode, we talk about lessons we can learn from the Tonight Show and youth ministry programming. Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, Disciple Now resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com. For being a loyal listener use promo code: LONGERHAUL for 20% off your next order. some exclusions apply. HELP OTHER YOUTH PASTORS! If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you don

It's a new year! How are those resolutions going so far? Regardless of how you feel about New Year's resolutions, the start of a new year is always a great time to evaluate how things are going in your youth ministry and set goals for the upcoming year. In this episode, we talk about the impact Evaluating and Goal Setting has had in our youth ministries over the years. We also share some tips on how to do this if it's something you've not really done before. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: Episode 35: How to Set Goals in Youth Ministry SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, Disciple Now resources, youth leader development, and summer camp experiences through GENERATE Camp by YM360. Check out YOUTH MINISTRY THREE SIXTY at YM360.com. For being a loyal listener use promo code: LON

What the heck happened and where did we go? Whew! It's been a crazy few weeks and months for both of us and a little while since the last episode. We've had a ton of listeners and members of the Super Secret Podcast Group asking for an update so this episode is all about what has been happening, where we are, and what the future of the Longer Haul Podcast is.  So in this episode, we're giving you the skinny on all those details. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: Episode 76: Reasons to Leave Youth Ministry Episode 77: Finding a Youth Ministry Job #livingstonstakethedesert #trentfamilyfun Resources mentioned Therefore GO by YM360 Jesus Colored Glasses by Todd Jones SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, Disciple Now resources, youth leader development, and summer camp ex

So why an episode on finding a youth ministry job? Hopefully, you know that our goal at the Longer Haul is to help you achieve longevity in youth ministry.  For us we think of this in two ways, staying in youth ministry for the longer haul, and staying at your church for the longer haul. Both of these are really important for lasting influence and joy. We also understand that the reality is you may find yourself having to look for a new position (check out episode 76), or heck, maybe even your first youth ministry job.  If that is the case, we want you to be able to navigate that well. So, in this episode, we tackle how to go about finding a youth ministry job, what to ask, and some really important "what-not-to-dos." PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: Episode 76: Reasons to Leave Youth Ministry Resources mentioned 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller IMMANUEL: 25

We, the Longer Haul Podcast team, are committed to... well... the Longer Haul. That's why we do the podcast. We know though, from experience that there are times when God makes it known that it's time to move on. There are seasons of change. The big question we all face is how do we know when it's time to leave? If God doesn't send a burning bush, how can we determine his plan regarding the current church we're serving in? These are hard questions and are often super emotional. In this episode, we tackle the reason WHY you should leave your church and the reasons why you should NOT leave your church. PLUS, Jody shares some personal news related to this very topic. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: When You Want to Stay and Can't Avoiding Burnout in Youth Ministry Be Soberly Reminded 25 Tips from 25 Years of Marriage While Serving in Youth Ministry Balancing Family and Y

This weeks interview tackles identity in Christ head on. Todd Jones has written an excellent book called Jesus Colored Glasses. Besides our being jealous of his coming up with a super catchy super cool name for his book, we're pumped about this interview. Todd gets youth pastors! He's one of us! As the founder of Stoked on Youth Ministry and as a middle school pastor, he brings a lot to the discussion in our goal to experience youth ministry for the longer haul! Dig in. It's a good one. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook Group Links mentioned: http://stokedonyouthministry.com/ http://stokedonyouthministry.com/transitioning-from-summer-youth-ministry-to-you-th-ministry/ Resources mentioned Jesus-Colored Glasses: Seeing Our Worth And Value In A World That Doesn't by Todd Jones SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, stude

Many of us have been guilty of thinking that the teenagers of today are pretty much like all the teenagers that have gone before them. Ahhhhh, if only it were that easy! Research tells us that there are characteristics of the current generation that we need to be aware of as we try to point them to Jesus. This podcast interview will help you dive deeper into Gen Z. We'll consider some of the things defining their generation that will impact the way you do youth ministry. Brooke Hempell is the Vice President of Research for the Barna Group and was a big part of the Gen Z book recently published by Barna. More importantly, she loves teenagers and youth ministry. Her insight into this current generation is GOLD. You're gonna wanna dig in on this one. It's also an episode you could pass on to your youth workers. What's that??? We have a podcast Facebook group? Why yes, yes we do. And there are prizes give-a-ways galore on there! Come join us! Links mentioned: https://www.barna.com/ https://www.impact360i

We all want to see our students sharing their faith.  We would all love to have students leading other students to Jesus.  But what is it that is really keeping this from happening? Look we get it.  This topic isn't new...even for this podcast, but we believe it is SO ridiculously important. Our friend Greg Stier is back on the show today talking about this very thing.  In it we tackle the reasons students aren't sharing, the importance of prayer in it, how to encourage students to actually share the gospel, and what has changed in sharing the gospel with students in today's culture. This episode is so stinking good. Links mentioned: How to Foster an Evangelistic Youth Ministry: Episode 048 Dare2ShareLive.org GregStier.org Resources mentioned Dare2Share App GospelAdvancing.org/gospelize SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR! YM360.com YM360 is the premier provider of youth ministry Bible study curriculum, student devotionals, Disciple Now resources, youth leader development, and summer camp exper

Over the years we've heard people say that we're only one bad decision away from disqualifying ourselves from ministry. Over and over again throughout the years we've heard of friends and peers have to quit serving in the church because of immoral decisions they've made. We admit that this podcast topic is not as fun as a podcast episode on the latest and greatest games, but this one is good reminder for all of us serving in ministry to be alert and stay on guard. Walt Mueller has been working with teenagers, equipping parents and leading youth pastors for long time. As the founder of the Center for Parent and Youth Understanding, he is on the front lines of youth culture. In this interview, we talk specifically about the dangers associated with serving in ministry and how to navigate culture without falling victim to it. You're going to want to listen this one, maybe more than once. More GIVE-A-WAYS THIS WEEK on the Facebook Group! We'd love to have you! Links mentioned: https://cpyu.org/ https://cpyu.o