October 16, 2025 • 30 mins
Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** If you've been in youth ministry for more than a minute, I'm sure someone has told you at least a couple of these 5 youth ministry myths which are simply not true. In this episode, we dig into five stubborn youth ministry myths and replace them with field-tested strategies that actually move the needle.
If this episode equips you or challenges a myth you’ve carried or heard about student ministry, share it with a fellow youth pastor, subscribe for weekly tactics, and leave a review so more youth leaders can find the show. Your feedback helps us serve you better and keeps this youth ministry community growing.
=========
We love hearing from you all and we do our best to provide powerful and insightful youth ministry content on a weekly basis to be that coach and mentor you may not have, but desperately need.
If you have an episode idea, please E-Mail us at MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com!
If you have it on your heart to support this ministry, please consider going to our Patreon page at: www.patreon.com/ministrycoach
=========
You may also enjoy these episodes:
(#200) Are You Busy or Burning Out? Youth Ministry Tips
(#093) Youth Pastor Self-Care: Making Time for Yourself & Avoiding Burn Out
(#004) Compassion Fatigue vs. Burnout - How to Avoid Both!!
=======
🔄 CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA 📱:
Ministry Coach Podcast:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MinistryCoach/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ministrycoachpodcast/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ministrycoachpodcast
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ministrycoachpodcast
Kristen Lascola:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/klascola/
Jeffrey Lascola:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandmasterbengal/
=======
Audio Equipment:
Microphones
https://amzn.to/3V9GrrT
Microphone Preamp
https://amzn.to/3QVB3WQ
Digital Recorder
https://amzn.to/3eXmvkj
*This episode is not sponsored. Some of the links are affiliate links which simply means, if you buy something, we will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you) Thank you!*
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Today we're talking about five youth ministry myths
(00:03):
that you need to stop believing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:16):
Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where we
bring you weekly tips andtactics to help you fast-track
the growth and health of youryouth ministry.
My name is Jeff Lascola, andthis is Kristen Lascola.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
And today we are talking about five youth
ministry myths that you need tostop believing.
Number one was my pet peeve whenI was a young youth pastor, and
I would research help like gamesor topics or divos or lessons.
And there are some people thatthink like games and lessons
(00:49):
have to always go together.
That's our first myth is thatgames need to somehow be tied to
a message.
If that's your A game and youare the mastercrafter of
incredible games that seamlesslygo into a message, that's great.
I think that is a really hardthing to nail without making it
(01:12):
look forced.
And like we tried to reallystretch a meaning out of this.
And here's why I never likedthat.
And I think it is a myth isbecause fun has inherent value.
And I think when we try tosqueeze an object lesson out of
every game, we're saying fundoesn't have any inherent value
(01:34):
unless it's tied to some greaterpurpose.
I would argue fun is the greaterpurpose.
And what it accomplishes foryour youth ministry is value in
and of itself to not need a tag,right?
Um, it's so crazy.
This kind of goes along withgames, but we had our all-over
nighter this weekend.
(01:55):
So if my voice is a littlehoarse, that's probably why.
And there was this boy who camewho has been coming on the
weekends and Tuesdays, but he'snever been to a camp.
He's never been to an event.
And he's homeschooled.
And so, like, I think his socialcircle is smaller because he's
(02:15):
not in sports or anything.
So he's great.
We love him.
He came to the event.
And here's what is nuts.
Just after attending that eventwith us, he was having the time
of his life, by the way.
Um, I checked in with him manytimes throughout the night.
When I watched him come tochurch on Sunday, he worshipped
(02:36):
different.
And it was crazy.
Just because he had had fun withus, walls broken down.
Yes, he felt comfortable, hefelt confident, he felt like he
could be himself, express theway he wanted to.
And I never had seen, and likeyou could argue that like
literally the all-overnighter,other than fellowship,
(03:00):
camaraderie, fun, energy.
It didn't have a lesson orworship or anything like that.
Although the girls were likebegging me, can you set the
alarm for 6 30 so that we canhave a worship session before
our parents pick us up?
I'm like, uh, well, uh, no,please, please.
We love it.
(03:20):
We love worship.
SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
How about just silent prayer?
I'm like, let's do that.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
Yeah, guys, you're not gonna feel that way in the
morning.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
I promise you.
Going to bed at what, twosomething in the morning?
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
The last time I saw on my phone was 2 45.
SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
It was like the all right, guys, lights out.
SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
I turned the lights off around 2 30.
I think I closed my eyes at 245, maybe.
I put in headphones.
I'm like, I'm not fighting withyou guys, you know.
So I went to sleep.
I got like four hours, not badfor an all-overnighter.
All that to say, this boy waslike worshipping, like I had
never seen him before, and Icould feel from him his
(04:00):
confidence and thatcomfortability.
And I and I have to believe itwas because it was right after
this event.
Yeah, you had just spent 12hours, 14 hours with us and gone
to all these events and spentthe night and like had
connections with people, andthat's really what fun
accomplishes for your youthadministry.
(04:21):
So just so you know, you're notwasting time when you are just
having fun with kids.
It's a human need.
You don't have to feel pressure.
Well, if we play a game, I haveto somehow find a meaning in it.
The meaning is relationship.
SPEAKER_00 (04:38):
Cool.
I feel like, yeah, like kind oflike you're saying, don't you
don't need to go out of your waybecause it's not like what a
missed opportunity that wedidn't tie in miniature golf
with you know the Holy Spiritsomehow.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
It's like that would be a fun youth pastor challenge.
Like bumper boats, find asermon, go.
It's like okay.
Um Jesus walking on water duringthe storm.
SPEAKER_00 (05:01):
There you go.
For those of you that are likedead set on doing it, just go to
AI and you know, put Chat GPTand say, Can you tie in this
message with dodgeball?
And it'll spit out 10 answers.
And there you go.
And you pick the best one.
I mean, I yeah, I just feel likeif you really want to tie it in,
there's there you go, rightthere.
SPEAKER_01 (05:21):
But and I feel like that could be the exception, not
the rule.
You know what I mean?
Like I feel like formulate anincredible game.
And if the Holy Spirit works init and it happens to fall
perfectly with some metaphor inyour message, go for it.
But that's probably gonna be anexception, not a rule.
Like, oh, two times a year itlined up and it made sense
(05:44):
without it feeling like youknow, when parents like they
say, a parenting tip is to neverturn everything with your child
into a teachable moment becausethey stop listening and it's
like you're boring, you know?
It's it's a similar vibe there.
Okay, so number two, anothermyth is that youth ministry is a
(06:06):
stepping stone, and that youthministry is not real ministry,
and youth ministry is kind of awaiting room until you have
enough skills and experience todo adult ministry because adult
ministry is somehow the realstuff, which I do not buy at
all.
In fact, I am going to the DYMconference.
(06:29):
I'm doing a breakout next week.
So if you're going, come say hi.
Um, and last year when I spokeat the DYM conference, I got a
gift from Doug and Josh.
So Josh Griffin and Doug Fields,you know, are the amazing
brains, personalities, andhearts behind the DYM
conference.
And they are youth pastors.
(06:51):
So much so they made these mugsthat say, that say not senior
pastor material.
And I love it, and it's thecutest mug ever.
I'll just set it right there.
Thank you, Doug and Josh.
And they are making this theirlifelong calling.
I mean, they're not aging out ofthis, and it is real ministry.
(07:13):
Yeah, they have some otherresponsibilities in the church,
especially, you know, DougFields doing like their marriage
ministry now and stuff likethat, but they still work with
students.
I mean, for Doug, it's been like40 years.
Like, if it's a calling, it canbe a calling.
And I think sometimes there'sshame attached.
Like, I've heard people talkabout people that have been in
(07:36):
youth ministry for a long time,kind of behind their back and
say, I can't believe he's blahblah whatever, fill in the blank
age and still doing youthministry, like failure to
launch.
And I hate that mentality.
And I think we've all been thereat some point, but why can't
your original call be your lifecall?
Why not?
(07:56):
Is it always?
No, like you could move into adifferent area of ministry if
you're following the voice ofGod, go for it.
But if you don't feel the voiceof God moving you out of it and
you're turning 30, 40, 50, 60,70, 80, 90, 120, and you are
still effective, go for it.
(08:17):
I work with youth pastors of alldifferent ages from 20s to 60s,
and they're all effective.
And so it's really we can't putan expiration date on youth
ministry unless God calls usout.
SPEAKER_00 (08:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:33):
That's when it's time to go, not because you had
a certain birthday, right?
You know, because that is younow deciding your call expired.
If you don't feel relevantanymore or effective or joyful
or passionate and you can'treally get there anymore, and
you sense it's time to move on,by all means.
(08:55):
But if you still love it and arepassionate and are effective and
connecting with students, whywould you take that gift and run
with it somewhere else?
It makes no sense.
So Barna's done some research.
Um, and here's why this is justthe case I want to make for how
important youth ministry is andwhy we actually need pros here.
(09:18):
You know, it's fine to be youngin youth ministry also, but as
you get older, you become a pro.
You understand your relationshipwith Jesus better, you
understand the gospel better,you understand teenagers better,
and you have a lot more to bringto the table the further you go.
So don't like pull the eject toosoon because we need pros.
(09:40):
So, Barna, I think this isactually a 2024 survey research.
It says that 64 to 68 percent ofborn again, born again
Christians say they made acommitment to Christ before
their 18th birthday.
That does not surprise me.
I have heard research like thatfor years.
(10:02):
I just wanted to get the mostupdated statistics.
Another research company saidthat roughly 43% accepted Christ
before age 13.
This is like why youth ministryis so important because this is
where people make thatfirst-time decision and where we
start to teach them to be thedisciples for their life.
(10:26):
And then, you know, obviouslythey move into adult ministry
and it's different, but this iswhere a lot of decisions are
being made because we knowstudents are forming their
identity, and so it would makesense that they're also forming
a spiritual or religiousidentity, and I, for one, want
to be there for it, I want to bea part of that, like preaching
(10:48):
the gospel to people who arehungry and ready to make
decisions.
Like, why would we think this issome subpar version of pastoral
ministry?
So people obviously do makedecisions into adulthood and
stuff like that.
Another survey in 2024 said theaverage evangelical adult adult
(11:13):
reports they came to faitharound age 15.
So that's kind of like the sweetspot, right?
Like that before 18, somewherebetween 13 to 15.
It's like this breeding groundfor faith, like uh decisions and
excitement in their faith.
(11:33):
So all I'm saying is don'tsomehow look down on children or
look down on youth.
I have a youth, well, he's ayoung adult pastor, but he was
talking to me about how he usedto be a children's pastor, and
he kept thinking, like, God, Ican't wait till you move me out
(11:54):
to do like big time ministry,like big stuff, big stuff.
And he said, and God like suckerpunched him so hard of like, so
what are you saying about mychildren?
Like, are they less valuable?
Are they not real?
Are you not gonna bring yourbest to the table because you're
waiting for your big break tofeed your own ego?
(12:16):
Or can you do the assignmentthat I gave you?
Because, like, we know thatJesus loves children, you know,
and so there is no hierarchyhere of importance, even among
junior high and high schools.
Sometimes I feel like everyonethinks, oh, high schools.
SPEAKER_00 (12:34):
Or junior high, high school to college.
Right.
Like that hierarchy that's agood idea.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (12:39):
And it's just all very different, and you become
an expert in your field, butit's not like one is better or
harder or whatever.
It's just they are different,right?
Okay.
Next myth is parents don'tunderstand youth ministry, and
parents are a roadblock to youthministry.
SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
Q, the Will Smith song.
SPEAKER_01 (13:02):
Which one?
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Parents just don't understand.
Oh.
Oh my gosh.
I thought that's why you wroteit that way.
Are you serious?
SPEAKER_01 (13:08):
No, the only Will Smith song I know is The Fresh
Prince of No.
He had two hits.
Well, sorry, Will.
Oh, I know more Will Smithsongs.
Oh, sure you do.
I was just thinking of his oldstuff.
Yeah, like Wild, Wild West,Miami.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
Hit machine.
Parents just don't understand.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (13:31):
All that to say.
SPEAKER_01 (13:32):
Well, I have been in so many rooms with youth pastors
where we just talk talk amongsttalk amongst yourselves.
Yes.
And so often I feel like youthpastors low-key hate on parents.
Like it's always kind of saidwith an eye roll or something.
And I'm like, I maybe I'm builtdifferent or something.
(13:55):
I've always had fairly positiveexperiences across the board
with parents.
Of course, when you do it for 21years, you get a few grenades
thrown in there, and nothing,it's not like a that's any job.
Any job, right?
But I feel like instead of looklike I think it's a myth that
(14:15):
parents are somehow our nemesisand they just don't understand
these kids, you know.
And that it I don't know, it'sit's not so extreme, but
sometimes it does feel like alittle us versus them sort of
thing.
Like, hey, like, yeah, you'reright.
Your parents don't get it, but Iget it, you know.
(14:36):
Like we're trying to like be.
SPEAKER_00 (14:40):
Sounds creepy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:42):
You know what I mean though?
Like, I understand you.
Like, I'm cool, don't worry.
Parents aren't cool.
And it it's not true.
So, parents, when you hone intothose relationships, they can
like be your best like five-starYelp reviewers, right?
Because they talk to otherparents and they will support
(15:05):
you and encourage you.
Like they cheer you on, theywant you to succeed if you
include them, if you respectthem, if you communicate with
them, if you value them.
They aren't against you.
They know it takes a village toraise their children and they
love having responsible,significant, godly adults in
(15:27):
their kids' lives.
And so don't treat them at arm'slength like, oh, this parent
wants to help.
Oh my gosh.
So that could be one of the bestleaders you ever have.
What are they good at?
Do they want to do security?
Do they want to be your medic?
Do they want to be a driver?
Are they the type of person thatcan be an incredible small group
leader?
(15:47):
A lot of churches, like youthgroups, will serve dinner before
their youth group.
Are they your meal crew?
Like, let them let them in andwatch them like bring their A
game to the table becauseparents have resources.
Like, some parents have timethat they want to invest in
their children's activities.
(16:09):
And, you know, if you open yourheart and the door to them, it
could be such a win for you.
And like they they will be someof your biggest encouragers if
you will let them, you know.
So don't treat them kind of likeuh keep them at an arm's length,
let them in.
(16:29):
It always I shouldn't sayalways, it usually goes very
well.
SPEAKER_00 (16:33):
Yeah.
And if we're being really honesthere, they kind of pay your
salary.
They do.
I mean, it's not the kids.
That's true.
SPEAKER_01 (16:41):
Yeah.
Our senior pastor always remindsus when you're dealing with
parents, remember your paycheckcomes from tithes.
SPEAKER_00 (16:48):
So before you not saying that's why the only
reason why you would, you're notworking for tips or anything,
but No, but the level ofrespect, you know, when you
think about you don't want tocall them back.
SPEAKER_01 (17:00):
He always reminds us you have 24 hours out of respect
to these people or to return aphone call or a phone call, an
email, a text message.
He's like, leaving parentshanging, you know, is like a
death sentence in youthministry, like so disrespectful.
These usually are the people whoare tithing your paycheck.
SPEAKER_00 (17:22):
So if you're paid, I know not everyone is, but yeah,
if you're not getting paid, thenyou know, parents, whatever.
SPEAKER_01 (17:28):
And say that.
Say you aren't paying me.
I don't have to respond.
SPEAKER_00 (17:33):
You're not the boss of me.
SPEAKER_01 (17:34):
So that's one communication tip.
The other one.
Now, if you'd like to send me aVenmo, I'd be happy to return
your new call.
Yeah.
Until then.
Zill it.
Cancel.
So stay stay tuned for morecommunication tips.
SPEAKER_00 (17:55):
On the next episode, the Ministry Coach Podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (17:58):
Okay.
Number four.
Messages have to go to shortformat to accommodate for
shrinking attention spans.
I think that's a myth.
I hear that circulated in theyouth ministry rumor mill.
You know, it's like people'sattention spans are like smaller
than a goldfish.
It's like goldfish is nineseconds, humans are seven.
(18:21):
It's like, it's not true.
Okay.
It's just not.
I looked.
There is no research to supportany of that.
Attention spans are changing.
They're not shrinking.
So here's a question.
It's not a matter, matter of canI engage you?
It's how do I engage you?
(18:42):
And our senior.
That's what I mean.
Because our senior pastors,like, by the way, binge watching
Netflix isn't going anywhere,and movies aren't going
anywhere.
Those are long formatentertainment.
It's not like, oh well, I'mleaving like the new Spider-Man
movie after seven secondsbecause I can't.
(19:02):
No, it's because I don't evenknow why I'm here.
It's because you're boring, youknow?
And he always says the Bible'snot boring.
It's taught by boring people.
So if we are failing to engageour audience in the right ways,
then yes, we can lose them.
But I'm not trying to toot myown horn.
(19:23):
I preach a lot of messages thatare boring.
Right.
Today I preached 25, 30 minutesand full engagement the entire
time.
It was the method, you know,it's explaining things,
involving the audience forparticipation, illustrating
(19:44):
things, bringing in differentvisuals.
Like it's not like you have tobe like do, do, do, do, do, do,
do, do, do, like it's not acircus of a sermon, but you're
engaging their heart and mindand their opinion, like in all
these different ways to get themleaned in and listening.
And uh, you cut to the heart.
(20:05):
Like, I love the Tim Kellerstuff.
His sermons are so long, but healways gets you, you know?
And it's like, why is thisrelevant for me?
That's what every listener wantsto know.
Why does this matter for me?
What question does this answerfor me?
What does the Bible answer forme in my 13-year-old life right
(20:25):
now?
And if we can help studentsunderstand that, then they will
engage with their full heart andtheir full mind.
Yeah, sometimes we preach aflop.
We do.
Like not every message is gonnago, you know, home run.
But I want youth pastors to knowthat it is possible to engage
longer than a seven-minutesermon and that sometimes we
(20:49):
just need to know what are thebest communication methods.
We should always be sharpeningourselves as communicators.
Am I teaching in a way thatfully engages my audience?
And if not, why not?
And how can I improve?
Maybe you need to bring inillustrations that make sense to
them.
Maybe you need to do more thanjust tell a funny story and have
(21:11):
a couple of verses attached toit.
Maybe you need to involve youraudience in a different way.
Maybe there needs to besomething tangible that they can
interact with or see.
Maybe there needs to be aspeaker change.
Like I showed some kind of clip.
Like I teach a Bible study toour daughter and her friend, and
I always, you know, bring outthe laptop and I find a clip of
(21:35):
whether it's the Bible projector the chosen or something like
saddleback kids or something onYouTube to illustrate the point.
And the second I bring out thelaptop, they're like, Yes! Like
they get so excited.
But then we discuss and talk,and then they do a workbook.
And sometimes I like have themwrite things down.
(21:56):
I heard a youth pastor the otherday, he said I pair them up and
have them walk and discusscertain points.
And there's studies thatliterally walk.
Yeah, like they have hugeproperty at their church.
And he said, I have a smalleryouth ministry, so everyone gets
a partner and then they talkabout these things because
studies show when you're facingnot facing eye to eye, but
(22:19):
facing a certain direction andwalking or using some kind of
physical skill, especially forboys, they can open up more
rather than face to face.
And he says, The kids love it.
Like, how creative are you?
That's amazing.
So that's the bottom line.
We have to be creative in ourcommunication.
But students are watchingNetflix, Hulu, and YouTube for
(22:42):
hours.
They can sit.
So we just have to be good atengagement.
So don't buy into, oh, mysermons have to be five minutes
because nobody can focusanymore.
They totally can.
Okay, and then number five,youth pastors have short career
lifespans.
And that's what we were kind oftalking about earlier about, you
(23:05):
know, people feel like that thatyouth ministry is a stepping
stone.
But it is actually a myth thatyouth pastors have short career
lifespans.
The statistic we've thrown outfor years that is now completely
18 months.
Yep.
That one's gone.
It's not true anymore, which isreally cool.
(23:26):
Seven seconds.
Not as long as a goldfish'scareer.
Yeah.
So here's what the the newstudies are showing is that it's
about five and a half years orjust when you're getting going.
Well, and it's not over.
So, but that's just like at onechurch.
(23:48):
So they say somewhere betweenthree and five and a half years
at one church.
SPEAKER_00 (23:53):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01 (23:54):
But then seven to nine years in youth ministry
overall.
Is the average?
Yeah.
Wow.
So it's like, but that's justsaying, okay, they jumped
churches after maybe three tofive years, but then they went
to another church and then theystayed there another, let's say,
four to five years, and theystayed in ministry.
(24:15):
Like now it's like seven to nineyears.
Only 12% make it to the 10-yearmark and beyond.
So the good news is people arestaying in it a lot longer.
How do we account for that?
I don't know.
Maybe we're getting paid better.
Maybe we are having moreresources, like the Ministry
Coach podcast.
(24:36):
Who knows?
Maybe we are trained better.
I don't know.
I feel like Christianity isreally having a cultural
revival.
Maybe that's why.
At the same time, I feel likeit's one of the hardest cultures
I've ever been into be inministry.
Lots of trigger warnings all thetime for everything.
(24:58):
So it's a myth that we've onlylasted 18 months.
So if you're kind of likewondering how long am I supposed
to do this, I mean, just knowthere's people who are staying
in this for years and years andyears.
This might not be just like aquick season of your life.
This could actually be alifelong calling if it's
(25:19):
sustainable, you know,financially and your passions
and all of that.
But um, the longer you do it,the better you probably will
become.
And one thing to remember, I'veprobably shared this before.
Our senior pastor, Chris Brown,says a lot of the youth pastors
he hires after like six months,nine months, a year on the job,
(25:41):
will be like, Hey, give mefeedback.
How am I doing?
How am I doing?
He's like, I don't know.
How could I possibly know untilyou've been here five years?
Your first five years inministry, you're just getting
started.
I have no clue what kind offruit is coming out of your
ministry because you haven'teven graduated a class yet.
So until you've graduated a fullclass and been on staff here for
(26:03):
about five years, I'll know whatkind of youth pastor you are.
Before that, hard to tell.
SPEAKER_00 (26:07):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:08):
I'm like, dang, because when we were seeing that
18-month rotation, it's like youare still green, brand new.
How could you?
I mean, that's nothing.
So your first five years, it'slike, all right.
And I love how Doug and Joshcall it your first decade in
youth ministry conferencebecause that's saying, like,
(26:29):
relax, stay a while, getcomfortable.
You're gonna be here a while.
So just, you know, settle it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:38):
That's the hope, at least.
Yeah, and for those of you,because burnout is a real thing,
and we've actually done a coupleepisodes on that.
If that's anything that you areseeing yourself maybe heading
towards or just afraid of, orwanting to know how to avoid it
altogether, make sure you checkout those episodes.
We'll link them in thedescription below.
All right, this is a communitycomment of the day.
This comes from Elizabeth Reed,and this again comes from our uh
(26:58):
worship night episode.
Says, love the suggestions forworship night.
I'm currently serving at my homechurch, which has a small youth
group, average of eight to tenteens, and currently are not
doing praise and worship musicduring our midweek service, but
I have been thinking about waysto start it up.
I think this will be helpful tokick it off with a worship
night.
Woo! Yeah, that's a great ideato uh kick things off and
(27:21):
introduce that into your youthgroup.
And it's been a couple monthsnow, I think, since you wrote
that.
So let us know how that's beengoing for you.
SPEAKER_01 (27:26):
A lot of people really resonated and loved that
episode.
They were really like dialedinto it.
So I'm excited.
I've been talking about it for awhile.
Ours is coming up in a coupleweeks, and the kids are so
excited.
And what we did is, and I didn'ttalk about this on the video, so
I'm glad it came up or on thatepisode, was we're pairing it
(27:48):
with a worship series on theweekends.
So, like today at church, Ispoke on the word yada, like the
Hebrew word for like praise withyour hands lifted.
So we're taking all thesedifferent, like we always just
say praise and worship.
Yeah.
But the Bible has sevendifferent words for it.
(28:09):
So every week we're goingthrough one of the seven words
to teach the students adifferent aspect and lens
through which to look at worshipinstead of just like the word
worship.
Well, let's get a little bitbelow the surface.
And then it'll kind of culminatein this worship night where they
can kind of put it all intopractice, like the stirring that
(28:31):
they've been feeling and likewhat they've been learning.
And so we're hoping it will justreally enhance their worship
experience and their ability toengage with the Lord.
So anytime you plan an eventlike that, whether it's like a
serving event or a studentleadership or like we did the
worship night, if you can easilypair it with your sermon series
(28:54):
to kind of double down on themeaning behind it all.
But what about the game?
Yeah.
I know.
I wasn't just saying, like, Iwas just thinking that like full
circle.
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Oh no.
SPEAKER_01 (29:05):
No, delete.
Um, but it just gives them, thenyou've learned about it and now
you can put it into practice.
I learned a ton about servingand now I have an opportunity.
Yeah.
I've learned a ton about worshipand now I have an opportunity.
I've learned a ton aboutleadership, now I have an
opportunity.
So giving putting students in aplace where they can respond,
(29:30):
like creating that environmentinstead of saying, so this week
go out and find a way toworship, but actually put them
in that environment.
Yeah.
Together, we're gonna do it.
And I've had really good resultswith pairing sermons with a like
uh some kind of event, you know.
I love that, but not like theGlover Knighter or something
like that.
(29:50):
I mean like these calls toaction kind of.
SPEAKER_00 (29:59):
The reason we're doing This tonight.
Well, thank you, Elizabeth.
Really appreciate your comment.
And thank you guys for watchingand listening.
I can hear Kristen's stomachgrowling, so it means it's time
to go.
No.
Yes.
Thank you for watching andlistening.
We'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_01 (30:16):
And today we are talking about five youth
ministry tips that sorry, miss.
SPEAKER_00 (30:24):
Can't when they go out, can't there's today.
SPEAKER_01 (30:29):
We're talking about 10 Bible study tools to help
with your youth ministry step.
Today we're talking about five youth ministry myths
(00:03):
that you need to stop believing.
SPEAKER_00 (00:16):
Welcome to the Ministry Coach Podcast, where we
bring you weekly tips andtactics to help you fast-track
the growth and health of youryouth ministry.
My name is Jeff Lascola, andthis is Kristen Lascola.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
And today we are talking about five youth
ministry myths that you need tostop believing.
Number one was my pet peeve whenI was a young youth pastor, and
I would research help like gamesor topics or divos or lessons.
And there are some people thatthink like games and lessons
(00:49):
have to always go together.
That's our first myth is thatgames need to somehow be tied to
a message.
If that's your A game and youare the mastercrafter of
incredible games that seamlesslygo into a message, that's great.
I think that is a really hardthing to nail without making it
(01:12):
look forced.
And like we tried to reallystretch a meaning out of this.
And here's why I never likedthat.
And I think it is a myth isbecause fun has inherent value.
And I think when we try tosqueeze an object lesson out of
every game, we're saying fundoesn't have any inherent value
(01:34):
unless it's tied to some greaterpurpose.
I would argue fun is the greaterpurpose.
And what it accomplishes foryour youth ministry is value in
and of itself to not need a tag,right?
Um, it's so crazy.
This kind of goes along withgames, but we had our all-over
nighter this weekend.
(01:55):
So if my voice is a littlehoarse, that's probably why.
And there was this boy who camewho has been coming on the
weekends and Tuesdays, but he'snever been to a camp.
He's never been to an event.
And he's homeschooled.
And so, like, I think his socialcircle is smaller because he's
(02:15):
not in sports or anything.
So he's great.
We love him.
He came to the event.
And here's what is nuts.
Just after attending that eventwith us, he was having the time
of his life, by the way.
Um, I checked in with him manytimes throughout the night.
When I watched him come tochurch on Sunday, he worshipped
(02:36):
different.
And it was crazy.
Just because he had had fun withus, walls broken down.
Yes, he felt comfortable, hefelt confident, he felt like he
could be himself, express theway he wanted to.
And I never had seen, and likeyou could argue that like
literally the all-overnighter,other than fellowship,
(03:00):
camaraderie, fun, energy.
It didn't have a lesson orworship or anything like that.
Although the girls were likebegging me, can you set the
alarm for 6 30 so that we canhave a worship session before
our parents pick us up?
I'm like, uh, well, uh, no,please, please.
We love it.
(03:20):
We love worship.
SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
How about just silent prayer?
I'm like, let's do that.
SPEAKER_01 (03:23):
Yeah, guys, you're not gonna feel that way in the
morning.
SPEAKER_00 (03:26):
I promise you.
Going to bed at what, twosomething in the morning?
SPEAKER_01 (03:30):
The last time I saw on my phone was 2 45.
SPEAKER_00 (03:34):
It was like the all right, guys, lights out.
SPEAKER_01 (03:36):
I turned the lights off around 2 30.
I think I closed my eyes at 245, maybe.
I put in headphones.
I'm like, I'm not fighting withyou guys, you know.
So I went to sleep.
I got like four hours, not badfor an all-overnighter.
All that to say, this boy waslike worshipping, like I had
never seen him before, and Icould feel from him his
(04:00):
confidence and thatcomfortability.
And I and I have to believe itwas because it was right after
this event.
Yeah, you had just spent 12hours, 14 hours with us and gone
to all these events and spentthe night and like had
connections with people, andthat's really what fun
accomplishes for your youthadministry.
(04:21):
So just so you know, you're notwasting time when you are just
having fun with kids.
It's a human need.
You don't have to feel pressure.
Well, if we play a game, I haveto somehow find a meaning in it.
The meaning is relationship.
SPEAKER_00 (04:38):
Cool.
I feel like, yeah, like kind oflike you're saying, don't you
don't need to go out of your waybecause it's not like what a
missed opportunity that wedidn't tie in miniature golf
with you know the Holy Spiritsomehow.
SPEAKER_01 (04:50):
It's like that would be a fun youth pastor challenge.
Like bumper boats, find asermon, go.
It's like okay.
Um Jesus walking on water duringthe storm.
SPEAKER_00 (05:01):
There you go.
For those of you that are likedead set on doing it, just go to
AI and you know, put Chat GPTand say, Can you tie in this
message with dodgeball?
And it'll spit out 10 answers.
And there you go.
And you pick the best one.
I mean, I yeah, I just feel likeif you really want to tie it in,
there's there you go, rightthere.
SPEAKER_01 (05:21):
But and I feel like that could be the exception, not
the rule.
You know what I mean?
Like I feel like formulate anincredible game.
And if the Holy Spirit works init and it happens to fall
perfectly with some metaphor inyour message, go for it.
But that's probably gonna be anexception, not a rule.
Like, oh, two times a year itlined up and it made sense
(05:44):
without it feeling like youknow, when parents like they
say, a parenting tip is to neverturn everything with your child
into a teachable moment becausethey stop listening and it's
like you're boring, you know?
It's it's a similar vibe there.
Okay, so number two, anothermyth is that youth ministry is a
(06:06):
stepping stone, and that youthministry is not real ministry,
and youth ministry is kind of awaiting room until you have
enough skills and experience todo adult ministry because adult
ministry is somehow the realstuff, which I do not buy at
all.
In fact, I am going to the DYMconference.
(06:29):
I'm doing a breakout next week.
So if you're going, come say hi.
Um, and last year when I spokeat the DYM conference, I got a
gift from Doug and Josh.
So Josh Griffin and Doug Fields,you know, are the amazing
brains, personalities, andhearts behind the DYM
conference.
And they are youth pastors.
(06:51):
So much so they made these mugsthat say, that say not senior
pastor material.
And I love it, and it's thecutest mug ever.
I'll just set it right there.
Thank you, Doug and Josh.
And they are making this theirlifelong calling.
I mean, they're not aging out ofthis, and it is real ministry.
(07:13):
Yeah, they have some otherresponsibilities in the church,
especially, you know, DougFields doing like their marriage
ministry now and stuff likethat, but they still work with
students.
I mean, for Doug, it's been like40 years.
Like, if it's a calling, it canbe a calling.
And I think sometimes there'sshame attached.
Like, I've heard people talkabout people that have been in
(07:36):
youth ministry for a long time,kind of behind their back and
say, I can't believe he's blahblah whatever, fill in the blank
age and still doing youthministry, like failure to
launch.
And I hate that mentality.
And I think we've all been thereat some point, but why can't
your original call be your lifecall?
Why not?
(07:56):
Is it always?
No, like you could move into adifferent area of ministry if
you're following the voice ofGod, go for it.
But if you don't feel the voiceof God moving you out of it and
you're turning 30, 40, 50, 60,70, 80, 90, 120, and you are
still effective, go for it.
(08:17):
I work with youth pastors of alldifferent ages from 20s to 60s,
and they're all effective.
And so it's really we can't putan expiration date on youth
ministry unless God calls usout.
SPEAKER_00 (08:33):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (08:33):
That's when it's time to go, not because you had
a certain birthday, right?
You know, because that is younow deciding your call expired.
If you don't feel relevantanymore or effective or joyful
or passionate and you can'treally get there anymore, and
you sense it's time to move on,by all means.
(08:55):
But if you still love it and arepassionate and are effective and
connecting with students, whywould you take that gift and run
with it somewhere else?
It makes no sense.
So Barna's done some research.
Um, and here's why this is justthe case I want to make for how
important youth ministry is andwhy we actually need pros here.
(09:18):
You know, it's fine to be youngin youth ministry also, but as
you get older, you become a pro.
You understand your relationshipwith Jesus better, you
understand the gospel better,you understand teenagers better,
and you have a lot more to bringto the table the further you go.
So don't like pull the eject toosoon because we need pros.
(09:40):
So, Barna, I think this isactually a 2024 survey research.
It says that 64 to 68 percent ofborn again, born again
Christians say they made acommitment to Christ before
their 18th birthday.
That does not surprise me.
I have heard research like thatfor years.
(10:02):
I just wanted to get the mostupdated statistics.
Another research company saidthat roughly 43% accepted Christ
before age 13.
This is like why youth ministryis so important because this is
where people make thatfirst-time decision and where we
start to teach them to be thedisciples for their life.
(10:26):
And then, you know, obviouslythey move into adult ministry
and it's different, but this iswhere a lot of decisions are
being made because we knowstudents are forming their
identity, and so it would makesense that they're also forming
a spiritual or religiousidentity, and I, for one, want
to be there for it, I want to bea part of that, like preaching
(10:48):
the gospel to people who arehungry and ready to make
decisions.
Like, why would we think this issome subpar version of pastoral
ministry?
So people obviously do makedecisions into adulthood and
stuff like that.
Another survey in 2024 said theaverage evangelical adult adult
(11:13):
reports they came to faitharound age 15.
So that's kind of like the sweetspot, right?
Like that before 18, somewherebetween 13 to 15.
It's like this breeding groundfor faith, like uh decisions and
excitement in their faith.
(11:33):
So all I'm saying is don'tsomehow look down on children or
look down on youth.
I have a youth, well, he's ayoung adult pastor, but he was
talking to me about how he usedto be a children's pastor, and
he kept thinking, like, God, Ican't wait till you move me out
(11:54):
to do like big time ministry,like big stuff, big stuff.
And he said, and God like suckerpunched him so hard of like, so
what are you saying about mychildren?
Like, are they less valuable?
Are they not real?
Are you not gonna bring yourbest to the table because you're
waiting for your big break tofeed your own ego?
(12:16):
Or can you do the assignmentthat I gave you?
Because, like, we know thatJesus loves children, you know,
and so there is no hierarchyhere of importance, even among
junior high and high schools.
Sometimes I feel like everyonethinks, oh, high schools.
SPEAKER_00 (12:34):
Or junior high, high school to college.
Right.
Like that hierarchy that's agood idea.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (12:39):
And it's just all very different, and you become
an expert in your field, butit's not like one is better or
harder or whatever.
It's just they are different,right?
Okay.
Next myth is parents don'tunderstand youth ministry, and
parents are a roadblock to youthministry.
SPEAKER_00 (12:59):
Q, the Will Smith song.
SPEAKER_01 (13:02):
Which one?
SPEAKER_00 (13:03):
Parents just don't understand.
Oh.
Oh my gosh.
I thought that's why you wroteit that way.
Are you serious?
SPEAKER_01 (13:08):
No, the only Will Smith song I know is The Fresh
Prince of No.
He had two hits.
Well, sorry, Will.
Oh, I know more Will Smithsongs.
Oh, sure you do.
I was just thinking of his oldstuff.
Yeah, like Wild, Wild West,Miami.
SPEAKER_00 (13:27):
Hit machine.
Parents just don't understand.
SPEAKER_01 (13:30):
Okay.
SPEAKER_00 (13:31):
All that to say.
SPEAKER_01 (13:32):
Well, I have been in so many rooms with youth pastors
where we just talk talk amongsttalk amongst yourselves.
Yes.
And so often I feel like youthpastors low-key hate on parents.
Like it's always kind of saidwith an eye roll or something.
And I'm like, I maybe I'm builtdifferent or something.
(13:55):
I've always had fairly positiveexperiences across the board
with parents.
Of course, when you do it for 21years, you get a few grenades
thrown in there, and nothing,it's not like a that's any job.
Any job, right?
But I feel like instead of looklike I think it's a myth that
(14:15):
parents are somehow our nemesisand they just don't understand
these kids, you know.
And that it I don't know, it'sit's not so extreme, but
sometimes it does feel like alittle us versus them sort of
thing.
Like, hey, like, yeah, you'reright.
Your parents don't get it, but Iget it, you know.
(14:36):
Like we're trying to like be.
SPEAKER_00 (14:40):
Sounds creepy.
SPEAKER_01 (14:42):
You know what I mean though?
Like, I understand you.
Like, I'm cool, don't worry.
Parents aren't cool.
And it it's not true.
So, parents, when you hone intothose relationships, they can
like be your best like five-starYelp reviewers, right?
Because they talk to otherparents and they will support
(15:05):
you and encourage you.
Like they cheer you on, theywant you to succeed if you
include them, if you respectthem, if you communicate with
them, if you value them.
They aren't against you.
They know it takes a village toraise their children and they
love having responsible,significant, godly adults in
(15:27):
their kids' lives.
And so don't treat them at arm'slength like, oh, this parent
wants to help.
Oh my gosh.
So that could be one of the bestleaders you ever have.
What are they good at?
Do they want to do security?
Do they want to be your medic?
Do they want to be a driver?
Are they the type of person thatcan be an incredible small group
leader?
(15:47):
A lot of churches, like youthgroups, will serve dinner before
their youth group.
Are they your meal crew?
Like, let them let them in andwatch them like bring their A
game to the table becauseparents have resources.
Like, some parents have timethat they want to invest in
their children's activities.
(16:09):
And, you know, if you open yourheart and the door to them, it
could be such a win for you.
And like they they will be someof your biggest encouragers if
you will let them, you know.
So don't treat them kind of likeuh keep them at an arm's length,
let them in.
(16:29):
It always I shouldn't sayalways, it usually goes very
well.
SPEAKER_00 (16:33):
Yeah.
And if we're being really honesthere, they kind of pay your
salary.
They do.
I mean, it's not the kids.
That's true.
SPEAKER_01 (16:41):
Yeah.
Our senior pastor always remindsus when you're dealing with
parents, remember your paycheckcomes from tithes.
SPEAKER_00 (16:48):
So before you not saying that's why the only
reason why you would, you're notworking for tips or anything,
but No, but the level ofrespect, you know, when you
think about you don't want tocall them back.
SPEAKER_01 (17:00):
He always reminds us you have 24 hours out of respect
to these people or to return aphone call or a phone call, an
email, a text message.
He's like, leaving parentshanging, you know, is like a
death sentence in youthministry, like so disrespectful.
These usually are the people whoare tithing your paycheck.
SPEAKER_00 (17:22):
So if you're paid, I know not everyone is, but yeah,
if you're not getting paid, thenyou know, parents, whatever.
SPEAKER_01 (17:28):
And say that.
Say you aren't paying me.
I don't have to respond.
SPEAKER_00 (17:33):
You're not the boss of me.
SPEAKER_01 (17:34):
So that's one communication tip.
The other one.
Now, if you'd like to send me aVenmo, I'd be happy to return
your new call.
Yeah.
Until then.
Zill it.
Cancel.
So stay stay tuned for morecommunication tips.
SPEAKER_00 (17:55):
On the next episode, the Ministry Coach Podcast.
SPEAKER_01 (17:58):
Okay.
Number four.
Messages have to go to shortformat to accommodate for
shrinking attention spans.
I think that's a myth.
I hear that circulated in theyouth ministry rumor mill.
You know, it's like people'sattention spans are like smaller
than a goldfish.
It's like goldfish is nineseconds, humans are seven.
(18:21):
It's like, it's not true.
Okay.
It's just not.
I looked.
There is no research to supportany of that.
Attention spans are changing.
They're not shrinking.
So here's a question.
It's not a matter, matter of canI engage you?
It's how do I engage you?
(18:42):
And our senior.
That's what I mean.
Because our senior pastors,like, by the way, binge watching
Netflix isn't going anywhere,and movies aren't going
anywhere.
Those are long formatentertainment.
It's not like, oh well, I'mleaving like the new Spider-Man
movie after seven secondsbecause I can't.
(19:02):
No, it's because I don't evenknow why I'm here.
It's because you're boring, youknow?
And he always says the Bible'snot boring.
It's taught by boring people.
So if we are failing to engageour audience in the right ways,
then yes, we can lose them.
But I'm not trying to toot myown horn.
(19:23):
I preach a lot of messages thatare boring.
Right.
Today I preached 25, 30 minutesand full engagement the entire
time.
It was the method, you know,it's explaining things,
involving the audience forparticipation, illustrating
(19:44):
things, bringing in differentvisuals.
Like it's not like you have tobe like do, do, do, do, do, do,
do, do, do, like it's not acircus of a sermon, but you're
engaging their heart and mindand their opinion, like in all
these different ways to get themleaned in and listening.
And uh, you cut to the heart.
(20:05):
Like, I love the Tim Kellerstuff.
His sermons are so long, but healways gets you, you know?
And it's like, why is thisrelevant for me?
That's what every listener wantsto know.
Why does this matter for me?
What question does this answerfor me?
What does the Bible answer forme in my 13-year-old life right
(20:25):
now?
And if we can help studentsunderstand that, then they will
engage with their full heart andtheir full mind.
Yeah, sometimes we preach aflop.
We do.
Like not every message is gonnago, you know, home run.
But I want youth pastors to knowthat it is possible to engage
longer than a seven-minutesermon and that sometimes we
(20:49):
just need to know what are thebest communication methods.
We should always be sharpeningourselves as communicators.
Am I teaching in a way thatfully engages my audience?
And if not, why not?
And how can I improve?
Maybe you need to bring inillustrations that make sense to
them.
Maybe you need to do more thanjust tell a funny story and have
(21:11):
a couple of verses attached toit.
Maybe you need to involve youraudience in a different way.
Maybe there needs to besomething tangible that they can
interact with or see.
Maybe there needs to be aspeaker change.
Like I showed some kind of clip.
Like I teach a Bible study toour daughter and her friend, and
I always, you know, bring outthe laptop and I find a clip of
(21:35):
whether it's the Bible projector the chosen or something like
saddleback kids or something onYouTube to illustrate the point.
And the second I bring out thelaptop, they're like, Yes! Like
they get so excited.
But then we discuss and talk,and then they do a workbook.
And sometimes I like have themwrite things down.
(21:56):
I heard a youth pastor the otherday, he said I pair them up and
have them walk and discusscertain points.
And there's studies thatliterally walk.
Yeah, like they have hugeproperty at their church.
And he said, I have a smalleryouth ministry, so everyone gets
a partner and then they talkabout these things because
studies show when you're facingnot facing eye to eye, but
(22:19):
facing a certain direction andwalking or using some kind of
physical skill, especially forboys, they can open up more
rather than face to face.
And he says, The kids love it.
Like, how creative are you?
That's amazing.
So that's the bottom line.
We have to be creative in ourcommunication.
But students are watchingNetflix, Hulu, and YouTube for
(22:42):
hours.
They can sit.
So we just have to be good atengagement.
So don't buy into, oh, mysermons have to be five minutes
because nobody can focusanymore.
They totally can.
Okay, and then number five,youth pastors have short career
lifespans.
And that's what we were kind oftalking about earlier about, you
(23:05):
know, people feel like that thatyouth ministry is a stepping
stone.
But it is actually a myth thatyouth pastors have short career
lifespans.
The statistic we've thrown outfor years that is now completely
18 months.
Yep.
That one's gone.
It's not true anymore, which isreally cool.
(23:26):
Seven seconds.
Not as long as a goldfish'scareer.
Yeah.
So here's what the the newstudies are showing is that it's
about five and a half years orjust when you're getting going.
Well, and it's not over.
So, but that's just like at onechurch.
(23:48):
So they say somewhere betweenthree and five and a half years
at one church.
SPEAKER_00 (23:53):
Gotcha.
SPEAKER_01 (23:54):
But then seven to nine years in youth ministry
overall.
Is the average?
Yeah.
Wow.
So it's like, but that's justsaying, okay, they jumped
churches after maybe three tofive years, but then they went
to another church and then theystayed there another, let's say,
four to five years, and theystayed in ministry.
(24:15):
Like now it's like seven to nineyears.
Only 12% make it to the 10-yearmark and beyond.
So the good news is people arestaying in it a lot longer.
How do we account for that?
I don't know.
Maybe we're getting paid better.
Maybe we are having moreresources, like the Ministry
Coach podcast.
(24:36):
Who knows?
Maybe we are trained better.
I don't know.
I feel like Christianity isreally having a cultural
revival.
Maybe that's why.
At the same time, I feel likeit's one of the hardest cultures
I've ever been into be inministry.
Lots of trigger warnings all thetime for everything.
(24:58):
So it's a myth that we've onlylasted 18 months.
So if you're kind of likewondering how long am I supposed
to do this, I mean, just knowthere's people who are staying
in this for years and years andyears.
This might not be just like aquick season of your life.
This could actually be alifelong calling if it's
(25:19):
sustainable, you know,financially and your passions
and all of that.
But um, the longer you do it,the better you probably will
become.
And one thing to remember, I'veprobably shared this before.
Our senior pastor, Chris Brown,says a lot of the youth pastors
he hires after like six months,nine months, a year on the job,
(25:41):
will be like, Hey, give mefeedback.
How am I doing?
How am I doing?
He's like, I don't know.
How could I possibly know untilyou've been here five years?
Your first five years inministry, you're just getting
started.
I have no clue what kind offruit is coming out of your
ministry because you haven'teven graduated a class yet.
So until you've graduated a fullclass and been on staff here for
(26:03):
about five years, I'll know whatkind of youth pastor you are.
Before that, hard to tell.
SPEAKER_00 (26:07):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (26:08):
I'm like, dang, because when we were seeing that
18-month rotation, it's like youare still green, brand new.
How could you?
I mean, that's nothing.
So your first five years, it'slike, all right.
And I love how Doug and Joshcall it your first decade in
youth ministry conferencebecause that's saying, like,
(26:29):
relax, stay a while, getcomfortable.
You're gonna be here a while.
So just, you know, settle it.
SPEAKER_00 (26:38):
That's the hope, at least.
Yeah, and for those of you,because burnout is a real thing,
and we've actually done a coupleepisodes on that.
If that's anything that you areseeing yourself maybe heading
towards or just afraid of, orwanting to know how to avoid it
altogether, make sure you checkout those episodes.
We'll link them in thedescription below.
All right, this is a communitycomment of the day.
This comes from Elizabeth Reed,and this again comes from our uh
(26:58):
worship night episode.
Says, love the suggestions forworship night.
I'm currently serving at my homechurch, which has a small youth
group, average of eight to tenteens, and currently are not
doing praise and worship musicduring our midweek service, but
I have been thinking about waysto start it up.
I think this will be helpful tokick it off with a worship
night.
Woo! Yeah, that's a great ideato uh kick things off and
(27:21):
introduce that into your youthgroup.
And it's been a couple monthsnow, I think, since you wrote
that.
So let us know how that's beengoing for you.
SPEAKER_01 (27:26):
A lot of people really resonated and loved that
episode.
They were really like dialedinto it.
So I'm excited.
I've been talking about it for awhile.
Ours is coming up in a coupleweeks, and the kids are so
excited.
And what we did is, and I didn'ttalk about this on the video, so
I'm glad it came up or on thatepisode, was we're pairing it
(27:48):
with a worship series on theweekends.
So, like today at church, Ispoke on the word yada, like the
Hebrew word for like praise withyour hands lifted.
So we're taking all thesedifferent, like we always just
say praise and worship.
Yeah.
But the Bible has sevendifferent words for it.
(28:09):
So every week we're goingthrough one of the seven words
to teach the students adifferent aspect and lens
through which to look at worshipinstead of just like the word
worship.
Well, let's get a little bitbelow the surface.
And then it'll kind of culminatein this worship night where they
can kind of put it all intopractice, like the stirring that
(28:31):
they've been feeling and likewhat they've been learning.
And so we're hoping it will justreally enhance their worship
experience and their ability toengage with the Lord.
So anytime you plan an eventlike that, whether it's like a
serving event or a studentleadership or like we did the
worship night, if you can easilypair it with your sermon series
(28:54):
to kind of double down on themeaning behind it all.
But what about the game?
Yeah.
I know.
I wasn't just saying, like, Iwas just thinking that like full
circle.
SPEAKER_00 (29:04):
Oh no.
SPEAKER_01 (29:05):
No, delete.
Um, but it just gives them, thenyou've learned about it and now
you can put it into practice.
I learned a ton about servingand now I have an opportunity.
Yeah.
I've learned a ton about worshipand now I have an opportunity.
I've learned a ton aboutleadership, now I have an
opportunity.
So giving putting students in aplace where they can respond,
(29:30):
like creating that environmentinstead of saying, so this week
go out and find a way toworship, but actually put them
in that environment.
Yeah.
Together, we're gonna do it.
And I've had really good resultswith pairing sermons with a like
uh some kind of event, you know.
I love that, but not like theGlover Knighter or something
like that.
(29:50):
I mean like these calls toaction kind of.
SPEAKER_00 (29:59):
The reason we're doing This tonight.
Well, thank you, Elizabeth.
Really appreciate your comment.
And thank you guys for watchingand listening.
I can hear Kristen's stomachgrowling, so it means it's time
to go.
No.
Yes.
Thank you for watching andlistening.
We'll see you next time.
SPEAKER_01 (30:16):
And today we are talking about five youth
ministry tips that sorry, miss.
SPEAKER_00 (30:24):
Can't when they go out, can't there's today.
SPEAKER_01 (30:29):
We're talking about 10 Bible study tools to help
with your youth ministry step.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.