Rethinking Youth Ministry | A podcast for youth ministry leaders, pastors, volunteers, and anyone who cares about students

Being a female in youth ministry presents a unique set of challenges that many women are navigating on a weekly basis. On this episode of Rethinking Youth Ministry, join ministry leaders for a conversation about the obstacles that females in youth ministry are facing. They’ll also talk about the value of having students see women in visible leadership positions and what you can do—no matter who you are—to better support the females in your youth ministry this week.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our students live in a world where sex and dating are talked about everywhere they turn—on the bus, in the school halls, on Netflix, and on social media. Because it’s so prevalent, it’s important for us to talk with our middle school and high school students about it as well. On this episode, join ministry leaders for a conversation about the best ways to address the topic of sexuality in our ministry environments. They’ll discuss real questions that students are asking, what to say and what not to say about sex and dating, and how you can better equip parents and small group leaders for conversations with students about this topic.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's never been a time when mental health and suicide have been talked about more in culture than right now. And with teen suicide trends on the rise, it’s more important now than ever to address this issue in our ministries. On this episode, join ministry leaders for a conversation with licensed professional counselor, Kayla Lin. They’ll discuss how to navigate the topics of mental health and suicide in your ministry, what to do when a student displays signs of suicidal ideation or shares they’ve had suicidal thoughts, and how you as a ministry leader can lead through the tragedy of student suicide.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you do when a student tells you they’re harming themselves? And why is self-harm an important topic to discuss in your ministry? Self-harm can be a difficult subject to navigate with students, but it's not impossible. On this week’s episode, join ministry leaders for a conversation with licensed professional counselor, Kayla Lin, as they unpack what to do when a student admits to self-harm and how to approach the subject of self-harm in your ministry environment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there’s one thing we all know about the culture our students are living in, it’s that it is constantly changing. From the shows they watch and the accounts they follow on social media, to the music they listen to and the styles that are “in,” what’s considered “cool” in culture seems to change in the blink of an eye. As youth workers, how do we keep up with it? Join ministry leaders in this episode for a conversation all about student culture. They’ll discuss common tensions youth workers are feeling when it comes to keeping pace with student culture and practical ways you can utilize culture to connect with the students you lead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s happening in culture should be important to every youth leader. Why? Because culture reflects the world our students are part of every single day. In this episode, join ministry leaders for a conversation about the tensions youth leaders are facing when it comes to leveraging culture in their ministry environments. Through their discussion you’ll discover when to leverage culture and when not to, and how you can begin to prepare students for culture instead of protecting them from it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all have cobwebs in our lives—things we’re not proud of and things we wish we could get rid of. But if we’re going to get rid of the cobwebs, it’s not enough to simply clean the cobwebs. We need to kill the spider. In his new book, “Kill the Spider,” Carlos Whittaker talks about killing the spiders in our lives—the things really holding us back. On today’s episode, join ministry leaders for a conversation with Carlos to find out how you can kill your spiders and how, as youth ministry leaders, we can help students do the same.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.