Middle School Ministry Podcast

MLK has come and gone. We went on a march and led to some neat conversations with my daughters.It reminded me of the deeper conversations I had with my students over the last semester. The stereotype of a middle school student is that they are carefree or at least careless. The reality, however, is that a ton of our students are going through deep hurts.How do you deal with them?Here are some things I talk about in this episode:Students are going through difficult circumstances: from porn to divorce to bullying.We tend to want give a quick answer or verse. Instead, let's focus on listening!Being present is hugely influential. Don't just talk. Be there!Don't just make it one conversation. Follow up!Get the parents involved in their student's hurt.Have any additional thoughts here? I'd love to know!Send me a message and let's connect!Mentioned on the podcast:Divorce and Student MinistryDYM Facebook CommunityGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook 

Do you know what my busiest day during the week is? Monday. I'm thinking podcasts are now going to be a Tuesday thing.Cool? Cool.Something I love to do is spend time with other youth workers and student pastors! I love to bounce ideas off of them, listen to what they are struggling with and hear about the wins they are having with their ministries.Networking is a huge thing that can save a youth pastor from burn out, making some really tough decisions in a bubble, and give you the encouragement you need to fight through another Spring semester slump.Here's some things I talk about in this episode:Social media is a great tool to let you connect with other youth pastors. You should use it!Figure out how to get some video conferencing going so you can see the faces of people you can network with from far away!Get together with other youth workers in your area over coffee (or cheap burgers) and see if there are events you can coordinate on!There are enough lost students in your area to fill every church twice over. It's not a competition. We're on the same team!Have any additional thoughts here? I'd love to know!Send me a message and let's connect!Mentioned on the podcast:DYM Facebook CommunityGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Whew!I had a crazy Christmas Break. I don't know about you all but, the season really needed a time to get away and rest. We got away. We almost rested.We need breaks scheduled within our calendars! In order to make it, we have to put times in our ministry calendars that allow us to get away, but also allows our students and leaders a chance to reset and come back!Here's some things I talk about in this episode:Are there normal times you can calendar to take a break from your programming?How can taking a break help your students and your leaders?Is your church culture one that would accept you taking a break from programming?If not, how can you change things up so that something different can become the break?Have any additional thoughts here? I'd love to know!Send me a message and let's connect!Mentioned on the podcast:DYM Facebook CommunityGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

I was hanging out with our student ministry network of youth pastors here in San Antonio and my mind was BLOWN by someone I just met! He's making a huge push to partner his middle school ministry with his church's senior adult ministry! They're going on a mission trip TOGETHER this summer! Isn't that wild!? I love the intergenerational aspect of that and it really got me thinking:How can we get senior adults invested in our middle school ministry?How can we get our middle school students invested in our senior adult ministry?Senior adults have time, resources, wisdom, and Biblical knowledge that could be HUGE benefits for our ministries!How can we ask senior adults to be a vital part of discipling middle school students?Have any additional thoughts here? I'd love to know!Send me a message and let's connect!Mentioned on the podcast:DYM Facebook CommunityGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook

Chris Hargrove and I continued our conversation from a few weeks ago about how to connect with Middle School students!Here are some things to think about:Utilize social media (if your middle school parents let them have it!) to reach out to students!Make posts that encourage engagement (like polls or questions) so your student ministry social page stay in front of your students' faces!Giving away the social media reigns to a volunteer during a serviceGetting students serving with adult volunteers to help them connectWhat have been some of your go-to approaches to connecting with students and empowering your leaders to connect with students?Send me a message and let me know!Mentioned on the podcast:DYM Facebook CommunityGot a middle school ministry question?Email talkingsquirrelspodcast@gmail.comNeed student ministry resources?Check out www.downloadyouthministry.comDo you listen to the Podcast? Consider leaving a review of the podcast!Social Media:InstagramTwitterFacebook