Middle School Ministry Podcast

In this episode Ronald talks to Cameron Contrestano, the Student Ministry Pastor at Wayside Chapel, Stone Oak Campus. Ronald and Cameron work together a lot! Cameron’s group is 6th through 12th grade and he often has to “call up” the middle school crew. That’s the topic of today’s podcast!•Utilize middle school student’s natural curiosity.•Treat them like teenagers, not like children.•Middle School students can handle MORE than we usually give them credit for.•Think: Ministry BY students, not ministry TO students.Talked about on the episode:Follow Cameron Contrestano on Social!Instagram - @cameron.m.c

Recently, Doug and Josh made a video about how to get Momentum in 2021! In this episode, Michelle and Ronald talk about the ways they are planning to work on one of the ten things they talked about!Talked about on the episode:Momentum in Ministry Facebook Video:https://blog.downloadyouthministry.com/how-to-get-momentum-in-2021/The Quick List:1. Align With Adult Services2. Get Big-Picture Buy-In3. Communicate4. Dig Deeper5. Combine with a Kickoff6. Perk Attendance7. Incentivize New Students 8. Incentivize Volunteers9. Enhance Parent Communication 10. Make Sure You Deliver

Ok, it wasn’t ALL a dumpster fire. Some good things did come out of 2020! This week, Michelle and Ronald look back at 2020 and talk about the things they saw that were positive from the year!Got anything to add? We’d love to hear about it!Talked about on the episode:2020 - It Wasn’t All Badhttps://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/2020---it-wasn%27t-all-bad/games-6045.htmlThe Life and Legacy of Allison Williamshttps://scholarship.downloadyouthministry.com/allison-williams/What did we love about 2020?1.Michelle Speaking at David Wood’s church!2.Brett Eddy speaking at Ronald’s retreat3.Online game nights were great! Google Doc Trivia night. Kahoot is a good tool.4.Ronald’s Youtube Lives were really fun5.Michelle and her husband celebrated 1 year! Yay! PS - Allison we love you.

These kids are squirrely. You’ve got to be careful or they’ll run around on you if you put them in charge of things! They might even get going even when you aren’t ready! This week, Michelle and Ronald talk giving students responsibilities.And the good and the bad of doing so!Questions to Consider•How can you help students lead from the front?•How can you help students lead from behind the scenes?Mentioned in the Podcast:Student Job Descriptionshttps://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FOQfPY_WNmnnqDdZlOU-I90DegOFPBcG?usp=sharing3 Ways to Quickly Pivot a Youth Ministry Game That is Bombing on Stagehttps://blog.downloadyouthministry.com/3-ways-to-quickly-pivot-a-youth-ministry-game-that-is-bombing-on-stage/5 Tips For Hosting Next-Level Camp Gameshttps://blog.downloadyouthministry.com/5-tips-for-hosting-next-level-camp-games/

Christmas Fun and Plans During CoronavirusIt’s December! That means Christmas parties and lots of plans. And maybe changing plans.This week Ronald and Michelle talk about what Christmas looks like during Covid. Got any suggestions? Send them on!Talked about on the Podcast:Escape the North Pole: Digital Escape Roomhttps://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/escape-the-north-pole%3A-digital-escape-room/online-ministry/special-events-6000.htmlActin’ Sushttps://www.downloadyouthministry.com/p/actin%27-sus/games-actinsusgame.html

Did you spend a lot of time planning an event that had to get canceled or postponed due to the pandemic? This week, Ronald and Michelle talk about having to make contingency plans and calling audibles during this wild season. And what to do when you don’t really agree with the decisions that get made.Questions to Consider•What do you do with the plans you had for an event that didn’t come together?•How can you support the leadership of your church even if you don’t like a decision?•What are some ways you can reach out to and encourage students even when an event didn’t get to happen?

Have you and your church stayed open this whole time? Did you have to shut down and then got to re-open? After all that, are you having to shut down AGAIN?This week, Michelle and Ronald talk about having to go back to online.Again.Questions to Consider•How do you communicate with parents and students about going back online?•Who makes the call in your church about the youth group being online?•What things did you learn from the last shut down that you’re going to use if you have to go online again?

It’s time to vote. And this election cycle has been extra spicy for us and our students. So when politics come into the conversation during small groups and hanging out, how do we talk about politics without being a jerk? Today, Ronald and Michelle talk about how to do just that.Things we talk about this episode:•Reading good books •Listening to both sides of the news•Talking with leaders and when it’s right to talk politics•Listening to students process what’s happening

After a crazy break, student ministry is getting started back in force! This week, Ronald and Michelle talk about what that looks like in their ministries.Things we talk about this episode:•Starting small groups and big program•Outside versus inside•Communicating to everyone•The great NDOVYMT!

We’re pumped for this year’s NDOVYMT! In this episode, Ronald and Michelle talk about the big day of training, how they’ll use it, and how it’s helped train their middle school leaders!Things we talk about this episode:•Talks and topics at this year’s events•Ways to use the training AFTER the event•Sweet ways to experience the training even during a pandemic