Podcast appearances and mentions of doug fields

Send us a textEver wondered how to build a rock-solid volunteer team that stands the test of time? Get ready to unlock the secrets with Download Youth Ministry legends Doug Fields and Josh Griffin as they share their unmatched wisdom on engaging and retaining volunteers.  Volunteers are the backbone of any thriving student ministry, and this episode dives deep into how to make them feel valued and equipped for success. Hear personal stories that highlight the fulfillment of creating a community where volunteers are not just participants but integral members of the team. Discover the critical steps to sustain engagement through effective training, social activities, and personal development opportunities that keep volunteers excited and dedicated.  Finally, we explore the benefits of Youth Ministry University and the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training, a flexible and impactful video-driven program developed by DYM. Tailored to meet the needs of youth pastors, this high-energy, wisdom-filled training is sure to inspire your volunteers. For more information on any of the information we discussed check out the websites below: DYMTraining.comTrainMyVolunteers.comYMUniversity.comDownloadYouthMinistry.com

Josh Griffin is one of the leading voices in youth ministry with 25+ years experience in the trenches, currently serving as the junior high pastor at Mariners Church and before that the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. He's the co-founder of DownloadYouthMinistry.com, YMUniversity.com and heard in 400+ episodes of the DYM Podcast w/Doug Fields. He's created more than 50 youth ministry resources and authored several books including 99 Thoughts for Small Group Leaders. Josh and his wife Angela have 4 kids, which are now all teenagers!  In this episode we talk about the importance of youth ministry especially in today's culture. We talk about discipleship, and how we can disciple teens towards Jesus with all of the competing influences in their lives. And specifically we talk about digital discipleship, and how we can help our teens understand the influence of technology on their faith, and teach them to use it wisely and not be ruled by it. 

Anchor Passage: Romans 12:10-12Join us as we look at our 2024-2025 Church Verse and discover how we can live a faithful, fruit-filled Christian life!First Time? Start Here: https://rock.marinerschurch.org/connectcardCan we pray for you? https://rock.marinerschurch.org/page/692You can find information for all our Mariners congregations, watch more videos, and learn more about us and our ministries on our website https://www.marinerschurch.org/---------------------------------------------------------------- FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinerschurch • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marinerschurch • Twitter: https://twitter.com/marinerschurch • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinerschurch • Online Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariners.online-------------------------------------------------------------------- Support the ministry and help us reach people worldwide: https://www.marinerschurch.org/give/Like podcasts? Check out more from Mariners Church https://www.marinerschurch.org/podcast-channels/

GroveCast Episode 0076: Dr. Duffy Robbins: “The Psalms"Please invite others to listen.47 Minutes. This message from 2023-08-14Bible Reference:PsalmsPlease provide us your feedback by going to http://www.oceangrove.org/podcast and clicking on the feedback link there.Ocean Grove is known as God's Square Mile at the Jersey Shore.This message was given in the Bishop James Tabernacle at Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.We invite you to join us live in Ocean Grove (or online) and also invite others to join us. You can listen to and watch this and other messages at oceangrove.org/watchNote: upcoming events can be found at www.oceangrove.org - come join us! Dr. Duffy Robbins is a professor of Christian Ministry at Grove City College, Pa., and a respected youth ministry veteran with more than 40 years of experience in the field. He speaks around the world to teenagers and people who care about teenagers. Robbins also serves as a teaching pastor at Faithbridge Church in Spring, Texas, and a faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he co-leads the doctoral cohorts for Ministry to Emerging Generations. A long-time staff writer for Youth Specialties, Robbins has authored numerous books, including Ministry of Nurture, This Way to Youth Ministry: An Introduction to the Adventure, Speaking to Teenagers (with Doug Fields), Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts, Enjoy the Silence (with his wife Maggie Robbins) and Building a Youth Ministry That Builds Disciples.This podcast is provided by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a non-profit. We invite you to visit oceangrove.org to find more information about our organization including how to take part in our many programs and how to support the organization. Please keep our organization in prayer.Copyright 2024 Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.

Psalm 145 "The students in your youth ministry don’t need clever ideas and great programming skills. They need a living model-a man or women of God who is passionate about his or her faith." - Doug Fields

Psalms 145:1-13 "The students in your youth ministry don’t need clever ideas and great programming skills. They need a living model-a man or women of God who is passionate about his or her faith." - Doug Fields

GroveCast Episode 0075: Dr. Duffy Robbins: “Confident Faith in Chaotic Times”Please invite others to listen.42 Minutes. This message from 2023-08-13Bible Reference:Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 11:1-2Scripture and prayer: Paul Scala, Riptide LeaderIntroduction: Mr. Michael Badger President, OGCMAPlease provide us your feedback by going to http://www.oceangrove.org/podcast and clicking on the feedback link there.Ocean Grove is known as God's Square Mile at the Jersey Shore.This message was given in the Great Auditorium at Ocean Grove, NJ, USA.We invite you to join us live in Ocean Grove (or online) and also invite others to join us. You can listen to and watch this and other messages at oceangrove.org/watchNote: upcoming events can be found at www.oceangrove.org - come join us! Dr. Duffy Robbins is a professor of Christian Ministry at Grove City College, Pa., and a respected youth ministry veteran with more than 40 years of experience in the field. He speaks around the world to teenagers and people who care about teenagers. Robbins also serves as a teaching pastor at Faithbridge Church in Spring, Texas, and a faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he co-leads the doctoral cohorts for Ministry to Emerging Generations. A long-time staff writer for Youth Specialties, Robbins has authored numerous books, including Ministry of Nurture, This Way to Youth Ministry: An Introduction to the Adventure, Speaking to Teenagers (with Doug Fields), Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts, Enjoy the Silence (with his wife Maggie Robbins) and Building a Youth Ministry That Builds Disciples.This podcast is provided by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a non-profit. We invite you to visit oceangrove.org to find more information about our organization including how to take part in our many programs and how to support the organization. Please keep our organization in prayer.Copyright 2024 Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association. 

Doug Fields -- Jesus the One Way

Have you ever felt like a deer caught in the headlights when leading a youth ministry? Today's podcast is here to guide anyone feeling the weight of imposter syndrome through the wilderness of youth ministry.  We'll unpack the layers of student ministry and show you how to evaluate and enhance your confidence with some step by step actions.  In this excerpt from an "Ask Me Anything" episode, we answer a question from Flowerful29 in regards to gaining confidence as a youth pastor.

⚡ [FREE] Digital Integration Strategy⚡ https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book 2024 Youth Ministry [on-demand] Masterclass https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaLIJceFHg7w8vxlx5ARqXeg [FREE] DYM Games https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/9-best-dym-products ====================================== DESCRIPTION

⚡ [FREE] Digital Integration Strategy⚡ https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/free-hybrid-ministry-e-book 2024 Youth Ministry [on-demand] Masterclass https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLngXlSr64YaLIJceFHg7w8vxlx5ARqXeg [FREE] DYM Games https://hybrid-ministry-40060036.hubspotpagebuilder.com/9-best-dym-products ====================================== DESCRIPTION

Even if it seems like your marriage is on life-support, there IS hope! Dr. Jim Burns continues his conversation with author Doug Fields and Ted...

Anchor Passage: Romans 5:5At Christmas, we remember that Jesus stepped into our world——but that is not the end of the story. Jesus has also stepped into the lives of those who trust Him. Join us as we see how the Spirit of Jesus is within us. Support the ministry and help us reach people worldwide: https://bit.ly/MarinersGiveFirst Time?Start Here: https://bit.ly/MarinersconnectcardCan we pray for you? https://bit.ly/MarinersPrayerOnlineYou can find information for all our Mariners congregations, watch more videos, and learn more about us and our ministries on our website https://bit.ly/MarinersChurchSite.FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marinerschurch• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marinerschurch• Twitter: https://twitter.com/marinerschurch• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinerschurchLike Podcasts? Check out more from Mariners Church. https://bit.ly/marinerspodcasts

Strained marriages are commonplace in many congregations – but now there is something churches can do to ease this stress!

The Youth Ministry Sherpas met for the very first time ever at Mariner's Church in sunny SoCal at the Download Youth Ministry Conference. Not only did we have fun together, we also spent some time with some of the most amazing youth workers on the planet. Five of them – with a combined 140 years experience – are featured in this episode. When did they want to quit, and what got them through? The answers are honest and encouraging.We also discovered that Shannon has been to Dick Van Dyke's house (it figures), Brock makes 72 cents when he sells a book, and Steve has made middle school girls cry by showing them a National Geographic video of a lion eating a gazelle. All this, and we filmed it before a life studio audience!Thanks to Doug Fields, Josh Griffin, and the great folks at DYM!Featured guests:David Reedhttps://www.fhbc.org/Danny Longhttps://jamul.org/Jack Janigianhttps://solidrockplymouth.org/Jonathan Meyerhttps://www.gracehome.com/https://www.igniteyouthleadership.org/Derry Prenkerthttps://standingstoneministry.org/Brock's Book!https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Teen-Ministry-Stressed-Students/dp/1942145683Dick Van Dyke's Halloween House!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyba57sow8sWe are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C Follow us on Instagram!Email us at youth ministrysherpas@gmail.com

Have you ever questioned what it takes to build a supportive team in youth ministry, one that fortifies your strengths and cushions your weaknesses? Our guest, Doug Fields (Pastor at Mariner's Church, Co-Founder & President of Download Youth Ministry, Speaker, Author), a superhero in youth ministry, is here to do just that. He opens up about his youth ministry journey, divulging the secrets of his longevity and some of his best decisions made along the way. Embracing the spotlight as a leader is often a challenging trajectory, especially when it's hard to let go of control.  In this episode, Doug candidly shares his personal journey of becoming a 'spotlight leader', highlighting the challenges it entailed and the growth that followed. Together we explore the necessity of giving away leadership and the potential opportunities and benefits that can arise from this.  Sit back and enjoy this fun mix of laughter, insight, and powerful lessons.We want to thank Doug Fields, Josh Griffin and the entire DYM staff for allowing us the opportunity to record this rare podcast, but also for your gracious hospitality and opportunities to speak at DYM100!  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!Be sure to check out: Download Youth Ministry & Coleader!! Book Mentioned in this Episode:Purpose Driven Youth Ministry By Doug Fields: https://amzn.to/3NMZAuW==============Are you ready to take your youth ministry to the next level?GrowYourYouthMinistry.comWe 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!You may also enjoy these episodes:(#021) Taking Volunteer Training to the Next Level - Interview w/ Josh Griffin - DYM============

Welcome to a brand new season of Transforming Engagement, the Podcast! This time, we're diving deep into a topic that's been a long time coming – Youth & Campus Ministry Burnout. We open this season with a special guest, Matt Wiggins, who sparked our journey into the world of youth and campus ministry burnout. It began when he came across our Clergy Burnout Report during Season 2 and reached out. Matt had an important question: What about the unique challenges faced by leaders working with the younger generation, those often nonordained, part-time, or volunteer youth ministry leaders? Youth ministry can be a revolving door, with an average staffing turnaround of just 18 months. People step into these leadership roles for various reasons – a stepping stone to their next calling, a deep-seated passion, or sometimes a blend of both. This season, we'll be delving into the distinct challenges that leaders in youth and campus ministry encounter. From a professional standpoint, they often find themselves underpaid and overworked. Moreover, they can feel somewhat sidelined from the central church leadership structure. While this may sometimes spare them from certain decisions, it can also mean exclusion from representing the very people they serve in crucial church matters. And let's not forget that youth ministry leaders are on the frontlines supporting a generation facing unique challenges like never before. Gen Z youth have been profoundly impacted by the pandemic, experiencing disruptions to their lives and critical development time lost in connecting with peers, schools, and communities. Your host for this season is Rose Madrid Swetman, the Associate Director of the Center for Transforming Engagement. We're incredibly thankful to Matt Wiggins for his invitation to explore this pressing topic. In this exciting season, we'll be joined by leaders in the youth and campus ministry field from across the United States. Together, we'll explore a world of insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and dare to dream about innovative ways to support these dedicated leaders and the generations they serve.   Youth & Campus Ministry Resources: NEW: Get our latest free resource, Disillusionment with Ministry: 4 ways to renew your purpose in the midst of disappointment at https://transformingengagement.org/resources/disillusionment-with-ministry/ Download the free Clergy Burnout Report at https://transformingengagement.org/pastor-resources  Find the support you need with a cohort of peers in one of our upcoming Resilience Circles. The 2024 waitlist is currently open. Visit https://transformingengagement.org/circles to learn more. Visit our website to learn more about today's guest, get the transcript, and link to more resources at https://transformingengagement.org/podcast       More related resources from this episode: Matt and Rose cite these resources and organizations in their conversation: Ministry Architects, Doug Fields, Springtide Research, the Surgeon General's report on Youth Mental Health (2021), and the Barna Report: Pastors Share Top Reasons They've Considered Quitting Ministry in the Past Year (2022) In each episode, we ask our guests to highlight an organization that is doing work. Matt Wiggins brought our attention to Davidson Lifeline, a grassroots organization in Davidson, North Carolina whose mission is to support mental health awareness and suicide prevention in their community.

Anchor Passage: Hebrews 3:13; Colossians 4:5-6Our relationships are a gift from God. Join us as we learn how we can live out our relationships to help ourselves and others know God more!

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, Josh went to a youth conference and met Doug Fields. The rest, they say...you'll have to listen about! Josh and Doug have spent their lives dedicated to helping youth workers succeed, and this year they want to come alongside YOU.Register for the free webinar on August 24 at 10 am PDT here!

Anchor Passage: Philippians 4:1-7Paul called out two people in the Philippian church by name for not agreeing with one another, because he knew how hurtful disunity could be for our joy in Christ. Join us as we discover how rejoicing together in Jesus strengthens our unity and joy!

In this episode Nick dives deep into areas in his life where he has learned a skill or discipline completely through an online format. And because of that discovery, he then asks if Discipleship can happen completely online? Is it possible for a human being to learn, know, discover and follow Jesus? Or does a one-on-one mentoring type relationship need to be there in existence? And if people can learn to follow Jesus online, what areas should the church lean into in 2023 to help make that more of a priority? Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9pjecCnd8FVFCenWharf2g Follow Nick on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clasonnick Full Episode ShowNotes & Transcripts: https://www.hybridministry.xyz/042 FREE e-book: https://www.hybridministry.xyz/articles/ebook SHOWNOTES In this episode, Nick talked about multiple brands, podcasts and areas in which he's learned things online, for a complete list see below: YOUTUBE TRENDS EPISODE: https://www.hybridministry.xyz/032 https://www.youtube.com/trends/report/ https://prochurchtools.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-focus-football/id260537420 https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-to-dunk-okc-thunder-podcast/id599740073 https://www.strandedpanda.com/mcucast https://theologyintheraw.com/ https://www.sonlife.com/ https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ BIBLE VERSES MENTIONED: Hebrews 10:24-25 ESV And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Colossians 3:16 ESV Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 1 Corinthians 14:26 ESV What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. Matthew 12:30 ESV Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. TIMECODES 00:00-02:53 Intro 02:53-11:20 Areas in my life I've exclusively learned something online 11:20-15:10 What is a SuperFan? 15:10-20:40 Should we create SuperFans in Faith? 20:40-28:13 What does the Bible say about relationships? 28:13-31:45 3 raw and unfiltered ideas for Churches to lean into Hybrid in 2023 31:45-32:59 Outro TRANSCRIPT Nick Clason (00:01): Well, hello there everybody. Welcome back to another episode and edition of the Hybrid Ministry Show. I, as always am your host, Nick Clason. Excited to be along with you on the journey. A few are on YouTube. Hello to everyone there on YouTube. If you just got this blared in your ear holes, hello to everyone there. And hey, if you're on YouTube, you didn't know we were a podcast. We are. If you are on, uh, listening in your ear holes, you didn't know we're on YouTube, we are. So check both of the show notes or check the only show notes for both of those links. http://www.Hybridministry.xyz is all the needs and all the stops and all the places and all the things that you need for this podcast. If you're on YouTube, hit the link show notes and I'll take you there, including transcripts, which we offer for free every single episode. Nick Clason (00:54): In this episode, we are going to be discussing and talking about areas in life in which I have learned, discovered a skill, become proficient 100% completely through online mediums. It may be a little bit controversial, but I just want to explore some other avenues and facets and areas of life beyond just a church in which I have lived into this hybrid experience in this hybrid moment. So make sure that you stick around for that and all the way for to the end, because at the end that's where I'm going to talk about three different church ideas and musings and thoughts that I have in ways that we can lean into this and engage in this just a little bit more, um, realistically and also maybe a little bit more robustly as a church start thinking hybrid a little bit more frequently. But before we do, like I said, uh, subscribe on YouTube, hit that uh, bell button so that you know when we post a video, be sure that you subscribe in your podcast catcher so that every single Thursday one of these episodes will just automatically download for you for free. Nick Clason (02:03): And finally, one thing that you can do for us that's free, but is an incredible, incredible way to give back is to just simply give us a quick rating or review. Open your purple podcast app on your iPhone and let us know, hey, love this show that will help us get the word out more and more about this idea of hybrid ministry. Not because we're trying to go big and go viral, but because we want to help share and spread the hope and message of Jesus through the means and channels in which God has given to us. So that would be an incredible way for you to just help us give back. And without any further chatting, without any further discussion, let's dive in to some different areas in which I and people I know have been discipled completely online. All right, so let's talk about this idea of learning something 100 and completely online. Nick Clason (03:02): So real quick, the definition of a disciple, just a real quick Google search elicits me this response. A follower, someone who is adherent, a disciple, a partisan mean one means one who gives full loyalty and support to another follower may apply to people who attach to a certain person mission or method. So obviously that's gonna have some religious undertones and some religious connotations. But I was listening to a podcast the other day, shout out to my one of my favorite people, Brady Sheer, Alexander Mills, those guys over at Pro Churchill's podcast. Amazing. We'll drop the link in the show notes. By the way, there are gonna be a lot of links to just things that I like in my life in this episode because I'm what I'm talking about, I'm talking about my life, I'm talking about areas and things that I'm into that I've learned from. Nick Clason (03:48): And so hit the link in the show notes. If anything I say sounds interesting to you, I'll try to include it there in the show notes. But I was talk, I was listening, I wasn't talking to them. I was listening to them talk to each other about areas in life in which they have been completely discipled in a certain area, skill, facet or discipline. And it got me to thinking just that was how the title and the whole scope of this episode started. I was like, Hmm, what are areas that I've learned something completely 100% online. So I'm gonna show you two from me. And I also asked my wife last night, and I'm gonna share two from her. So for me, one area that I have exclusively learned online is the art and the area of fantasy football. Now, hear me out. Okay, if you're not into fantasy football, fantasy football is a very intricate sport. Nick Clason (04:37): It is literally drafting real life players. Typically for me, I'm, I'm big into, um, football, not like any other sport, baseball or basketball. So real life football players. But knowing how that plays out in the fantasy realm. So you have to learn things like, like drafting strategies. You have to learn things like ADPs or average draft position. You have to know who is going to be a high scorer or one that's well sought after. You need to know people who are maybe a little more under the radar, a little more, uh, names and nuances, uh, sleepers if you will. I know like I have learned a lot from fantasy football, for example, I'll talk to my dad now, um, who was the biggest football fan I knew growing up. But now I'll talk to him and I'll mention someone like Nick Westbrook at Kenai from the Tennessee Titans. Nick Clason (05:27): And he's like, who? Right now I know that name. Strictly and exclusively through fantasy football means and channels. He is just a casual football fan now at this point. And he, I mean, he plays fantasy football cuz I make him in one league that we're in together. But he doesn't know some of the deeper, more nuanced discussions and people. And I thought about it and the reason I got into fantasy football is, number one, I got asked to be a part of a fantasy football league with some friends who were, uh, know, like real life friends in person at the church or at college or something like that. But then in the years to come, I was a really terrible at fantasy football because I was like my dad. I grew up watching football with my dad. And so I drafted like my dad does, like, oh, that guy's good. Nick Clason (06:14): But then I started listening to podcasts. That was one of my major like avenues of learning. I found podcast, ESPN Fantasy Focused Football podcast, which had Matthew Berry on it for years, all the way up until last year. However, interestingly enough, he rotated off and I think went to NBC Sports and I still choose to follow the ESPN version, but I started listening to them and I got a lot better, a lot more skilled, and I've won some leagues now as a result of it. And I want to be clear, I'm not like bragging or saying I'm some amazing fantasy football player because I'm not, because it's all luck based, but I truly, ultimately really do enjoy it. And, uh, I feel a relationship with the people in the podcast on the other end that I listened to in my ear holes. I listened to 'em on runs. Nick Clason (07:00): I remember, uh, last year after the very first weekend of football, uh, the first thing I wanted to do was listen to their analysis of the first week. I wanted them to help me make sense of what just happened. And so that was something that I was like longing for, striving for. So that's one example. Another example for me is honestly the area of youth ministry. I remember how it started. I was in my office. I decided to clean it out and it was going to be a massive major overhaul change. And I was like, you know what? If I'm gonna do this, I should probably like do it while also listening to something. And that was actually how I started listening to podcasts. I discovered and stumbled upon the Download Youth Ministry podcast with heroes of mine in youth ministry, Doug Fields, Joshua Griffin. They've written books and they are the co-founders of Download Youth Ministry and many other kind of subsidiary ministries and stuff after that. Nick Clason (07:53): But honestly, I had never even really met the guys. And up to this point, I've only met them a handful of times at this point through just different conferences and events that I've gone to. But what happened was I started listening to there at that time they called it the D YM web show, short for download. Youth ministry helped me get better, uh, at youth ministry. But at the, I think the real thing that it helped do and and they even talk about it on the shows, it helped me as a solo youth pastor in a church of under 400 people. I, I, you know, I didn't have a team. I didn't work for a team. Like I had a pastor, like a senior pastor that was my boss and that was it. I didn't have like a youth team, anything like that. And so they were sort of like my youth team place to, to listen to ideas, to chop it up, to hear things. Nick Clason (08:40): They helped me think through some different nuances. They would talk about events that they would do, and then I would figure out how I could bring those and adapt them. And I truly attribute a lot of my just skill and development as a youth pastor professionally to them, to their podcast. Now, in both of my cases, fantasy Football and the Download Youth Ministry podcast, those happened through, uh, podcasts obviously, right? And uh, that's just, that is a means. That is a avenue. Okay? Um, similarly, I asked this question last night as I was preparing for this show to my wife. I was like, what are some areas in life that you have learned or become proficient at completely online? She gave two answers. Her answers were a couple years ago. She used to be a seller on Etsy. She would make decorative wooden signs and she would sell them. Nick Clason (09:31): And she did quite well at it. Actually. She quit her nursing job in an effort to be able to do that. But I remember she learned and discovered the idea and, um, practice best practices of things like search engine optimization on Etsy, how to create good and um, proper listings that are gonna help you get indexed well in search as well as thumbnails and how to do that and all those types of things. And she learned almost all of that through a Facebook group that she discovered that had, uh, just like an Etsy seller Facebook group of people kind of go back and forth, give tips, tricks of the trade. And then another area, um, in the last probably two years or so, she's gotten really into just nutrition, the power of food and how important food is. Food is fuel to your body. Um, and not like dieting per se to just like lose weight, but really like to pursue health, um, in how to do like swaps from the standard American diet, what to avoid, what things to know and look for. Nick Clason (10:31): And for her, she said the area, um, that she really found, uh, interesting, um, in to, to learn all of that was mostly through Instagram and following Instagram accounts. And so in those, for examples, so fantasy football, youth ministry, Etsy sellers, and then like the area of nutrition to me, to my wife, almost 100% of our knowledge, 100% of our, uh, development in those areas happened through online mediums and online channels. Now, don't turn it off, don't freak out. Let's expound upon this just a little bit more and let's bring in some of the church implications and some of the theological conclusions that we, uh, should wrestle with and come to. Now, I will also say, before we dive into some of the theological stuff, I will also say that this sort of idea, especially if you remember me talking about, um, in the last little segment about me wanting to hear the analysis from week one, that is a current YouTube trend. Nick Clason (11:38): I'll drop the link to the episode where I expanded upon the YouTube trends report from 2022 in the show notes. But that is a thing that people are, uh, eager for. So uhno, another area, probably the biggest that I am nerding out on in being a super fan is I am a Oklahoma City Thunder basketball fan. And I wanna listen to what the guys on down to Dunk have to say about just about every game, everything that happens, trades off season moves, like it'll happen and that'll be one thing. But then what I most look forward to is, again, the analysis that these guys have as experts in the field as people who talk about it a lot. Similarly, I'll also do that like over the weekend on Saturday, my wife and I went and saw Antman in the WASP quantum mania, and I immediately went and downloaded the Marvel Cinematic Universe podcast, Antman in the WASP Quantum Mania recap episode because I wanna hear all they have to say, I watched the movie, I like the movie, but they're gonna think deeper about it. Nick Clason (12:41): They're gonna have theories about it. And so that is like this idea of a super fan as someone who attaches to pop culture, but with people who have more analysis to it and in all of these things, right? Like there's something there that can be done in the church space. Now, I wanna get to that in a minute, but before we do, I want to chat through and just think through like in all these things. I learned a lot through podcasts. I learned a lot through y or podcasts and or long form YouTube accounts. My wife learned a lot through like Facebook groups or following Instagram accounts. Um, and neither one of us really honestly said anything about TikTok or short form video content. However, uh, both of the things that the question, right? Was what are areas in which you feel that you've become an expert in through something completely online. Nick Clason (13:33): And I don't, I think my reason for why that would be the case is that, um, most of the areas you become an expert in, it takes time and TikTok and Instagram reels, they just haven't been here for that long of time. But one thing that is interesting to note is that I think that what is, uh, what you discover online in Instagram reel, Instagram reels or TikTok short form video, sort of like formats is you discover new people and new pieces of content, it's harder in those mediums to create super fans. So I think those are there for discoverability. And then I think your goal is to get them to follow for more, to save for later or to get them to watch something longer or listen to something longer that you already produce. So you wanna like just get discovered, find something niche, and then have them, uh, come follow you somewhere else on. Nick Clason (14:30): Um, honestly, and unfortunately, so those platforms are massive and huge right now. However, I think that they are, they help create a, a pathway and a funnel step for those people to, to dive deeper. There are TikTok ERs, Instagram real people that I love to follow, um, when I see them pop up on my for you page, but not my, that's not how I engage with them. That's not how I engage with people. I get on there and I just start going on my for you page. And whatever the algorithm feeds me is what it feeds me. I'm not on there specifically looking or searching for a person or specific, uh, niche piece of content at that moment. I was thinking about this last night, but I don't have a personal relationship with any of the people that I have mentioned or that I have learned from in these areas. Nick Clason (15:21): I would love to, but it's honestly almost never realistic for a lot of different reasons. Maybe one, like the distance of where they live in physical proximity to where I live, or just simply the size and scope of their platform that, um, they, this is how they get their messaging out to the masses and the multitudes because they are so big and they are, they do have such a large scope. And so, uh, when I do find another fan, a person who also listens to this podcast, a person who also is following some certain Instagram account, in my wife's case, we have an immediate connection around our fandom or following of this particular thing. And so I wanted to think through why does scripture discipleship disciple making the Bible? Why doesn't it feel that that same way, like if I find someone who's another down to dunk fan, we're immediately vibing on that. Nick Clason (16:23): But when I find someone who's another Christian, do I immediately vibe with them? And I've never really thought about it, right? Because one is like pop culture and one is like faith. And those are two categorically different things. I get it. However, there are some similarities to it, like in this, like we are following like the same people over here in faith, we're following the same people, right? We're following Jesus of Nazareth, the guy who was discipled, uh, discipled people and then murdered for who he claimed to be, but then rose again three days later. And so I wonder like, is is faith, is Christianity not niche enough? Like is it too mainstream? Is it too much in the public eye? Uh, or is there too much diversity of opinion? Or is is it like you find someone but you don't like, I mean, I'll, I'll give you an example. Nick Clason (17:20): I'm kind of just workshopping this in my brain, but like I will find people who say they're Christians and I'm just immediately kinda like, I, I take a step back as opposed to a step in. And maybe it's because there's some spiritual element going on. Satan doesn't want me to connect or whatever. Or maybe I, I like personally I'm leery because I just don't know where they're coming from. And so instead of like assuming things or whatever, I just kind of like nod and smile and keep going. Maybe that's just what's baked into our culture, right? You don't talk about finances, you don't talk about religion and you don't talk about politics. And maybe because religion finds itself in that category of taboo and things you don't talk about, maybe that's why I don't talk about it. Maybe it's because I'm already a pastor and I'm deeper in it than most people who are just, uh, churchgoers. Nick Clason (18:12): I don't know what the reason is, but as I'm like just thinking these things out and teasing these things out, there should be a connection. I mean, that's literally one of the things that we talk about as followers of crisis, that we have this connection that despite any of our other differences, that unifies us and brings us together because we identify with the work and person of Jesus. And so therefore that should be what drives us, and that should also be an area that can connect us one another. So, um, an example of that actually of areas that I may connect with people around faith are, or maybe other people who listen to other things or connected to other organizations that I too am connected with. I think about like theology in the Raw Podcast done by Preston Sprinkle. And I think about people who listen to that. Nick Clason (19:03): If I found out a Christian listen to that, I would immediately have a different type of connection than just a casual, I'm a Christian, um, or someone who's connected to a ministry organization that I have grown up being connected to called Sun Life. If I knew that, I'd be like, oh, you're a Sun Life person. That makes sense. In fact, that's one of the major reasons in which I took the job I took here in Texas. I found out that a lot of the leadership had been, uh, trained in the Sun Life way of doing things, which sounds like a cult, but really it's just they're trying to model after the, the work of Jesus and what he did in his life, not just his death on the cross, but his life that he modeled and, you know, inviting people to, to come and see he'd follow me, that he'd make them fishes of men and then challenging them to go on and and bear much fruit. Nick Clason (19:49): So there are opportunities for that, but I just think like for some reason there's not that connection. And I want to figure out how we can do that and what that might look like. And it, I don't know that that's necessarily only conforming to the ways of this world. However, I do think there are some things that we can learn from the, the ways of the world, the pop culture, the super fan ideas that can help us in creating some of those moments, um, in, in faith, in cul in, in faith, and in our, um, followership of Jesus. So let's, let's dive a little bit deeper. Um, and let's, let's talk a little bit more about the actual discipline of learning some of these skills, um, and how that can be translated from not just like niche pop culture things, but how can we actually do that as faith communities. Nick Clason (20:40): So one of my learnings, and this might terrify you, so don't call me a heretic and turn this off when I say this, but you can learn a skill without a relationship with the other person. Now, I think a lot of times we learn from other people, but I think that you can learn a skill devoid of relationships with other people. I just evidenced four examples for real life examples. And there are more. I mean, I talked about like theology in the raw, sun life, thunder, basketball, marvel cinematic universe. I mean, another one that's just coming to my brain right now is finances through Dave Ramsey. I've met the man one time when I went, went down and did my debt-free scream. But after and beyond that, I've learned all I've learned about him through digital means and digital mediums. I also think, and sometimes churches find themselves falling prey to this, that you can exclusively meet in person with no digital or hybridization options on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday nights. Nick Clason (21:44): And you can say we don't do any of those other things because that's not how you learn. That's not how you become a disciple. And so you meet on Sundays and you meet on Wednesdays, but you never actually experience any life transformation because you haven't really done anything other than quote unquote meeting together in person you've met in person. But that is all that there is in their relationship. There's nothing more beyond that. There's no actual relationship that happens Monday through Friday. It only happens on Sunday morning in the allocated space. And I think that that is really my biggest argument for hybrid just because you meet in person once a week and you're like, we're all about this. Where else are you leaning into these things? Because if you're not creating more moments for people to connect to those relationships, cuz mind you, I have said you can learn disciplines and things in other areas without a relationship. Nick Clason (22:49): However, the church does often start with a relationship. So I'm not saying to take that and throw that baby out with the bathwater, but what I am saying is that you can have those relationships and offer more growth, offer more opportunities for people to attach to this faith community here in the other days throughout the week. Let's talk about some of the biblical basis for relationships. I'm gonna read for you several verses here, and then at the end I'm gonna, uh, give you a couple of observations. So probably the, the most famous meeting together verse comes from the book of Hebrews chapter 10 verses 24 and 25. All of these come out of the ESV that says, and let us consider how to stir one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as as the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day of the Lord drawing near Colossians chapter three 16 says, let the word of Christ dwell richly in you teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your heart to God. Nick Clason (24:03): First Corinthians 1426 says, what then, brothers, when you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. Matthew chapter 12, verse 30 says, whoever is not with me is against me. And whoever does not gather with me scatters First Thessalonians five 11 says, therefore encourage one another and build one another up. Just as you are doing, let's look also to the life of Christ, his life with his disciples. His invitation, like I said, was, uh, to invite them to just come and see, to explore. Then ultimately he gave them a challenge, Hey, come follow me, drop your nets and come follow me. And then he gives him a further command. And this is where the sacrifice and servanthood often comes in of following Jesus is not just to follow me, but he's going to change you, transform you and make them into fishers of men. Nick Clason (24:56): And then finally in John chapter 15, we see the verse about the vine and the branches and abiding. And he says, you, I want you now to be called friends and I want you to bear much fruit. So I want you to do what I just did. If you walk with Christ and first John, it says, if you walk with, uh, if you want to follow Christ, you must walk as he walked and live as he lived. So what are the ways in which he lived? He invited people to come and see, uh, earth first. He, yeah, yeah, he invited 'em to come and see, then he invited them to follow him. Then he was gonna change them, transform them, make them into fishes of men until finally then he would, uh, send them out to bear much fruit and repeat and replicate that process of multiplication. Nick Clason (25:42): So in all those verses and in the method of Jesus, all of those things are done in person and can be done in person. Yes. And also they can be done in hybrid spaces as well. And I don't just mean like zoom small groups and online church streaming. What I mean is I have a lot of relationships with people across the country in Facebook groups. I have relationships with people that on regular, ongoing basis, I have a once a week phone call with a friend of mine from college where we do accountability and talk through each other's lives. I have a once a month coaching call with people that I do do on Zoom, uh, or that I do do just through a regular old phone call. Like there are other channels and places to enhance relationships that aren't just Sunday morning at 10 30. Nick Clason (26:34): You see what I'm saying? Like that's what I'm trying to say. Like it doesn't have to only fit into that mold and that hurts our brain. And that freaks some of us out, especially some of us who adhere to a more traditional stance on gathering together in church. But what I'm saying is not that we should forsake that, but what I am saying is that you can't, someone who's truly interested in something, some sort of discipline can be challenged to learn more through some other additional methods and means. And if you're really into it, like I was about thunder basketball or my wife was about nutrition, they will eat those things up. However, what we've done is we've reduced commitment down to one single metric in the church. And that's church attendance. And here's the thing, that's not an indication of a disciple, but because we've reduced it down to church attendance, what we do is we've actually dumbed down the commitment to the point where we say, Hey, let's get the most amount of attendance here. Nick Clason (27:32): And so let's reduce the level of commitment to as low the lowest common denominator as possible. Get the most amount of people here. Oh look, now we have the most amount of butts in seats. Look at our church growth. And the reality is, is that you can offer more, but you're afraid to because the metrics may not make it seem worth it. And you though you can be offering something actually useful and actually beneficial to people to help them grow in their faith, to make spiritual decisions, to foster spiritual life transformation. We don't, we hold back because it doesn't offer the same return that Sunday morning at 10 30 offers. And that's a tough pill to swallow. Nick Clason (28:14): So let's round this thing out. Like I said at the top, here are three in live time unchallenged things that could be done, but I don't have exact frameworks for that. You could maybe begin to start thinking through in churches. The first is podcasts more than just your Sunday sermon from your lead pastor, but podcasts in certain areas, certain disciplines, certain classes, maybe like through the Old Testament, new Testament letters of Paul. I mean, think, think, go to like maybe a seminary catalog. What are things that they're offering students in seminary? And what are things that you have the bandwidth or maybe should make the bandwidth to create, to help encourage and equip your people to become more well versed in their knowledge of scripture? See, our our normal response to that is, oh, let's host a class. And, uh, there's nothing wrong with hosting a class, but what if someone's not available when you decide to host a class, but they still want to engage in it? Nick Clason (29:14): Is there a way to do both? Or instead of hosting the class, realizing that for you as a pastor, hosting a class often requires an evening time commitment from say, seven o'clock until eight 30. Or if you sit down and record a podcast, you can do that during your normal office nine to five office time. You see what I'm saying? There might be a greater return on that. And then you can offer that class for something different, better, more robust that you're hoping to do. Similarly, you could do either YouTube or, or not hosting on YouTube, but some other platform, video based type classes. You can do like a six week class on navigating grief. You can do an eight week class on lust and purity. You can do a seven week class on, um, the, the methodology of following Jesus. You can do a 10 week class on spiritual gifts. Nick Clason (30:09): See, there's all kinds of different ways out there, and I hear the rebuttals right now, and I hear them even in my own brain. Yeah, but I don't wanna put something out there that someone could take and misconstrue. And that might be true. However, if you're not doing it that way, where are you doing it? People do need to know these things. They need to know how to navigate grief and they need to know about lust and period. And they need to know about the ways of follow Jesus. And they need to know about their spiritual gifts. And you probably don't have the bandwidth in your current schedule to offer all those at the same time. Maybe you're the only pastor or you only have one pastor, and so he has to host one class and then move to the next class and then move to the next class. Nick Clason (30:44): Or he could offer them all by shooting them on a video, on a phone or whatever the case might be. And offering them, offering them through YouTube via playlist, offering them on some video course thing that's a little bit more, got a little bit more accountability built into it or whatever. The final idea is just ongoing devotionals and or reading plans that you can offer. You can, uh, curate or create you version reading bible plans. You can, um, write your own, you can get your whole church reading through a certain thing if you're in like a sermon series. And John, for example, you can, while you're in the Book of John, you can have people reading through the book of John together in their daily quiet time, giving them something to do, something to turn to in their, uh, daily quiet time discipline. So those are just three kind of ideas, like I said, un unchallenged, un uh, not not seeing a lot of people doing them, but just ideas to continue to lean into some of those hybrid moments. Nick Clason (31:46): Well, once again, everyone's so glad you're here. Thank you for sticking to the end. I hope I didn't step on toes too hard, but I do want to get us thinking more and more in this way. I know for me, I experience as a pastor a lot of in-person moments and I get frustrated when I see the church not thinking through some of these other avenues that are available to them that they're just not really doing anything with. And so I hope that this is helpful to you. I hope you see it as an encouragement. If you're listening to this podcast, you probably already think this way. And so share it with someone who might be helpful for them to think in a new way. As always, a rating, a review, a subscribe, all those things are incredibly helpful. You can follow me on my YouTube channel link in the show notes or my TikTok account, which I do post two of these for every single episode, uh, throughout the week. So go grab those along with some other, um, church communications, church social media and church marketing tips type thoughts. Those all on my social media, both on TikTok and also on YouTube in the shorts category. But hey, until next time, and as always, stay hybrid.

In this program, guest teacher Doug Fields continues his message, explaining that the backup singers to the duet of marriage are Christians who live like Christians. Their role is to support and encourage the covenant of marriage - one man, one woman - in their commitment to God and to one another. He's giving us three specific ways to wave the banner, if you will, to honor, enjoy, and prioritize marriage.

 GroveCast Episode 0062: Dr. Duffy Robbins : Focus on JesusPlease invite others to listen.This message was given by Dr. Duffy Robbins in the Tabernacle at Ocean Grove, New Jersey on the morning of August 17, 2022. He spoke about Focusing on Jesus from Luke10:39. Length: 50 Minutes.We invite you to join us live in Ocean Grove (or online) and also invite others to join us. You can listen to and watch this and other messages at oceangrove.org/watch.Duffy Robbins, Professor of Youth Ministry at Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania, is a respected youth ministry veteran with over forty years of experience in the field. He speaks around the world to teenagers and people who care about teenagers. Duffy also serves as a Teaching Pastor at Faithbridge Church, Spring, Texas, and a faculty member in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary where he co-leads the doctoral cohorts for Ministry to Emerging Generations.His warm conversational style, coupled with a quick sense of humor and a unique ability to make Scripture come alive, have also made him a popular speaker for Congregations, Parenting Seminars, College chapels, Mens' Retreats and literally hundreds of pulpits and college campuses around the world.His international ministry has ranged from youth conventions, Mens' retreats and training conferences in Australia, New Zealand, throughout Europe, parts of Asia and all over North America and the Caribbean. His long association with Youth Specialties has allowed him to touch the lives and ministries of thousands of youth workers and teenagers around the world.Duffy graduated magna cum laude with a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts, and completed his Doctor of Ministry in Youth andFamily Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. Duffy is the author of numerous books including Ministry of Nurture, This Way to Youth Ministry: An Introduction to the Adventure, Speaking to Teenagers (co-authored with Doug Fields), Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts, Enjoy the Silence (co-authored with the lovely Maggie Robbins) and his latest book, Building a Youth Ministry That Builds Disciples.  There are plans for Dr. Duffy Robbins to return to speak at Ocean Grove in 2023. See the website oceangrove.org for more information.Note: upcoming events can be found at www.oceangrove.org - come join us!This podcast is provided by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a non-profit. We invite you to visit oceangrove.org to find more information about our organization including how to take part in our many programs and how to support the organization. 

Anchor Passage: Mark 1:14-15Jesus' arrival marked the start of a new Kingdom—an everlasting, perfect Kingdom that He will rule one day with grace and justice. Join us as we celebrate the good news of His present and future reign!

SUMMARY In this episode Nick sits down with his friend, and YM360 General Editor and Content Director, Kerry Ray. Kerry is a veteran with over 3 decades of experience in church ministry, all in student ministry. Kerry and Nick talk about the ways in which technology has changed and shaped the ways of doing ministry. And Kerry also talks about the importance of going to a teenager's "turf" or showing up in their life, relationally. Come hang out with us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/hybridministry Or grab show notes and transcripts at http://www.hybridministry.xyz SHOWNOTES YM360 http://www.ym360.com MINISTRY TO PARENTS https://ministrytoparents.com/ MY YOUTH MIN https://myyouthmin.com/ EPISODE 016 ON HOW THE IPHONE CHANGED THINGS WITH DERRY PRENKERT https://merry-swamp-3547.fireside.fm/016 TIMECODES 00:00-02:49 Intro 02:49-05:55 Kerry's Intro and Experience 05:55-09:12 What it's like no longer being in the trenches of ministry 09:12-13:44 What was life in ministry like before the cell phone and after? 13:44-16:22 Is technology what created FOMO? 16:22-21:00 What is contact work? 21:00-32:58 Can we use technology to our advantage in ministry efforts? 32:58-34:27 Outro TRANSCRIPT Nick Clason (00:01): Hey, what is up everybody? Welcome to another episode of the Hybrid Ministry Podcast, episode 19. We've been doing 19 of these. I can't freaking believe it in your catcher. It might be 20, because we posted as Double Zero pilot. I kind of hate when people do that, and then I, I went and did it. So, anyway, uh, as always, I am your host, Nick Clason, excited to be with you. And today you're in for a treat because number one, I'm not just gonna ramble in your ear holes the entire time, like I have been for the last several episodes, but two, I'm bringing on one of my really good friends. His name is Kerry Ray. He is the director of editing and publications right now at YM 360, which is, YM Youth Min, right? Youth Ministry 360. And he has 30 years of church ministry experience, particularly in the student ministry and youth ministry space. Nick Clason (00:58): So, let me caveat all of that to say this is a ministry podcast, not specific in particular to youth ministry. However, that being said, um, you know that I am a 12 year youth ministry veteran, and so a lot of my connections and conversations come in the youth ministry space. And so, um, I just will caveat all this to say that today is going to be a very youth ministry centric conversation. Um, but all of it is going to be couched sort of in, uh, digital, right? And, and so what Kerry is gonna be talking about, um, and what I did is I, we had an interview and it went really well, and it went really long. And so I decided, I think I'm actually gonna bite, uh, split this up into two more bite size pieces. And so, episode one is gonna come out this week, episode two, or part two of this, I should say, is gonna drop on Thanksgiving Day, so you can enjoy it on the way to your, um, grandmother's house over the river and through the woods. Nick Clason (01:59): So in this first part in particular, he's gonna talk a little bit about his experience, um, what he's seen and how he's seen digital play a role in that. And then he talks about, um, a thing that I first learned from him, but he says he's still primarily from young Life called contact work, right? And if you've been around this podcast at all, you've known, we talked about showing up where they are, um, which is what Jesus did, honestly, right? He, he showed up where we were, he put on skin, he became human. And so that's what he talks about, and he kind of gives the basis for it and why it's important. Um, and so that's gonna be today. Um, so hopefully you enjoy it. And so, without any further ado, we're gonna get started. And you'll notice just how well I am as a host when we plan this thing, when you hear how we get started. So here we go. 3, 2, 1. Check it out. Hey, Kerry Ray (02:50): Is whoa gonna go first on, Nick Clason (02:53): Man? Come on. Doesn't even listen to instructions. Kerry Ray (02:57): I did. I thought you said, I'll do a thing later. And then you go ahead and introduce Nick Clason (03:02): Yourself. I'm keeping all this in. This is Kerry, everybody. Kerry, introduce yourself to the tens and tens of listeners that I have. Kerry Ray (03:10): Hey, tens of listeners. My name is Kerry Ray. I am the director of publishing for Y M 360 in Birmingham, Alabama. Uh, YM 360 Youth Ministry 360. Uh, before that, uh, this is my first year actually as a director of publishing, whatever that means. Uh, I did, uh, before that, I did, uh, right about three decades in the student ministry seat, um, in multiple denominations of churches, in churches, multiple states, uh, different sizes, churches, different size, not sizes, different size churches, um, multisites single sites, uh, single sites that wanted to be multisite, uh, . I've been, I've been around the block and, and seen a lot of things, man. Um, but yeah, I've been in the youth ministry for right at 30 years. And, um, this was my first, actually at the time of this recording, this was my, this last Easter was my first Easter, uh, in, in here in 2022, was my first Easter in 30 years, not to be on staff at a church. Kerry Ray (04:15): So it was quite the different thing to sit in there as a regular person who could see all the things going wrong, but uh, was not responsible for, for fixing any of them. Um, and so it was great. It was, it was really great. Um, it's weird now on Saturday nights after, you know, you get in a routine for 30 years. Uh, Saturday nights are kind of a weird thing because you go to church on Sunday mornings, but you're not going to work, you know, to do all the things. Um, so, and you go with a family on, on a Sunday morning, it's whole thing. Just a different world, man. So I've, uh, like I said, I've been, I got to wife 360 in October of 2022, um, and started a, a new thing. We, we work in, uh, Y 360, if you don't know, we're, we're part, um, publishing. Kerry Ray (05:06): And, uh, we create content for student ministries, youth ministries, all over the world to use. Um, and we also do camps. We have a, a generate by Y 360, uh, which does camp all across different locations. We had this last summer, summer of 2022. We, I believe we were in 20, 23 or 24 locations, um, running camps, 20. We had three different teams spread out all over. Uh, so it was great. My, my section of that, we create all of the, uh, written material, all the devotional material, all of the, um, all the written material for camps. Um, so yeah, it's been a lot of fun. It's very different. And then I get to, uh, coach student ministries, youth pastors, all across the place. Um, I've been doing that for around seven years, so, yeah. Nice. Yeah. Lot of fun. Lot of fun. Nick Clason (05:59): So let me ask you this, just, this isn't one of the questions I sent you. I'm already going off script, but, uh, do you enjoy Saturday nights and Sunday mornings not being responsible for stuff, or is there like an element of you that misses it at all? Kerry Ray (06:15): Oh, absolutely. I think anytime you do something for a significant amount of your life, um, there's a part of you that missed that, um, that misses, um, you know, just being around and, and, and knowing all the faces and knowing who's where. And, um, yeah, there's just part of it that you kind of miss a little bit of it. There's some part, and maybe this will make sense for some of you listening who've done anything for a significant amount of time, there's parts that you miss that you don't know why you miss, or you don't even know what you miss. You just say something's weird and off and just seems a little different. Um, yeah. But yeah, there, there's pieces and parts. There's definitely pieces and parts that I don't miss. Kerry Ray (06:56): You know, I don't miss, you know, being gone all day on a Sunday. Um, I don't miss, um, I the whole getting to be a part like you go as a family and do stuff with as a family, uh, that's really brand new. Yeah. Um, and, and it's, it's been great. My, my kids, I, my wife and I have two kids. We have an eight year old and a 14 just turned 14 a couple days ago. And so this is such a significant time in both of their lives mm-hmm. that it is great to be, you know, just a dad and not a staff member. Um, and to get, to get to sit in, I'll tell you, you know, a little bit of a confession. It's also difficult. Um, we're at a smaller church now, and, um, having been in large church ministry for so long, um, now that my daughter is participating in ministry, and, you know, that ministry is, you know, trying to figure itself out and mm-hmm. and, and go through all the, you know, all the growing pains of, of a growing ministry. And I'm sitting on the sidelines and thinking, gosh, , that's awkward. I can help that, but I don't wanna, you know, I don't wanna white knight, you know, come in when my, on my high horse and, and quote unquote fix it for them. Especially with, Nick Clason (08:16): You're fixing it as the YM 360 guy. Are you fixing it as Madison dad, as dad? Are you fixing it as a church volunteer? Like, what, yeah. What's Kerry Ray (08:26): Your role, right? Or are you fixing as the guy that quote unquote knows it all right. So, you know, you don't, you don't wanna be that guy. Um, so yeah, it's, it's just been, it's been weird. That's, that's kind of the honest thing is to have done a thing, and I think this is true at anything, not just ministry, but having, you know, if you were, if you were a cabinet maker and you walked in and people were, you know, fumbling around with a hammer trying to build a cabinet, and you're just biting your, you know, biting your closed fist, going, oh, no, that's not how you, you do it . Um, so it, it's that, I mean, and not saying that they're not doing a great job. Um, they are, they're doing well in figuring it out. They're just, you know, figuring it out. Um, and they're going through some, some growing pain in that process. So yeah, that's, that's what we're doing as a family right Nick Clason (09:13): Now. So I'm, I'm curious, Kerry, like two or three episodes ago, I'll link it, you know, in the show notes, but I had, uh, my friend d Pinker on, and we talked about, um, how he, he has a similar longevity track record that you do, and he talked about how the invention of the iPhone was a pretty monumental, like, milestone marker for him in youth ministry. Like he kinda remembers ministry before the invention, um, and widespread use of the iPhone, and then post the invention and widespread use of the iPhone. Do you have, would you say you have a similar, um, experience with that? Like, did you, did you notice that being a pretty big milestone thing in student ministry and in your career noticing how students interacted? Did that change things? Did you, um, have to program or think about things differently because of technology and it's, you know, interwoven into the culture? Kerry Ray (10:11): Um, honestly, I, I think the iPhone changed not programming so much as it changed, um, advertising. And I know that's a big no-no word. You know, in the church world, you're not supposed to see the things you're doing as a quote unquote product or something you are promoting. Um, but you are, you're, you're promoting a thing, um, come be a part of this, whether it's a camp, a Wednesday night, a Sunday morning, you are trying to tell people this is a thing we have, um, otherwise you're sitting there by yourself. Um, and so I think it changed, I think it changed dramatically how we engaged with, with students. Hmm. , um, I don't think so much at all. It, it really changed programming. Um, but it definitely changed the way we engaged. It definitely changed, um, the level of intentionality that you had to put behind, uh, promotion and how you promoted and how you celebrated. Kerry Ray (11:15): Uh, it also gave you kind of an open door, you know, whether you want it to be or not. A lot of youth ministry is word of mouth. Yeah. Um, I always used to kinda call it the skating rink effect when I was a kid. You know, the skating rink was, was a thing. , sadly, that'll show you my age. The skating rink was a thing, and we didn't, in middle school specifically, you didn't know why it was a thing. Yeah. You just knew that's where everybody was. Mm-hmm. . And, uh, but it was word of mouth, you know? It was, it wasn't the, the skating rink when I grew up, the skating, it was called fun time, skate land. Uh, it wasn't that fun time. Skateland had this giant marketing, you know, this this monumental system or this, this thing that they were doing. They were like, come to fun time. Kerry Ray (12:01): It was just, it was word of mouth. And the middle school, you know, that that's where everybody was going on on a Friday night. They were going to fun time. And you talked about it in the hallways, and people do, and I think in cinema ministry, whether we want it to be or not, it, it's always been a word of mouth. You know, I'm, you know, why do, why do so many kids show up to this one event, this all nighter that you do? Well, because the word got out that these people are going and the other people wanna go. And then it snowballs into this thing. Um, and I think the word of mouth became digital. Word of mouth. Um, and you could, you could digitally have a megaphone to, to broadcast that thing versus just relying on word of mouth. Yeah. Um, and so that changed the game. Kerry Ray (12:47): So it changed. Um, the only thing I would say in programming, uh, uh, that it would change was that you had to be, or you started to be a little more intentional about recording the things that you were doing mm-hmm. and putting them out there for people to see later. Yeah. Uh, and to advertise with. Um, that's probably the only way it really changed. And I would say it changed programming. It would just, Hey, we want to capture certain things. And so we would talk about, as a team, uh, what are the things we wanna maybe capture tonight and, and broadcast so that people can see it and try to leverage the fomo, you know, the, the, that FOMO piece mm-hmm. is, is a real deal, the invention of the iPhone, Instagram, now TikTok, um, even, even be, you know, be real. It is that FOMO piece of what's happening in the moment. Who's doing what, Ooh, I wanna be a part of that. Mm-hmm. , that's what changed. I think that's what changed. Nick Clason (13:45): So would you say before that, that fomo for someone my age, who's only done ministry in an iPhone generation, is fomo a recent phenomenon since the invention of technology and things like that? Or was that always a part of it? Now you just can see it with your own eyes that you Oh, you're right now missing out. Kerry Ray (14:07): Yeah. No, FOMO has always existed. Um, it wasn't called that, but you know, there was always that, you know, nobody wants to be left out. Everybody wants to be, um, they did say it for hundreds, hundreds of years. They've been saying for years, you know, that, um, when you walk into a building, but think about yourself anytime, iPhone or not, you walk into a restaurant in a busy time of the day for a restaurant mm-hmm. , and you're the, there's maybe one other person in the restaurant. There's something inside of you that goes, it could be the greatest restaurant ever. It could be the best food, best atmosphere, but there's something inside you that intrinsically goes, huh, yeah, something's wrong. What's wrong with this, this ? And, and I think that's, I think that's who we are as, as human beings. When you walk into a store, there's nobody shopping there. When you, when you go to a gym and you work and there's, you're what, what's midnight? That's if you're doing it in a time where typically there would be people there, whether we walk into a church now, um, and there's, you know, there's nobody really attending. You go, huh? When you walk outta that, you don't say, you know, man, that was great. You go, man, that was great. I wonder why nobody goes. Nick Clason (15:27): Yeah. Well, it's interesting, right? Cause none of that's based on the actual content maybe. Nope. Of like, oh, that was a great message I really resonated with, or whatever. Like what you're noticing is like the social equity landscape of like, what's going on around you, looking around, no one's there. And Kerry Ray (15:44): It is a thing, and it is a thing. I think that thing has always existed. And I think whether it's the iPhone or social media, um, has just exacerbated that and made it, yeah. A more prominent thing turned the volume up, if you will, uh, has made it a more prominent thing, more obvious thing. Um, the, but I think it's always been there. Uh, I think it's, you know, when you were eight years old and didn't get invited to a birthday party and you knew other people did mm-hmm. , that's, you had fomo, you were missing out. Um, I think that's just a, a human thing. Nick Clason (16:22): Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. So you and I connected, you were at a church in Cincinnati. I was at a church in Cincinnati, and we were on the doorstep of working together. Um, and so in that process, I guess, I mean, I guess it was even formal. We had formal interviews and stuff. Um, you explained to me, uh, a thing that, I don't know if you came up with this or coined it or whatever, but you called it contact work. Um, so explain a little bit to our listeners, like what that is, where it comes from, maybe the theological or biblical basis for it. Um, and, uh, like then I wanna kind of explore, is that type of work, is that type of ministry, is that possible more and more as we enter into this digital space? But first of all, give us just a little bit of like a background of like, what is it, um, what are you talking about with contact work? I think when I heard it, I never heard it called that, but it was very intrinsic to me. Like, I was like, oh, yeah, this makes sense, right? As a youth pastor, like, this is what I'm trying to do. I just never kind of put this label to it. So explain that a little bit. Kerry Ray (17:32): Yeah. Well, I definitely did not, uh, coin the phrase contact work. Um, that is, um, I served for a while, um, in young life, and that is a, that is a big, big piece of young life. If anybody's listening who has ever been a part or knows anything about young life, contact work is one of their core tenants. Um, they put a lot of, a lot of energy and effort and strategy Nick Clason (18:00): Into Andre good at contact work. That's, that's probably what they're best, I would say. Kerry Ray (18:04): Oh, they're, yeah, they're excellent at it. And it's because they value it. It's such a high value, um, for them. Like I said, it's one of their core tenants. Um, it's such a high value that they do it well. Um, and so borrowing that phrase from those guys, um, I just learned it and saw it done really well and saw it valued. Um, and so I, I kind of adopted it into early on into, um, what I was doing, and it was, it was going where they are versus expecting them to come to you. Hmm. Um, contact work at, at its core is, uh, young life would call it earning the right to be heard. Um, but it is, or maybe you hear them say, um, doing things on their turf mm-hmm. , um, so to speak. But basically it is, it is going to where the students are mm-hmm. versus sitting and expecting them to come to you, and then you're putting in the time with them in their places where they feel comfortable and confident, and where they maybe kinda run the show versus your place behind these walls, behind this door where you're in charge and are expecting them to, to do certain, certain things. Um, contact, contact work. Oops, sorry. Contact work is something that is something that we have done for years. It's an expectation. Kerry Ray (19:37): Sorry, my headphones went out for a second. Nick Clason (19:40): Oh, no, you're good. Contact work is sounds great to me. So, Kerry Ray (19:42): Okay. Contact work is, is something that, um, I have, you know, expected is the best word to use of any staff we have I've ever had on, on a, on a church staff. Um, it is, it's that big of a deal. Um, for example, when I had interns and, you know, we were only allowed, you know, what, 15 hours with an intern mm-hmm. mm-hmm. 10 of those hours with contact work, and I would ask them to, you know, fill out a form that tells me where they were going, what they were doing, who they, who they hung out with and talked to. Mm-hmm. , it was that big of a deal. I wanted them to value it. Um, that's when I first started in ministry. Early on, we didn't call it that. Um, but that was my role. Um, I had an older youth pastor who kinda looked at me and sat me down and said, Hey man, I, I'm too old to go run with the Bulls. Um, so , I'm gonna ask you to do that, and I'm gonna expect you to be in the school. I'm gonna expect you to be the one at the games. I'll still be the guy preaching, but, and you know, teaching, teaching you how to do those things, but, you know, you're the guy that's gonna run around with 'em. You can call it Tide Piper, whatever you wanna call it, but it is going and building relationships with students, with teenagers on their turf where they are at instead of expecting them to come to you. Nick Clason (21:02): Yeah. I think, and I think, like for me, man, the basis really of me starting this whole podcast is realizing that, uh, digital can play a role in that. You know, I think for churches, a lot of churches, uh, get stuck into their, like, programming schedule. It's Wednesday night, Sunday morning, whatever, and not realizing that there's another 167 unclaimed hours that students are living life doing their thing. Um, you know, so that can obviously be done in person, but how would you say, have you seen that be either possible, or would you say like, yeah, that's not even really a possibility, uh, to show up on their turf in like a digital or more of like a hybrid type of way? Kerry Ray (21:53): Lemme back up for a second first, and I can say that one, it's, it's part of what we're called to do. Mm-hmm. , if you're in ministry, um, we're supposed to be following and living as Jesus did. And what you never saw in the New Testament was Jesus just sit still somewhere and say, you know, everybody come to me. Mm-hmm. , I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna sit here , you know, in Jerusalem. I'm just gonna sit here and expect you to come to me. He traveled, he, he went around from town to town, place to place sharing and talking. And part of that was, you know, just getting around the people. Mm-hmm. , um, the people that, you know, he came to this place to die for was just to be amongst and, and interact with those people. Um, and that's part of our calling we're, we can't just sit in a church. Kerry Ray (22:43): You could have the greatest program in the world, but you sitting in a church and just expecting people to come to you is one arrogant too. Mm-hmm. , it's foolish. Three, it's ineffective. Um, it just doesn't, it's not the thing you can't, that's not who you're called to be. You're called to, to be out and about. And with people, people, these students are, you're calling, they're, they're coming to know Christ is your calling. And, and it can't be, I'm just sitting here and the kids that get here, that's great. The kids who don't hate it for them, um, that that's not okay. Yeah. So let's start there. Uh, number two, um, it, it matters to your community. Um, you hopefully want your church, your ministry, your student ministry. You want that to, to have such an impact on the lives of the people in your community, no matter their age, that if it disappeared, people would care. Mm-hmm. Nick Clason (23:40): . Yeah. Kerry Ray (23:41): And to do that, you can't sit in your ivory tower literally and, and expect that to happen. You've got to go out and make some sort of impact, some sort of influence. Uh, and I think in the world we live in the, with the, um, deification, if you will, you know, all of the, you know, I am, you know, de deconstructing my, my religious experience. Um, people are weary. People are weary, people are leery I'll rhyme there. Uh, they're both, they are, they're, um, suspicious mm-hmm. of church. Like, what do you, you know, what do you want from me? Oh, you just want my money. Um, and we've got, if you're talking about students and general teenagers, uh, we've got, this is the first group generation that was raised by students who bowed out years ago. You know, statistically they're, they're called the nuns. N o n E S, not n u n S. Kerry Ray (24:42): But the parents are the people who were in student ministry, you know, maybe. And then they bowed out and their parents didn't, you know, didn't raise them in church. And so now they're having kids of their own. And, and so it's, it's blank slates. So you've got parents who don't know, who don't know church. You've got students who don't know church. Um, they're blank canvases. And so, uh, we are, should be out and about if nothing else trying to, trying to show and be the hands of Jesus Christ, the hands of beauty of Christ in these communities in which we are called the love administer to, um, digitally, um, I, I, let's be honest, we watched these last couple years with Covid shutting everything down. Mm-hmm. , we watched the churches who, and the student ministries who had embraced a, a different philosophy versus the come to me. Kerry Ray (25:40): Um, they transitioned better. I won't say, well, I will say they had, they made it through the Covid piece a little better mm-hmm. than the churches and the student ministries who lived in the come to us mentality. Um, but let's be honest, I think everybody struggled with it. Uh, because even young life, uh, who is excellent at contact work, I watched Young Life struggled to find themselves because they couldn't do that anymore. Yeah. They couldn't do the face to face interaction, and they had to try to do it in a digital format, and it didn't work as well. Sounds, um, it, it failed. Um, yeah. And it struggled. I mean, some of it, I mean, he, it kinda worked. Not really. I, I would say it failed. Um, even, you know, the big players in, in student industry, the people who were doing this, the guys out like, you know, um, fields and Josh, Doug Fields and Josh out in California went to a digital format. Kerry Ray (26:38): And I don't know, I, I haven't talked to these guys about it, so I'm gonna assume, but I, I would assume if you, you asked those guys, they would tell you that it was not what it was. Mm-hmm. , did they do the big digital thing? Well, sure they did. Yeah. But I don't, I don't think it was what it was before that. Yeah. I don't think they got the same interaction. It's a, it's a lot of work for a little payoff. Um, I know at the time of covid, I was in, uh, church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and our middle school ministry was tied to the weekends mm-hmm. , and it was kinda a show up to church, and you go to this thing, but our high school was built offsite. Um, and we had had multiple years where the students had built communities, it houses across the city, and those communities met offsite, and it was in that community that those students lived in with small group leaders that lived in that community that those students lived in. Kerry Ray (27:33): And those students were showing up and inviting people into this thing because it was their thing. Mm-hmm. , um, it was kind of their turf, but with our, uh, blanket over the top of it. Sure. It was, but it was still their thing. Um, and when Covid hit, I got to see firsthand middle school, they come to us, we shut that down for a little bit, then we tried to do it digitally. It just didn't fly. Um, it was a struggle to put, you know, 10 kids in the room, in, in a digital room, uh, high school. I don't think, if I looked at the numbers, and I tracked them every week, I think in total we lost two students. Wow. Two, why? And we actually picked up a few. Why? Because they had already built this community that was not attached to the come, come and see mm-hmm. , Kerry Ray (28:31): It was, it was a community. So when we took that community that already existed and just moved it to a digital format, they, they still do the same people. It was still, it was built on a different thing. Mm-hmm. , it was centered around community and not centered around come and see Yes. Or come and participate. Yeah. Um, so it, it, it, it mattered. It, it changed. And I, like I said, I watched, um, during those, during the covid years, got to see, you know, there were plenty of churches that that died. There were plenty of churches that are still, you know, where a year out now when this is being recorded. And they are still struggling with putting the pieces back together. I don't think, I don't think ministry, I don't think church will ever quite be the same. Um, post covid. Interesting. But, and I think youth ministry is harder, um, because I think students got realize they didn't have to be there. Kerry Ray (29:25): Mm-hmm. , uh, the church kids stopped going. The, the non-church kids never went. Uh, and we had a generation now that has been raised at least for a couple of years, you think of a sixth grader, they went through sixth, seventh, and part of grade without ever being in a so ninth grade in that time where it's already hard to be a part of a community because you drive for the first time, you've got some freedom in ninth and 10th grade. Yeah. Depending on your age and your state, uh, you start having freedom, you start working, um, you start doing other things. It's already hard in the, in the youth industry world. For those of you listening to this that are in, in ministry, you know, that time is already difficult anyway. But now you've got a group who went three years without engaging at all mm-hmm. , Kerry Ray (30:08): Uh, and then behind them is another group that went three years without engaging at all. And behind them is another group that, you know, hey, which is babies at the time. So it's going to be a difficult dig out. Um, and I think that that actually makes this contact work piece even more relevant. Mm-hmm. . Now to your question, if, can it be digital? I don't know. I, I have not seen that work super well. Um, now I will tell you this, we all know that, um, for a teenager, uh, when you, and I think of the friends we make, you know, they say, well, my friend, you know, you like, you think my friend that I play, you know, call on duty with, you know, that lives in California. You're like, you never, you, you live in Alabama, you don't know that kid , but you're like, no, I play with them every day. Kerry Ray (31:00): I, you know, I spend hours with them on a headset, you know, shooting people and, and you know, talking about stuff over the headset to them that is a real friend. Yeah. Um, that barrier has dropped mm-hmm. to us as adults. You know, I think, you know, for those of you that don't know, those of us, you know, over the age of, let's call it 27 ish, you know, we're digital. We're digital immigrants. Mm-hmm. , we're, we come with baggage of how technology works and how it should be used and utilized, and, uh, where our teenagers and below, or digital natives mm-hmm. , there's never been a time where they did not know technology. There's never been a time where social media was not interactive for them. Um, and so we as adults, as digital immigrants, let's use that instead of adults, us as digital immigrants, we look at, um, online friendships, online relationships, um, and go, that's weird. Kerry Ray (32:03): Um, that's not a thing. But to them as digital natives, that has always been the thing that has always been very real. Um, dating apps and, you know, swiping left and right. And I mean, that went from like a silly thing. Like, you know, this is those of us, again as digital immigrants, look at that and go, come on. Um, you know, you're just, you're just, you know, trying to find a hot dude or hot girl and hook up. But for them, they're like, no, I, I'm trying to find a relationship. I get to know people this way. Yeah. Um, it's, it's fascinating. Yeah. Um, so I think there is, there, there's gotta be a way for that to happen mm-hmm. , and we've gotta figure out this, and I'd go back to contact work. There's gotta be a way for contact work to happen in a digital context. But there is some, there is something to set for a loss of the, the face to face because the face to face is so significant. Nick Clason (32:58): Wow. Well, wasn't that awesome? I'm so excited for you to hear and learn from part two. Um, anything and everything that Kerry mentioned, uh, YM 360, my youth min, um, all those things. Um, and also Derry's episode. I'm gonna link all of those in the show notes, which you can grab a in your podcast catcher or be over at hybridministry.xyz. And I would really encourage you, because he said a lot of really good things. And if you're like me and you listen on 1.5 or two times speed, uh, you may have not caught it, or you're driving or you mowing the lawn or whatever you're doing, head to hybridministry.xyz and you can grab a full transcript of this episode so that you can have and use to utilize at your discretion. That's a thing that we do and produce for you, um, for a hundred percent free. Nick Clason (33:49): So we just wanna let you know that that is available there for you to check out at http://hybridministry.xyz If you found this helpful and I'm sure that you did, please give it a share. Send it to someone that you know, maybe in youth ministry, um, and leave us a rating or a review. That would be really, really helpful for us. We would love to, uh, hear that. So, um, we will chat with you guys next time. Excited to share with you part two of this episode. But until then, we'll talk again later by.

Anchor Passage: John 14:27-30Anxiety can be difficult to escape, especially when we feel isolated in our struggles. But God is always with us. Join us as we learn how God wants to step into our lives and give us His perfect peace.

Justin and Sean celebrate 100 episodes of helpful hacks in youth ministry! This episode was recorded live on September 8th (so all prizes, competitions and codes were for the live audience only). The guys answered questions that were in the live chat and they even had Josh Griffin and Doug Fields pop in for a little bit!

Justin and Sean celebrate 100 episodes of helpful hacks in youth ministry! This episode was recorded live on September 8th (so all prizes, competitions and codes were for the live audience only). The guys answered questions that were in the live chat and they even had Josh Griffin and Doug Fields pop in for a little bit!

Justin and Sean celebrate 100 episodes of helpful hacks in youth ministry! This episode was recorded live on September 8th (so all prizes, competitions and codes were for the live audience only). The guys answered questions that were in the live chat and they even had Josh Griffin and Doug Fields pop in for a little bit!

Anchor Passage: Ephesians 4:30-32Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, our personal choices impact Him too. When we live for ourselves, the Holy Spirit grieves, but when we choose His way, He blesses every aspect of our lives. Join us as we see how following the Spirit's way transforms us into the people we were meant to be.

Even if it seems like your marriage is on life-support, there IS hope! Dr. Jim Burns continues his conversation with author Doug Fields and Ted...

Strained marriages are commonplace in many congregations – but now there is something churches can do to ease this stress!

Episode 81 of The Student Ministry Podcast features a conversation with Josh Griffin of Mariners Church and Download Youth Ministry. Josh is a veteran youth worker with over 25 years of experience who not only loves ministry to teenagers, but he absolutely loves equipping and empowering other youth workers. Before coming in staff with Mariners, Josh served for 13 years at Saddleback Church as the High School Pastor under the leadership of Rick Warren. He's also the co-founder of DownloadYouthMinistry.com and hosts an almost-400-episode youth ministry podcast with Doug Fields. He's created more than 50 youth ministry resources and authored several books. Josh and his wife Angela have 4 teenagers of their own. In this episode, we will hear Josh's story, about his ministry at Mariners and Download Youth Ministry, and also what DYM is preparing for youth workers who are just starting out in their ministry. Links mentioned during this episode: First Few Years website - http://1stfewyears.com  Download Youth Ministry - http://downloadyouthministry.com  More than Dodgeball - https://morethandodgeball.com  Follow Josh on Instagram: @joshuagriffin  Read Steve's blog at https://stevecullum.com  Follow Steve on Twitter: @stevecullum  Follow The Student Ministry Podcast on Instagram: @thestudentministrypodcast  Follow The Student Ministry Podcast on Twitter: @stuminpod  Sponsor for this episode of the Student Ministry Podcast: G Shades - https://gshades.org (Use code TSMPOD to save 10% off)  If you would like to support The Student Ministry Podcast, check out our website at https://www.thestudentministrypodcast.com and click the “Support” button.  Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. By clicking them, Steve and The Student Ministry Podcast might receive commission to support this ministry.   Subscribe to The Student Ministry Podcast any of the following platforms:   Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Podbean Spotify Amazon Podcasts Pandora TuneIn Radio iHeartRadio PlayerFM Listen Notes Stitcher Podcast Addict Deezer Pocket Casts Overcast Castro Castbox If you like what you hear, be sure to like, subscribe, share, and comment! Thanks and may God bless your ministry!   Thank you all for the last 6+ years of The Student Ministry Podcast!!!!

Anchor Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:10-14 & 9:24-27, 1 Timothy 6:17-19The end will reveal the quality and motivation of our lives. Instead of just “making it to Heaven,” we may receive rewards for how we lived. To live with the end in mind is to store up treasures in Heaven through a life of serving and generosity in this world. Join us to learn how you can live a life that matters forever!

Anchor Passage: Matthew 1:18-25In the angel's announcement to Joseph, we learn that His name will be Jesus because Jesus means Savior. He came to save His people from their sins. Join us to see what the angel's announcement means for you. 

Tu & Lei spend the first part of this episode briefly touching on August sales numbers and spend a bit more time on their thoughts on Tesla's sales and their export strategy - is Tesla crazy like a fox?They then spend time discussing the products the re-branded Frankfurt Auto Show which was moved to Munich and is now called Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA) Mobility because it now includes other forms of transport. The big announcements still came mostly from Germany's big three. Tu steps on his soapbox to explain that mobility does NOT mean more cars, whether they're EVs or not!Finally, Tu & Lei briefly touch on what's behind XPeng's unicorn and Ford's hiring of Doug Fields from Apple. 

You've just moved up a group of students. Why in the world would you be thinking about promoting the ones you just got!? In this episode, Ronald talks about how he's trying to plan for the student leadership vacuum that occurs every year by preparing right now! •Who are your leaders now that your leaders have moved up? •Who could be developed? •How can you identify new students to take on new roles? •How can you encourage students who have stepped into the vacuum? Talked about on the episode: https://trainmyvolunteers.com Get a glimpse at the type and quality of content that will be available on the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training (NDVYMT). Download a free training session with Doug Fields today!

You've just moved up a group of students. Why in the world would you be thinking about promoting the ones you just got!? In this episode, Ronald talks about how he's trying to plan for the student leadership vacuum that occurs every year by preparing right now! •Who are your leaders now that your leaders have moved up? •Who could be developed? •How can you identify new students to take on new roles? •How can you encourage students who have stepped into the vacuum? Talked about on the episode: https://trainmyvolunteers.com Get a glimpse at the type and quality of content that will be available on the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training (NDVYMT). Download a free training session with Doug Fields today!

This was the week! Ronald finally got his own kid in student ministry. And it was heartwarming and hilarious. This week Ronald talks about how to create a safe space for your middle school students to really share their thoughts, doubts, and opinions. •How do you respond when a contrary opinion is shared? Do you judge it or roll with it? •Do students share their doubts in youth group or do they hold back? •How can you encourage students to share if they think they don't hold the same opinion or story as others? Talked about on the episode: https://trainmyvolunteers.com Get a glimpse at the type and quality of content that will be available on the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training (NDVYMT). Download a free training session with Doug Fields today!

This was the week! Ronald finally got his own kid in student ministry. And it was heartwarming and hilarious. This week Ronald talks about how to create a safe space for your middle school students to really share their thoughts, doubts, and opinions. •How do you respond when a contrary opinion is shared? Do you judge it or roll with it? •Do students share their doubts in youth group or do they hold back? •How can you encourage students to share if they think they don't hold the same opinion or story as others? Talked about on the episode: https://trainmyvolunteers.com Get a glimpse at the type and quality of content that will be available on the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training (NDVYMT). Download a free training session with Doug Fields today!

This week we continue the teaching series in the book of 1 Peter, Hope in Hopeless Times. Mariners Church Youth Pastor Doug Fields goes through 1 Peter 3:1-7 in this message, Marriage in the Midst of Craziness.  For more information or to support the ministry of Mariners visit marinerschurch.org or download the App for message notes and to find out how to get connected! 

For Week 7 of the series, Red Letter Invitations, special guest Doug Fields teaches on Jesus' call to Love Your Enemies.  Luke 6:27-36. We're celebrating our graduating seniors! For more information or to support the ministry of Mariners visit marinerschurch.org or download the App for message notes and to find out how to get connected!

Okay, we admit it's wishful thinking. The pandemic isn't quite over. In some places it's as bad as ever. But we are both vaccinated, so we are feeling like we've awakened from a bad dream and are ready to move forward. Today, we wrap up our series about church and youth ministry post-covid. While we thought our first two conversations were helpful, our topic today is the most important of all. How do we care for our souls as youth workers in this crazy, post-pandemic world? We are excited to share the rest of our conversation with our two friends. James Sabin is the Youth and Family Pastor at Kingdom Community Church in Morgantown, WV, where he has served for 11 years. He is also the host of the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast on the DYM network or wherever you listen to podcasts. Jessica Sanchez is a trained spiritual director, a long-time youth ministry volunteer, the Director of Marketplace for Download Youth Ministry, and co-host of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast with Doug Fields, Josh Griffin and Katie Edwards. Let's face it – this year was hard on our souls. We experienced stress, interruption, disruption, conflict, isolation, loss of relationships, and even loss of life. As pastors and youth workers, we found ourselves being asked for answers while we were searching for them ourselves. We would be remiss if we didn't take some time to reflect on this experience and what we can learn from it. Our conversation covered such tough topics as, how to respond when you are angry at how other Christians are responding, how to implement personal spiritual practices to help us avoid falling into the busy trap we were in before covid, and how to lead not only our students, but our congregations, into healthier spiritual habits for the next season. All of this with two friends of ours who are honest, vulnerable, humble and wise. You will be blessed. You can follow them here: James Sabin @jamessabin13 @ym_soul_keeper_podcast Jessica Sanchez @Jesssanchez25 @downloadym Authors mentioned: Henri Nouwen Brennan Manning Alan Fadling Get your whole volunteer team trained in one morning. It's the best deal in the history of youth ministry! https://trainmyvolunteers.com/ Steve spent hours updating our website. Pay us a visit! https://youthministrysherpas.com/ If you send us an email, we promise to respond. We might even send you stickers! youthministrysherpas@gmail.com We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network! https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @youthministrysherpas. PLEASE LEAVE US A ***** FIVE STAR REVIEW ***** ON I-TUNES SO THAT OTHERS WILL FIND US, TOO!

Okay, we admit it's wishful thinking. The pandemic isn't quite over. In some places it's as bad as ever. But we are both vaccinated, so we are feeling like we've awakened from a bad dream and are ready to move forward. Today, we wrap up our series about church and youth ministry post-covid. While we thought our first two conversations were helpful, our topic today is the most important of all. How do we care for our souls as youth workers in this crazy, post-pandemic world? We are excited to share the rest of our conversation with our two friends. James Sabin is the Youth and Family Pastor at Kingdom Community Church in Morgantown, WV, where he has served for 11 years. He is also the host of the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast on the DYM network or wherever you listen to podcasts. Jessica Sanchez is a trained spiritual director, a long-time youth ministry volunteer, the Director of Marketplace for Download Youth Ministry, and co-host of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast with Doug Fields, Josh Griffin and Katie Edwards. Let's face it – this year was hard on our souls. We experienced stress, interruption, disruption, conflict, isolation, loss of relationships, and even loss of life. As pastors and youth workers, we found ourselves being asked for answers while we were searching for them ourselves. We would be remiss if we didn't take some time to reflect on this experience and what we can learn from it. Our conversation covered such tough topics as, how to respond when you are angry at how other Christians are responding, how to implement personal spiritual practices to help us avoid falling into the busy trap we were in before covid, and how to lead not only our students, but our congregations, into healthier spiritual habits for the next season. All of this with two friends of ours who are honest, vulnerable, humble and wise. You will be blessed. You can follow them here: James Sabin @jamessabin13 @ym_soul_keeper_podcast Jessica Sanchez @Jesssanchez25 @downloadym Authors mentioned: Henri Nouwen Brennan Manning Alan Fadling Get your whole volunteer team trained in one morning. It's the best deal in the history of youth ministry! https://trainmyvolunteers.com/ Steve spent hours updating our website. Pay us a visit! https://youthministrysherpas.com/ If you send us an email, we promise to respond. We might even send you stickers! youthministrysherpas@gmail.com We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network! https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @youthministrysherpas. PLEASE LEAVE US A ***** FIVE STAR REVIEW ***** ON I-TUNES SO THAT OTHERS WILL FIND US, TOO!

Okay, we admit it's wishful thinking. The pandemic isn't quite over. In some places, it's as bad as ever. But we are both vaccinated, so we are feeling like we've awakened from a bad dream and are ready to move forward. Today, we continue our series about the church and youth ministry post-covid. While we thought our first two conversations were helpful, our topic today is the most important of all. How do we care for our souls as youth workers in this crazy, post-pandemic world? We are excited to welcome two guests on our show today. James Sabin is the Youth and Family Pastor at Kingdom Community Church in Morgantown, WV, where he has served for 11 years. He is also the host of the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast on the DYM network or wherever you listen to podcasts. Jessica Sanchez is a trained spiritual director, a long-time youth ministry volunteer, the Director of Marketplace for Download Youth Ministry, and co-host of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast with Doug Fields, Josh Griffin and Katie Edwards. Let's face it – this year was hard on our souls. We experienced stress, interruption, disruption, conflict, isolation, loss of relationships, and even loss of life. As pastors and youth workers, we found ourselves being asked for answers while we were searching for them ourselves. We would be remiss if we didn't take some time to reflect on this experience and what we can learn from it. Our conversation covered such tough topics as, how to respond when you are angry at how other Christians are responding, how to implement personal spiritual practices to help us avoid falling into the busy trap we were in before covid, and how to lead not only our students but our congregations, into healthier spiritual habits for the next season. All of this with two friends of ours who are honest, vulnerable, humble, and wise. You will be blessed. You can follow them here: James Sabin @jamessabin13 @ym_soul_keeper_podcast Jessica Sanchez @Jesssanchez25 @downloadym Authors mentioned: Henri Nouwen Brennan Manning Alan Fadling Get your whole volunteer team trained in one morning. It's the best deal in the history of youth ministry! https://trainmyvolunteers.com/ Steve spent hours updating our website. Pay us a visit! https://youthministrysherpas.com/ If you send us an email, we promise to respond. We might even send you stickers! youthministrysherpas@gmail.com We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network! https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @youthministrysherpas. PLEASE LEAVE US A ***** FIVE STAR REVIEW ***** ON I-TUNES SO THAT OTHERS WILL FIND US, TOO!

Okay, we admit it's wishful thinking. The pandemic isn't quite over. In some places, it's as bad as ever. But we are both vaccinated, so we are feeling like we've awakened from a bad dream and are ready to move forward. Today, we continue our series about the church and youth ministry post-covid. While we thought our first two conversations were helpful, our topic today is the most important of all. How do we care for our souls as youth workers in this crazy, post-pandemic world? We are excited to welcome two guests on our show today. James Sabin is the Youth and Family Pastor at Kingdom Community Church in Morgantown, WV, where he has served for 11 years. He is also the host of the Youth Ministry Soul Keeper Podcast on the DYM network or wherever you listen to podcasts. Jessica Sanchez is a trained spiritual director, a long-time youth ministry volunteer, the Director of Marketplace for Download Youth Ministry, and co-host of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast with Doug Fields, Josh Griffin and Katie Edwards. Let's face it – this year was hard on our souls. We experienced stress, interruption, disruption, conflict, isolation, loss of relationships, and even loss of life. As pastors and youth workers, we found ourselves being asked for answers while we were searching for them ourselves. We would be remiss if we didn't take some time to reflect on this experience and what we can learn from it. Our conversation covered such tough topics as, how to respond when you are angry at how other Christians are responding, how to implement personal spiritual practices to help us avoid falling into the busy trap we were in before covid, and how to lead not only our students but our congregations, into healthier spiritual habits for the next season. All of this with two friends of ours who are honest, vulnerable, humble, and wise. You will be blessed. You can follow them here: James Sabin @jamessabin13 @ym_soul_keeper_podcast Jessica Sanchez @Jesssanchez25 @downloadym Authors mentioned: Henri Nouwen Brennan Manning Alan Fadling Get your whole volunteer team trained in one morning. It's the best deal in the history of youth ministry! https://trainmyvolunteers.com/ Steve spent hours updating our website. Pay us a visit! https://youthministrysherpas.com/ If you send us an email, we promise to respond. We might even send you stickers! youthministrysherpas@gmail.com We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network! https://podcast.downloadyouthministry.com/ Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @youthministrysherpas. PLEASE LEAVE US A ***** FIVE STAR REVIEW ***** ON I-TUNES SO THAT OTHERS WILL FIND US, TOO!

Youth ministry veterans Doug Fields, Josh Griffin, and Heather Flies share some practical ways to avoid burnout and stay in youth ministry for the long haul. See the signs and symptoms, some practical solutions, as well as tips on how to avoid burnout all together! Links: My Roles & Goals (FREE resource): https://www.downloadyouthministry.com...​ DYM Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCo...​ Stay Connected: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownloadYM​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downloadym/​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DownloadYM

Youth ministry veterans Doug Fields, Josh Griffin, and Heather Flies share some practical ways to avoid burnout and stay in youth ministry for the long haul. See the signs and symptoms, some practical solutions, as well as tips on how to avoid burnout all together! Links: My Roles & Goals (FREE resource): https://www.downloadyouthministry.com...​ DYM Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DYMCo...​ Stay Connected: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DownloadYM​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/downloadym/​ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DownloadYM

What does it look like to plan an events calendar? In this episode, I discuss three big thoughts that shape my approach. Resources discussed include: "Sustainable Youth Ministry," by Mark Devries. "Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry," by Doug Fields.

Welcome friends to “What do you know?” The goal of this podcast is to help give busy youth workers and youth pastors some encouragement as well as help them remember why they got into youth ministry in the first place. This week we are joined by Joshua Kleinfeld Lead Pastor from York Stillmeadow Church of Nazarene, in York, PA. If you would like to hear more about him and his ministry, this is the link to his church's website. https://www.stillnaz.com Book and Authors The Bible (God's Word) Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience Paperback – by Sheila Wise Rowe (Author), Soong-Chan Rah (Foreword) Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms - by Jim Wilder The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus' Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It - by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel Anxious Church, Anxious People: How to Lead Change in an Age of Anxiety Hardcover – by Shitama Jack The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church's Complicity in Racism - by Jemar Tisby Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry: A personal and practical guide to starting right - by Doug Fields