Beyond the Event: A Youth Ministry Podcast

In this episode, we talk with Kylie Higgins, Lead Youth Pastor at Traders Point Christian Church, about how youth ministry leaders build a healthy team culture that lasts, even when roles shift from peer to leader. We dig into shared values, influence based leadership, and a debrief process that makes feedback feel safe and useful. We discuss: • moving from teammate to team leader while leading friends • leading with influence in a dotted line structure • building shared language through clea...

We sit down with filmmaker Kurt Hoffmann to unpack the Con Mis Manos film and the Deaf ministry in Matamoros, Mexico, that helped shape MOVE and MIX programming this summer. We talk through calling, collaboration, and the creative choices behind telling a story where language becomes dignity, and the gospel becomes personal. We discuss: • Kurt’s path from Hawaii to joining CIY in Missouri • first impressions of Con Mis Manos and why Michelle’s story anchors the narrative • b...

On this episode of Beyond the Event, we sit down with Student Minister Flint Spencer to talk about why Sunday school can be the most overlooked and most strategic hour in youth ministry. We unpack a simple plan for junior high that builds Bible literacy, repeatable study skills, and Scripture memory that can last for decades. We discuss: • building a youth ministry rhythm with Wednesday nights, D-groups, and a Bible-focused Sunday morning • treating Sunday school as mind formation...

Churches need leaders and students want purpose, but in many communities vocational ministry still doesn't seem like a real career path. In this episode, we talk about how to make that path visible and practical, and how to root it in discipleship instead of hype. First, we share updates to CIY SuperStart. The biggest one is a tighter link between session content and small group time. That means less scramble in the handoff from worship to discussion, and preteen leaders leave with clear, gos...

Beyond the Event is back! On this episode, we catch up on a whirlwind season of Engage and the surprising ways global stories at MOVE and MIX can open students’ eyes to how big God’s church really is. Then Noah Brooke joins us to share a sermon-planning approach that blends book-by-book teaching with clear topics, plus a small-group model that drives deeper discipleship. • Engage growth and the behind-the-scenes reality of year-round trip registration • Turning global church wond...