Youth Ministry Partners

Mission trips have become a staple in youth ministries across the United States. However, it's often difficult to integrate students' experiences on the field with their lives back home. In this podcast Ben sits down with Jen Bradbury a veteran youth worker with 15 years leading mission trips both domestically and internationally. In this episode Jen will lay out a philosophy for mission trips that connects what happens on the field with students' lives at home, and will dive into how to create a comprehensive missions strategy that has the chance to leave a lasting impact on teens, congregations, and the world.

This week Ben chats with Chuck Hunt, Associate Pastor of Family Ministries in Pasadena CA. In this episode they’ll dive into the Importance of Transitions and Recognizing that All ministry is in transition. They’ll cover everything from seasons, students involved in parents’ divorce, to Students Transitioning from High School to College. This is a great episode covering a topic that all facets of the church go through.

This week Ben talks with Todd Jones, pastor of generational ministries and founder of Stoked On Youth Ministry. This episode is all about volunteers. Not so much on how to find them, but once you have them, how to make them....good. Together they'll dive into how to give feedback to your volunteers, and how to balance their skills with your ministry needs. Todd will also give great advice on working with parents as volunteers and former students who want to take a volunteer role.

This week Ben chats with Jeremy Zach, director of student ministries at Clairmont Presbyterian Church and a Navy and Marine chaplain. This week they dive into The OODA Loop. (The OODA is an acronym that identifies the four steps of decision making: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) They’ll discuss what the loop can do for Youth Ministry leaders, and how to creatively approach your problems.

This podcast is a little different than most. This week our Senior Editor Jack Radcliffe joined Ben Howard our Lead Editor to talk about an article they read recently that stated Smartphones are a danger more pressing than sex and drugs in youth group. They dive into why "Gen Z" is "obsessed" with smartphones, and look into the link between screens and depression.