Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Feeling called to youth ministry but can't seem to get hired at a church? You're not alone! This episode uncovers the uncomfortable yet crucial reasons why some youth ministry-minded individuals struggle to get hired as a youth pastor despite their passion. Whether you're actively seeking a student pastor position or you are involved in hiring for your church, this conversatio...
Jun 26, 2025•33 min•Ep. 247
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Every youth pastor knows the rollercoaster of youth ministry – the highs of seeing students grow, the lows of drama and discouragement. What many don't realize is that who you choose to ride that student ministry rollercoaster with matters just as much as the ministry itself. Whether you're struggling with difficult team dynamics, seeking to build a powerful team from the grou...
Jun 19, 2025•26 min•Ep. 246
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** What gets a student through your youth group doors? And what keeps them coming back to youth ministry every week? These questions lie at the heart of building an effective, thriving student ministry. You might be successful at creating a youth ministry that students come and check out, but a revolving door of visitors isn't the goal. You want them to stay! So how do we create ...
Jun 12, 2025•36 min•Ep. 245
Send us a text Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Getting the right youth ministry volunteers is step one...but how do you retain them? Volunteer retention might be the most overlooked youth pastor leadership skill in student ministry today. While we pour energy into recruiting and training new team members, keeping them engaged for the long haul requires an entirely different approach. In this episo...
Jun 05, 2025•31 min•Ep. 244
Send us a text Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** That sinking feeling when your youth ministry isn't growing can trigger panic and questionable decisions. But what if your solution isn't going to bring the result you think it will? In this episode, we take a look at 5 mistakes youth pastors often make when they are faced with the reality that their youth group is shrinking in size. To be clear, the ...
May 22, 2025•36 min•Ep. 243
Send us a text Want to work with us to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Are you looking to re-do your youth room to make it more magnetic and engaging for your students? Today, we will be taking you through a tour of our newly remodeled youth ministry room at church. This episode is full of intentional design ideas, but also it shows how we schedule our weekend services to promote growth and provide a welcoming environment that speaks directly to t...
May 15, 2025•27 min•Ep. 242
Send us a text Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Ever felt that disconnect when speaking to your youth group? You know—that moment when despite carefully choosing your words, something just isn't clicking? In this episode, we will dive into three game-changing approaches to immediately elevate your teaching effectiveness in youth ministry. Get ready to accelerate your teaching and watch your student...
May 08, 2025•44 min•Ep. 241
Send us a text Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Ever found yourself doing a little "pastor math" with your youth group attendance? You're not alone. Those numbers we sometimes inflate or obsess over aren't just digits – they're telling a powerful story about your youth ministry's health and impact. What makes this conversation so vital is that youth ministry numbers truly matter, not because bigger...
Apr 24, 2025•36 min•Ep. 240
Send us a text Now is the time to grow a healthy, thriving youth ministry...if you'd like to work with us, check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** In this episode, we take a look at the top mistakes that youth pastors make when making their youth ministry website and social media accounts. One of your main goals for your student ministry website should be: remove the barriers between your youth group and the families you're trying to reach. From years of "secret shopping" church websites, we rev...
Apr 17, 2025•34 min•Ep. 239
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** As a youth pastor, do you ever feel like you are becoming just a program director? This question haunted me early in youth ministry, especially as our youth group grew. What I discovered transformed our approach—program isn't the goal, but rather the vehicle that creates community, which in turn facilitates genuine discipleship and Christ-centered transformation. In this episo...
Apr 10, 2025•36 min•Ep. 238
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Ever notice that student sitting on the edge of your youth group? The one who's physically present but emotionally miles away? Reaching disengaged students can be a challenging—yet very rewarding—aspect of youth ministry. Whether they're painfully shy, openly hostile, or just too mature for typical youth activities, these students represent an opportunity to demonstrate what a...
Apr 03, 2025•32 min•Ep. 237
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Character surpasses skills every time in youth ministry. That's the powerful message at the heart of this conversation about what truly makes a youth pastor valuable. While this podcast is always full of practical advice, this episode offers a crucial recalibration for youth pastors who might be focusing too much on where they're going rather than who they're becoming. The epi...
Mar 27, 2025•34 min•Ep. 236
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** The perpetual tug-of-war between youth ministry and sports commitments has challenged youth pastors for many years. How do we navigate this tension when both activities compete for limited time? In this episode, we discuss five strategic approaches that can help youth pastors position their student ministries as priorities worth making time for. Rather than villainizing spor...
Mar 20, 2025•40 min•Ep. 235
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Do you find that you are struggling to build an effective youth ministry team? The secret may not be finding new people — but simply bringing out the best in the people you already have. In this practical, leadership-focused episode, we break down the five essential strategies that can transform ordinary student ministry teams into extraordinary ones. These aren't just theoret...
Mar 13, 2025•36 min•Ep. 234
Send us a text Do you need some help to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Let's work together: GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Building a thriving youth ministry isn't just about planning events or playing fun games; it's about creating a dynamic culture that encourages young people to grow both spiritually and socially. In this episode, we focus on five powerful words that should embody every student ministry! This episode is packed with practical insights and valuable strategies t...
Mar 06, 2025•38 min•Ep. 233
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Are you looking to maximize efficiency in your youth ministry? Well, you might be wasting a lot of time on these 5 things! We’re discussing five common pitfalls that frequently waste precious time for youth pastors—habitual practices that often lead to burnout and hinder your efforts in engaging with your student ministry. The goal of this episode is to help you implement pr...
Feb 27, 2025•34 min•Ep. 232
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** In this episode, we will be discussing 5 common mistakes that youth pastors make which will sabotage their youth ministry. Are you guilty of any of these? Join us for a conversation filled with practical insights and real-world examples to energize your student ministry and inspire growth in your community. ========= We love hearing from you all and we do our best to provide...
Feb 20, 2025•44 min•Ep. 231
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Youth Pastors: Are you truly leading or just managing? In this episode, we will be unlocking the secrets to elevating your leadership approach in youth ministry! We will be discussing the dynamics of little "l" and big "L" leadership. Inspired by Jesus's leadership style, we invite you to explore 3 different types of leadership modeled in scripture. As we dissect modern lead...
Feb 13, 2025•32 min•Ep. 230
Send us a text *** FOR A PDF OF THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE YOUTH GROUP GAMES discussed in this episode- EMAIL US AT MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com - and put in the subject or description "MUST-HAVE GAMES" and we will send it over to you!*** Let's take your youth group games up a level with these 13 must-have game supplies. If you have a smaller budget, add to your game supply slowly over time and get the most bang for your buck with what you choose! Student ministry starts with connections and rel...
Feb 06, 2025•28 min•Ep. 229
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** As we push into the new year, we wanted to analyze what is working in youth ministry right now. We will be taking a look at 6 Youth Ministry Trends and giving them 1 of 3 Ratings: Overrated, Underrated or Properly Rated. We will be taking a look at the importance of small groups in youth groups, the value of having volunteer handbooks, the relevance of youth group games and mu...
Jan 30, 2025•33 min•Ep. 228
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Prioritizing this in your Youth Ministry will have the biggest impact on your students. We will be explaining the what, the why, and the how so that you can implement some of these opportunities into your student ministry this year! Although serving can be done inside or outside the church, in this episode we will be discussing service outside of the church walls and the impac...
Jan 23, 2025•42 min•Ep. 227
Send us a text Are you looking to make your youth group lock in a successful one? Today we have 5 tips on how to transform your youth ministry overnighter into an unforgettable experience! In this episode, we will be discussing important tips for scheduling and execution as well as giving you a timeline for one of the best student ministry overnighters we do at our church: The Glowvernighter! We will guide you through the process with insights on logistics of event promotion and budgeting so tha...
Jan 16, 2025•29 min•Ep. 226
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** New Year, New You? Hopefully...but either way, this is the time to kick off your youth ministry off in a positive direction! Start the new year right by mastering strategies that will transform your student ministry in 2025. Ever wondered how to support your youth group leaders in a way that truly matters? We explore the untapped potential of leader discipleship, ensuring that...
Jan 09, 2025•39 min•Ep. 225
Send us a text Are you ready to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** In this episode, we will be discussing 5 leadership habits of highly effective and visionary youth pastors. Youth ministry leadership is something that a lot of student pastors struggle with and today we will be covering 5 ways to help you improve. Imagine transforming obstacles into growth opportunities through creativity and tenacity, and learn the power of understanding the...
Dec 19, 2024•35 min•Ep. 224
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** What do you do when your youth ministry culture shifts over time to an unhealthy place? In this episode, we promise you'll learn how to become a catalyst for positive change within your church's youth group environment. Our discussion focuses not only on identifying the subtle cultural challenges like lack of respect or engagement but also on addressing them through self-ref...
Dec 12, 2024•31 min•Ep. 223
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Stepping into the world of youth ministry often feels like venturing into uncharted territory. It's a journey that will teach you invaluable lessons that formal education simply can't cover. This episode unravels the three reasons why youth pastor's will never be fully prepared for student ministry...but that is okay! We promise you’ll walk away with a deeper understanding o...
Dec 05, 2024•28 min•Ep. 222
Send us a text **FOR A PDF OF THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR 12 WINTER OLYMPIC YOUTH GROUP GAMES - EMAIL US AT MinistryCoachPodcast@gmail.com - and put in the subject or description "WINTER OLYMPIC GAMES" and we will send it over to you!** As the weather gets colder, it's time to supercharge your youth ministry with some Winter Olympic games!! In this episode, we will equip you with 8 fun indoor youth group games designed to captivate and energize your student ministry (4 more are in the PDF). Whether you...
Nov 21, 2024•27 min•Ep. 221
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Have you ever done a top to bottom audit of your youth ministry? Are there things you need to add? Are there things you need to remove? Are there things you need to improve? In this episode, we will be discussing 10 critical elements for youth ministry programs that can lead to a thriving, healthy and growing student ministry. We will be covering everything from volunteer he...
Nov 14, 2024•36 min•Ep. 220
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Are your youth ministry's attendance numbers constantly fluctuating or even worse, are they just consistently dwindling? In this episode, we will be discussing the secrets to achieving consistency and excellence in student ministry. We promise you'll discover how to make your youth group programs a staple in students' lives. Imagine your youth gatherings as the highlight of ...
Nov 07, 2024•34 min•Ep. 219
Send us a text Are you looking to grow the size and health of your youth ministry? Check out GrowYourYouthMinistry.com *** Wouldn't it be nice to never run out of sermon ideas for your youth ministry? In this episode, we promise to equip you with five essential tips to keep your sermons fresh and your youth group students captivated. We've got you covered with tips that will spark your creativity and enhance your spiritual insights. These strategies will keep your content meaningful for both new...
Oct 31, 2024•41 min•Ep. 218
