As part of our series on spiritual disciplines, William Dmytrow sits down with Pastor Jaidon McCusker and student leader Maximus from First Assembly Calgary to explore the spiritual practice of generosity. This conversation dives into how young people can begin to develop habits of generosity right now—with their money, time, and everyday choices. Maximus shares his personal story of how a small decision to give years ago sparked a lasting posture of generosity in his life. Together with Pastor ...
Jul 07, 2025•24 min
You obviously care deeply about the discipleship of the students in your group, but what is the role of community and accountability in the midst of those relationships? University student Dayton Bracewell shares in this conversation all about his own journey from spiritual stagnation to vibrant discipline and how his understanding of the power of community and accountability has grown. The transformational role of spiritual community in your group is absolutely essential to cultivating lasting ...
Jun 30, 2025•29 min
In this episode, Jeremy sits down with a remarkable group of high school students from Moncton, New Brunswick, who are helping spark a prayer movement across their city’s schools. As part of our summer series on spiritual disciplines, this conversation focuses on the power of student-led prayer and how it’s transforming lives, schools, and churches across multiple denominations. You’ll hear firsthand how a youth camp, a student’s quiet prayer walk, and a desire to invite God into their school ha...
Jun 23, 2025•26 min
In this episode, Jeremy sits down with Will—youth pastor at Ebenezer Church in Saskatoon—for a powerful conversation about how ancient spiritual disciplines are reshaping his youth ministry. This is the kickoff to a special series featuring youth workers and students whose lives have been changed by practicing the way of Jesus. Will shares how challenges early in his ministry led him to rethink how he was engaging with spiritual formation practices. Now, years later, his youth ministry is thrivi...
Jun 16, 2025•20 min
Jeremy and Sid are back to talk about something every youth worker eventually wrestles with: what happens when you're too busy, tired, or distracted to keep up with your spiritual disciplines? Whether it's summer camp season, the back-to-school ministry crunch, or just the demands of life, it’s easy for spiritual practices to get pushed aside. Sid offers helpful language to distinguish between guilt and shame, and reminds us that spiritual disciplines are not about earning God’s favor—they’re ab...
Jun 10, 2025•27 min
Noah Reed and Ryan Murray are two youth workers from Winnipeg, Manitoba who open up about how mentorship has shaped their preparation and fruitfulness in youth ministry. Both trace their ministry health and leadership development to intentional mentors throughout their lives—some formal, some unexpected. Listen in and learn about what mentorship looks like in practice, how to find a mentor (even if no one is offering), and why both practical ministry and spiritual mentorship matter. Whether you’...
Jun 02, 2025•35 min
This conversation has Jeremy sitting down with theologian, pastor, and author Cody Matchett to tackle a topic that keeps showing up—how to talk about the end times with students. This isn’t just about interpreting Revelation or breaking down scary apocalyptic imagery. It’s about offering students a vision of hope, justice, and renewal grounded in Jesus. Cody helps reframe the “end times” as not a roadmap for escape, but a call to live as future people in the present. Listen in to hear how you ca...
May 26, 2025•34 min
In this episode, recorded live at the 306 Network Gathering, Will Dmytrow sits down with Hakeem Bradley from BibleProject to talk about how youth workers can help students engage Scripture in meaningful and compelling ways. Hakeem breaks down how understanding genre, embracing hard passages, and recognizing design patterns in Scripture can transform how students read the Bible. He also unpacks fresh ways to explain the biblical metanarrative using creation–decreation–recreation, and describes ho...
May 19, 2025•40 min
Burnout is a common issue for both ministry leaders and volunteers. But there are surprisingly different facets of burnout and diagnosing the core issue takes some discernment and wisdom. Listen in as Steve Zacharias (Director of the Coalition ) explains the issues of capacity, craving, or culture that can spark a burnout. He’ll also offer practical insights on how to address each one. The hope is that you’ll recognize the difference between being busy and feeling overwhelmed and to understand h...
May 12, 2025•39 min
In this episode, Jeremy chats with Kaitlyn Cey, director of Inspire Our Nation, a youth organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of leaders. Kaitlyn brings her expertise in education, pastoring, and youth leadership to the conversation, discussing how youth workers can navigate the overwhelming cultural issues facing students today. She emphasizes the importance of engaging students in thoughtful conversations while grounding them in the Scriptures. By using the vision, values, a...
May 05, 2025•28 min
Iris Weibel from GFA World shares about the incredible impact of the Great Commission and how youth workers can engage students in global missions. Iris shares her powerful journey from atheism to becoming a passionate advocate for reaching the unreached. She talks about the life-changing book Revolution in World Missions and how it opened her eyes to the reality that billions of people still haven’t heard the gospel. She also highlights the importance of supporting national missionaries who are...
Apr 28, 2025•32 min
In this conversation, Jeremy sits down with Jon Dixon, Next Generations Pastor at New Minus Baptist Church in Nova Scotia, to discuss how to raise up the future leaders of the Church. With two decades of experience in youth ministry, Jon shares how he’s been able to create a thriving environment where teenagers aren’t just participants but potential pastors. From encouraging students to explore their gifts to giving them hands-on leadership opportunities, Jon reveals one of his visions for youth...
Apr 21, 2025•33 min
Sometimes the biggest challenges in ministry are the ones we don’t even realize we’re carrying. In this episode, Jeremy sits down with longtime youth ministry professor Garth Friesen to talk about blind spots — those hidden habits or perspectives that can quietly hinder our effectiveness. Garth has been equipping youth workers for over two decades and brings both wisdom and practical advice for how to create a culture of feedback. Whether you’re a point leader or a volunteer, this conversation w...
Apr 15, 2025•35 min
Every youth ministry dreams of being a welcoming place where students bring their friends — but what happens when the openness of your group makes it harder for your students to go deep? In this week’s conversation, Deniel Sewell from Connexus Church joins us to talk about how to navigate the tension between open groups and deep relationships. He shares practical ways volunteers can stay relationally connected to students, even when new people show up every week — and how small group leaders can...
Apr 07, 2025•27 min
The impact of community and friendship makes much more of a difference then we sometimes understand. In this episode, Roger highlights the significance of the Sunday morning service and in particular the opportunity to connect students with each other. Fortunately, the principles he shares will work great anytime you gather students, no matter the time of week. He'll also give you practical ideas to inspire your student leaders to be part of the solution. "I think it's community. I think communi...
Mar 31, 2025•37 min
Every ministry team has a point person (or two… or three!) that carries a little extra responsibility. Sometimes that person is paid for their time, but sometimes that person is another volunteer. Either way, the weight of leadership can be challenging and sometimes it can be hard to know how to be helpful for them. In this week’s conversation, Jordan from The Pastorate shares some ideas on how to support your point leader – both for their sake and for the students that you minister to. You can ...
Mar 24, 2025•29 min
Whether your team is small or large, it’s always helpful to have more people investing into the faith of the next generation. But how do you actually go about doing that? Kara has seen her team grow immensely over the past few years and she’ll offer some ideas that you can use whether you are a point leader or a volunteer in your ministry. You can follow along with Kara at thisisvillagechurch.com
Mar 17, 2025•25 min
In this conversation, Sid interviews Tim Barnett on the topic of the deconstruction of faith. Tim will explore the reasons behind deconstruction, the role of social media in organizing the deconstruction movement, and the difference between doubt and deconstruction. He’ll share his personal journey of discovering apologetics and his work in helping young people navigate their faith. They also discuss the importance of Scripture in youth ministry and how the shift away from the authority of Scrip...
Sep 23, 2024•47 min
Lydia Kidd shares her insights on student leaders and how her church has prioritized their development by involving them in ministry and providing them with mentors. Whether you are running a dedicated program for student leaders or just looking for ways to support some of your more committed students, Lydia will give you some great ideas. Not only that, but she’s making some of her documentation available to help you as you develop more leaders. You can find those resources at this link: https:...
Sep 09, 2024•29 min
Listen in to this week’s conversation as Jeremy and William discuss how small group leaders can see more progress with their students. Will talks through the discipleship quadrant he uses with his team, which consists of four different quadrants: permissive, authoritarian, cozy, and Jesus-centered. He’ll emphasize the importance of balancing challenge and support in order to create a culture of growth and transformation. Will also provides practical ideas for small group leaders, such as praying...
Sep 03, 2024•18 min
Jeremy and Josh discuss the importance of creating a high feedback culture in your youth ministry. When the whole team knows the purpose of the ministry it allows you to consistantly seek feedback from students and other leaders. That value of listening to students' ideas and dreams helps generate more buy-in as they get to have influence in shaping the ministry. Lastly, Josh will encourage you to be more than just a pamphlet of information, but to be a person who practices your faith and shares...
Aug 26, 2024•35 min
In this conversation, Jeremy and Steve discuss how to handle a situation where your point leader is disorganized. Steve provides a framework for having hard conversations, which includes three phases: curiosity, clarity, and collaboration. In the midst of any difficult conversation, make sure you approach the conversation with curiosity and compassion, seeking to understand the other person’s perspective. Want to chat about youth ministry? Give us a shout by emailing jeremy@youthworker.community...
Aug 06, 2024•32 min
REPLAY // This episode originally aired on May 24, 2021 Summer camp has historically been a pivotal place for the spiritual development of the next generations. If you have students connected to a summer ministry right now, you can help make that experience even better! Listen in as we chat with Deniel Sewell about the connections that should happen between school year ministries and summer ministries. We want to hear from you! Submit your youth ministry question to jeremy@youthworker.community...
Jul 22, 2024•23 min
If your ministry has small group leaders, then your ministry should have some way for those leaders to be coached. Oftentimes the coaching is left to the point leader, but as your ministry grows you should also find ways to empower volunteers to step into the small group leader coach role. In this conversation, Jeremy and Chandra discuss the importance of coaching and Chandra shares her experience implementing a coaching culture in her ministry and provides practical tips around supporting and g...
Jul 16, 2024•27 min
Andrew Goodman, a missionary in southeast Asia, shares about the civil war and hardships faced by the people of Myanmar. Despite the challenges, he emphasizes the power of the gospel to bring hope and transformation. He encourages youth workers to have a bold and humble faith, to be part of God's movement, and to be open to God's calling in their lives. Andrew also highlights the work of OMF in ministering to the people of Myanmar and invites others to join in the mission. Take a look at OMF by ...
Jul 01, 2024•34 min
REPLAY // This episode originally aired on July 30, 2019 Summer brings a great opportunity to build relationships with your students outside of the typical routine, but what are the best ways to make that connection? What if your students are away at summer camp or working a job? Thinking creatively about leveraging the summer can lead to important spiritual conversations, can launch you well into the fall, and can give you a chance to connect with students you may not be able to otherwise. We w...
Jun 24, 2024•12 min
In this week’s conversation, Jeremy and Steve explore the tension between ministry commitments and family time. If you’ve ever wondered how to find a better balance, you’ll be encouraged by the idea of learning the sacred times of your family’s day. You should also take Steve’s idea of reframing the language around absence and use it to help your whole family understand the ministry you are leading. Looking for the Coalition? Details are available at youthworker.community/coalition Want to chat ...
Jun 18, 2024•21 min
“I think first of all, as leaders, we have to understand what the gospel is first and foremost so that we can lead, encourage, coach, challenge, and even call [our students] to a decision.” Mark Miller, from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, joins Jeremy on the podcast to discuss leading teenagers to Jesus. Mark emphasizes the importance of a moment of decision in accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior and the need for youth leaders to understand and articulate the gospel. Listen in for a c...
Jun 04, 2024•42 min
“I think it's always the goal is always to get to somebody's heart. Like what do you believe about yourself and God?” This is the question that Kyla is helping youth workers focus on as we connect with all of our students, including those that identify in the LGBTQ+ community. In light of that, Kyla recommends these three lead in questions that help us understand our students better: Would you share your story with me? Tell me more about your identity… What does that mean for you? We want you he...
May 14, 2024•26 min
In this episode, Jeremy and Sid discuss the crucial role of prayer in youth ministries. You’ll hear their personal insights on making prayer a core part of ministry culture, emphasizing its impact on both your other volunteers and youth. Listen in for practical tips on integrating prayer as a personal practice heading into ministry situations as well as how to pray for your students and pray with your students. Looking for the Coalition? Details are available at youthworker.community/coalition W...
May 06, 2024•15 min
