Author: Steve

How do we prepare for camp, what do we do during camp, and what is our process for following up and evaluating after camp? It's important to have dedicated experiences within student ministry like camps, mission trips, retreats, and more. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Jeff Harding, of the Youth Ministry Maverick podcast, … Continue reading 110: Successful Camp Ministry with Jeff Harding

How do I start a youth group? How do I re-build a student ministry? How do I go from being a volunteer to the paid youth pastor? What should I focus on when starting a youth ministry? How do I go from ministering at one church to another one? On this episode of Student Ministry … Continue reading 109: Starting or Rebuilding a Student Ministry

Picture this… You’ve gone to a conference, or you’ve read this amazing book, you found a great curriculum, or you heard about this awesome event from another youth pastor, or even from a podcast. And you’re so excited to put it into practice, but then it fails. What happened? More than likely, you didn’t contextualize … Continue reading 108: Adapting for Context with Brooklyn Lindsey

Are you struggling to connect with others doing student ministry in your community? On this "quick-hit" episode, we'll share a couple tips on how to find other youth leaders in your area to get connected and begin collaborating for a more impactful ministry.   Links referenced in this episode:  Find a network or start one … Continue reading 107: How to Connect with Others in Student Ministry

Middle schoolers can be an interesting bunch, can’t they? One moment, they are bouncing off the walls; and the next, you can have a really meaningful conversation with them about their purpose in the world. And sometimes, those are happening at the exact same time. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, we talk with … Continue reading 106: Middle School Ministry with Heather Mahoney

Steve has recently answered God's call to be a full-time missionary with National Network of Youth Ministries. So today on the podcast, he'll explain what led to this decision, why this mission is so important within the world of student ministry, what he will be doing as a missionary, and share some ways you can … Continue reading 105: Answering the Missionary Call

Would you like to recruit more volunteers and build a thriving team to reach even more teenagers for Jesus? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve is joined by Nick Blevins, author of The Volunteer Playbook, co-founder of Ministry Boost, and NextGen Pastor at Community Christian Church in Baltimore, MD, to discuss how to … Continue reading 104: The Volunteer Playbook with Nick Blevins

How do you define success in ministry? Are you always striving for higher attendance and bigger programs? Or is ministry success something different? On this episode, we’ll talk with Dan Istvanik about what success should look like in student ministry and how you can begin to measure the right things to know whether you are succeeding … Continue reading 103: Defining Success with Dan Istvanik

How do we get our students to have faith that so contagious for those they are around? And what kind of an impact could they make if they lived out that type of faith? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, we talk with Dr. Dave Rahn, who has served for over 50 years, including … Continue reading 102: Student Evangelism with Dr. Dave Rahn

With all of the revival talk recently, many Christians are left wondering if it’s real; and if it is, how can we get the same thing to happen in our communities. Maybe you’re wondering the same thing about your youth group or church? On this episode, we talk about one key element of revivals throughout … Continue reading 101: Revival Starts with Prayer