How NOT To Be a Youth Pastor

We are living in an unprecedented age of mega-churches. More and more of them seem to crop up every year. But is that a good thing? Can youth ministry be effective on such a large scale? Join Kyle and Derek as they dive into the touchy "church size" conversation.

Hurt is unavoidable. Students (and definitely parents) will offend and insult you as a Youth Pastor. On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about how to process and bounce back from conversations that might otherwise knock you out of ministry.

Kyle and Derek welcome fellow Youth Pastor Heidi Rausch onto the podcast to talk about downtown Chicago mission teams, investing in young leaders, and being a woman in youth ministry.

Youth ministry is a lot like running a small church, with one big distinction: every 6 or 7 years, your entire congregation changes over. Every student will eventually graduate and leave your ministry, so how do you set them up for success? On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about what it takes to launch students into young adulthood well.

With Halloween just around the corner, Kyle and Derek discuss some of the stories and moments in their ministries that would send anyone running! From hotel fires to mischievous students, they share some of their experiences and how they handled some of their most bizarre moments in youth ministry.

Success stories are always more fun. But Youth Pastors fail A LOT. People, in fact, fail a lot. On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about what to do when you do something that doesn't work, and ways to learn from it to make the next move better!

Most people don't like asking for a raise, but what if your boss is your pastor?!? Money is a tricky subject to talk about, but on today's episode, Kyle and Derek dive into the world of youth pastor compensation.

Every Youth Pastor likes to think they have great things to say. You know, like the stuff that would go viral on TikTok. But equally important are the things that Youth Pastors maybe SHOULDN'T say. Whether it's a text to a student or from the stage, join Kyle and Derek discussing some of the things they would recommend YPs maybe don't talk about.

If you're in ministry, at some point you have probably stopped and asked yourself, "Why did I sign up for this?" On today's episode, Kyle and Derek talk about how pastors can hold to healthy boundaries, and how those outside of ministry can be supportive without jumping to conclusions.

Students have a LOT of things happening in their lives that can occupy their time. As youth pastors, how do we work with those schedules, instead of against them? And as parents or students, how do we navigate that balance? Join Kyle and Derek as they attempt to find the line between using the gifts God has given us and being so busy we aren't available for the core of what God has called us to.