Youth Ministry Sherpas

Welcome to Sherpa Shorts!Feeling the winter blues? Tired of waiting for spring to actually arrive? No Prob-llama! We bring you SHERPA SHORTS--a special presentation of the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast -- 26 short episodes delivered in 26 days! Steve and Mathew are going through the alphabet one day at a time, taking turns choosing a word that begins with the next letter as it relates to youth ministry. Some might be obvious, others obscure -- but neither of us knows what word the other guy is going to choose next, so expect some surprises, laughs and moments of awkward silence. We hope these Sherpa Shorts are a beautiful addition to your spring podcast wardrobe!

Welcome to Sherpa Shorts!Feeling the winter blues? Tired of waiting for spring to actually arrive? No Prob-llama! We bring you SHERPA SHORTS--a special presentation of the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast -- 26 short episodes delivered in 26 days! Steve and Mathew are going through the alphabet one day at a time, taking turns choosing a word that begins with the next letter as it relates to youth ministry. Some might be obvious, others obscure -- but neither of us knows what word the other guy is going to choose next, so expect some surprises, laughs and moments of awkward silence. We hope these Sherpa Shorts are a beautiful addition to your spring podcast wardrobe!

Welcome to Sherpa Shorts!Feeling the winter blues? Tired of waiting for spring to actually arrive? No Prob-llama! We bring you SHERPA SHORTS--a special presentation of the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast -- 26 short episodes delivered in 26 days! Steve and Mathew are going through the alphabet one day at a time, taking turns choosing a word that begins with the next letter as it relates to youth ministry. Some might be obvious, others obscure -- but neither of us knows what word the other guy is going to choose next, so expect some surprises, laughs and moments of awkward silence. We hope these Sherpa Shorts are a beautiful addition to your spring podcast wardrobe!

Many of us got into youth ministry because we love students. We love to hang out with them, teach them, and mentor them. But it doesn't take long to discover that youth ministry is much, much more than that. Sure, there are always students to hang out with, but there are also a host of other responsibilities. Some days we try on more hats than a city slicker at the dude ranch gift shop.In fact, youth ministry is a world of many hats. Sometimes we wear hats that fit us well, and other times we wear hats we wish we didn't have to wear. It's all part of the deal. The good news is that, if we stay in this for a long time, the best hats await us.In this episode, Steve and Mathew share what they did yesterday (the day before we recorded), which epitomized the many hats of youth ministry. They also talk about the FX series The Americans, wonder what life would be like if they got commission from travel arrangements, and question whether carrier pigeons would be an effective form of communication with parents. All th

Volunteers are the heartbeat of a successful youth ministry, but they aren't always easy to find, and they can be even harder to keep. That's why finding and keeping good ones is one of the most important jobs for anyone who's trying to build a youth ministry for the long haul.Steve remembers some of the challenges and benefits of his days as a youth volunteer, while Mathew is trying to forget his recent experience as a volunteer for his kids' school. Together, they share some ways to find volunteers, how to integrate them into the ministry, and how we can encourage them to stay in it forever and ever.It's Episode 11 -- Finding and Keeping Volunteers. 

Youth ministry is more than a job. It's an integrated life that can overflow into all hours of the day, seven days a week if we allow it to. Whether it's people reaching out to us, or our desire to know everything all the time, it can be all-consuming. And while we all want to do a great job shepherding others, we also have to shepherd ourselves. That means we have to set boundaries that help keep us emotionally, socially and spiritually healthy.In this honest discussion, Steve and Mathew discuss some of the ways they protect their day off, their home life, their vacations, and their social media. They also share some of their many failures in this area. Their dogs aren't any better.How do we set boundaries in our life that will help us to stay healthy as youth workers? Join the discussion in Episode 10 of the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast.

In the second part of our interview with author, speaker, and youth ministry veteran Brock Morgan, we venture into a vulnerable conversation about anxiety, forgiveness, the state of today's teenagers, the pressures of academics, and the difficult path to finding a beautiful longevity in youth ministry. Brock shares his own story of experiencing anxiety for the first time, and how it changed his view of it. We also talk about how we so often program the Holy Spirit out of our youth ministry, and what we can do to "let him back in." Since everyone in the room that day had been in youth ministry for at least 27 years, you have to forgive us for our anachronistic references to Pearl Jam, Mike Yaconelli, and the days when we were the cool youth pastors.You will be blessed by the second half of our interview with Brock Morgan.

It's our much-anticipated first-ever interview! We had the privilege of sitting down with Brock Morgan, 27-year youth ministry veteran, author of Youth Ministry 2027 (Youth Cartel, 2017) and Pastor of Student Ministries at Falls Church Anglican (FAlls Church, VA). Brock is a humble and wise voice on the leading edge of youth ministry.We chatted with Brock about growing up the son of Christian rockers, how he got the idea for the book, and the serendipitous reality that the story of Thomas shows up in John 20:27. We also found out that Brock's dad was good friends with Keith Green (If you don't know who that is, you need to do some research), and that he is still waiting to write his Big Boy Book.Part one also begins our conversation on the state of adolescence in post-modern culture, and how we as youth pastors can help move our students from doubt to faith to a movement. Best of all, we're just getting started.Enjoy this interview with Brock Morgan (Part one).

Numbers matter in youth ministry. They always have, and they always will. We care about how many students show up, and often we live and die by those numbers.But what do they mean? How do we count them? What factors influence them? And most importantly, how do we not let our emotions rise and fall with the weekly roller coaster of how many students showed up to our youth ministry?In this episode, Steve and Mathew talk about their golf games, deflation and inflation, and the new trampoline park and Sunday Chick Fil A that Mathew somehow finagled for his youth minsitry. They also talk honestly about their own struggles of releasing their egos and emotions as it relates to numbers. It's THE NUMBERS GAME, and we all have to play it, whether we like it or not.

Mission trips are a staple of youth ministry. They help us get our students out of their mundane, day-to-day existence and into a spiritual adventure. Mission trips provide opportunities for some of the greatest spiritual growth we've ever seen.However, they also have the potential to turn south in a hurry. We've experienced it all -- from travel nightmares to leader meltdowns to puking parties to the total loss of all control. There was the time Steve spent 84 hours in travel hell for 1 day in Mexico. Mathew once pulled a giant dookie out of the toilet in the Andes so that everyone could puke more freely. And this episode ends with the story of when Mathew's group went all "Tom Hanks" on the Island of Rotting Mangoes, waiting to be rescued by the El Salvadorian Navy.But hey, we survived with stories to tell, and you will, too!Just be ready for the inevitable Mission Trip Disaster. 

Every group has them. Some groups collect them. They simultaneously confound us, drive us crazy, and remind us of the Image of God in every person. They are...THE AWKWARD KIDS.There are many stripes, from the tech nerds who know everything to the sheltered ones who have never met a non-Christian to the shy wallflowers who won't utter a sound to the autistic ones who speak in beeps (really). How do we integrate them into our youth ministry? How do we love them well? And what do they teach us about the kingdom of God, and about ourselves? It's all here in Episode 5, THE AWKWARD KIDS. 

Can you believe that your youth ministry isn't the top priority of everyone you meet? Students who want to play in their championship game instead of coming on the retreat? Parents who just finished a 70-hour work week and don't want to drive their kid back to church for youth group? Volunteers who have three sick children at home and aren't coming to lead their small group tonight? What is wrong with these people? Well, nothing, actually. They just have a life outside of the one you are living. So what do we do when our priorities are not everyone else's priorities? This week on the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast, we continue our discussion of "Things You Cannot Change."

Kids wander. It's true, whether it's disappearing on a tour of Lambeau Field (a good place to be lost) or in the racks at JC Penney (not a good place to be lost), kids will wander away. The same is true for students and families in our youth ministries and churches. Sometimes they go to another church down the road, and sometimes they just stop going to church. Either way, it's hard on us as youth workers, because we take it personally. How do we balance our emotions with the reality that some people are simply going to wander away, because that's what people do? We hope our honesty and conversation is helpful as we talk about Things We Cannot Change.

Age is taking its toll. After 52 years of youth ministry, it's hard to remember our names, let alone what it was like our first few years in youth ministry. Maybe it's the brain damage caused by going 105 mph in a Jetta? Anyway, there are a few lessons we learned early on in our youth ministry lives that still serve us well today. Steve and Mathew share some memories of the Wonder Years, of mistakes made and lessons learned when they were just young pups in youth ministry. If you are a rookie, or starting a new season in a new place, here are some helpful ideas that will help you lay a foundation for good health and a long run at your church.

Maryland-based Youth Pastors Steve Anderson and Mathew McCabe bring you their first full-length podcast. Today's topic is Calling. How does God call us into youth ministry? How do we know we are right for this? And what happens when hard times and discouragement come, and we begin to question that calling? What are the Daggers of Doubt that make us want to quit? Mathew came to youth ministry by missing breakfast, while Steve came to it by missing out on a job opportunity. Though they have sometimes questioned that calling, and even wanted to quit, they managed to survive, even though they've never baptized anyone in the sink after youth group. YOU can survive, too!

YOUTH MINISTRY SHERPAS -- Encouraging Youth Workers to Keep Going!The Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast makes its debut with an abbreviated episode. Maryland-based Youth Pastors Steve Anderson and Mathew McCabe serve at neighboring churches and have been friends for over a dozen years. They've never climbed Everest, but together, they have a combined 54 years youth ministry experience, including 30 at their current churches. In this introductory episode, they share what brought them together, what a "Sherpa" has to do with youth ministy, and what their hopes and dreams are for this podcast. If you are a youth worker who has wondered if it's worth it to keep going, we hope you'll become a regular listener to Youth Ministry Sherpas!