Youth Ministry Podcast Sparkhouse

After 104 episodes, it's time for the Youth Ministry Podcast to release its Greatest Hits album. Today, Jake and Erik discuss their favorite episodes from the past two years and say "farewell" (for now) to this podcasting endeavor.

They say hindsight is 20/20. Today Jake and Erik look through the lens of their combined 30 years experience and ruminate on what they would've told their younger selves when they were starting out in youth ministry. Also, Jake asks listeners for some help.

You have a lot to think about as a youth minister, and most of it is related to what's in front of your face every day: registration forms, staff meetings, lesson planning, receipts, and the clogged sink in the youth room. Who has time to consider things like user experience and graphic design? YOU, that's who! Today Jake and Erik offer some suggestions for how to step away from the daily grind and design meaningful ministry moments at your church.

Departing from a congregation is almost never easy, and yet most ministry professionals will say “goodbye” to several churches during their career. In this episode, Jake and Erik discuss ways to leave a church with grace for yourself and grace for your congregation.

Teens spend an average of nine hours online each day. Social media is ubiquitous. Young people and figuring out their online and in-person identities on the fly every day. How can the church support young people and their parents as they encounter the complicated and wonderful world of social media? In this episode Jake and Erik talk about their recent interactions with parents and teens on the topic of social media and offer suggestions for how to facilitate these conversations at your church.

Live, from Sparkhouse Headquarters in Minneapolis, MN – it’s the 100th episode of the Youth Ministry Podcast! In this very special episode, Erik and Jake are joined by members of the Sparkhouse team to give you a look behind the scenes of the ministry of publishing. Plus they’ll give you a recap of all the shenanigans that took place during their outrageous lock-in.