Episodes

One of the major challenges in youth ministry is that often we can serve for years and years before we actually see fruit from the seeds we’ve planted in the lives of teenagers. We’re convinced, though, that youth pastors ARE making a difference in the lives of teenagers and that often God uses youth pastors when they least expect it. It’s often the little things done or said that can literally be used by God to impact the direction of a kid’s life. Illusionist Jared Hall knows this well. Jare...

When it comes to serving in youth ministry, it can be really challenging navigating the world of finance and salary. We often have questions like: Am I getting paid fairly? How am I supposed to support a family on what I’m making? Is it ok for me to ask for a raise? These are common questions youth pastors have and can really impact longevity in youth ministry in a negative way. There’s no question that some youth pastors go from church to church to church as a result of issues with salary. Yo...

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Seth Buckley from First Baptist Spartanburg. He’s been a youth pastor since 1982 and is still going strong. You’ll want to listen to this interview as he gives some quick things he’s learned that he believes are keys to longevity. Long story short, we love talking about longevity, but Seth… TOOK US TO SCHOOL! PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-ways! Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Facebook...

Let’s face it. Jimmy Fallon is funny. Well, at least most of the time. Don’t get us wrong. We’re not making a major moral endorsement for who and what he’s all about. But rather, we want to take a minute and consider how Jimmy Fallon is pretty much a youth pastor minus Jesus and a youth group. And on top of that, he does it WELL. In this episode, we talk about lessons we can learn from the Tonight Show and youth ministry programming. Click here to join our Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast Fa...

It’s a new year! How are those resolutions going so far? Regardless of how you feel about New Year’s resolutions, the start of a new year is always a great time to evaluate how things are going in your youth ministry and set goals for the upcoming year. In this episode, we talk about the impact Evaluating and Goal Setting has had in our youth ministries over the years. We also share some tips on how to do this if it’s something you’ve not really done before. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out a...

What the heck happened and where did we go? Whew! It’s been a crazy few weeks and months for both of us and a little while since the last episode. We’ve had a ton of listeners and members of the Super Secret Podcast Group asking for an update so this episode is all about what has been happening, where we are, and what the future of the Longer Haul Podcast is. So in this episode, we’re giving you the skinny on all those details. PODCAST GROUP! Come and hang out and jump on some of our give-a-w...

So why an episode on finding a youth ministry job? Hopefully, you know that our goal at the Longer Haul is to help you achieve longevity in youth ministry. For us we think of this in two ways, staying in youth ministry for the longer haul, and staying at your church for the longer haul. Both of these are really important for lasting influence and joy. We also understand that the reality is you may find yourself having to look for a new position (check out episode 76), or heck, maybe even your...

We, the Longer Haul Podcast team, are committed to… well… the Longer Haul. That’s why we do the podcast. We know though, from experience that there are times when God makes it known that it’s time to move on. There are seasons of change. The big question we all face is how do we know when it’s time to leave? If God doesn’t send a burning bush, how can we determine his plan regarding the current church we’re serving in? These are hard questions and are often super emotional. In this episode, we...

This weeks interview tackles identity in Christ head on. Todd Jones has written an excellent book called Jesus Colored Glasses. Besides our being jealous of his coming up with a super catchy super cool name for his book, we’re pumped about this interview. Todd gets youth pastors! He’s one of us! As the founder of Stoked on Youth Ministry and as a middle school pastor, he brings a lot to the discussion in our goal to experience youth ministry for the longer haul! Dig in. It’s a good one. PODCA...

Many of us have been guilty of thinking that the teenagers of today are pretty much like all the teenagers that have gone before them. Ahhhhh, if only it were that easy! Research tells us that there are characteristics of the current generation that we need to be aware of as we try to point them to Jesus. This podcast interview will help you dive deeper into Gen Z. We’ll consider some of the things defining their generation that will impact the way you do youth ministry. Brooke Hempell is the ...

We all want to see our students sharing their faith. We would all love to have students leading other students to Jesus. But what is it that is really keeping this from happening? Look we get it. This topic isn’t new…even for this podcast, but we believe it is SO ridiculously important. Our friend Greg Stier is back on the show today talking about this very thing. In it we tackle the reasons students aren’t sharing, the importance of prayer in it, how to encourage students to actually share th...

Over the years we’ve heard people say that we’re only one bad decision away from disqualifying ourselves from ministry. Over and over again throughout the years we’ve heard of friends and peers have to quit serving in the church because of immoral decisions they’ve made. We admit that this podcast topic is not as fun as a podcast episode on the latest and greatest games, but this one is good reminder for all of us serving in ministry to be alert and stay on guard. Walt Mueller has been working...

Let’s face it… we live in a hyper sexualized culture! Ok, either you’re giggling like a middle schooler right now or tempted to close this and move on. Stick with us for a second. Parents are overwhelmed and they need our help navigating everything that they’re facing when it comes to their teens dealing with sex. Whether it’s having the talk or helping them avoid massive exposure to inappropriate stuff. As youth ministry people, we need to help point them in the right direction. Barrett Johns...

Ah, youth ministry volunteers… Doing ministry by yourself can be a lonely and unsustainable plan long-term. And let’s face it, finding youth ministry volunteers can often be incredibly challenging. It’s not like people are knocking down our doors wanting to work with teenagers. Here is what we know though, having volunteers is important… SUPER important. And once you find youth ministry volunteers, you have to continue to encourage, equip and value them. In this episode, we take a look at vol...

Most of our summers are coming to a close and now a new school year of youth ministry is upon us. If you’re like us, you’re probably feeling a little spiritually spent after a busy summer calendar. Often it’s a mixture of feeling blessed because of all the awesome stuff God did in our youth ministry and being worn out from all of the investing you’ve done in others. In this episode, we take a look at how we can transition from summer youth ministry into YOU ministry and give you some practical...

Do you ever feel like your ministry is less significant because it isn’t as big as others your see? Let’s get real, youth ministry has enough challenges on its own without throwing in the struggle of size. But the truth is that you can be extremely effective in youth ministries of any size. Certainly, youth ministries of all sizes bring unique advantages and challenges. This week Stephen Hale from the Youth Ministry: Small Church podcast joins the show to specifically look at the advantages an...

Not everyone loves teenagers. Wait, what??? As youth ministers, it’s hard for us to understand how some adults don’t like teens. If you happen to be serving in a church who loves teenagers, you know the impact that can have on a student’s life. If you happen to be in a church where some or maybe even a lot of adults seem to not like teenagers, you know how hard youth ministry can be. It’s like you can’t get any traction in your ministry. Hopefully we can help. In this episode, we spend some ti...

We all know that youth ministry has its fair share of challenges. We also know that youth pastors LOVE teenagers. All teenagers. Teenagers with special needs creates unique challenges that most youth pastors are ill equipped to handle without some help. In this episode, we ask Lynn Wilkerson some hard questions about how to effectively work with students that have special needs and how to work with parents of special needs children and teenagers. This is a GREAT and MUCH NEEDED episode for all ...

Clay Scroggins, lead pastor of North Point Community Church, joins us on the show this week to talk about how to lead when you’re not in charge. Most youth pastors we’ve met have a pretty heavy dose of leadership built-in to who they are. With that leadership gifting comes the struggle of often being way down the leadership org chart and wishing we could make more decisions than we’re currently allowed to make. We get it! It’s not like people are knocking on our door asking what the youth pasto...

Parent meetings & seminars can be one of the most effective ways to impact the life of a teenager. Trust us! As parents of teenagers, we know how challenging it can be and how we need all the help we can get. Doing them well and getting parents to show up, however, can be a challenge… a big challenge. In this episode of the Longer Haul Podcast, we share ideas from our 20+ years of failing and succeeding in doing meetings & seminars with parents. We share tips, how to do them when you’re not yet...

Chris is back this week and is joined by his lovely wife Wendy. After just celebrating 25 years of marriage they’re giving wisdom they’ve learned along the way by way of 25 tips from 25 years of marriage while serving in youth ministry. In this episode you’ll hear honest and transparent keys that Chris and Wendy have learned over the years. Whether you’re married, want to be one day, know people who are, or just have seen people on TV who are married you’ll find these 25 tips to be useful. Link...

Chris Trent is away this week celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary so…Ed Braswell and Phillip Higginbotham, who are a couple of youth pastors from the Super Secret Longer Haul Podcast Facebook Group join the show this week to tackle the topic of essentials for a youth worship service. In this episode we cover what you must have for your youth worship services, paying worship leaders, and how to make the most of your worship times with your students.. Links mentioned: The Super Secret Longer...

Chad Poe joins the Longer Haul Youth Ministry Podcast this week to talk about effectively communicating with teenagers. Chad brings a ton of knowledge to the table this week all while keeping you laughing. In this episode we cover what it takes to really communicate well, what it is really like to be a full-time speaker, why illustrations matter, and the four keys every sermon and lesson should have. Links mentioned: The Super Secret Longer Haul Podcast Facebook Group (that you should join) C...

This week we’re diving into the subject of youth ministry interns. Maybe you have an intern or a few interns, but just don’t know what to do with them. Maybe you just feel you could be doing better with utilizing your interns. Well, we’ve got you covered in this week’s episode all about youth ministry interns. In this episode we cover how to go about hiring an intern, what to do with an intern once you’ve hired them, some must haves for your interns, and some words of caution. PLUS we give you ...