End Goals: LCMS Youth Ministry Podcast LCMS Youth Ministry & KFUO Radio

DCE Jeremy Becker joins Julianna and Mark for a conversation about how youth leaders can foster community and relationships that build belonging in their youth ministry.
Bio: Jeremy Becker is a Director of Christian Education with over 24 years. He currently serves St. Paul Lutheran Church in Weston, Florida before that, he served at Concordia Lutheran in Kirkwood, Missouri. He was recently awarded the Master DCE award from the National Association of DCEs. He is married to Kristin and has two daughters. 
Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

It’s time to start planning for the 2025 Youth Gathering! Mark and Julianna talk about things to consider as you begin to prepare your congregation, youth, parents and other adults for the Gathering.
Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

The next episode in our second starter pack discusses child safety and risk management. Mark and Julianna talk about what can go wrong and how you can prepare to keep youth and adults safe and healthy.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
The LCMS Youth Ministry resource website: youthesource.com
Ministry Safe: ministrysafe.com/lcms
LCMS Page on Child Abuse/Safety: lcms.org/social-issues/child-abuse

Mark and Julianna are starting a new series of podcasts for those who are starting out in youth ministry. For the first episode, we invite LCMS Youth Ministry Communications Specialist Meredith Smith to discuss communications.
Meredith Smith is the communications specialist for LCMS Youth Ministry, communicating about everything we do at LCMS Youth Ministry, including the Gathering. She is a Houston native, a graduate of Texas A&M, and is married to Pastor Alex Smith.
Find the LCMS Youth Ministry resource website at youthesource.com.

We are excited to be revealing the theme “Endure” for the upcoming 2025 Youth Gathering in New Orleans. Rev. Dr. Peter Nafzger joins Mark and Julianna to talk about the theme, the passages of Hebrews we will focus on and more about our theological paper.
Rev. Dr. Peter Nafzger is an Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Student Life at Concordia Seminary here in St. Louis. He served a congregation in Minnesota before coming to the Seminary. Peter has served on our Theological Advisory Team for several Gatherings and wrote our thematic paper.

Service work is a key component of a healthy youth ministry. Service on longer, intensive weeks like servant events or mission trips give youth a chance to live out their faith through the work of the Holy Spirit and build relationships that keep them tied to their congregation. LCMS Youth Ministry has supported LCMS Servant Events for over 40 years and today we hear more about their benefits to young people, those who serve alongside them, and those they serve in the name of Christ.
Resources for Servant Events:
LCMS Servant Events - lcms.org/servantevents
Event Listing - lcms-servantevents.org
Service Resources - youthesource.com/service
Bio: Lord of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Forest Lake, Minnesota hosts an LCMS Servant Event called Heart of a Servant. Two of the event leaders joined the podcast to discuss their event and why they love hosting young people from across the United States. Rev. Craig Bertram is Pastor at Lord of the Lakes and serves as the Event Coordinator for Heart of a Servant. Shelly Carlson has served as Youth and Education Director at Lord of the Lakes since 1991 and serves as the event’s Community Life Coordinator.