Youth Ministry Booster

Youth Ministry Booster
  • 4.3 (156)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Welcome to the Youth Ministry Booster podcast! The most honest and hilarious podcast in student ministry. Hosted by Zac Workun and Chad Higgins. We are the biggest fans of youth ministry leaders like you! We are here for you with the humor and the help to engage, entertain, equip, and encourage.Youth ministry is better together. Learn more @ http://www.youthministrybooster.com

  1. 12/18/2025

    Merry Christmas Adam & Eve Everyone! Youth Ministry's Gift of Presence

    Send us a text Merry Christmas Adam & Eve everyone!  The holiday calendar swirls, the phone notification buzzes, and suddenly December is deciding everything for you. We pressed pause to talk about the real pressure of ministering well at church and home. Our gift this year to share is presence. Chad and Zac share practical ways to build margin without dropping what matters. There’s a tender side to all this too. The holidays carry joy and grief in the same pew. We talk about walking slowly enough to notice the first Christmas after a loss, the newcomer who needs a name remembered, and the family who only shows up in December. With clear expectations at home and a plan for attention—yes to phone-free days—you can serve your church without sacrificing your people • mapping service schedules and roles before crunch time • choosing “Christmas Adam” and micro-traditions to free family time • weekly and twice-weekly family meetings for clarity • device boundaries, batching messages, phone-free days • moving prep earlier to be present with people • shifting from the booth to visible shepherding • noticing grief and first holidays without loved ones • simple follow-ups that turn holiday hellos into care “Please drop a comment and tell us how you drink your coffee” Support the show Join the community!

    26 min

  2. 12/04/2025

    Multicultural Student Ministry

    Send us a text understand your words. We sat down with the Champion Forest student team to unpack how a “one church, two languages” model becomes one student ministry that actually belongs to everyone. If your context includes Spanish-speaking parents, English-dominant teens, and first-generation families navigating two worlds, this conversation offers a blueprint that’s both practical and hopeful. We share how one student ministry serves Spanish-speaking families and English-dominant students without splitting community. From staffing to services, we explain the model, the mistakes, and the practical moves that make unity real. • one church in two languages with one student ministry • culture valued over vocabulary in programming • integrated Wednesdays with bilingual worship moments • Sunday hours aligned with adult services for families • intentional staffing across student, admin and production • communication to parents in both languages at once • planning events together to avoid silos • defining success as connection, not room counts • honoring family traditions and calendars • giving leaders courage to try and learn We’ll drop emails in the show notes below or folks that have questions Support the show Join the community!

    27 min

  3. 11/20/2025

    Lessons For First Year Youth Ministers

    Send us a text What if the fastest way to build a strong student ministry isn’t a bigger stage, but a crowded living room? We pull back the curtain on our biggest do-overs: why we’d start with relationships, not programs; why a right-sized room beats a flashy setup; and why coaching volunteers weekly will outperform any event on your calendar. • starting in homes to build belonging • coaching volunteers rather than just filling roles • using the 80 percent rule for room choice • fast handoffs from staff to leaders and peers • connecting new families to adult community quickly • becoming the storyteller to senior adults • reframing criticism with real student wins • choosing joy and hospitality as strategy Make sure to drop a comment below or email us at chad.higgins at lifeway.com your stories of what it's like to be ministry in the new place that you are, or the wisdom that you would give to be featured on an upcoming episode Support the show Join the community!

    23 min

  4. 11/13/2025

    Ten Years, Still Showing Up For Youth Ministry Games & Taco Bell

    Send us a text Ten years in and we’re still showing up, still laughing about late-night Taco Bell runs, and still fighting for youth pastors to feel seen on that drive home after midweek. We rewind to the After Nine roots—two friends comparing notes before weekend trainings—and trace how a simple idea to be a caring voice turned into a decade of community, practical help, and honest talk about the inner life of ministry. We mark ten years by tracing our start as a late-night voice for youth pastors, then share honest, practical ways to celebrate volunteers and students without adding noise to busy calendars. The thread is clear: what we honor out loud is what our ministries become. • origin of After9 and the late-night drive home vibe • why healthy ministers create healthy ministries • celebrating too quietly and how to fix it • practical leader appreciation ideas that scale • milestone moments for teens with simple spiritual markers • training your heart to notice wins, not just problems • building community with low-cost, high-meaning gatherings • choosing meaning over more events in busy families Thank you guys so much for being with us in this journey Support the show Join the community!

    22 min

  5. 10/02/2025

    Don't Panic! Setting Better Goals in Youth Ministry

    Send us a text 🔥 Feel like you need to throw a last-minute mega event to fix that attendance dip? You’re not alone—but there’s a better way. This week, Chad and Zac kick things off with a hilarious misheard small group moment 😂 and dive deep into the tension youth pastors feel when numbers start to slip. Instead of chasing hype, we talk about trading panic for purpose, and crafting a longer runway for deeper discipleship. 🎯 Learn how to move from reactive programming to intentional ministry formation. We get honest about what doesn’t work (spoiler: slip‑n‑slides 🛝 aren’t a strategy), and share what does—from simple measurable goals to empowering students and engaging parents. 🔑 What's Inside This Episode:  📉 How to name the seasonal dip without spiraling into panic 🗓 Why a 2–3 month planning runway beats last-minute burnout 📚 Building a scope and sequence that serves 2–7 years of ministry 🧠 Helping students go beyond knowledge to confidence and competence 📊 Measuring success with more than just headcount 👫 How to publish your plan to parents and leaders for real alignment 🚫 Why SWOT analysis usually flatters but doesn’t change much 💛 The soul work behind sustainable strategy 🔁 A practical 12-week focus model that builds student discipleship skills 👀 What if your youth ministry wasn’t about doing more, but about doing what matters—better? We’re inviting you to shift from reactive busyness to a sustainable rhythm of planning, evaluating, and forming students with purpose. From testimony practice to small group consistency and Scripture engagement, we’re talking practical ways to track real growth 📈. 🎙 Whether you're leading solo or with a team, this episode is packed with real talk, helpful tools, and hope for the road ahead. Let’s build something that lasts. 📌 Subscribe for weekly conversations that boost your ministry leadership with practical wisdom, soul care, and community. 👍 Like, comment, and share this episode if it helped you breathe a little easier about planning the next season! #YouthMinistry #StudentMinistry Support the show Join the community!

    36 min

  6. 09/25/2025

    Rethinking How Students Actually Learn in Youth Ministry *Also They Sniff Deodorant*

    Send us a text Hey buddy... Are your teaching methods actually connecting with how today's students learn? I mean they love Roblox, Minecraft, and Cedarwood Scents. In this conversation, Chad and Zac challenge youth ministry leaders to move beyond traditional sermon-style approaches to create more engaging, effective learning experiences. The disconnect is clear: while schools have changed their teaching methods to include more group work, technology integration, and interactive learning, many youth ministries still rely on one-way communication models that don't match how students absorb information the other five days of the week.  As Chad notes, "If modern day teachers are trying to shorten lessons to be more engaging and hands-on, why are we trying to defend a longer sermon?" • Teaching approaches should differ based on room size, audience age, and learning context • Students learn differently in school than previous generations, with more group work and interactive methods • Fill-in-the-blank worksheets and guided notes help students track with teaching and practice note-taking • Visual aids and object lessons create memorable sensory connections to abstract concepts • Teaching students to teach others builds confidence and develops them as disciple-makers • Our goal should be equipping confident believers who can articulate and apply their faith • Consider your specific audience when planning - teaching 10-year-olds differs from teaching adults • Moving beyond content delivery to skill-building and confidence development transforms youth ministry Support the show Join the community!

    31 min

  7. 09/04/2025

    Growing Youth Ministry: The Power of Story

    Send us a text "It's all about the numbers." Ever feel like your ministry's is trapped by attendance numbers? What if the most powerful metric isn't quantitative at all? The stories unfolding in your student ministry reveal far more about God's work than any statistical report. We mean it! We want you to measure in stories! This webinar replay reveals why stories are a better scorecard for ministry success than numbers, showing how collecting and sharing transformation narratives creates lasting impact.  Chuck Peters joins Zac and Chad to talk about the importance of story in leading your ministry.  Show Notes • Stories are already happening in your ministry whether you're collecting them or not. We just need systems to collect and share them! • What you treasure is what you measure; focus on transformation over attendance. Stories elevate VALUES. • Creating systems to collect ministry stories helps combat our natural forgetfulness. Become a JOURNALIST for your ministry. • Be strategic about which stories you share with different audiences (parents, staff, church members) • Add categories to your collected stories to easily find and share them when needed, the power of GENRE. • Train students to tell their own stories as part of their spiritual formation, the formational discipline of TESTIMONY. • Practice discernment; don't embellish stories or share what isn't yours to tell, INTEGRITY. • Ask better questions to help leaders identify meaningful stories in their ministry • Use volunteer huddles to celebrate what God is doing across different ministry areas. Help others gather PERSPECTIVE. • Stories should make God the hero, not the ministry leader or program Check out our storytelling resources and learn more about Youth Ministry Booster Season 7: The Power of Story at www.lifeway.com/studentleadertools. Learn more from webinars like this one at: https://www.lifeway.com/en/special-emphasis/ministry-success-webinars Support the show Join the community!

    39 min

  8. 08/28/2025

    The Youth Ministry Meeting Makeover w/ Kate Downing

    Send us a text Ever wondered if there's a way to make meetings less painful and more productive? Kate Downing pulls back the curtain on what makes ministry team gatherings work—or fail spectacularly. Returning guest Kate Downing shares practical strategies for transforming team meetings from dreaded time-wasters into valuable, engaging experiences that build team culture and advance ministry goals. Kate's Great Tips • Starting meetings with celebration time (20-30 minutes) focused on relationship building and recognizing God's work • Using language like "what are you praising God for" instead of "wins" to avoid creating competition • Creating and sharing detailed meeting agendas that serve as both roadmaps and historical records • Incorporating professional development through theological training and guest experts • Maintaining focus on relevant topics while knowing when to take detailed discussions "offline" • Ending meetings 15 minutes early for "15 minutes of fun" as a built-in reward • Applying similar meeting principles when developing student leaders • Setting clear start and end times to respect everyone's schedules • Using collaborative note-taking systems that allow everyone access before and after meetings Join us for Season 7 of the Youth Ministry Booster Podcast where you'll hear from Kate and other great leaders as we talk about what it means to fly fair and fast in youth ministry. Support the show Join the community!

    33 min
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4.3
out of 5
156 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Youth Ministry Booster podcast! The most honest and hilarious podcast in student ministry. Hosted by Zac Workun and Chad Higgins. We are the biggest fans of youth ministry leaders like you! We are here for you with the humor and the help to engage, entertain, equip, and encourage.Youth ministry is better together. Learn more @ http://www.youthministrybooster.com

Information

  • Creator
    Youth Ministry Booster
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2025
  • Episodes
    313
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Youth Ministry Booster
  • Show Website
    Youth Ministry Booster

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