Youth Ministry Booster

Youth Ministry Booster
Youth Ministry Booster

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. 2D AGO

    Youth Ministry Work, The Summer Slump, And Preparing For Fall

    Send us a text The hype of camp is fading. The smell of leftover sunscreen and emotional debriefs still lingers. But now it’s time to face the real ministry question: What’s next? In this episode, Chad and Zac unpack the sneaky shift from summer chaos to fall calendars, and how to survive the mid-summer mental fog without quitting or creating a whole new youth group (again). July can be a peculiar time in youth ministry. The adrenaline of summer events still lingers while the pressure of fall kickoff looms on the horizon. Some of us respond by mentally checking out ("laid out on the carpet," as Chad puts it), while others frantically start dreaming up complete ministry overhauls. Both responses stem from the same reality: seasonal transitions are hard, and our brains don't always cooperate. Chad shares his strategy of scheduling a dedicated "dream planning day"—a physical and mental reset that helps him formally shift from summer to fall mode. This intentional transition, often accompanied by a change in location, creates space for creativity to return. Meanwhile, Zach offers the complementary approach of completely stepping away through hobbies, physical activities, or creative pursuits that engage different parts of the brain. Perhaps most powerfully, let's talk about  "Tuesday faith," learning to find meaning and purpose in the ordinary moments of ministry between the mountain-tops of camp experiences and the valleys of crisis. As Chad notes, "Not all flowers grow year-round," a reminder that seasons of apparent stagnation are natural and necessary parts of ministry. 🛠️ IN THIS EPISODE: 🌀 Mid-Summer Drift: Why it’s hard to go from bonfires to budget meetings.😩 Two Ministry Mood Swings: Burnout Brian vs. Overhaul Olivia.🌳 Change Your Place, Change Your Pace: A new spot might mean new ideas.🏃‍♂️ Hobbies, Health, & Holy Distractions: Stepping away might be the secret to stepping forward.📆 Why “Tuesday” Faithfulness > Friday Night Lights: Embracing the unglamorous middle.🧠 Ministry Dopamine Detox: Recognize when your body is addicted to “big events only.”🧍‍♂️ Be Honest, Not Isolated: The power of having someone to call out your spiral.🔍 Know Thy Patterns: The better you understand your own transition style, the better you lead through it.This episode is for the youth worker staring at a whiteboard wondering if it’s too early to plan the fall kickoff or too late to nap until Christmas. (It’s not. Just… plan a little, nap a little.) If you're currently navigating the summer-to-fall transition in your ministry, this episode offers both practical strategies and the reassurance that you're not alone. We're all still learning—even after decades in ministry—how to work effectively through the rhythm of seasons. Want to connect with a community of youth workers who understand these challenges? Check out Youth Ministry Booster or reach out directly to chad.higgins@lifeway.com or zac.workun@lifeway.com to learn more about how we can support you in your ministry journey. Support the show Join the community!

    30 min
  2. JUL 3

    Youth Ministry Camp Brain, Binders, & the Post-Camp Blues

    Send us a text The emotional marathon of summer camp affects every youth minister differently. Whether you're riding high on spiritual victories, nursing wounds from what felt like failure, or simply exhausted beyond words, this episode offers genuine encouragement for wherever you find yourself. Zach and Chad dive into their contrasting pre-camp experiences - one fueled by caffeine-like excitement, the other weighed down by planning anxiety. They share practical wisdom about externalizing your plans (either in meticulously organized binders or digital systems) to create both present peace and future efficiency. Camp Brain, Binder Blues, & the Post-Camp Fog It's that time of year—when youth pastors everywhere go from pre-camp jitters to post-camp exhaustion in just five sleepless days! In this episode, Chad and Zac take you on the emotional rollercoaster known as Summer Camp Season. Buckle up, it's a wild ride full of excitement, duct tape, and probably at least one crying senior guy. 🛠️ IN THIS EPISODE: 😅 Pre-Camp Vibes: Why some of us are Camp Keeners and others are... Camp Avoiders.📓 Binder or iPad?: Getting organized (yes, your spreadsheets can be holy).🧠 Document the Madness: Future you will thank you for writing it down now.🙏 The Power of Presence: How to be spiritually available between cabin wars and snack bar runs.🛏️ The Three Faces of Post-Camp: Euphoria, Disappointment, and “Please let me sleep forever.”📋 Wrap It Up, Don’t Leave It Hanging: Final reports > mental “I’ll do it next week.”🌿 True Rest: How not to burn out your soul on the altar of “just one more game.”🗣️ Multiple Takes Matter: Debriefing with your team so the loudest voice isn’t the only voice.This is the Summer Camp Survival Guide your soul needed. It's honest, a little chaotic, and fully soaked in sunscreen and sanctification. Whether you're preparing for camp, in the thick of it, or recovering from it, this episode provides the encouragement that you're not alone in this emotional journey.  Share your camp stories with us on social media or email us at podcast@youthministrybooster.com! Support the show Join the community!

    32 min
  3. APR 17

    Navigating Youth Culture in the Digital Age w/ Walt Mueller

    Send us a text Youth Ministry.. it ain't what it used to be!  The digital revolution has transformed youth ministry into uncharted territory, creating what seasoned experts are calling "a perfect storm" of challenges for today's teenagers. At the heart of this storm lies the smartphone – a device that has fundamentally altered how adolescents experience relationships, rest, and reality itself. "The culture is catechizing our kids 24-7 through these devices," -Walt Mueller Special Guest Alert: Walt Mueller of CPYU There is some reason to raise alarms: trends like teens sleeping with phones, FaceTiming until they pass out, and even gambling online during school lunch periods. This constant digital immersion directly contributes to the sleep deprivation fueling unprecedented anxiety levels among young people. Medical experts emphasize that teenagers need approximately nine hours of uninterrupted sleep for healthy development, yet notifications and digital dependencies make this virtually impossible for many. In the wake of Jonathan Haidt's must-read book "The Anxious Generation"  Zac and Walt discuss how parents increasingly use their children as "status objects" for social media validation, creating crushing pressure that transforms ordinary activities into high-stakes performance arenas. Youth workers must respond with a threefold approach: prophetic influence (speaking God's truth to cultural realities), preventive influence (building appropriate guardrails), and redemptive influence (offering grace when mistakes inevitably occur). Rather than merely aiming for behavioral compliance, effective youth ministry nurtures heart transformation through balanced spiritual formation. Today's youth ministry leaders function as cross-cultural missionaries who must be deeply grounded in Scripture while simultaneously understanding the complex digital landscape teens navigate. By creating spaces where adolescents can experience genuine community, rest, and spiritual formation apart from screens, youth ministry offers what many teenagers desperately need but rarely experience elsewhere.  Subscribe to the podcast to hear more conversations with ministry leaders who are reimagining how we disciple the next generation in an age of digital distraction and spiritual hunger. Support the show Join the community!

    19 min
  4. FEB 7

    Redefining Youth Ministry: Rethink Discipleship & Strengthen Parent Ministry

    Send us a text Could You Survive the 1800s?  The password is Clifford the Big Red Dog. Could you hack it in the 1800s armed only with modern knowledge? Wild question, right?  Zac and Chad wrote a book!  This episode kicks off with some fun, lighthearted speculation before we take a deep dive into childhood nostalgia—Dr. Seuss, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and how those early books shaped our love for reading. But this isn't just a trip down memory lane; it’s a special occasion. Chad is back on the Youth Ministry Booster podcast, and we’re celebrating the upcoming release of our new book, Define the Relationship, now available for pre-order! Beyond the laughs and throwback stories (including why Clifford wasn’t just a dog in our childhood imaginations), we shift gears into something every youth leader needs to hear: the power of partnering with parents. We’ve spent years researching, listening to over a thousand church-going parents, and crafting a framework that helps youth pastors and parents get on the same page. Ministry isn’t just about programming—it’s about creating a culture of discipleship that starts in the home. We break down practical next steps, a six-month plan for parent ministry, and why youth ministries should function as spiritual centers in today’s chaotic world. As we wrap up, we tackle one of the biggest shifts needed in youth ministry today: moving from event-based models to deep, relational discipleship. It’s a challenge, but it’s necessary for long-term impact. And of course, we can’t end without some excitement—Define the Relationship is here! We’d love for you to read it, rate it, and review it. Your feedback fuels the future of these conversations, and who knows? Maybe some special guests will join us next time. So grab your headphones, hit play, and let’s dive in! And if you’ve got thoughts, hit us up—we love hearing from you. Support the show Join the community!

    28 min
4.2
out of 5
153 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

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