The Word in Youth Ministry - A CPYU Podcast

Kyle invites CPYU Research Fellows Kerry Trunfio and Jason Engle to joint the discussion for this episode. We take a look at questions that have been submitted by e-mail from our listeners. The three of them take the time to answer questions about Bible engagement, a "Simple Church" model, and more.

Kyle has a conversation with Art Rainer of Christian Money Solutions. They discuss the importance of being generous with our resources because we serve a generous God. Thinking biblically about money is a skill that will set them up well for the rest of their lives. Giving allows us to live with greater contentment and satisfaction as we come to realize that we are simply stewards of what God has provided to us. Art helps us lean into a biblical worldview of possessions, finances, and money and offers listeners lessons on how we can teach and model the concept of generosity to our children and the teens in our ministries.

Kyle invites CPYU President Walt Mueller and author Andrew Walker to join this episode. They discuss transgender ideology, how it is impacting our kids, and steps we need to take in our youth ministries to teach the truth. The importance is teaching solid theology is stressed, with an emphasis on going back to Genesis 1 and 2 to see God's intended creational order. Andrew Walker takes a look back at how some of the cultural issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ movement have changed so quickly, even in the short number of years since he wrote the first edition of his book, and addresses some of the changes he'd make or add today.

Pastor and author Tim Challies joins the podcast to discuss his book Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God. We use the opportunity to talk about how we can train those in our youth ministry how to suffer well. If we haven't taught a deep theology of suffering to our teenagers, then they can be blindsided later in life when suffering comes. Tim describes how walking with faith through suffering is an opportunity to steward the suffering that God has given for us. Suffering is an inevitable part of life in general, and particularly of the life of a Christian, so we must do our part to equip our students biblically with a proper view of God's sovereignty in suffering.

Our culture has a broad misunderstanding about sex, marriage, divorce, cohabitation and other related topics. Dr. Jim Newheiser joins the podcast to help us look at teaching these topics from a biblical perspective. His years of pastoral counseling experience help us realize the importance of confronting cultural lies and pointing to biblical truth. Students need to be equipped to think through whether they are being called to get married, and whether or not they are ready for marriage. We also take a look at the pitfalls of cohabitation and instead teach about the covenant of marriage. We can help teenagers begin thinking about preparing and maturing for marriage years before they are even considering getting married themselves. We also take a look at teaching about divorce sensitively knowing that many students in our ministries are coming from broken homes.

In this episode Kyle emphasizes the importance of learning from church history. In that light, he invites Pastor Rick Marshall to discuss his time serving as Director of Crusades/Missions for Billy Graham. Rick talks about the importance of ministry to the next generation and reflects back on his time with Billy Graham to help pass along a few lessons. He shares about Billy Graham's heart for young people and what it looks like to not only start well, but to finish well.

Kyle welcomes Mike McGarry, founder of Youth Pastor Theologian on the podcast to discuss teaching the Bible the students. Mike emphasizes the importance of teaching theology and filling our students' cups. Together, they discuss Mike's latest book Discover: Questioning Your Way to Faith and how important it is to let students ask questions in your youth ministry setting. There's plenty of great information to learn from this 20 year youth ministry vet in this episode.

Kyle invites youth pastor Will Standridge to join the podcast. Together they discuss teaching 1 Samuel 15. Their conversation covers sermon prep, considering the setting, praying for your audience, and dives into the difficult passage. Will offers great advice to youth pastors, not only for teaching this specific text, but for teaching students in general.

Kyle and Rich Brown of Next Gen Matters discuss the importance of teaching The Word to the next generation. They look at passages of scripture, from Acts and II Timothy, and talk about lessons we can gain as we work to pass the torch and equip our teens. Do our students have a relationship with Jesus? How do we teach students the truths of Scripture and get them to engage with the Word of God? How do we get them to actively serve in the life of the Church? We look at these questions and more on this episode of The Word in Youth Ministry.

Kyle invites Reggie Seutia, Pastor of Music Ministry, to join the podcast to discuss worship and song in youth ministry. They discuss the importance of using good songs in our worship and how we can use songs with intentional lyrics and rich content to teach the Bible and theological truths. Reggie encourages us not to sing certain songs just because they're popular or trendy, but instead to evaluate them in terms of whether they are true to scripture. Kyle and Reggie also discuss ways we can use our time with high school students as a way to train future worship leaders. They also discuss practical issues like lighting, volume, and even the key songs are played in.

Dr. Mitchell Chase joins Kyle to discuss the importance of teaching about the Fall to our students. Dr. Chase discusses his latest book "Short of Glory: A Biblical and Theological Exploration of the Fall." Together they encourage us not to shy away from this topic, but instead to help place it within the larger biblical narrative. Understanding the effects of the Fall and realizing our sinfulness helps us better comprehend and appreciate the grace, redemption, and justification offered through Jesus Christ.

Kyle invites his youth pastor on the podcast to discuss the impact he had on his life and ministry and to pick his brain about teaching the Bible to the next generation. Chad Groff offers encouragement to youth workers, both new and "seasoned" alike. Chad reflects on how his methods have changed over a few decades of teaching the Bible, provides insight on staying up-to-date with culture, and discusses how having children of his own in the youth group impacts his ministry.

Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration. Kyle and Jason discuss helping our students understand God's Grand Story as we teach them Scripture. Knowing where books of the Bible or certain passages fall within the bigger picture help us provide context for our students. How can we use this narrative to help students navigate culture and the things they deal with in every day life?

CPYU President Walt Mueller joins host Kyle Hoffsmith for this episode. They give a shout out to Matt and Linda as they transition to new roles and discuss the future of the podcast and how we'll handle co-hosts moving forward. Together they talk about Bible teaching in the new school year. There is also a helpful conversation about devotionals along with some highly recommended ones.

Kyle, Linda, and Matt have a great conversation with Dr. Jonathan Pennington. He discusses his new book Come & See: The Journey of Knowing God through Scripture. He describes three different ways in which we often approach reading Scripture: informational, theological, and transformational. After describing each, he encourages listeners to approach Scripture with an appropriate balance of all 3.

Kyle, Linda, and Matt invite Mike Flavin, a veteran youth pastor for over 42 years, to join the podcast. Mike shares lessons he learned, emphasizes the power of small groups and empowering other leaders to teach the Bible well, and reminds us that home is really where the action is! New and veteran youth workers alike will be encouraged and equipped by this helpful conversation with Mike.

Kyle, Linda, and Matt welcome Tony Souder to the podcast. Tony is the founder of the Pray for Me Campaign. Together they have a great discussion about intergenerational ministry and how churches can utilize the power of prayer to bring people of different generations together. How can churches utilize the Pray for Me Campaign? Tony shares some powerful stories about the work God is doing in our churches through the power of different generations praying for each other.

Kyle, Matt, and Linda discuss spring break and then transition to the halls of their local schools in a conversation with Travis Deans. Travis started 9 Month Mission Trip as a way to encourage students to see their school as a missions field and provides resources to help them be effective ambassadors for Christ among their peers. How can we encourage teens to share the Gospel with their friends at school? Travis suggests getting them to pray for their peers is a great place to start. Students are encouraged to embrace struggles and challenges as a place and opportunity to grow.

Kyle runs the podcast solo this episode, but invites in guest Matt Smethurst. Matt discusses his book "Before You Open Your Bible: Nine Heart Postures For Approaching God's Word." Following a fun discussion about Michael Jordan, Kyle and Matt focus on a few of the heart postures we should have before we dig into Scripture. He encourages us in the idea that we are all theologians, and we can help our students realize this as well. Matt emphasizes community in the body of Christ and setting students up well now so they remain in the Church for the rest of their lives.

Kyle, Matt, and Linda have a lively discussion with Peter J. Williams about his book "Can We Trust the Gospels?" Dr. Williams tells us the importance of being able to trust the Gospels, and how they help us know we can trust all of Scripture. Matt engages with Dr. Williams in a discussion about how geolocation helps confirm the stories of Jesus as told in the Gospels. Linda asks a helpful question about so-called contradictions, and Dr. Williams provides a helpful way for us to discuss paradox with our students. He also encourages us to stretch our students academically far more than we often think they can handle.