Summer is nearly upon us! What are you going to do with your students? Andrea and Ronald talk about how to promote and when on this week’s show! Questions to consider: Do you have a plan to promote incoming students with your children’s team? Do you have a hand off planned with your high school team ..read more

Spring can be tough! It may be even tougher for your volunteers! In this quick episode, Ronald shares some tips on how to encourage your team. Questions to consider:What are other ways you can encourage your volunteers? How can you encourage your volunteers today ..read more

Holidays and “off” weeks can be tough! From low attendance to just not being sure how much time and attention to detail you should put into the week students are on Spring Break, Ronald and Andrea share some hot takes on how to plan for the holidays! Questions to consider:How do you handle low attendance youth events?What’s your go to for holiday and “off” weeks of youth ministry ..read more

Giving middle school students a chance to lead will help them own their faith and make a bigger impact on their peers! This week Andrea and Ronald talk about how they saw leadership transform Middle School students and the ministry they were a part of.  Questions to consider: Would you hand a middle school student the microphone? Why do you wait to give away leadership ..read more

Ok, but HOW do you minister to parents well? How do you guide them while doing youth ministry? Ronald and Andrea share some practical tips with you! Questions to consider: What would scheduling out in advance do for your ministry? How do you communicate with parents ..read more

Who was really looking forward to re-inventing church and middle school ministry as we know it this month? Anyone? Well too bad, we're doing it anyway! Thanks, COVID-19! For real, churches and ministries everywhere have been completely changing the way student ministry happens in order to help stop the spread of the virus. Michelle and Ronald take a moment to talk about what their churches have been doing.  What online platforms have you been using to reach your students? How have you managed to keep doing "youth group" in the midst of a pandemic? What has been the best practices you woul ..read more

Ministry is hard. Trying to do ministry from an empty cup is impossible. Don't burn out. You're not alone. Get help! This week, Ronald and Michelle talk about what they do when they're feeling spent in ministry. No matter what fills your cup back up, it's important to know when you're bone dry and how you can stop from getting all burnt out. But, when you see the signs that it's coming, there are definitely things you can do to help fill your cup back up and get to ministering to middle school students again! What is the main cause of burn out in YOUR life? Why do you normally burn out? Which ..read more

It's such a blessing to have students in our ministries who are different! When it comes to students with special needs, they have a set of needs that ought to be addressed and met.  Both Michelle and Ronald have and have had students with special needs in their ministries. This episode breaks down some strategies to help you think through how to help out the families who have students with a different set of needs than the rest of the group. How are you communicating with the parents of special needs students? What space have you set up for when your student needs a moment? Who can you h ..read more

We all post to social media. Whether it's for our personal pages or for our ministries, putting up a quick pic is something we all do! Have you ever put up something that you later thought might not have been the best? Or has a recent Facebook memory from seven years ago made you cringe? Or have you ever stopped to ask a student, "Hey, before I post this are you cool with the pic and the description?" This week, Ronald and Michelle break down what it means to ask a student for their opinion before you put something about them up on social media. When you post something with a student in it, ar ..read more

 Ronald Long and Andrea Miller talk about partnering with middle school parents and why it’s essential, whether you’re “just” the middle school pastor or everyone’s youth pastor! Questions to consider:How can you relieve the fears of nervous new parents?Why do you communicate the way you do with your parents right now ..read more