Every youth ministry dreams of being a welcoming place where students bring their friends — but what happens when the openness of your group makes it harder for your students to go deep? In this week’s conversation, Deniel Sewell from Connexus Church joins us to talk about how to navigate the tension between open groups and deep relationships. He shares practical ways volunteers can stay relationally connected to students, even when new people show up every week — and how small group leaders can step into bold, meaningful conversations that shape students' faith for the long haul.

Learn more about where Deniel serves by heading to ConnexusChurch.com or instagram.com/connexusinsideout

The impact of community and friendship makes much more of a difference then we sometimes understand. In this episode, Roger highlights the significance of the Sunday morning service and in particular the opportunity to connect students with each other. Fortunately, the principles he shares will work great anytime you gather students, no matter the time of week. He'll also give you practical ideas to inspire your student leaders to be part of the solution.

"I think it's community. I think community is really important. We have to raise the culture of friendship because the reality is if a teenager doesn't have their friends and they don't feel welcome or don't feel seen, they're not coming back no matter how good your program is."

Find out more about where Roger serves by heading to hillsidemoncton.org/students/

Roger mentioned this video curriculum: darkroomfaith.com

Want to chat about youth ministry? Give us a shout by emailing jeremy@youthworker.community

Every ministry team has a point person (or two… or three!) that carries a little extra responsibility. Sometimes that person is paid for their time, but sometimes that person is another volunteer. Either way, the weight of leadership can be challenging and sometimes it can be hard to know how to be helpful for them. In this week’s conversation, Jordan from The Pastorate shares some ideas on how to support your point leader – both for their sake and for the students that you minister to.

You can follow along with Jordan and The Pastorate on Instagram or through their website.