Nick Blevins Family Ministry Podcast: Children | Youth | Students | Nextgen

In this episode, I talk with North Point Ministries Middle School Director, Britt Kitchen, about how they plan their student ministry calendar-from content, to the ins and outs of events, trips, and retreats. We also break down how they approach utilizing space and facilities, and how they have made their student and office spaces multi-purpose. […] The post Episode 108: Mile Markers for Parents, Calendar, Trip Planning and Facilities with Britt Kitchen appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Youth Pastor, Steve Cullum, about how to come alongside students in your ministry who are struggling with their mental health. He walks through what it looks like to partner with organizations in your community to equip youth, parents, and leaders to champion students as they walk through mental health […] The post Episode 107: Steve Cullum on Helping Students Struggling With Mental Health appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Orange Specialist Charlie Conder who serves and consults with student pastors that utilize XP3 Students. Charlie shares about partnering with schools, and gives us the inside scoop on a partnership she spent ten years building with local schools in her area. She walks through what that partnership looks like, […] The post Episode 106: Charlie Conder on Partnering With Schools and Women in Student Ministry appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Dan Scott about his new book Caught in Between: Engaging Your Preteens Before They Check Out. This book leans into the undeniable fact that preteens start to check out of elementary ministry in the last couple years, but are also not ready to be with eighth graders who are […] The post Episode 105: Dan Scott on “Caught in Between: Engaging Your Preteens Before They Check Out” appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with author, communicator, host, and Director of City Strategy at Orange, Sam Collier about his new book, Find Your Voice. Sam clarifies what it looks like to find your voice, barriers to finding your voice, and why we so often overlook or miss the passion and gifts God has given […] The post Episode 104: Sam Collier on Finding Your Voice appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Kellie Krueger of Beachcities Church. Over 70% of the weekly kids’ team at Beachcities is comprised of student volunteers. Kellie walks through the leadership structure, how it works with so many student volunteers, and how the kid and student teams work together to encourage students to serve and own […] The post Episode 103: Leading a Team That is 70% Student Volunteers with Kellie Krueger appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, Tom Bump, David Maddron, Tom Pounder, Steve Cullum, and I recap OC18. We break down our key takeaways, favorite ideas, and practical steps we were encouraged to take back to our ministries as we continue the mission of helping the next generation know Jesus. Orange Bloggers & Podcast Leaders Connect with Tom […] The post Episode 102: Orange Conference 2018 Highlights and Key Takeaways appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Kevin Jennings. Kevin is a marketing strategist who works with Orange and helps people communicate their message through social media and email marketing. He walks through a plan for how you can market well from scratch, highlighting mistakes we often make, what to focus on, and tools we can use. […] The post Episode 101: Creating a Social Media Strategy for Your Ministry With Kevin Jennings appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with NextGen Pastor, Jim Murphy, about event planning. Jim talks through how his church plans events and the project management system they use. He dives into the weeds, sharing key components of the planning that goes into these events and a video that shows how to practically use the project management […] The post Episode 100: How to Plan Your Event With Jim Murphy appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Interim Executive Director of INCM, Michayla White, about some research they have done involving millennial parents. Michayla breaks down some of the stereotypes surrounding this generation of parents and shares the results of a survey that leans into what matters most to them. Michayla White Connect with Michayla on […] The post Episode 099: Reaching Millenial Parents with Michayla White appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Shelley Donaldson, Nick Elio, Mark Oestreicher, and Eric Woods – 4 of the 5 contributing authors of 4 Views on Pastoring LGBTQ Teenagers. They each share why they wanted to be a part of this project and why it’s important to have an open dialogue about this. Specifically, we […] The post Episode 098: 4 Views on Pastoring LGBTQ Teenagers appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I have a conversation with Kurt Johnston of Saddleback Church about how Saddleback does student ministry, the key components of that strategy, what has remained constant, and what has changed over the past ten years. We also dive into the questions facing student ministry and church leaders as they struggle to engage […] The post Episode 097: Kurt Johnston on Student Ministry Strategy appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Danielle Bell about her church’s discipleship strategy for children’s ministry. Danielle walks through the key components of their strategy and shares specific details about how they execute these components. From breaking down Sunday morning and Wednesday night programming, to talking about retreats, family worship, and baptism classes, the intentionality […] The post Episode 096: A Discipleship Strategy for Kids With Danielle Bell appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Amy Fenton from Orange about VBS. Amy shares best practices for planning ahead and how to build a team and process in order to create a remarkable experience for kids. And, she dives into the difference between focusing on evangelism or discipleship during VBS, and what these two approaches […] The post Episode 095: Amy Fenton on VBS Planning and the Difference Between Evangelism and Discipleship appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with my friend, Kevin Monahan, the NextGen Pastor at 12Stone Church in Atlanta, GA. 12Stone does a great job with leadership development and is so intentional about raising up the next generation of ministry leaders through summer internships and 2-year residencies. Kevin walks through what those programs look like, the […] The post Episode 094: Internships, Residencies, and Leadership Development With Kevin Monahan appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Jim Wideman about the importance of thinking differently. We all have ways of doing ministry that have become routine–typically because we are busy and want to be able to focus on people, as God has called us to do. But, we still need to make time to pray, lean […] The post Episode 093: Jim Wideman on Making Time to Rethink Your Ministry appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Louie Lovoy. Louie helps lead, coach, and resource the student ministry leaders in North Point’s network and strategic partner churches. We have a great conversation about what North Point’s student ministry looks like and how that translates in partner churches of all sizes, all over the country. From teaching content, to […] The post Episode 092: How North Point Does Student Ministry With Louie Lovoy appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Jana Magruder, author of Nothing Less. Nothing Less is a book based on research with 2000 Protestant parents, that asks the questions: What were the things that influenced your child’s faith the most? and What mattered most in helping them follow Jesus? Jana walks through the top indicators, and also shares […] The post Episode 091: The Top 5 Things That Influence the Faith of the Next Generation With Jana Magruder appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with the author of Spiritual Parenting, Dr. Michelle Anthony. We walk through some of the principles in her book, and then break down what family ministry looks like at her church. She shares the groups, events, resources, and other unique components of their plan for equipping parents to be the primary […] The post Episode 090: Equipping Parents to Lead Their Families in Faith With Dr. Michelle Anthony appeared first on nickblevins.com.

In this episode, I talk with Ashley Bohinc, Director of Middle School Strategy at Orange. Ashley and I have a great conversation about engaging middle school students in large group and small group settings. She shares practical tools for inviting them into conversations, and affirming the way they think and interact with others during this […] The post Episode 089: Engaging Middle Schoolers in Large Group and Small Group With Ashley Bohinc appeared first on nickblevins.com.