In this episode of the FreeRefills Podcast, Jonny, Steve and Wayne discuss the importance of praying for schools. There is an enormous need to pray for hope, peace, and redemption in schools this school year! Olivia Williamson, from Claim Your Campus, joins us this month to share her experiences with prayer in schools and offers practical tools and…

GLS Next Gen is an exciting new model to enhance the Global Leadership Summit for a new audience! Join GLS Next Gen team members, Jenna Istvanik and Mariana Rubinec, who share their experience in developing this new, exclusive content. We hear the importance of investing in the present to build the future. Join the conversation to identify and nurt…

The NNYM team discusses their experiences at the Orange Conference and the importance of leaning into the messy aspects of youth ministry and listen to the struggles of young people. Youth ministry is constantly changing and that being together and supporting one another is essential for longevity. Takeaways - Creating a safe and supportive environ…

In this BONUS episode of the FreeRefills Podcast, Wayne and Jonny are joined by Seth Baker, Chief Strategy Officer of the National Network of Youth Ministries, to discusses the mission and vision of NNYM. Seth breaks down the process of developing the mission and vision statements and the importance of asking questions and seeking clarity. Find out…

SummaryWayne and Johnny are joined by special guest Charlie Conder to discuss ways to appreciate volunteers in youth ministry! The conversation touches on topics such as burnout, the need for rest and time off, and the power of small group relationships. Hear practical ideas for showing appreciation to volunteers and gain new ideas to appreciate yo…

Check out this dynamic discussion with youth leaders Pauline Ebert and Gerard Gunter as they dive into the challenges and importance of evangelism in youth ministry. Discover how to trust the Holy Spirit, overcome rejection fears, and lead by example. Hear inspiring stories of one person's impact and learn about valuable resources for growing in ev…

Robert Purvey and Rick Eubanks share about unlocking the power of youth leader discipleship. They discuss the importance of being discipled and the need for mentors in ministry. Robert and Rick highlight the value of networking and building relationships as part of youth leader discipleship. Robert also gives insights on how TENx10 can help provide…

Phil Ball wrote the #1 blog post for NNYM in 2023, so we invited him onto the podcast! Youth workers are always looking for ways to renovate and remodel the ministry to be more culturally relevant. Are you looking to find resources for your next remodel? If so, you want to hear this conversation! Takeaways Youth ministry should prioritize disciples…

Keem Fares joins the show with Jonny Radcliff to discuss the insights of the episode “Cobra Kai Youth Ministry” from The Student Ministry Connection podcast. On this episode, Travis Deans joins Steve Cullum to discuss what we can learn from Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, and he also provides 5 things that student ministry must do to keep movin…

On this episode Jonny Radcliff and Kevin Miles get the chance to chat with Barry St. Clair. Author of over 30 books, Barry has been on the cutting edge of youth ministry for over five decades. Through his leadership, thousands of churches have implemented Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry strategies. As founder and president of Reach Out Youth Solutions…

Join this month's podcast with two veteran youth workers as they share how they discovered NNYM. Connect with Steve Cullum at stevecullum.com Connect with Travis Deans at 9monthmissiontrip.com ----- Also in this episode we talked about NNYM's Prayer Challenge as well as our Footprints & Funds Campaign head over to our social media for information o…

**WARNING - this episode contains conversations about student suicide.** Networking isn't just for fun events. Networking creates relationships for the most difficult moments in ministry. Kristi shares some amazing examples of communities working together in the middle of tragedy. ----- Join the NNYM team for the upcoming Network Conversation ⁠⁠Get…

NNYM swag - www.nnym.org/merch for your own merch! Youth Leader Summit on May 24-26, 2023 at LBI in New Jersey - www.hcbible.org/youthleadersummit Morgan Marshall and Jason Lamb join us for this episode of the podcast! Morgan is the Student Minister at Storyline Church. Jason Lamb is the VIce President of Mobilization for Dare 2 Share Ministries! T…

Thomas Brackeen was listed as one of Fuller Youth Institute's Top 20 Black Leaders to Follow in 2023! The NNYM team is privileged to have Thomas as a peer to speak into ministry on a regular basis. Thomas drops some incredible truth about Reaching The Every on this episode of the podcast. Let us know what you think! Follow Thomas on Instagram or on…

Jonny Radcliff and Wayne Morgan set the stage for the Free Refills podcast in 2023. They might not know what an epilogue is, but they DO know youth ministry. Join them this year as they introduce you to some amazing youth workers to help keep you refreshed, refueled, and reenergized in order to help you carry on in your youth ministry. ----- Join t…

We are in the midst of the holiday, specifically Christmas, season. There is a buzz in the air, which creates a rush of excitement, plans be made and accomplished, adrenaline might be spiking, but also stress and anxiety. Christmas is one of the two big marker moments of the year inside of the local church. For us, as youth leaders, depending on ou…

In the past few years we have be seeing and hearing about a shift in youth ministry. It mainly involves the way churches are thinking about how they carry out their ministry model. There was a time when a youth group night was the place to be on mostly Wednesday nights. And it had everything. Now, that isn’t as much of the case. Churches are now sh…

Plans. Most of us have them. We all should have them. We make plans for what we want to happen or what has happened to us in the past. Being in youth ministry we make plans for so many events (programming or life) so that we can feel calm in the midst of the inevitable chaos. For those of us who have a bit of tenure in ministry, we know that a back…

Leadership development is an important part of not only our own growth but an organization’s growth. It’s vital that we prioritize our mindset to be on a +1 approach. We asked Orlando and Stan to share their experience in exactly that. Stan pursued Orlando to be on the staff of National Network of Youth Ministries. ----- Join us for our next Networ…

Leadership development is an important part of not only our own growth but an organization’s growth. It’s vital that we prioritize our mindset to be on a +1 approach. We asked Orlando and Stan to share their experience in exactly that. Stan pursued Orlando to be on the staff of National Network of Youth Ministries. ----- Join us for our next Networ…

We are all in youth ministry because we care deeply about students. Most of us are in settings in which we are close to a school. Our organizations (either you & I or our leadership) want to be connected in more of a partnership with the school or schools that our students attend. This is a simple goal, or so it seems. Danyele Easterhaus sits with …

We are fully into summer now. For many churches/parachurches/ministries, the summer is filled with reaching your friends through a fun via trip/camp/experience or simply put evangelism. While these have good intentions and may be effective, there is a different approach that we are focusing on today: the school year calendar. It may seem counterint…

Sadly, today, you don’t have to look far to find a youth leader who has been hurt/burned by a church/organization. Many times, this person has left vocational ministry or volunteer ministry altogether because of their experiences. Today we are talking about our personal journey of healing and how we are still for the church. ----- Connect with Jona…

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." -African Proverb Our guest, José Torres, embodies that spirit in ministry. He shares with us the importance of collaborating with other youth leaders in his community. ----- Resource Links! Sign Up for National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training - September 24, 2022 -----…

We cannot do ministry alone. We must build a team to go with us. Volunteers are the key to successful, thriving ministry. Josh Griffin sits with Boss to discuss everything he has learn about leading volunteers. ----- Connect with Josh Instagram ----- Resource Links! Sign Up for National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training - September 24, 2022 …

Many of us are products of a leader or group of leaders who saw something in us when we were younger. They called it out in us and allowed us to learn within a youth group setting. Now that we are the leader of a ministry, it's our turn to create an environment for students to flourish in their gifts and talents. Emily Krohn joins us today to share…

Gen Z is the most diverse, the most activism driven, and the most digital. We have to be intentionally working on how we will be reaching these students. We dive into a full range of topics with our guest, Will Cumby, to discuss what we can be doing now to prioritize the future in youth ministry. ----- Connect with Will Instagram ----- Follow us on…

The past two years of ministry have required many to pivot strategy, reimagine ministry, and in some cases, rediscover their calling. But one thing is clear: students still need intentional youth workers who will be united in bringing the gospel to every community. That's why our theme for 2022 is Be Intentional. Following the example Jesus set for…

It’s December. In the ministry context it is one of the busiest times of the year. We have parties for every group we are connected with, if we are in a local church, then we all have Christmas assignments we must plan for, people are excited because it’s Christmas, and then we have all of our own families to think about in the midst of the scrambl…

It's a real 🚩 🚩 🚩 when we start saying things like, "I don't wanna" when it comes to things that have given us life in the past. If you catch yourself or someone else saying something like this, it may be a sign of burnout. Our guest, Jon Crawford, speaks on his experience and reality of this and other signs of burnout. Burnout is a REAL thing. It …

You are so much more than what you do, so take a break. Create boundaries so that you can keep going. Our guest, George Moss, has a lot of responsibility, like most of us, and that is why we asked him to sit with us to share his insights in managing the tensions in his world. ----- Connect with George Insta & FB @georgemoss Text George! 616.378.894…

We want you to be connected with someone else in youth ministry. We want you to stay in youth ministry. We know that youth workers are over-worked, under-valued, and tired. We want you to have a place that you are appreciated, understood, and cared for now. We invited our friends to sit with us over the next two episodes to discuss why being in a n…

We want you to be connected with someone else in youth ministry. We want you to stay in youth ministry. We know that youth workers are over-worked, under-valued, and tired. We want you to have a place that you are appreciated, understood, and cared for now. We invited our friends to sit with us over the next two episodes to discuss why being in a n…

Doubt is present in all areas of our life. Most of us were taught if we doubted God at any point, our faith was in question. What do you do when you doubt? Where do you go with that doubt? Jonny speaks about how he has navigated his time of doubt and how he encourages us to handle it as well. ----- Connect with Jonny Email ----- Resources Mentioned…

You need coaching; always. Your leadership can continue to grow no matter how long you have been in ministry. You will be better, your volunteers will be better, your students will receive the best because of it. Kent Bjurstrom joins us to share his experience and insights from being coached and coaching others. ----- Connect with Kent Insta ----- …

As the African proverb tells us, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” We are meant for relationships. We thrive in community with others. This holds true in our vocations as well. Being coached/mentored in ministry will be the best investment you can make. Carrie Brooks joins us to share her experience and insight…

Our world has changed. Our day-to-day has changed. We have all had to make adjustments and shifts; even our ministries. Our mission has not though. What adjustments do we need to make in order to reach students for Christ in our communities? Chris Moore joins us to share what God has placed on his heart for today's ministry. ----- Connect with Chri…

The month of May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Our time together all this month will be focused on conversations about AAPI experiences to raise our awareness so that we can serve students, adult leaders, and people in our communities well. We asked Tara Vanderwoude to sit with us to share her experience as a member of t…

The month of May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Our time together all this month will be focused on conversations about AAPI experiences to raise our awareness so that we can serve students, adult leaders, and people in our communities well. We asked Jeremy Chen to sit with us to share his experience. ----- Connect with J…

How many times have you told yourself 'no' when thinking about prioritizing your physical health? What would it be like if you started with a 'yes'? We are joined by Lauren Mallory as she shares her journey of making her physical health a top priority. She unpacks how that decision has impacted many other areas of her life in a positive way, includ…

Our theme this month is about Prioritizing our physical health in ministry. This comes during the Easter season in which we celebrate new life, so we thought we would talk about possible new priorities. In youth ministry it can be difficult to prioritize our physical health with the late nights, pizza, Mountain Dews..etc. We asked Jacob to sit with…

Building the best team is essential to any successful vision. It's especially true when volunteers are needed. Recruiting volunteers is often a top need, but requires the most energy from us as it is not our favorite part of ministry. In this conversation with Jon Brown, we discuss practical steps to implement a recruiting strategy for building the…

Our theme this month is Building Better Teams. This is key to creating culture, carrying out the vision of the ministry, and impacting our community. Not only is this an important aspect to focus on for staff hires but also for volunteers as well. Maggie and Boss have a chat about leading with both genders. ----- Follow us on Instagram @youthminnet…

Our theme this month is Light in the Darkness. We are focusing on mental health within youth ministry. Not just students, but us as leaders. The winter months can be difficult as seasonal depression is on the rise, we are still currently in a pandemic, some of our jobs security is uncertain, and a list of other stressors in life affect us daily. To…

Season 3 is HERE! We are back with an exciting season of Free Refills. Today's episode you will meet the voices behind the mics. Boss sits with Dusty, Nick, Maggie, and Orlando as they share what God has placed on their heart for this coming year. ----- Follow us on Instagram @youthminnetworks ------ Connect with the Voices Boss Hogge Dusty Bratzle…

Here we are, it's 2021, and not much has changed. Is it another year, yes. Is it odd to say 2021, yes. You know what it isn't different: our mission. It has not reset, it has not quit. it has not stalled. It is the same today as it was in 2020: to reach EVERY student in our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. ------ Follow us on Instagram @y…

2020 has been a ride, to say the least. It wasn’t what any of us expected or planned. Our 2020 vision campaigns wound up being so blurry on what actually happened. However, God was and is not surprised by this. He is still working; he never stopped. When we allow ourselves to let go of what we hoped to happen and see where God has us planted right …

A heart of gratitude and thanksgiving changes our leadership. It is something we strive to have but uncertain times can create our heart to want more than we have. This is turn impacts the way we lead in every aspect of life. Steve Cullum sits with us to discuss how he has established a rhythm to be grateful daily. ----- Connect with Steve Website …

Secondary discipleship is the reality of people discipling people after they have been discipled. When we get down to it, it's simply discipleship as it was intended. Our returning guest today, Mike Hickerson, has made an effort at applying this within his church community and helping other churches implement it into their culture. ----- Connect wi…

Secondary discipleship is the reality of people discipling people after they have been discipled. When we get down to it, it's simply discipleship as it was intended. Our guest today, Reverend Jonathan Z Queen, has made this the foundation of ministry his entire ministry life. ----- Connect with Jonathan 1 of Them ----- Check us out on YouTube! Fol…