#052: What To Do When *Families* Leave Your Church

Our digital world can be complicated, frustrating, and even incredibly dangerous. But one thing is certain: it’s not going away anytime soon. The constant innovation, proliferation, and saturation of technology in the lives of our kids and teens is why ministry leaders must know how to better lead and equip parents to navigate this ever-changing space. On this episode of the M2P podcast, the team is joined by our friend and parent ministry expert, Brian Housman, to discuss some of the specific issues that arise in parents navigating technology alongside their kids and teenagers. 

Brian is an influential voice in helping ministry leaders and parents discern how to guide their kids and teens to have a good perspective and healthy habits. He has traveled the world to teach and equip families since 1993 and currently serves as the Director of 360Family in Memphis, TN. Brian is also the founder of Screen Smarts, which is a revolutionary tool designed to help encourage and equip parents each week in just six minutes. Brian is a prolific writer for parenting magazines, most notably Parenting Teenagers, Homeschooling Today, and Parent Life. He has written four books: How You Always Meant to Parent, Engaging Your Teen’s World, Tech Savvy Parenting, and Raising Responsible Teens in a Digital World. Brian has been featured as a “parenting expert” (whatever that is) on more than sixty radio shows and TV programs, including FOX, ABC, and NBC affiliates. You can keep up with Brian and all he has going on through Instagram (@brianhousman) or Twitter (@BWHousman).

In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, the M2P team has a great conversation with youth ministry veteran of 35+ years, Jaymes Curran. Jaymes currently serves as the Director of High School Ministry at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Austin, TX, and uses MinistryToParents in some truly inspiring ways. Our discussion with Jaymes centers around how he is utilizing M2P’s resources to equip the parents of his parish and, specifically, his creative use of M2P’s grade-specific family experiences on the church’s website. Jaymes has a great story and some great ideas about how we can equip and encourage parents as they seek to lead their kids and teens.  

Let’s be honest: there’s a lot to manage when navigating daily ministry or family life (or both simultaneously). To say we are “busy” is sometimes an understatement. The frantic pace of life we often live leads us to a place of exhaustion where we simply cannot operate at our best. In our families and in our ministries, we tend to move from event to event and have so much to do that we have little time for rest, reflection, and genuine relational connection. The world will always push us to do more, be more, and accomplish more. But God encourages us to be still and focus on Him. He wants us to rest in His presence and learn to seek His kingdom above all else. In this month’s podcast, Sass, Amy, and Kerry discuss the importance of slowing down and learning how to rest. Let’s be real; we desperately need to do this as ministry leaders, and it’s our responsibility to lead the families in our churches to have a different mindset when it comes to moving through life. So pour yourself another cup of coffee, kick up your feet, and rest for just a few moments while you listen in as we both try to convince you that slowing down is essential, and we give you some ideas on how to do it.

This month on the M2P podcast, the team interviews Youth Pastor and author of the 12-Month Student Discipleship Journal, Joel Lusz. Joel holds a B.A. from Taylor University, an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. But more impressive than any of the degrees is the fact that Joel is a 40-year youth ministry veteran who is still serving in full-time ministry! This longevity is fueled by Joel’s passion to equip kids and students to grow in their faith and deepen their relationship with God. That’s why your M2P team wanted to get Joel the mic to share his thoughts on the importance of encouraging our kids and teenagers to spend dedicated time each day in God’s Word, equipping them with practical tools they can use to step into a life of consistent discipleship, and creative ways to help them build habits of reading, reflection, and prayer. Joel also shares with us some thoughts on how we can help families move beyond “checklist Christianity,” where they simply go through the motions of faith and live a life where Christ truly dwells in them. Finally, Joel will give us some great insight into what is happening with teens today and encourages us to help them overcome the distractions of life and learn how to follow Jesus truly. This is an episode that you will not want to miss!

On this month’s podcast, the M2P Crew gets together to talk about the importance of mentoring and relational ministry. The kids and teenagers in our homes and ministries need significant and caring adults (other than their parents) who are willing to come alongside them to offer support, encouragement, and even some accountability along the journey. The church can be the best place to build these critical and incredibly impactful relationships. We know that as you earnestly seek to build this mentorship culture in your church and ministry, there are sometimes obstacles in your way, and we will address those, too. So, join us as we discuss how to develop this mindset in our churches and offer you some practical ideas on what you can do to make it all a reality in your own ministry context. 

This month on the M2P podcast, we have a great conversation that we recorded live at the D6 Conference in Orlando, with our friend Brian Haynes. Brian is a pastor, teacher, and author whose passion is to restore people, families, and churches. Brian has decades of experience in ministry leadership and, as a father, has a compelling story to tell. His latest book War in the Wilderness, is an incredibly helpful resource for both parents and ministry leaders. That’s why we wanted to pull Brian off the D6 main stage and get him on the M2P mic to discuss how we can lead through difficult times and issues with our children, teens, and within our homes.  

In this episode of the Ministry to Parents Podcast, the M2P team has a great conversation with Stuart Hall. Stuart is a husband, dad, speaker, and author who works with Reggie Joiner and the team at Orange. Stuart has been an influential voice in ministry for quite some time while also being the father of multiple kids who played sports in middle school, high school, and on college athletic scholarships. So, we thought Stuart would be the perfect voice to chat with this month as we tackle the tension that often exists between the church ministry and sports. How can we, as ministry leaders, best minister to and help the kids, teens, and parents within our ministries who have sports as a part of their lives? Let’s talk about it!

This month, we invite you to join us for another episode that we recorded live at the D6 Conference in Orlando, FL. Our special guest for this podcast is Christina Embree. Christina is a church planter, New Gen Coordinator at Plowshares Brethren in Christ in Lexington, KY, and serves as the Minister of Generational Discipleship for the Great Lakes Conference of the Brethren in Christ. She earned a Masters of Arts in Ministry, Children, Youth and Family focus from Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) and is currently a doctoral candidate of Ministry in Spiritual Formation at IWU. Christina has a heart to see homes as the primary place for faith formation and spiritual growth for kids, parents, grandparents, and every other member of the family. So, grab a cup of coffee and listen in as Kerry and Amy have a fun and incredibly insightful conversation with Christina about what churches can practically do to connect the different generations. 

In this episode, Sass, Amy, and Kerry are joined by special guest Brock Morgan. Brock is a pastor, author, speaker, consultant, and coach. We spend this episode diving into his book The Anxious Teen to talking about what is happening within this generation concerning anxiety and what we, as ministry leaders and parents, can do to help our kids and teens grow in healthy ways. Brock shares some great stories and insights with us concerning anxiety. He also takes the time to provide us with some practical suggestions on what we can do as ministry leaders and parents to better engage. Give it a listen and share it with someone else!

We have a real treat for you this month on the M2P podcast as we share the first of three episodes that we recorded live with some of the main stage communicators at the D6 Conference in Orlando, FL. Our first guest is Dr.  Timothy Paul Jones, who is the vice president; C. Edwin Gheens professor of Christian family ministry; and chair of the Department of Apologetics, Ethics, and Philosophy at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Timothy is also the author of more than a dozen books, including In Church as It Is in Heaven (InterVarsity, 2023) with Jamaal Williams. He also serves as a preaching pastor at Sojourn Church Midtown and cohosts The Apologetics Podcast. Timothy joins Kerry and Amy in this month’s podcast to share with our M2P listeners how families can step into truly discipling their kids at home.