Shows / Student Ministry Connection
Student Ministry Connection
For those who serve in student ministry, want to connect, and desire to grow. Hosted by Steve Cullum.
Episodes
- Student Ministry Connection
196: Following Where God Leads with Scott Burks
How do we follow where God is leading? We often teach teenagers, parents, and volunteers to be in tune with God and follow Him, but what does that look like?…
- Student Ministry Connection
195: Tips for Partnering with Parents
We often talk about how parents are the primary spiritual leaders in their homes, and we need to partner with them, but what does that actually look like? On…
- Student Ministry Connection
194: Including Students & Leaders with Disabilities with Don Talley
How are we ministering to teenagers and volunteers who have chronic illnesses and disabilities? Maybe you are someone who has been diagnosed with a disability…
- Student Ministry Connection
193: How to Leave Well
How do we leave our ministry positions well? Whether it's our choice or not, there are some things that we can do to leave well and communicate well. On this…
- Student Ministry Connection
192: Navigating Christian College with Denise Cunningham
Why is it so important that we raise up the next generation of leaders? And where do we send them to further their training, especially when the process of…
- Student Ministry Connection
191: The Comparison Game
The comparison game is real, and it's hard to avoid, even popping up in places we don't expect it. On this quick episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve…
- Student Ministry Connection
190: Developing Leaders with Doug Franklin
How can we get more volunteers, set them up for success, do student leadership well, and keep ourselves from burning out? What should we be focusing on as we…
- Student Ministry Connection
189: Symphony of Prayer
What if we not only encouraged our students to pray, but we got our churches and networks to join in praying for the next generation, especially at the…
- Student Ministry Connection
188: The Power of Praying Students with Aubrie Kimbrough
What could happen if we encourage students to pray for their local schools, and they actually do it? Could we see fighting stop, grades go up, and God move…
- Student Ministry Connection
187: How to Get Connected
Did you know we were never meant to do ministry alone? And yet so many leaders do. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve shares all about…
- Student Ministry Connection
186: Victory Beyond the Cup with Heather Reddy
What could happen if we were really intentional with outreach and evangelism, especially around one of the biggest world events, like the World Cup? On this…
- Student Ministry Connection
185: What to Do When You're New
What do you do when you’re just starting a new student ministry? What should you focus on? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve shares 10 tips…
- Student Ministry Connection
184: Student Ministry Staffing with Todd Rhoades
What do we need to know about student ministry staffing in 2026? What do we need to pay attention to? What can we do to improve it? On this episode of Student…
- Student Ministry Connection
183: Shepherding the Teenage Mind with Tomy Cummins
What role does mental health play in ministry, and how can we create safe spaces for open conversations grounded in faith? On this episode of Student Ministry…
- Student Ministry Connection
182: How to Win with Your Boss with Brent Squires
How do we win with our boss or supervisor? No matter where we are serving, we all have a someone who is tasked to supervise us and help us lead better and…
- Student Ministry Connection
181: Leading Through Programming Changes
How do you go about making changes in your programming? On this quick-hit episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve shares some tips he's learned over the…
- Student Ministry Connection
180: Youth Pastor Compensation Update 2026 with Josh Boldman
What’s the average salary of a youth pastor, and how do you go about getting a raise? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve talks with Josh…
- Student Ministry Connection
179: Finding Your Voice
What’s the one thing that can take your speaking and teaching to the next level? That’s what we’re talking about on this quick episode of Student Ministry…
- Student Ministry Connection
178: Why Discipleship is Important with Matt Brinkley
We often throw around the word discipleship within student ministry, but what does it actually mean, and how can we not only make sure we are discipling…
- Student Ministry Connection
177: Celebrating 10 Years of Student Ministry Connection
What happens when God takes a simple idea of wanting to talk to other leaders in student ministry and turns it into an entire ministry? On this episode, we’re…
- Student Ministry Connection
176: Staying Power with Jody Livingston
Student Ministry is tough sometimes, and there are a lot of reason why you’ve probably thought about leaving, but there are also many more reasons why you…
- Student Ministry Connection
175: The Future of Student Ministry
Where is student ministry going in the future? What are the trends we need to be paying attention to in our churches, and what should we be doing with the…
- Student Ministry Connection
174: Highlights from 2025 Guests
The last 12 months of this podcast have been so great, especially all of our guests, so on this year-end episode of Student Ministry Connection, we’re…
- Student Ministry Connection
173: Student Ministry Hot Takes with Jonny Radcliff
It seems like everywhere we turn, everyone’s got a hot take, even in the world of student ministry. And we're not talking about what's the best pizza topping…
- Student Ministry Connection
172: Ministry Update 2025
It's time for a ministry update! On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve shares what God has been doing recently and provides some insight on the…
- Student Ministry Connection
171: Seek First to Understand
How do we engage with people who are different than us, come from different backgrounds than us, and have a different worldview or perspective than us? On this…
- Student Ministry Connection
170: Ministering to Incarcerated Teens with Orlando Hale
Every teenager has a story, and some of those stories are partially written behind bars. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve talks with…
- Student Ministry Connection
169: Working with Disruptive Students
How do we handle students who are disrupting and being disrespectful? On this quick episode of Student Ministry Connection. Steve shares a few tips and some…
- Student Ministry Connection
168: Why Internships Matter with Ian Chrisler
How can internships help train the next generation of student ministry leaders? Or if you are new to student ministry, why should you seek out an internship or…
- Student Ministry Connection
167: When Tragedy Strikes
What do we do when a tragedy happens in our world, country, or community, especially when it comes to our youth group? How should we respond? What do we do…
- Student Ministry Connection
166: See You at the Pole with Rick Eubanks
How can the simple act of students praying for their school ignite not only changes within their school but also a global movement of prayer for over 35 years?…
- Student Ministry Connection
165: Cell Phones in Youth Group
What do we do about cell phones in youth group? Whether you believe they have their place or they should be put away the entire time, Steve shares some tips on…
- Student Ministry Connection
164: From Summer Camp to School Campuses with Travis Deans
How can we leverage all the amazing things that our students experience at summer camps and mission trips for the entire school year, helping students continue…
- Student Ministry Connection
BONUS: Youth Leaders, I need your help!
Hey, youth leaders! I’m working on a nation-wide research project, and I’d love your help! We’re trying to answer this big question: What helps youth pastors…
- Student Ministry Connection
163: Discipleship Beyond the Program
What if discipleship isn’t just about your weekly youth night? What if the real growth actually happens outside of your program? In this episode of Student…
- Student Ministry Connection
162: Discipling Teen Girls with Krista McBroom
What does it look like to disciple teen girls well—and how can youth leaders do that in a healthy, intentional way? On this episode, Steve talks with Krista…
- Student Ministry Connection
161: Discipleship with 3 Questions
We all know that discipleship is important, but what does it look like with a teenager? And how can we also make sure our teams and even ourselves are growing…
- Student Ministry Connection
160: Supporting Teachers as Youth Leaders with Mike Hicks
What if we began seeing school teachers as youth leaders on the mission field of the public school? How could we support them, equip them, and empower them as…
- Student Ministry Connection
159: Experimenting On the Margins
Want to try new ideas in your ministry without blowing up your program? In this quick episode of Student Ministry Connection, we’re talking about a simple way…
- Student Ministry Connection
158: Bible Engagement with Dr. Ken Castor
What if your students actually wanted to read the Bible—and understood it when they did? On this episode, Steve talks with student ministry veteran Dr. Ken…
- Student Ministry Connection
157: What's in a Ministry Name?
Does every ministry need a catchy name? Should it match your church’s branding—or stand out on its own? And what if your youth group’s name already sounds like…
- Student Ministry Connection
156: Collaborating for Bigger Impact with Dan Lynch
Ever wondered how collaboration among churches can create a powerful outreach opportunity? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve talks with Dan…
- Student Ministry Connection
155: Planning Ahead for Mission Trips
Mission trips can be life changing for students, but if they're not planned well, they can be disastrous. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve…
- Student Ministry Connection
154: Why Attend Conferences?
On this quick episode of Student Ministry Connection, we're talking about one thing you can do to both connect with others and grow in your ministry…
- Student Ministry Connection
153: Theology of Fun and Games with Mike McGarry
Games in student ministry—some love them, some avoid them, but could they actually be a key tool for deeper discipleship? On this episode, Steve talks with…
- Student Ministry Connection
152: Make it Middle School with Ashley Bohinc
Middle schoolers are full of energy, questions, and chaos—but they’re also at one of the most pivotal moments in their faith journey. So how can we better…
- Student Ministry Connection
151: Unlocking Ministry Potential with Derry Prenkert
What if you could unlock a deeper understanding of how you work best in ministry? What if a simple tool could help you and your team thrive instead of just…
- Student Ministry Connection
150: Getting Students to Return
How do we keep students coming back to our ministry and our programs? What's going to help us open that front door really wide, but close that back door so…
- Student Ministry Connection
149: Growing a Student Ministry
How do you grow a youth group? And what does that even mean? On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, Steve digs into what growth should look like and…
- Student Ministry Connection
148: Highlights from 2024 Guests
We had some great guests in 2024, so on this episode of Student Ministry Connection, we highlight some of the best moments from this year, including topics…
- Student Ministry Connection
147: When to Stay or Go with Todd Pearage
When do you know it’s time to move on from either a specific church or from student ministry altogether? This is a question we’ve all asked at some point…
- Student Ministry Connection
146: Practicing Thankfulness
How can we practice the thankful attitude that Paul talks about in Colossians 2 and 3, especially in the middle of busyness, divisiveness, and struggles? On…
- Student Ministry Connection
145: Equipping Teen Evangelists with Andi Custer
Imagine a high school where students are leading their friends to Jesus, where outreach happens in the cafeteria, and the gospel is shared in classrooms across…
- Student Ministry Connection
144: Keys to Healthy Ministry with Dustin Fisher
If we want to be healthy ministry leaders, there are 3 big connections we need to focus on. First, we have to be pursuing Jesus. And the other 2 connections we…
- Student Ministry Connection
143: Longevity in Student Ministry with Jeff Glenn
How do we stay in student ministry for the long haul? And what would it look like to be at a church for 10, 15, 20, or more years? That’s exactly what Steve…
- Student Ministry Connection
142: Ministry on a Small Budget
How do you make every dollar count in student ministry? Whether you’re working with a tight budget or just looking for ways to save, today’s episode is packed…
- Student Ministry Connection
141: Budgeting and Fundraising
Are you struggling to stretch your budget for student ministry or wondering how to fund that next big event? In this episode of Student Ministry Connection…
- Student Ministry Connection
140: Single, Dating, Friendships, and Romance with Heather Flies and Tony Myles
How can we go beyond just teaching about singleness, dating, friendships, and romance at youth group? What if there was a resource that walked students through…
- Student Ministry Connection
139: Using AI in Student Ministry with Tom Pounder
Have you wondered how artificial intelligence could change the way you connect with your students? Maybe you’re curious about how AI can help you create more…
- Student Ministry Connection
138: Help Parents Have Better Conversations with their Teenagers
A student gets home from youth group, camp, or a mission trip, and the parent asks how it was and all they hear is “good.” How can we help parents have better…