Middle School Ministry Podcast
189 episodes - English - Latest episode: 15 days ago - ★★★★★ - 65 ratingsThe Middle School Ministry Podcast
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Episodes
More Like Sabbath From Home
April 22, 2020 18:15 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBWork and home are now the same. We don’t know about you all, but the shift has been HARD for Michelle and Ronald! This week we talk about how to Sabbath while also being in the exact same room you work from now. Middle School Students are going through a lot right now. Make sure you’re rested up and able to minister to them in a way that benefits you both! Some things we talk about: •Making time to rest and reflect that’s outside of normal work. •Having dedicated work space and dedicated re...
MS Online 04.19.20
April 20, 2020 16:26 - 4 minutes - 4.52 MBWednesday: Trick Shots We sent out a text and email request for “Trick Shot Videos” like Dude Perfect. We sent them this link and just asked them to go to town. Our group delivered! It was awesome! I’ve linked our YouTube video below as well! Dude Perfect Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRJmcxCrAOA Our Student’s Video: https://youtu.be/Lt2yv_CfGqc?t=616 Teen Driver Quiz During our Online Youth Group, the high school pastor asked me these questions. It went okay-is. I knew a good fe...
Technical Glitches
April 14, 2020 15:03 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBWe aren’t professionals, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying! There’s a balance we’re learning about putting on the best show we possibly can and running into glitches… like the camera turning off or the sound just disappearing from our live stream! And then hearing from our middle school students about their opinion on those glitches! Some things we talk about: •The difference between not trying and trying too hard. •Thinking about ways to use technology, but using what you know well fi...
MS Online 04.12.20
April 13, 2020 22:31 - 5 minutes - 5.15 MBWe had been doing a “This is what happened during our big meeting!” Episode for a long time. Well, everything changed with COVID-19, so here’s what we’re doing now! This will be a quick 5 minute or so weekly episode of how we connected with students online. Some ideas take place during our “youth group online” and others were just during the course of the week. Use, change, and get ideas for your ministry to middle school students! MS Online This Week: Download Everything: https://www.dropb...
Online engagement for Middle Schoolers
April 07, 2020 19:55 - 19 minutes - 17.8 MB2019 - Everybody! Stay off your phones and off social media! 2020 - Everybody! Get on your phone and check out social media! It feels like everything has gone online! While some middle school parents might have had concerns about their students logging onto social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, now those are some of the most prominent places where ministry is happening! Now the question is, are our students engaging with us now that we're online? This week, Michelle and Rona...
Staying Connected While Socially Distancing
March 31, 2020 13:00 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBHow can you stay connected while remaining six-feet apart, in groups no larger than ten, or sheltering in place? Well, it definitely presents some challenges. In this episode, Ronald and Michelle talk about how they plan to try to stay connected with students, parents, and leaders during a time when we're told to not hang out so much. Sometimes boundaries foster creativity! What are the ways you're going to try to connect? REAL letters? Phone calls? How are you going to reach out to your lead...
Middle School Ministry and COVID-19
March 24, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBWho was really looking forward to re-inventing church and middle school ministry as we know it this month? Anyone? Well too bad, we're doing it anyway! Thanks, COVID-19! For real, churches and ministries everywhere have been completely changing the way student ministry happens in order to help stop the spread of the virus. Michelle and Ronald take a moment to talk about what their churches have been doing. What online platforms have you been using to reach your students? How have you managed...
MS Online - 03.20.20
March 23, 2020 01:13 - 5 minutes - 5.37 MBMiddle School Sundays: Well, the world has been flipped upside down! But we're an adaptive bunch, so here's what we're doing for our Sunday Mornings until this COVID-19 business is all wrapped up! Check out our website: https://waysidechapel.org/echo-online/ Games: Stack It Up I asked students to find five things from five different rooms in their house and then send me a picture of them all stacked up. I told them I'd choose a winner on Tuesday at 1 pm and send that person a prize! Here's ...
Being a Burnt Out Middle School Pastor
March 16, 2020 22:02 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBMinistry is hard. Trying to do ministry from an empty cup is impossible. Don't burn out. You're not alone. Get help! This week, Ronald and Michelle talk about what they do when they're feeling spent in ministry. No matter what fills your cup back up, it's important to know when you're bone dry and how you can stop from getting all burnt out. But, when you see the signs that it's coming, there are definitely things you can do to help fill your cup back up and get to ministering to middle schoo...
Speaking as a Guest Middle School Pastor
March 10, 2020 13:02 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBSometimes we get the awesome opportunity to talk to another student pastor's middle school students! Michelle got to go and teach for a retreat for our favorite wizard (David Wood). In this episode, she talks about her experience, what she did to prepare, what she'll do next time, and we both talk about how to set up the next speaker you invite into your group for success! What questions do you ask if you're going to be a guest speaker? What do you want a guest speaker to know about your grou...
Middle School Students with Special Needs
March 03, 2020 13:00 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBIt's such a blessing to have students in our ministries who are different! When it comes to students with special needs, they have a set of needs that ought to be addressed and met. Both Michelle and Ronald have and have had students with special needs in their ministries. This episode breaks down some strategies to help you think through how to help out the families who have students with a different set of needs than the rest of the group. How are you communicating with the parents of spec...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 03.01.20
March 01, 2020 21:24 - 3 minutes - 3.6 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Woohoo! Sex talk time! Ok, maybe not everyone is excited about this, but that's alright. We had a great start to a potentially awkward and wonderful series! Countdown Video: Silly Salmon Yup. Just silly. My students really enjoyed this video! It was definitely silly and hopefully they don’t copy all the pranks. Games: Fail Guess Relationships sometimes go great. Sometimes not. A fail game is a great way to talk about it! We had a good time bringing up everyone with a...
Asking Middle School Students About Social Media
February 25, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBWe all post to social media. Whether it's for our personal pages or for our ministries, putting up a quick pic is something we all do! Have you ever put up something that you later thought might not have been the best? Or has a recent Facebook memory from seven years ago made you cringe? Or have you ever stopped to ask a student, "Hey, before I post this are you cool with the pic and the description?" This week, Ronald and Michelle break down what it means to ask a student for their opinion b...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 02.23.20
February 23, 2020 18:07 - 4 minutes - 3.87 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: After a great trip to California, I’m back and it’s Sunday with the Middle School ministry! Between helping the children’s ministry with technical difficulties and watching some students be ridiculous during worship, today was a great (and very normal) morning program! Countdown Video: Thomas the Train Stunts Sometimes the videos you can find on the internet are not only ridiculous, they're pretty impressive too! This was a weirdly neat video we showed this Sunday! G...
Sometimes Students are Punks
February 18, 2020 13:00 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBMiddle school students are great. But sometimes they're also punks. Michelle has a rule in her group: Don't be a jerk. Our students don't always live by that rule. But we get to watch them grow, mature, and change over time. Sometimes... a long time. This week Michelle and Ronald talk about how to handle the punk kid, even when they end up on stage to play a game. What are your plans for dealing with that student? Who are your adults that you can partner with the rough student? Why is it impo...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 02.16.20
February 16, 2020 18:47 - 5 minutes - 4.69 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: What a Sunday morning! It was a fun and crazy morning, but we made and students really got challenged by the lesson! Good times all around. Countdown Video: People are Awesome and Some Fails This was a fun video, but if your group doesn't appreciate some shirtless or sports bra stunts, skip it and find something similar! Games: Castle Siege We played a move around game with this interesting take on the lesson. Each team had a bucket up on the wall and were given a st...
Love is in the Air. It's Sex Talk Time.
February 11, 2020 13:00 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBWho in their right mind would talk to middle school students about sex? Well, people who are in their right mind of course! Someone is talking to your middle school students about sex. It might be the parents, but it might also be social media, Netflix, their buddies, Tik Tok and porn. This week Ronald and Michelle talk about what doing a sex series with middle school students looks like and how they approach it. Be brave! How do you communicate to parents that you're going to talk about sex?...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 02.09.20
February 09, 2020 19:27 - 4 minutes - 3.91 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Sunday mornings are crazy and fun all at the same time. Today was definitely both and why I love Sundays with middle school students! Countdown Video: Things You Take for Granted in Video Games Honestly, this video wasn't great. I edited it to make it shorter, but it was just ok. You can use parts of it if you want, but I wouldn't. I'd go with another video. Games: Clumps Vol 2 This game was a blast! Students were up and moving and having a great time during the whol...
85 - When you disagree with the Camp Speaker
February 04, 2020 13:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBYou finally got your students to camp! It's been a crazy ride of getting all the paperwork in, the money collected, and the leaders all lined up. And then the camp speaker starts to talk. And you disagree with... most of it. What do you do? It's happened to us all (and if it hasn't yet, it will). This week Michelle and Ronald talk about what they have done in the past when they disagree with the camp speaker and how they've turned that bad experience into a chance for growth. How do you stil...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 02.02.20
February 02, 2020 16:50 - 3 minutes - 3.52 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: We finally made it through January! Does anyone else feel like this month was a whole year long? Just me? Ok then. We started a new series called "Retro" this week where we are going to look at some of the Old Testament kings and what we can learn from them. Countdown Video: Bad Day at Work What a fun way to connect students to the king of our story today! Asa was a young king whose first job was probably not what he wanted it to be. Games: Color Mixer Last week's ...
84 - Mourning, Loss, and Middle School Students
January 28, 2020 13:00 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBLife means that sometimes sad stuff is going to happen. This week Ronald and Michelle talk about some recent tragedies they have both faced, how they've handled them with their students, and how modeling mourning is good for the students we all spend time with. Do you try to hide when your sad or share with your students? How can you model mourning for your middle school group? Who has experienced loss recently in your group? Have you checked in on them? When do you let others around you know...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 01.26.20
January 26, 2020 17:48 - 4 minutes - 4 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: I've been sick the last few days. This morning I took cough medicine to help me get through the day. Turns out, it was NOT non-drowsy. I've been loopy all morning and gave what I think was my best middle school talk yet. I don't think these things are related, but they might be. Oh well! Another day in middle school ministry! Countdown Video: Vintage Jesus 04 The last vintage Jesus video (that I'm area of!) was played this week. It's a little slow, but my students st...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 01.12.20
January 24, 2020 21:03 - 4 minutes - 3.95 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Now we find a rythym! With two weeks under our belt, it's beginning to feel like a good time to get back to ministry! I love these students and the challenge they give us each week! Countdown Video: Vintage Jesus 02 Since we're talking about Jesus, we wanted to show some misconceptions about Jesus. This was the second video we showed and it was hilarious. These videos are old, but they hold up! Games: Arrows Do you REALLY want your crew to get stumped? Have them play...
83 - Here's to the New Year and New Things!
January 14, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBHello 2020! I've already written you down wrong every day of this new decade... Michelle and Ronald talk about the big things they are getting ready for in 2020 and what it means for their ministry to middle school students! From teaching series to the next big trip, Spring is here and so are the students! Let's go! How far in advance do you begin signing up for your next big retreat? Who needs to know what series are coming up and when they'll be? What is your overall theme for the Spring? I...
82 - Holiday Breaks and Hot Takes
January 10, 2020 19:22 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBJust kidding. There aren't many hot takes. But Michelle and Ronald talk about what they're doing during their break over the Christmas and New Year holiday! What do you do with any natural breaks from "normal" programming? How far do you try to plan ahead? What helps you choose what to talk about in youth group? Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook Group Got a middle school ministry question? Email [email protected] Need student ministry resources? Check out www.d...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 01.05.20
January 07, 2020 02:33 - 4 minutes - 8.07 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Woohoo! Taking a break is nice, but getting back into the swing of things is great! I'm glad we're back into the rhythm of Sunday mornings! We're starting off 2020 with a new series and some new ideas! Can't wait to share them with you! Countdown Video: Vintage Jesus 01 Since we're talking about Jesus, we wanted to show some misconceptions about Jesus. These videos are old, but they hold up! Games: 1 Arm, 2 Arm, None This is an easy game to make in Sidekick, a great...
Happy New Year!
December 31, 2019 14:50 - 6 minutes - 6.1 MBGood-bye Christmas and 2019! Happy New Year! From Michelle and Ronald, we want to wish you a blessed 2020 as you continue to minister to middle school students and show them the love of Jesus!
Merry Christmas from Talking Squirrels
December 24, 2019 13:32 - 5 minutes - 5.41 MBMerry Christmas everybody! From Michelle and Ronald, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and remember that in the middle of all of the chaos of ministering to Junior High and Middle School students, you would enjoy that God has given you this wonderful job to these wonderful pre-teens. Merry Christmas!
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 12.22.19
December 22, 2019 16:00 - 3 minutes - 3.11 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: We didn't meet today! What a weird feeling. But it really helps our students, our parents, and our volunteers get a break. Oh. And me too. Do you take any kind of break over the holidays for your program? Reach out and let us know!
81- NYWC
December 20, 2019 20:29 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBThe BEST gathering for youth ministry workers all year long. Michelle got to go. Ronald didn't. So to cure his FOMO, they talk about all of her experiences. Stick with ministry. Don't give up. Stay the course! Get to know youth ministers and make relationships so conference feel like reunions! Learn everything you can. Even from people who don't think like you. Women rock at ministry. Mentioned on the podcast: DYM Community Facebook Group Got a middle school ministry question? Email talkings...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 12.15.19
December 17, 2019 02:21 - 3 minutes - 3.11 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Last Sunday of the year! I know. We take a two-week break, one before and one after Christmas. This lets us prepare for the New Year and gives our students and parents a breather. But! This week we wrapped up our Christmas series and it was a lot of fun! Countdown Video: Ridiculous Christmas Video We did it again. A silly video just for the lol's. You can enjoy it too by downloading above! Games: In Other News - Christmas Edition Easy game for the Christmas season! W...
80 - Echo Weekend Debrief
December 10, 2019 13:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBThis week, Michelle and Ronald talk about Ronald's Disciple Now weekend and how it went. The event is a stay in host homes retreat with worship at the church. Everything went really well! Here's a few of the lesson's learned: Anyone of any age can volunteer to help with student ministry! Just give them the right job. You can change up an annual event and have it go really well! Don’t' be afraid. Students get EXCITED for their first retreat! Take feedback on retreats seriously. Change what nee...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 12.08.19
December 08, 2019 18:00 - 4 minutes - 3.71 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: I feel like this Sunday was the LEAST crazy we've had in a while. Good energy. Great student participation. All in all, a very nice Sunday indeed! Countdown Video: Ridiculous Christmas Video Tis the season to be silly. This video was just to watch Christmas fails. It was a hit! Games: Will It Burn - Christmas Edition Honestly, my students love these games! Something about fire I guess. We had them move from one side of the room to the other to guess it things burned ...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 12.01.19
December 03, 2019 02:58 - 3 minutes - 3.06 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Whew! Our crazy weekend event is over and Christmas season is finally here! Can't wait to get back in the saddle and back to ministry! This Sunday we had all the Thanksgiving leftovers you could ask for and lots of Christmas fun! Countdown Video: Slow Motion Water Balloon It didn't make sense. It was just funny. Sometimes, that's okay. Games: 1 2 3 Look This was an attempt at a crowd game. It was alright, but a bit confusing at first. Everyone pairs up, and students ...
79 - Getting Ready for Echo Weekend
November 19, 2019 13:00 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBRonald's church has a big event coming up! It's called Echo Weekend, but your church might call it a DNOW. That is unless you've never heard of what a DNOW is. No matter the case, listen in to how Ronald's church tries to communicate to parents (especially of those young 6th grade students) that everything is going to be alright! Here are some questions to help process the show! When do you start casting the vision for a weekend retreat or event? How do you communicate to parents the schedule...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 11.17.19
November 18, 2019 02:09 - 4 minutes - 4.16 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Thanksgiving is three weeks away. Don't be mad but we're deep into our Christmas series! We're talking students through Luke's narrative, teaching them about virgins and learning all sorts of cool stuff! Let's do this! Countdown Video: Dad Copies Daughter's Face We're talking about babies, so why not show some cute babies? I found this one on Facebook. Click the link above to get what I downloaded! Games: Praise Hands This is an easy crowd elimination game. It pokes ...
78 - That ONE Kid
November 12, 2019 13:00 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBMichelle just got back from a great weekend camp (or is it a retreat?). While SOME things went really well, other things were not so great. Namely, there was that ONE kid. You know the one. The one who causes all the drama, seeks all the attention, and makes all the jokes no matter whose feelings get hurt. It's not an end all conversation, but maybe this will help you think about how to handle that kid in your group! Here are some questions to help get you thinking! Who is the adult who can r...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 11.10.19
November 12, 2019 03:49 - 2 minutes - 2.46 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Christmas time is here! Well, almost. We start Christmas a little early around here because Middle School students help with the Christmas Eve service and we need all the band practice we can get! So it's a new series and thinking about the Christmas story! Countdown Video: Funny Animals Animals are silly. We watched a silly video. Gotta be silly sometimes! Games: Face, Booty, Awesome Winter Edition We brought up all over our November birthdays and played this game. ...
77 - What Do Your Adults Do?
November 05, 2019 13:00 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBSometimes adults show up and help in big ways! Sometimes they just show up. Either way, it's our job as middle school pastors to give these wonderful adults willing to volunteer their time with these awesome students! Here are some questions to get your brain thinking! How do you train your adults who help in the big program? Do you use the same adults for big service as you do small groups? What jobs do you give your adults who help with your program? What jobs do you give your students? Why...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 10.27.19
October 27, 2019 16:57Sunday Morning Squirrels: Woohoo! It finally happened! A Sunday morning that wasn't insanity! I mean, there was the normal amount of chaos for middle school ministry, but not a WILD amount. It was great! Countdown Video: FIZZED We stole this game from DYM's More Than Dodgeball Show. It was super easy to pull off and something you could do with your group! Click the link to see the youtube video and get the supply list in the comments. Totally a great opening video! Games: Find It! Thi...
76 - Tentpole Events
October 23, 2019 22:40 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBRonald and Michelle talk about their Tentpole events. The big events they do that help drive the ministry, promote their vision for their ministries, and help keep the momentum going in middle school ministry! If you do big events for your ministry, we've got some questions for you! What are the events that take up a lot of your time and budget? Do these events help drive your ministry's vision forward? Would you rather do a lot of smaller things or a few big things? How do you make your even...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 10.20.19
October 20, 2019 19:07 - 5 minutes - 5.11 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Who needs singers to show up? Not this middle school pastor! Whew! Another crazy Sunday with students stepping up and volunteers not showing up. Wild! Countdown Video: Fortnite Reactions In case you didn't know, Fortnite closed down for 48 hours and middle school students (and some adults) everywhere went crazy. This is a short video of those reactions. I cleaned up some of the more... vulgar reactions to the event. Games: Sculptionary: Halloween Edition This went o...
75: Finding Your Tribe
October 15, 2019 13:00 - 9 minutes - 18.6 MBToday Ronald and Michelle got to hang out with Katy Langley, a youth pastor for Penninsula Covenant Church, and talk about getting out there and finding a tribe of youth pastors to connect and hang with. It can be intimidating to form a network if there isn't one in your region, but the awkwardness and the rejection from other pastors is SO WORTH IT if you can find a tribe to do life with. Katy has faced a lot of trials in getting her network going, but has definitely seen the benefits as wel...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 10.13.19
October 13, 2019 15:47 - 3 minutes - 3.31 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: It's Picnic week at our church! After church today we go rent out a big amusement park and invite EVERYONE from our church. It's a blast and a great chance to hang with students and meets lots of guests. Countdown Video: Wholesome Memes Just a quick video of memes from a longer youtube video. I didn't want the whole thing, so I edited it down to this! Games: Remember Me Super quick to set up and play! We had students mingle for a bit and get to know each other's name...
74 - Leaving Your Leaders In Charge
October 08, 2019 13:00 - 9 minutes - 18.6 MBYou're going to miss some program days or nights. It's just going to happen! Whether by unforeseen circumstance or vacation (the latter being the preferred!), it's going to happen. Are you preparing for that now? This episode we talk about what Michelle and Ronald do to get their leaders ready for when they'll be gone and what that looks like for their contexts. Here are some questions to consider: What elements of your service are already mostly led by volunteers? How can you prepare leaders...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 10.06.19
October 06, 2019 17:00 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Woohoo! I love the Old Testament! This was the last week in our Ruth series and it was a blast. I love the story of the family redeemer and how Ruth is related to David! Such a great testimony to living faithfully no matter the circumstances! Also, it was a crazy morning! Countdown Video: That's Amorre This was just a simple video of things getting cut in half by water. Who would have guessed, my students loved it! Especially the guys, they were IN for this video. En...
73 - Reactions from National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training!
October 01, 2019 13:00 - 20 minutes - 18.6 MBThis last Saturday, an epic event happened called the National Day of Volunteer Youth Ministry Training! Ronald hosted it as his church and some of Michelle's volunteers went to attend at a host site. We talk about some of the takeaways and the value of training volunteers. Here are some questions to consider: How are you training your volunteers regularly? What can you do to train your volunteers in big ways? Who was the speaker who inspired you the most? How can you put the principles learn...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 09.29.19
September 29, 2019 15:54 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Well. What a week! We did our third lesson in Ruth and had a pretty crazy Sunday morning to show for it. Let's talk about it! Countdown Video: That's Amorre Still resorting to things I thought were funny in high school. If this goes well, I may have a whole bunch of really silly videos to show my students. Games: Ninja Cat This was a quick win from DYM. We arranged our students into teams with their rows and they had to raise their hand when one of their group saw t...
72 - Middle School Pastors and Mental Health
September 24, 2019 13:00 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBMental Health is something the church needs to take more seriously. As those who work with students who have brains that are going through MASSIVE shifts in their development, we need to be ready for the task at hand. But we aren't just to think about the mental health of our students. We need to consider our own health as well! Michelle and Ronald have an honest discussion about mental health and how it affects them and their middle school students. Here are some questions to consider: Who a...
Sunday Morning Squirrels - 09.22.19
September 23, 2019 22:40 - 4 minutes - 4.05 MBSunday Morning Squirrels: Week two of our new Ruth series! Lots of 6th-grade students getting into the flow of the week and today I wasn't the only adult in the room! All in all, a pretty good day of Middle School Ministry! Countdown Video: StrongBad Email - Dragon Still resorting to things I thought were funny in high school. If this goes well, I may have a whole bunch of really silly videos to show my students. Games: M&M Brawl I think I came up with the idea for this game after looking at...