We sit down with Reggie Dabbs to explore how presence, scripture, and bold invitations move students from passive listeners to active disciples. From back-row handshakes to altar calls, we unpack a simple, focused path to help students live on mission every day.

• Making mission normal in daily life
• Earning trust with presence and integrity
• Using scripture as the engine of change
• Writing messages backward from response
• Leading clear, bold altar moments
• Staying tender by avoiding green rooms
• Modeling testimony without losing depth
• Encouraging discouraged leaders as tag changers
• Practical tips for prayerful preparation

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Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

We talk with Carrie Brooks about building a safe, Jesus-centered community where students can belong while they figure out what they believe. From a hilarious living-room play to a practical playbook for small groups, this is a master class in culture, habits, and care.

• Why belonging is the on-ramp to belief
• Five measurable habits for small-group leaders
• Structuring grade and gender groups that move up together
• Leading discussions where students talk more than leaders
• Using labs to practice Bible reading, prayer and evangelism
• Showing up at student events and building camaraderie
• Recruiting and retaining leaders through care and vision
• Creating low-cost, high-impact group events
• Why consistency and a three-month test matter

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

We explore how authority from God creates confidence without ego and why rebuilding Bible literacy is the safest path back to health in youth ministry. John Rush shares stories, practical tools, and a call to play the long game: disciple deeply and watch evangelism grow.

• Authority that produces humility and courage
• Candid youth ministry stories and lessons learned
• Celebrating innovation without losing formation
• Assessing Bible literacy with simple AI tools
• Measuring fruit of the Spirit, not just attendance
• Keeping the found as a pastoral priority
• Shifting preaching from clever to substantive
• Gen Z’s hunger for stability and doctrine
• Relational ministry beyond the stage
• Ethical, effective use of AI in prep
• Discipleship as the engine of evangelism
• Student-led movements built over time

If you love the podcast, give it a like, give it a subscribe, give it a share, give it a review, whatever platform you’re on

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

Phil Johnson shares how to create a youth ministry culture centered on missional living by modeling authentic evangelism and celebrating students who live out the Great Commission in their daily lives.

• Discipleship and evangelism should be integrated, not treated as separate ministry focuses
• Creating a missional culture starts with what we celebrate in our youth ministry
• Students often focus on their unique calling while neglecting the broader mission of sharing Jesus
• What gets celebrated gets remembered, gets repeated, and gets replicated
• Personal stories of life transformation carry more weight than theoretical teaching
• The priority should be falling in love with the mission before pursuing specific assignments
• Gen Alpha seeks adults who will slow down and walk with them through their questions
• Building a missional culture takes years of consistent modeling and intentional celebration
• Ministry leaders should not only share the gospel from stage but model evangelism in daily life
• Practical elements like mission trips and campus outreach reinforce missional values

Utilize the Vitals for Youth Ministry assessment tool with 25 questions that will give you a health score on each of the five vitals.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

Joseph Kellogg shares his strategic approach to leadership development in youth ministry, focusing on how to mobilize leaders for a missional youth movement. His four-year strategy prioritizes multiplication at every level, creating systems that transform followers into commissioned leaders who can effectively reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

• Joseph has been in youth ministry for 24 years and recently returned to lead youth pastor role at Victory Church in Tulsa
• The key to reaching 30,000 teenagers in his area is building a robust leadership pipeline
• Added 50 new leaders in three months through "intense intentionality" in recruiting
• Created clear pathways for leadership from student leaders to adult team leads
• Leadership development meetings called "Heart and Soul" provide monthly training and connection
• Measures success by leadership multiplication metrics, not attendance numbers
• Uses Jesus' model of calling, championing, coaching, and commissioning leaders
• Recommends starting with a mindset of "refusing to do ministry alone"
• Encourages youth pastors to identify specific ministry roles and turn them into teams
• Connect people's passions to their purpose by offering various commitment levels
• Create regular leadership huddles before and after services to build team culture

Join Joseph at the Healthy Youth Ministry Conference on October 6-7 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Connect with him on Instagram @JosephKellogg for more youth ministry resources and coaching opportunities.

https://www.hymconference.com/national-conference

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

We explore how gospel fluency should be at the center of youth ministry, extending beyond just the moment of salvation to transform every aspect of students' lives and propel them into mission.

• Gospel fluency is often overlooked because we assume students already understand the basics
• Students live in a works-based world where they're constantly graded on performance, which is contrary to the gospel message
• The gospel is not just about the moment of salvation but applies to the entire process of sanctification
• True gospel fluency moves students from behavior modification to heart transformation
• When students truly grasp the gospel, they become mission-focused and actively share their faith
• The goal is to help students see Jesus not just as Savior but as Lord of their lives
• Every sermon topic should connect back to the gospel and lead students to active mission
• Youth pastors should focus on giving students practical next steps rather than just measuring altar responses
• Students need to develop spiritual ownership rather than depending solely on the youth pastor's teaching

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

Terry Parkman shares how youth ministry is fundamentally shifting from attractional to missional models, requiring leaders to focus on transforming students rather than merely entertaining them.

• Youth ministry is at a tipping point where effective ministries will focus on outcomes (life transformation) rather than outputs (attendance numbers)
• Today's young people aren't seeking entertainment but purpose—they want to find their people and their purpose
• Missional preaching equips students for real-world application, not just emotional altar moments
• Discipleship has been diluted to mere relationships, but true discipleship produces people who look more like Jesus
• Small groups remain valuable but must be led by deeply committed leaders who pay the price of ministry
• Raising the bar for volunteer leaders actually attracts more high-quality volunteers seeking meaningful involvement
• Leaders can maintain attractional elements (good hospitality, engaging environments) while adopting a missional model
• The primary question for youth pastors: are you building into what young people become or just getting people in the room?

Mark your calendars: Lead the Generation Conference returns April 25, 2026 featuring Terry Parkman as a main session speaker.

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake

Reggie Hill, Young Adults Pastor at Journey Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shares his expertise on leadership development in youth ministry and how to avoid becoming "the lid" to your own ministry.

• Shifting from being the superhero who does everything to a coach who develops leaders
• Creating ministry tracks that help students find their leadership lane based on passions and skills
• Using tasks to develop people rather than using people to get tasks done
• Overcoming perfectionism that prevents us from releasing ministry to others
• Looking for FAT kids—Faithful, Available, Teachable—as potential leaders
• Developing adult leaders through clear expectations and consistent pastoring
• Starting small with leadership opportunities that grow over time
• Focusing on outcomes over outputs when training leaders
• Understanding that students remember their relationships with leaders more than sermons

Remember, don't just prepare a message, prepare messengers. Jesus didn't just gather followers—He developed leaders who would carry His message forward.

Connect with Reggie!

Follow him on IG @_reggiehill or check out his website https://www.reggiehill.com/epk

Support the show

Check out the FREE youth ministry resource Vitals for Youth Ministry by clicking below!

https://www.leadthegeneration.com/vitals

Connect with the hosts!

Eran Holt - Director of Lead the Generation

📸 - @eranholt

Caleb Leake - Youth Pastor at Allison Park Church

📸 - @calebmleake