Prioritizing Young People Everywhere, Part 1

In the Season 2 finale, Benjamin Lundquist and Kaleb Eisele return to discuss the elephant in the room - how to handle the mistakes and failures of young leaders in our communities. Some of the greatest examples of how to handle mistakes take them back to Jesus' relationships with his disciples. In the words of Benjamin, sometimes the most meaningful thing you can say is, "You may have failed, but you are not a failure."

Trusting our leaders has less and less to do with what they say - and far more to do with how we see them live. Benjamin Lundquist and Kaleb Eisele return to talk about how to develop healthy habits and how to lead effectively both on and off the stage. Leading yourself well isn't just about "not doing bad things" -  sometimes it's about learning to carve out enough time to rest and taking care of your own health.

Connecting across social and cultural barriers has proven to be one of the greatest obstacles for the Christian church today. In this episode, Dr. Heather Thompson Day takes us back to the Bible - back to the stories of Jesus - to explore how best to navigate those relationships. 

In September of 2020, a rash of wildfires tore through the Pacific Northwest. In this episode, Benjamin Lundquist and Kaleb Eisele return to talk about neighboring in disaster and times of need. How can we show up when our community needs us most - and what happens when we do? 

Connecting with young people already in your church is important - but how can we connect effectively beyond our church walls? One tip from Alina van Rensberg - "Get in your car. Drive around the neighborhood and see who's there. See what people are up to and what's important to them. Get to know those people and put yourself in places where you're actually finding out what the needs of the neighborhood are." As it turns out, sometimes our ideas of the best way to neighbor aren't always the best at all!

"While we need to meet people where they are, it's better to do it with them than for them." How do we create meaningful relationship-building social events in a rapidly changing world? Are the methods we used in the past sufficient for today? Martin and Alina van Rensberg return to give insights on what seems to work... and what doesn't.

What happens when you give young people a voice of their own? For Pastor Terrance Taylor, it mean allowing them to offer criticism. In one especially poignant interaction, Pastor Taylor's daughter told him, "This church isn't ready for me to invite my friends." This episode focuses on the wrestling process - and offers insight into how to navigate some of the hardest intergenerational conversations that may come your way.

Pastor Terrance Taylor returns to share how his church began implementing the Growing Young principles locally - and how simple, intentional efforts began to result in lasting change.  In pastor Taylor's words, "People are drawn by relationships - they need to be loved and to know people."Taylor's church started simply - by sitting down and listing out every young person they could think of that was connected to their church, learning their names together, and then inviting young people themselves to join in the planning process. As the list grew and more names continued to be brought forward, the church began to plan around the talents and interests represented by those they were already connected to.

"If they wanted to come back, what kind of church would they want to come back to?" Pastor Terrance Taylor was challenged to reshape his church culture in a time where he himself was disconnecting with the church he was pastoring. Today, their church is a safe place where even teens are coming to on their own. Pastor Taylor shares the steps his church took to change their culture, and a surprising twist on the story of the Prodigal Son.

The internet is a place of its own. In a world ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, the internet is also a place where many communities begin. In some cases, it's a lifeline for people to connect to each other. Dr. Heather Thompson Day returns to explore how to build healthy, inviting community online.