PCA Discipleship Ministries (CDM) provides training and resources for local church ministry. For years, CDM has provided leadership training and conferences for women and women’s ministry leaders, children’s ministry leaders, and even a children’s ministry certification program. CDM Coordinator Stephen Estock likes to say that CDM connects “people to people and people to resources.”

During the past year, the CDM Youth Ministry Team has added resources for youth ministry workers with a series of new opportunities designed to encourage, equip, and celebrate youth pastors and youth workers. The new resources include a podcast, annual conference for student ministry workers, and plans for a youth ministry certification program.

In the fall of 2021, CDM started the PCA NextGen podcast, a program to answer youth pastor questions, share youth ministry stories, and celebrate God’s work in ministry and the lives of students. 

Mikey Puckett and Willis Weatherford host the show, which releases one or two episodes each month. Puckett is the youth pastor at Seven Rivers Church in Lecanto, Florida, while Weatherford serves as assistant pastor to students at Christ the King PCA in Houston, Texas. 

Weatherford observed that student ministry can be a lonely calling at times. Trying to connect with a generation of students and their parents can be hard. And the activities that build a student ministry — such as face-to-face time with students, youth retreats and events, and evening Bible studies — mean a paid youth ministry worker probably keeps different office hours from other church staff members. Even youth pastors such as  Weatherford who have regular fellowship time with other youth pastors find the job challenging.  

“We want to connect youth pastors and help them have a broader sense of what God is doing in the world,” Weatherford said. “God is always at work even when we can’t see it, and we want to encourage youth workers by sharing those stories.”

Both Weatherford and Puckett readily acknowledge that there are lots of strong resources available for student ministry workers, even excellent Reformed resources and events through organizations such as Reformed Youth Ministries and The Barnabas Connection. They say the goal for CDM’s new resources is to reach the youth ministry workers who feel under-resourced and are still going it alone.

The podcast episodes released thus far cover practical topics common in ministry, such as dealing with challenging people, leadership resilience, and isolation. But the PCA NextGen podcast approaches these topics in ways unique to PCA youth ministry and invites guests who are currently working in PCA student ministries. Listeners are reminded that they are not alone in their work. They are united with Christ and working in solidarity with hundreds of other faithful youth ministry workers around the country.

Equipping Student Ministry Workers for Long-Term Ministry

From Oct. 10-13, 2022, CDM will gather youth workers in Ferndale, Michigan, just outside Detroit, for a youth ministry conference. Puckett said the choice of Detroit is strategic. The team wanted a location that doesn’t have immediate appeal, a representation of how student ministry feels to most believers. 

Puckett called Detroit a “less-than-exciting city” but said it serves as a microcosm for student ministry in general. “That’s what is happening in student ministry: It’s kind of forgotten as college graduates don’t want to do youth ministry and kids don’t want to be in ministry at all. We’re going to go somewhere that’s not exactly known for its beauty. Nor  lauded as a great place to live. 

Estock noted that the Detroit area has been underserved by the PCA, so it’s an excellent opportunity to provide important resources. “With this conference, we wanted to bring student ministry people together to learn from and encourage each other,” he said.

The conference will feature training seminars, keynote speakers who are experienced youth ministry leaders, and opportunities to explore Detroit. Mark Long, pastor to families of youth at Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and Katie Goslin, youth director at Severna Park Presbyterian Church in Pasadena, Maryland, will be the keynote speakers.

CDM leadership hopes that conference attendees sense how valuable they are to the PCA and that their sense of connection to each other and the denomination as a whole is strengthened. “Youth leaders will leave this conference with connections to help them serve in the student ministry they’re called to and with training that they can implement in their unique setting,” said Matt Luchenbill, CDM’s youth ministry team facilitator. 

Luchenbill also serves as pastor of students and families at New City Presbyterian Church in Detroit, the host church for the student ministry conference.

“We want to connect youth pastors and help them have a broader sense of what God is doing in the world.”

Capturing that next generation of student ministry workers is a high priority for CDM’s student ministry team. They want those with a heart for student ministry to see that it can be a lifelong ministry, not just a steppingstone to another type of pastoral ministry. The conference will also give those considering a calling in student ministry a vision for what ministry could look like in the PCA. 

A 2020 study of youth ministry workers in the United States and United Kingdom found that nearly 50% of respondents reported feelings of isolation or loneliness as the top cause of their burnout in youth ministry. “It keeps coming back to raising up the next generation of student ministry leaders, networking for current student ministry leaders, and raising up resources,” Luchenbill said. 

Raising the next generation of student ministry workers is also the heart of CDM’s new youth ministry certification program. The program is designed to provide theological and practical training to youth ministry workers who have not had the benefit of seminary training. For those who are considering seminary, the program will serve as a preview of what might be in store. 

The 19-month, 16-session program will kick off at the NextGen fall conference with the formation of cohorts — groups of five or six participants who will learn together. The goal is for participants to learn within a community of fellow youth workers. The first session will begin in November 2022 and run through the summer of 2024. Each month, participants will work through three 20-minute video sessions, assigned reading, and homework to put into practice in the participant’s ministry context. 

The certification program will cover subjects such as a theological foundation of ministry, developing a mission and vision statement, recruiting and training volunteers, communication, partnering with parents, integrating students into the life of the church, small groups, teaching students, administrative success, counseling and shepherding students, life-on-life discipleship, church leader relationships, reaching the family, sexuality and God’s Word, and year-end projects.

Since longevity in youth ministry depends in part on encouragement and support, program participants will find a mentor in their church and have a ministry coach — an experienced youth ministry worker who can teach participants and also provide feedback and encouragement each month. 

For several years, CDM has provided a similar program for children’s ministry workers. It hopes the student ministry certification program will add a level of professionalism and theological heft to student ministry. 

“Many student ministry leaders need encouragement, and others need equipping,” said Estock. “Through the October conference and the certification program … both of these will be a reality.” 

Learn more about CDM’s student ministry resources at pcanextgen.com.