Author

About the Author
I am a Youth Ministry veteran of twenty four years, and currently serve as the Student Pastor at High Desert Church.  I help equip and encourage Youth Pastors through this blog and podcast The Longer Haul.  My passion is helping Youth Pastors create a ministry of longevity that they truly love.  I am the grateful husband of Sarah and the dad of Emma, Anna, Lizzy, and Jack.  I am a speaker, lover of vintage VW’s, and the owner of one 1972 VW Westfalia Bus.

TLH013: Balancing Family and Youth Ministry

Balancing family and Youth Ministry is an impossible task.  Today my guest is my amazing wife Sarah Livingston.  We give you an honest inside look at how we manage our family and Youth Ministry.  We share what works…what hasn’t always, and give you some practical advice on making it all work. Links mentioned: Dear Youth…

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TLH012: What Youth Leaders Need From Youth Pastors

Having a team around you is SO IMPORTANT.  Those Youth Leaders that serve alongside you have things that they need from their Youth Pastor.  What are they?  Matthew Hart shares from his years of Youth Ministry experience to help you invest well in your Youth Leaders and learn what Youth Leaders need from Youth Pastors….

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TLH011: Equipping Students to Defend their Faith

It is crucial that we prepare the students in our Youth Ministry to defend their faith.  Where do you start?  What are the most important issues?  Dr. Jamie Dew gives practical advice to make sure your students’ faith doesn’t get washed away when they leave your ministry.  Put on your thinking caps, in this episode…

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Mission Accomplished? Maybe Not…

What if we’ve confused the mission?  What if we are treating the starting line as the finish line?  What is the mission after-all? I’m afraid we often do this.  Let me explain…

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TLH010: Teaching Theology in Youth Ministry

Should you focus on teaching doctrine and theology in Youth Ministry?  In this episode David Hanson, from TheYouthMinistryBlog.com, and I tackle why you should, how to go about it, and where to start.  You’ll also hear about David’s fascination with pulling teeth on mission trips and how God used a Chemistry class to call him…

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10 Youth Pastor Expectations for Churches on Day One

In the last post I gave you 20 expectations churches have from Youth Pastors on day one.  Today I’m looking at the other side.  You and I walk into a church with expectations of our own. To be transparent, most are a fairy tale at best, and would be nearly impossible to obtain even with the…

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