One of my favorite things we do with Student Ministry Matters is our weekly podcast. Each week, we provide a different conversation about student ministry. It has been exciting to see how God has blessed our little ministry. We currently have 128 episodes with over 12,000 total downloads. We have reached 49 of the 50 states and over 30 countries. It has definitely been a fun ride as we have had the opportunity to interview some great people and talk about some important topics.
Today, I want to highlight some of the recent episodes you may have missed out on. You can find the podcast at studentminsitrymatters.podbean.com or through most major podcasting apps.
• Episode 128, Write It on Their Hearts with Melissa Swain — On this episode, we discussed Melissa’s new book about family discipleship. Her late husband, Chris, served as our speaker at the 2020 Virtual Student Ministry Workers Retreat and was a champion for discipleship, working alongside Robby Gallaty of Replicate Ministries. After Chris’ untimely death in 2021, Chris’ daughter encouraged Melissa to finish Chris’ work on family discipleship.
• Episode 125, Successful Student Ministry with Sam Rainer — This episode was a special treat for me. I have listened to Sam and his father, Thom on their podcast (Rainer on Leadership) for years. Their weekly conversations help pastors and others in ministry find Biblical solutions to tough situations. It was great speaking to him about student ministry and what that should look like in the church.
• Episode 123, Fostering, Adopting and Student Ministry with Somer Colbert — In our conversation with Somer, we discussed the realities and needs that will hit the church with the change in abortion laws. Somer serves with Cross Church in Northwest Arkansas and helps families in matters of foster care and adoption.
• Episodes 109-112, Helping Students Navigate Difficulties — In these four episodes, we talk with the counselors of Fresh Roots Family Counseling of Rogers and discuss some of the difficult emotional issues that may be impacting our students. We talk about family break-ups, anxiety, COVID-19 and death/loss. The team at Fresh Roots are faith-based counselors that care very deeply about honoring God in their practice.
We have covered a large number of topics since beginning in February 2020. If you are stuck in your student ministry, visit studentministrymatters.podbean.com and search for the topics that interest you.
If you are a listener already, thanks! Reach out and let us know how we can better serve you with our ministry. You can contact us at info@studentministrymatters.com. If you really enjoy it, support us monthly. You can do that through our patron program (patron.podbean.com/StudentMinistryMatters) or mail us a monthly check to BMA of AR Youth Department, c/o Calvary Baptist Church, 1410 North Porter Road, Fayetteville, Ark. 72703.
