PODCAST · business
NextGen Matters
by Rich Brown
Those leading in Next Generation ministries are navigating a complex landscape of relational, emotional, and organizational pressures that demand resilience, creativity, and deep community connection to sustain impactful ministry in a rapidly changing world. Does this sound like you? Then we're glad you're here!NextGen Matters and this podcast are here to guide you through the complexity by providing you with Biblically sound solutions to meet your ministry needs.Why this podcast?Our show helps NextGen ministry leaders overcome the stress of ministry by covering topics that matter for leaders that matter. With over forty years of continual practical youth ministry experience, Rich understands the journey of where student ministry has been, the challenges facing ministry leaders today, as we prepare another generation to follow Jesus into tomorrow. His desire is to see this podcast be a resource for those who are professional NextGen Ministry leaders, volunteer NextGen Ministry l
Episodes
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#35: The Power of the Open Home
Episode Summary In Episode 35 of NextGen Matters, Rich Brown explores the power of opening your home as a place of ministry, hospitality, and spiritual growth. Grounded in Scripture and shaped by decades of personal experience, Rich shares how God can use an ordinary home or apartment to create...
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#34: One Team / One Mission (Building a Missional Ministry Culture pt.5)
Episode Show Notes In this episode, Rich wraps up the Building a Missional Ministry mini‑series on cultivating a missional mindset in student ministry across public, Christian, and homeschool environments. He challenges leaders to help students see their schools not as their ultimate identity…
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#33: Engaging Your Home School Student (Building a Missional Culture Pt.4)
Show Overview This episode of NextGen Matters pulls back the curtain on the spiritual, social, and emotional realities of homeschool students in youth ministry. Rich sits down with Matt and April McClay of Huntington, WV — both ministry leaders and homeschool parents — to explore misconceptions,...
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#32: Engaging Your Christian School Student (Building a Missional Culture Pt.3)
Christian school students often appear spiritually strong from the outside but what’s happening beneath the surface? In this episode, Rich takes an honest look at the spiritual condition of students in Christian school environments as he interviews Andy Lawrenson. Andy is campus pastor. of…
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#31: Engaging Your Public School Students (Building a Missional Culture pt.2 with Travis Deans)
As summer fades and backpacks reappear, Rich kicks off Part 2 of the Building a Missional Culture series—focusing on the greatest mission field students will ever step into: their local school. Whether public, private, or homeschool, every student has a place to live out the gospel. In this...
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#30: Students Reaching Students (Building a Missional Culture Pt. 1)
Episode Summary: In this episode, Rich unpacks why students are uniquely positioned to reach other students with the gospel of Jesus Christ. You’ll hear why the school campus is the greatest mission field your ministry touches, how today’s 34 million teens are spread across public, Christian, and...
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#29: Making the Mission Last (Interview with Tim Wadsworth)
Episode Summary Every mission trip ends with students returning home inspired and full of stories about what God has done. But what happens when everyday life begins again? School starts, schedules fill up, and the excitement fades. In this follow-up episode, Rich Brown sits down with veteran...
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#28: "Bringing It Home" (Bridging the mission experience into everyday life)
A week of serving can change a student's life, but what happens when they come home? The mission trip is over. The excitement begins to fade. School starts back. Daily routines return. Without intentional follow-up, one of the most spiritually significant weeks in a student's life can quickly...
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#27: You Can Win the Stats but Lose the Game (Ministry Lessons from King Uzziah)
Episode Overview In this episode of NextGen Matters, Rich Brown explores the life of King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26) and challenges ministry leaders with one sobering truth: it's possible to have an impressive ministry résumé and still fail to finish well. This episode weaves together sports drama,...
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#26: The Tension of Ministry Success, Metrics, and Ministry Depth (Interview with Peter Pizzuto)
Episode Summary In this episode, Rich Brown sits down with his brother-in-law, Peter Pizzuto, to discuss the tension between ministry programs, attendance metrics, and genuine discipleship as this relates to how ministry leaders define success. Drawing from their decades of ministry experience,...
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#25: Color War, 400 Students, and the Power of the Gospel (Interview with Matt McClay)
Episode Summary In this episode, Rich Brown sits down with longtime friend and student pastor Matt McClay to discuss how intentional outreach events can become powerful tools for gospel engagement. Broadcasting from Barboursville, West Virginia, the conversation centers around Lewis Memorial...
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#24: From New Age to New Life (Interview with Shane Miller)
This episode is going to dive into the reality of what so many of today's culture, including those within the church, are facing. This interview deals with the existence of the dark side which too many in the church are not aware of and or just do not want to face. Rich sits down with his nephew...
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#23: NextGen Ministry Lessons from King David (Psalm 71)
Episode Overview In this deeply personal and Scripture‑saturated episode, Rich walks through Psalm 71 and shows how an aging, battle-worn King David becomes a surprising mentor for today’s NextGen leaders. Drawing from David’s life in his early 60s during the heartbreak of Absalom’s rebellion…
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#22: Why Work? 5 Ministry Vital Signs pt.5
This episode is a rich, relational deep‑dive into how student ministry can move beyond programs and personalities and into genuine disciple‑making. Rich sits down with longtime friend and former student, Dakota Gregg, to explore how a nearly collapsed student ministry was rebuilt into a thriving,...
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#21: Why Witness? 5 Ministry Vital Signs pt.4
Episode Show Notes In this episode, Rich sits down with longtime friend and student‑pastor Mike Camire of Parkway Baptist Church (Moseley, VA) to explore what it really takes to build a culture of witness in student ministry. With only 4% of today’s adolescents affirming core Christian beliefs…
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#20: Why Welcome? 5 Ministry Vital Signs pt.3
Episode Show Notes In this episode, the host welcomes Justin Lucas, student director at Mercy Hill Church, to unpack the critical role of creating a truly welcoming culture in student ministry. Together, they explore why even the best worship and teaching fall short if students don’t feel seen,...
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#19: Why the Word? 5 Ministry Vital Signs pt.2
In the second episode in the five-part Vital Signs series of the NextGen Matters podcast, Rich sits down with Kyle Hoffsmith—family ministry pastor and fellow podcast host to tackle one of the most urgent questions facing NextGen leaders today: Is the Word of God truly at the center of our...
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#18: Why Worship? 5 Ministry Vital Signs pt.1
Show Notes In this first of five episodes speaking into the Five Ministry Vital Signs, Rich is joined by student pastor Ryan Brown and worship leader Jimmy Gillespie to unpack a foundational question for every ministry leader: Why does worship matter? Together, they explore how worship is far…
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#17: FIVE SIGNS your ministry is Spiritually Fit
In this episode, Rich Brown walks ministry leaders through a practical diagnostic for evaluating the spiritual health of their ministry. Using the metaphor of a medical checkup, Rich introduces five essential markers of spiritual health. As Rich says, “Spiritual health grows in ministries that...
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#16: Breaking Free from Ministry Comparison
Episode Show Notes Ministry comparison is one of the quietest and most corrosive forces shaping the hearts of NextGen leaders. In this episode, Rich continues the conversation he began with his son, Ryan Brown, and takes us deeper into the internal, external, and spiritual pressures that make...
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#15: The Subtle Trap of Ministry Comparison
Episode Overview Comparison is one of the most exhausting and unspoken pressures in ministry. In this father–son conversation, Rich and Ryan Brown unpack how comparison sneaks into our leadership—through social media, ministry highlight reels, church metrics, and even well‑meaning comments from...
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#14: When NextGen Ministries Unite (interview with Cody Mummau regarding Episode 2026)
In this powerful conversation, Rich sits down with longtime friend Cody Mummau, high school pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church, to unpack the heart, vision, and behind-the-scenes journey of transforming a long-standing single-church winter retreat into a citywide, multi-church movement called...
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#13: From Resisting to Redeemed (Interview with Ryan Brown)
Episode Show Notes In this deeply personal and joy‑filled conversation, Rich sits down with his youngest son, Ryan Brown—now a student pastor at Waymaker.Church—to explore the long, winding, grace‑saturated journey of a student who once resisted God but is now leading others toward Him. The…
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#12: Loving Students Who Don't Love You Back
Episode Show Notes Loving Students Who Don’t Love You Back Every NextGen leader knows the sting of pouring into a student who doesn’t respond—or suddenly pulls away. In this episode, Rich Brown unpacks why this hurts so deeply, what might really be going on beneath the surface, and how to…
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#11: Never Underestimate the Seeds You're Planting (interview with Janet Brown)
In this episode, Rich Brown welcomes his very first guest—his wife of more than 40 years, Dr. Janet Kay Brown—for a heartfelt and deeply practical conversation about family, faith, and the quiet power of showing up for kids who may feel on the margins. In sharing her story, Janet traces God’s...
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#10: Stronger Together: The Power of Ministry Peer Relationships
Ministry can feel isolating even when you're surrounded by people. In this episode, Rich Brown unpacks why ministry peer relationships are essential for healthy, sustainable leadership. Drawing from his own journey and from Paul’s ministry relationships in Colossians 4, Rich explains how peer...
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#9: Build That Reading List!
Start Your 2026 Reading With Purpose — How to Build a List That Builds You The first episode of the year drops with energy, honesty, and a whole lot of encouragement for ministry leaders who want to grow with intention in 2026. Rich kicks off the conversation with a confession that sets the tone…
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#8: Why Does My Perseverance Matter?
Episode Show Notes Perseverance is more than pushing through hard seasons—it’s the sacred ground where God shapes character, strengthens faith, and writes a deeper story than comfort ever could. In this episode of the NextGen Matters Podcast, Rich Brown closes out the opening series, Why It...
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#7: Why Does My Integrity Matter?
Episode Show Notes In this episode of NextGen Matters, Rich Brown explores one of the most vital yet often overlooked qualities of leadership: integrity. As part seven of the eight-part Why It Matters series, Rich defines integrity, contrasts cultural and biblical views, and explains why…
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#6: Why Does My Theology Matter?
Does My Theology Really Matter? If you get this wrong, you are not only damaging yourself, but those you are leading. Episode Show Notes In this episode, Rich Brown challenges ministry leaders to move beyond the external flash of programming and recenter their ministries on the core: theology....
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#5: Why Does My Devotional Time Matter?
Episode Show Notes In this episode of NextGen Matters, Rich Brown invites ministry leaders to step beyond being busy for Jesus and focusing on the need for the life-giving rhythm of daily time in God’s Word. Drawing from research, personal stories, and biblical principles, Rich highlights why...
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#4: Why Does My Struggle Matter?
In Episode 4 of the NextGen Matters podcast, Why Does My Struggle Matter, Rich Brown speaks directly to ministry leaders about the reality of struggle and why it carries eternal significance. Whether it’s late nights after youth group, personal hardships like grief or financial strain, or the…
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#3: Why Does My Ministry Matter?
In this episode of NextGen Matters, Rich takes us deep into the life and calling of Jeremiah, God’s prophet during Judah’s collapse, to remind us of the unshakable difference between calling and ministry. With warmth and clarity, he unpacks four timeless reasons why your ministry matters—today,...
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#2: Why Does My Calling Matter?
In this episode, Rich Brown invites ministry leaders to reflect deeply on their personal calling and the profound impact it has on their leadership and service. Through Scripture, personal stories, and practical insights, Rich explores how understanding and stewarding your calling can transform...
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#1: Why Does The Next Generation Matter?
In this launch episode of NextGen Matters Podcast, Rich invites ministry leaders to rediscover the eternal significance of reaching today’s youth by asking one of the most important questions in ministry: Why does the next generation matter? Drawing from Scripture, personal experience, and…
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Intro Episode: Why the Next Gen Matters podcast: The Purpose Behind the Podcast
Welcome to the first episode to the NextGen Matters Podcast, where in this episode, Rich Brown introduces the NextGen Matters Podcast, a show created to support ministry leaders who are striving to lead with clarity, confidence, and consistency in the face of today’s cultural and ministry...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Those leading in Next Generation ministries are navigating a complex landscape of relational, emotional, and organizational pressures that demand resilience, creativity, and deep community connection to sustain impactful ministry in a rapidly changing world. Does this sound like you? Then we're glad you're here!NextGen Matters and this podcast are here to guide you through the complexity by providing you with Biblically sound solutions to meet your ministry needs.Why this podcast?Our show helps NextGen ministry leaders overcome the stress of ministry by covering topics that matter for leaders that matter. With over forty years of continual practical youth ministry experience, Rich understands the journey of where student ministry has been, the challenges facing ministry leaders today, as we prepare another generation to follow Jesus into tomorrow. His desire is to see this podcast be a resource for those who are professional NextGen Ministry leaders, volunteer NextGen Ministry l
HOSTED BY
Rich Brown
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does NextGen Matters have?
NextGen Matters currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is NextGen Matters about?
Those leading in Next Generation ministries are navigating a complex landscape of relational, emotional, and organizational pressures that demand resilience, creativity, and deep community connection to sustain impactful ministry in a rapidly changing world. Does this sound like you? Then we're...
How often does NextGen Matters release new episodes?
NextGen Matters has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to NextGen Matters?
You can listen to NextGen Matters on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts NextGen Matters?
NextGen Matters is created and hosted by Rich Brown.
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