Youthwork+ Podcast

Tune in to hear how Megan became a Christian at University, including how she just asked a friend if she could come to church. Hear how she ended up volunteering in kids work and found herself applying for a church youth work job. Hear her recent good news stories of young people choosing God, asking her if they can meet midweek to pray together and an answer to prayer when rice would not cook at a summer camp. Theres lots of inspo in this ep - for your Christian journey and for youth/kids work. Don't miss it. PS. do you have a fave meme?

Ebony stopped by to chat to us about how she ended up in youth work and worship ministry. She shares some nuggets she'd learned along the way about God's goodness, and some important values for drop in based youth work - family, food, fun and home. Who will win the Jolloff Rice showdown - Nigeria or Ghana!? Tune in for wisdom and encouragement.

Olly our series one OG co-host rejoins Becky for a special episode discussing their own experience as young people at youth groups. What mattered to them, what was influential and what doesn't happen now! They talk about the similarities between themselves growing up and teenagers today, what fundamentals have stayed the same and how much has changed. Tune in for inspo, hints and tips and our take on the opportunties we have today to get alongside young people in meaningful ways!\

Tune in to hear Terri's ministry journey, quite a few insightful nuggets of wisdom she has learned from ministry as she balances working for a church and a national christian charity. As well as balances coordinating a broad mix of ministry with babies and tots to 18's at her church. She shares some genuinely feel good moments and recent highlights from ministry. And don't miss some light hearted sharing in the middle about some risky and sometimes disgusting youth games when we were young!

Dave Boden stopped by to chat to Becky about Gen Alpha - who are they, what makes them distinctive and how can we as parents and leaders understand them better to support and engage them in all the best ways. Plus we talk a bit about 'the quiet revival' and the quiet or loud renewal that Dave thinks has to happen first. Using the acronym ALPHA (Anxious-minded, Leading influencers, Pandemic-impacted, Hyperconnected, and AI-shaped) to explain the challenges and experiences that have shaped them, Dave Boden talks about how we equip ourselves and our teams to disciple Gen Alpha with clarity, compassion, and confidence. So many glimmers of hope and nuggets of wisdom in this one - you do not want to miss it!

Becky is joined by Steven Croft the Bishop of Oxford to talk about his journey through ministry, his upcoming retirement, his thoughts from his role at the House of Lords on AI, digital ethics and technology, the vision of Oxford Diocese, what he's seen of the Quiet Revival, his part in Church of England's Fresh Expressions, and his advice. There is so much rich juicy conversation & nuggets of wisdom in here - you wont want to miss it.

In this episode of the YouthWork+ podcast, host Becky Lawrence speaks with Hannah Bowden, a Senior Researcher at Youthscape Centre of Research and trustee of YouthWork+. They discuss Hannah's journey into youth work, her role at Youthscape, and the importance of research in informing youth ministry practices. Hannah shares her experiences working with young people, the impact of faith on her career, and the lessons learned along the way. She shares why she did a doctorate on Young People in Care and why they remain a passion of hers. The conversation also touches on current trends in youth ministry, the significance of engaging young people in church, and opportunities for involvement with Youthscape including their National Youth Ministry Weekend, Satellites Summer Youth Camp and Research Community.

Host Becky Lawrence interviews Wayne Dixon, a dedicated worker in schools ministry through Christian Connections in Schools. Wayne shares his journey of over 40 years in youth & kids schools ministry, discussing the activities he runs in schools, the importance of building relationships, and the impact of prayer. He unpacks Hanging Around Ministry and why it works. He highlights the significance of nationwide initiatives like Open the Book, Christmas Unwrapped and Easter Cracked and the need for Christians to engage with their local schools. Wayne also reflects on the lessons learned throughout his ministry, the challenges faced, and the joy of seeing young people connect with faith. The conversation emphasises the importance of serving, listening, and being present in the lives of children and young people.  Don’t miss the part where Becky inadvertently gives Wayne a promotion - mistakenly telling listeners he runs CCIS!  oops!

Olly's our other OG host has been off starting his curacy (vicar in training) role in Chipping Norton, but he rejoins Becky for this Christmas special. Spaghetti Pictionary + church carpet . Hot chocolate spillages. M1 confusion. Complaints from parents. Young people going on mission trips, getting baptised, youth leader weekends away and more. Listen to this episode in full to find out the real stories behind all these things and more. You'll laugh, cringe but hopefully not cry!

Lewis shares his journey into youth ministry, highlighting how his early experiences as a secondary school teacher ignited his passion for working with young people. He explains how we pursued that call and started Vicar training. Host Becky Lawrence engages in a heartfelt conversation with Lewis Simonds, a curate at St. Frideswides Church in Milton Keynes. Together, they explore the vital role of children's, youth and family ministry and the transformative power of inclusivity in church communities. "We need to ask ourselves: Are we truly welcoming to families and children?"

In this episode Becky catches up with Dot, the youth worker at New Life church Milton Keynes.  Hear how Dot kept coming back to church youth work, how God has changed & empowered her along the way, and hear some fab stories of God at work in her ministry.  She tells us about being an introvert and feeling intimidated of young people, about taking 100 youth to New Day festival(!), how she welcomed a young person with autism to the youth group, why & how she makes time for prayer every week and how she saw God at work in the foster care system.  She also asks Becky what she would do with magical Thanos gloves (Avengers Endgame reference!) - if she could click her fingers and take away or add something to the world of young people - for all this and more - give this episode a listen.  Your faith will thank you for it! 

Becky catches up with Tony about his journey into ministry - becoming a Christian at 16 on a surprise trip to Spring Harvest, spending 6 months in Tanzania, studying with CYM, and more recently being called to plant a church in a new build estate. Hear amazing stories of God preparing the way and some nuggets of wisdom he learned in his years as a youth worker. Be encouraged.

Becky catches up with Dave to find out his journey into ministry and how God kept calling him back to children's ministry. Hear all about his 'many hats' including his role at Children Worldwide - hosting breakfasts and networks for kids leaders, and his role at Scripture Union equipping others to reach the 95% of kids and youth not engaged with church. Hear his top tips and find out what question he wanted to ask our host Becky.

Becky interviews Ben Jones, Founder of Missional Generation, a charity based up in Leeds that are focused on equipping young people to be influential for Jesus in every arena of life. They have several resources that use cutting edge technology to make this happen - including augmented reality, apps and coming soon a new AI tool for youth leaders to help plan sessions! Listen to Becky find out about Ben's youth work journey, and find out how Missional Gen's resources might be able to help you in your work with young people. Be inspired!

Becky interviews her sister who leads a church plant with her husband Paul. She talks about the family and all age focused activities they run, some of her own faith story and how she ended up going from Cabin Crew to ministry! Tune in for advice and inspiration from ordinary Christians doing great things.

Olly and Becky interview Sam Haiser from Austria who is in the UK studying to become a priest in the Church of England. He talks about a system he authored to train and equip spiritual fathers and mothers to mentor and disciple young people. It's more than a resource - it's a training programme and a way of life! He also talks about his Christian journey, becoming a youth worker, being mentored himself, the call to church leadership and unpacks the vision behind his huge passion of spiritual fathers and mothers.

Lara is an accountant and a mum of two boys - she was surprised and in denial when God inspired and challenged her to write a Christian book for kids. But that was just the start! She is now self published and along with input from her boys, has created a whole series of beautiful engaging & durable Christian resources for children. And her main job is still an accountant!Tune in for her story, & find out how God has encouraged her along the way. I'm sure there will be something that will inspire you too!

OG cohosts Olly and Becky reunite for a special episode to catch up on what they've been up to lately, including National Youth Ministry Weekend, Vicar exams, Christmas stress, Becky's 40th Birthday, ages & stages & more.

Gemma heads up the Luton Youth Work Team in Luton, she tells us how she got into youth work, some of her ministry highlights and how growing up in Luton affects her young people and her youth work. Join us for an encouraging conversation which we hope will inspire your work with children and young people and your Christian faith journey.

Dan & Becky catch up about their gap year experience with the Message Trust and how it has impacted them since. Daniel shares how faith is his foundation for his vocation, the challenges of being a YouTuber and how he got roped into leading a youth group by his wife Kelly. Hear what inspires him about young people and what Becky would do if she had a large sum of money to invest in ministry! All this and more in this episode - tune in to hear the good stuff.

Becky interviews Mike from similar ministry supporting leaders that do youth/kids work. Would Becky rather fight a horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses? What jobs would Mike and Becky do if they weren't involved in ministry roles? Mikes journey to doing what he does now. What area of youth/kids ministry is Mike passionate about and why? Whats been a highlight of his ministry? All this and more.

Join Becky as she interviews a familiar face from the podcast - Olly Shaw who has been absent from co hosting the last few episodes as he's been doing vicar training. Find out how he's been getting on - how he was called into it, best and worst bits and hear him ask Becky how she is transitioning from being a mum of a toddler and the founder and director of a charity.

Our latest podcast episode with the amazing Clive Latter. We both used to be youth workers in Luton over 10 years ago, organised and ran a bunch of town wide youth events together and served on a town centre youth detached team. He's currently a youth and children's worker in Worthing. Tune in to hear him share some of his journey and recent musings and learnings. Plus hear one of Becky's youth work fails! Hope it all encourages you in your faith or youth/kids work journey!

Jo White is a mum of 3 girls and leads the families ministry at Stopsley Baptist Church in Luton where she has been serving in her role for over 20 years. She talks about her ministry early years doing an internship with Luton Churches Education Trust before it became Youthscape, why she thinks engaging families in discipleship is important, why youth and kids work is essentially about pointing people to Jesus, do more young people like fruit these days? And words of wisdom on the importance of longevity and consistency to see God do awesome things with the seeds you sow. Tune in or miss out.

Becky chats to John Prockter, Director of Catalyst Youth Trust in Shropshire.  John is a self professed story teller, author and leader of multiple schools work trusts.  John shares some of his youth work journey, why he cares about dabbling In kids work too, and shares a quote from Ariana Grande! He also shares about his great new book Hikaru, which is a manga allegory of the Christian gospel designed to be used in schools (and youth groups)! 

Becky catches up with Dave Boden, Executive Director at Grace Foundation.  Hear how Dave has accidentally ended up in leadership positions more than once - including leading a youth camp of 200 youth and 30 volunteers at just age 19!  Grace Foundation partners with secondary schools and has Christian Ethos Workers in 12 secondary schools across the Midlands including Solihull, Coventry, Rushden and Milton Keynes.  Find out why and how schools are accessible still to christians and what opportunities there are to get involved.  And find out why Dave carries around a little dinosaur in his pocket everywhere he goes! Dave is also an author and chats briefly about his new book for young people ‘Like or Follow - what every teenager needs to decide about Jesus ’. 

Becky catches up with John Good leader of Ocean Church in Poole, and chaplain of YMCA in Poole/Bournemouth.  How does he help young people and families encounter the presence of God in the everyday and through being on and around the sea. Why does he think all age participation is important and why is our language important to engage with everyone.  What statue would Becky get put up in Milton Keynes? And more youth, kids, family work musings. 

Becky chats to Anna Hawken from BRF Parenting for Faith. Find out all about 'Chat & Catch' the art of engaging all ages in praying and listening for a response. How can we engage parents and carers in the bigger picture of young peoples faith development. Hear about Anna & Becky's messiest moments in youth/kids ministry and plenty of other thought provoking and inspiring snippets.

Becky chats to Sam Graham, youth worker at Buckingham Parish Church about his youth work journey. Listen to find out how he got from dropping out of college, to gap year intern, to paid youth worker. Also find out why he feels the parents are important to youth ministry and why he's passionate about youth outreach in his community. Also find out what type of pie both of them think they are!

Becky interviews Ben Green, Youth Advisor from Blackburn Diocese up in Lancashire. Ben shares about his Youthwork State of Mind podcast and instagram, why theres a youth centre in Luton named after his legendary late grandad Norman Green, having joined up youth visions and why we should get parents involved in our youth work. Becky gives two top tips for youth workers and shares what would be on the plate if youth work were a plate of biscuits!

Becky interviews Dan Randall who is Youth and Young Adults Director at Hope Together and is involved in youth work with his church. Listen to find out about his youth work journey, what he's learnt along the way and why there was someone elses fingernails in his jeans pockets!!

Olly and Becky chat to Ruth youth worker at Urban Devotion Birmingham.

Olly and Becky discuss their money saving tips and ideas for reducing costs in youth and kids work to help us all with reduced budgets and the current cost of living crisis.

Olly & Becky discuss a listeners question of what to do with youth & kids if your church has no building and how to think creatively outside the box in terms of venue even if you do have a church building.

Olly and Becky Q&A part 4, answering your questions - some fun some serious including favourite flavour ice cream, hardest part of youth work jobs and go to coffee orders...is a frappuccino even proper coffee?!

Olly and Becky chat about what they think is important to thrive in youth and kids work roles and how we find an ideal balance.

Olly and Becky chat about tackling tough topics with youth.  Including some tips about environments to cultivate, how we can work with parents and how we can cover some of the tougher but vital content with young people.

Olly & Becky answer random and deep questions about their youth and kids ministry experience so far and about their lives in general. Do we involve youth/kids in decision making? Most Christians come to faith as young people. God transforms ordinary people to enable them to do extraordinary things.

Olly & Becky discuss how to deal best with uncertainty in kids & youth work, sharing their experience as well as hints and tips to deal with different problems and how to overcome them.

Olly & Becky discuss their experience and top tips for recruiting volunteers, keeping volunteers and helping them feel valued.  As well as sharing some of their own experience of being volunteers and how they thrived in their roles.

Becky & Olly discuss their thoughts on the key characteristics they think are important for youth and kids leaders, and give some tips on accessing more support to help you thrive....

Olly and Becky discuss the perils of measuring success by the numbers of people and activities and get to the root of perhaps true success, being obedient to what God has called us to do in our ministry.

Olly and Becky answer questions relating to their experience doing youth and kids work. Heart sinking youth work moments, what parts of youth work don't you enjoy? McDonalds or Burger King? Youth work or kids work!? Best youth work moment and more....

Olly and Becky talk about how to tackle bad behaviour, boundaries and rules with children and young people while still keeping grasp of love and forgiveness.

Olly and Becky chat about their own experiences of being on the edge of burnout.  How to recognise the signs and symptoms, tips for avoiding it and what do do if you feel you are burning out.

In a special episode Becky & Olly answer questions about their experience of being youth workers.

Olly and Becky chat about taking youth groups on summer camps, residentials, Christian festivals and weekends away and the importance of stopping to analyse your group to help choose what to do and where to go.  Hear their own experience about how pivotal camps and residentials can be.  Also hear the drawbacks including sick bugs and bad behaviour and the highlights of faith stretched and lives changed.

Olly and Becky discuss engaging youth in local mission in the community, peer evangelism and why we should be considering reaching more young people.

Olly and Becky chat about their experience of youth mission trips abroad, both going on them as teenagers and leading them as youth workers. Are they worth the effort and expense?

Becky and Olly discuss the transition out of Covid-19 lockdowns, their thoughts on new normal or back to normal, the opportunity of fresh starts and the importance of pausing and reflecting before moving on from anything.