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#10: Stronger Together: The Power of Ministry Peer Relationships
36 Plays2 months ago
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 connections combat isolation, strengthen resilience, and provide spiritual, emotional, and practical support for NextGen ministry leaders.
If you’ve ever felt alone in leadership, this episode will encourage you, ground you, and remind you that you don’t have to lead by yourself.
Discount Code for the Northeast Youth Ministry Summit (if registered by Feb. 1, 2026)
NGM40
Resources Mentioned
• NextGen Matters – https://nextgenmatters.com/
• National Network of Youth Ministries (NNYM) – https://nnym.org/
• Center for Parent and Youth Understanding (CPYU) – https://cpyu.org/
• Youth Culture Matters Podcast – https://cpyu.org/podcast/
• Northeast Youth Ministry Summit – https://northeastyouthministrysummit.com/
• LeaderTreks – https://leadertreks.org/
• The Bible (Scripture references in order: Colossians 4:7-11; 1:16)
Email Addresses
Rich Brown (NGM) rich@nextgenmatters.com
Doug Clark (NNYM) dclark@nnym.org
Timestamps
• 0:00–2:30 – Welcome, podcast milestone, and episode promise
• 2:30–6:00 – Rich’s personal ministry journey and the shift into isolation
• 6:00–12:15 – Paul’s ministry peers in Colossians 4 and biblical foundations
• 12:15–18:30 – Five reasons ministry peer relationships matter
• 18:30–26:30 – Five benefits of healthy ministry peer relationships
• 26:30–36:45 – Five practical ways to build and sustain peer relationships
• 36:45–40:15 – Call to action, encouragement, and closing challenge
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Milestone
00:00:01
NextGen Matters
Hey friend, welcome to the Next Gen Matters podcast, a show for ministry leaders seeking to move beyond overwhelm and move into leading with clarity, confidence, and consistency. My name is Rich Brown, and welcome back to our podcast.
00:00:14
NextGen Matters
I have been getting some good feedback these last few weeks regarding our first number of episodes, and I love hearing that. So if you haven't yet responded, I'd love to hear from you. Just drop a comment in our comment box below, and or urge just email me at rich at nextgenmatters.com. I'd love to get connected with you that way.
00:00:34
NextGen Matters
This is our 10th full episode. We started in the middle of October. And here we are in the middle of January with 10 episodes down. So we've already reached a mini milestone. I did some research today and I found out that the majority of podcasts that start don't even get to 10. Matter of fact, don't get past three.
00:00:54
NextGen Matters
And then I said, okay, so how many, my prompt was, how many episodes get to 20 episodes? How many episodes? How many podcasts get to 20 episodes? And the answer was 1%. So hopefully in two months, we'll be at episode 20 and moving on up, right?
00:01:09
NextGen Matters
During each of these episodes, I want to connect with you. That's why I started this Next Gen Matters podcast. I want to connect with you, the Next Gen ministry leader, as we explore the heart, the challenges, and the joys of ministry leadership, all from a biblical perspective.
00:01:27
NextGen Matters
So I'm so glad you're here today. So whether you're listening as you're driving around in your truck or your car or you're working out or maybe you're working from home or you're working around the house or you're in your office, I want to say thank you for joining us.
00:01:43
NextGen Matters
So this topic today. is one that I personally have had to work through and of years of of old and even more recent years.
00:01:54
NextGen Matters
So this topic today is one I know that is going to bring a great benefit to you.
Importance of Ministry Peer Relationships
00:02:00
NextGen Matters
We are talking about ministry peer relationships.
00:02:05
NextGen Matters
why they matter, and how they can transform not only your leadership, but also your personal well-being. So during this episode, I promise to unpack to you five reasons why peer relationships are essential for ministry leaders, the five benefits they bring, and five practical ways you can start building them.
00:02:27
NextGen Matters
My hope is by the end of this episode, you will feel encouraged, you'll be supported, and maybe even inspired to connect with other ministry leaders.
00:02:38
NextGen Matters
So before we dive in, I want to share with you a very brief story, a very personal story that I've been having to work through myself. To go back to the beginning of starting youth ministry, you know starting in the local church, from day one, I could look to my left and look to my right, and there were people all around. I worked in a church setting, also had a Christian school, so there was constantly people around the office. And for the next almost 20 years being in church ministry, that was true.
00:03:08
NextGen Matters
People everywhere I would go, you know there's there's people around, right? And then over the next 16 plus years of working residentially in a college, in a university setting, I was absolutely surrounded with people. I mean, being in a large Christian university, 14,000 students and and just hundreds and hundreds of faculty and staff, everywhere i go, there were people.
00:03:30
NextGen Matters
Even in my own you know office suite in the church ministries department, there was always not only us as faculty, but students around. I was never alone. Even in my office, even if for some reason the door was closed, the noise was still around.
00:03:44
NextGen Matters
And you know what? That was a cool thing because I met God's people are around and I enjoyed it. I'm an extrovert. It was great.
Transition to Working from Home
00:03:53
NextGen Matters
But something happened in 2019.
00:03:56
NextGen Matters
There was a restructuring that took place and i was no longer employed residentially. Myself and many of my colleagues, there was a financial restructuring and we found ourselves, many of us found ourselves, our jobs are just eliminated. So like, okay, Lord, what do I do now?
00:04:14
NextGen Matters
Within a few weeks, he put in my heart this to start NextGen Matters. And I bring that up for a reason. Because if you're watching on YouTube, you see I'm in my home office.
00:04:26
NextGen Matters
That's the reason I bring this up. While my ministry continued to go forward, as is said it said in other episodes, the context looks different. And in my case, with this topic of ministry peer relationships, the context completely flipped.
00:04:42
NextGen Matters
I'm no longer looking to my left and looking to my right and working alongside of people. I'm working from home and working alone. Yes, I have my two Labrador retrievers as they are faithfully with me as my wife is now in her university job as she's chair of her department.
00:04:59
NextGen Matters
So as I say goodbye to my wife in the morning, I always kind of laugh and joke with say, hey, heading off my commute. I walk downstairs to the home office. Parking is incredible and it commutes easy, but it's alone.
00:05:13
NextGen Matters
Again, this extrovert, that's been a difficult transition. So I had had to make a conscientious decision. Am I going to go down the deep, dark hole of feeling lonely and going into depression?
00:05:28
NextGen Matters
Or am I going to be intentional in making the extra effort to reach out to people because relationships to my left, to my right are not in my natural context anymore.
00:05:40
NextGen Matters
I have to seek them. That's why I'm talking about this topic, because whether you work in a very small setting or a large setting, we all need to be intentionally gravitating toward developing meaningful ministry peer relationships.
00:06:01
NextGen Matters
Before I start off into our content, I want to draw your attention to my favorite book of the Bible. If you listened to last episode, you know i mentioned Colossians, so here I am. I'm back in the book of Colossians, chapter 4.
Biblical Examples of Peer Support
00:06:14
NextGen Matters
I'm looking at verses 7 through 11.
00:06:19
NextGen Matters
We're introduced to five individuals that I'm going to be quickly pointing out. The first one, his name is Tychicus. Tychicus. Tychicus was the one that was with Paul in Rome when Paul writes the book of Ephesians and the book of Colossians and the short epistle of Philemon. Tychicus is the one who was the mail carrier, the letter carrier. He was Paul's UPS s guy to get these three epistles, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon to the correct people from Rome into Asia Minor.
00:06:51
NextGen Matters
That was Tychicus. He is described in verse seven as this. Paul says, Tychicus will tell you all about the news about me. He's a dear brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord.
00:07:05
NextGen Matters
I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. Tychicus was going to kind of give the down low on what's been going on with Paul while he's been in house arrest in Rome, the ministry that was going on for threw Paul into the lives of those that he was ministering to, even while he was in house arrest.
00:07:29
NextGen Matters
Tychicus, chism, that 30-second roundup, right? We also introduced to a second name, Onesimus. If you've ever read or studied the book of Philemon, this is the runaway slave, Onesimus. We had a faithful servant in Tychicus,
00:07:45
NextGen Matters
and now the runaway slave in Onesimus. What a powerful story of restoration, of restoration. Paul leads him to faith in Jesus Christ because he now calls in Onesimus our faithful and dear brother. And then he says about Onesimus to this church in Colossae, who is one of you, meaning just not that he's from Colossae, true, but he's also now one of you in Christ. He is now saved.
00:08:15
NextGen Matters
We see in the book of Philemon, Paul refers to himself as his father, his spiritual father. So yes, Paul led him to faith in Christ. Onesimus is to be restored back home.
00:08:27
NextGen Matters
There's a third person we're introduced to. His name is Aristarchus. Aristarchus. He is called a fellow prisoner. And why is he called a fellow prisoner? Because according to 27 and verse 2,
00:08:39
NextGen Matters
twenty seven in verse two Aristarchus and Luke, the author of the book of Acts, were also with Paul during Paul's time of that that prison ship that was going across the Mediterranean to Rome, where Paul would then go be in front of Caesar for a trial.
00:09:00
NextGen Matters
Aristarchus basically volunteered himself to be a prisoner so he could be with Paul. He's called a fellow prisoner. Then we have another person we're introduced to, but this person, you probably know his name.
00:09:15
NextGen Matters
His name is Mark. Because Paul says of Aristarchus, send you his greetings to the people in Colossae. He says, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. I think you know that guy's name because he's the one that, course, wrote the gospel of Luke.
00:09:33
NextGen Matters
What a story of restoration. We had a story of redemption and restoration with with Onesimus. Now it's a story of relational restoration.
00:09:44
NextGen Matters
If you recall, 12 years earlier, John Mark was on team Paul and Barnabas, but then quit. For whatever reason, he quit. He tapped out. He went home.
00:09:58
NextGen Matters
When Paul decided he and Barnabas to go back out to go on their reunion tour to go into, you know, they already had the t-shirts made right to go on their concert tour to go back on the road.
00:10:11
NextGen Matters
to visit and meet with the churches and encourage them, the churches they started. Barnabas was excited. Paul was excited. Barnabas is like, hey, let's bring my little cousin. I'll bring my younger cousin back on the team. And Paul's like, I don't think it's a good idea. And they kind of had this disagreement and they decided to agree disagreeably and they parted ways.
00:10:30
NextGen Matters
Paul, of course, brings along Silas. Barnabas actually hooks up in ministry with the Apostle Peter and eventually also John Mark. But what's so cool is 12 years later, listen to what the Apostle Paul says about Mark.
00:10:45
NextGen Matters
Paul says to the church, you have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him.
00:10:52
NextGen Matters
Paul was publicly restoring John Mark to this church. A few years later, when he writes 2 Timothy, he actually tells Timothy to bring John Mark, for he is useful to me in ministry.
00:11:04
NextGen Matters
That we'll preach. Restoration is a fifth name we're introduced to. We know nothing about him the New Testament other than this one verse, Jesus, who is also called Justice.
00:11:16
NextGen Matters
Jesus, not to be confused with our Lord and Savior. Not that Jesus. This guy's named Jesus, who's also called Justice, sends you greetings. public Paul goes on, they are the only Jews among my fellow workers. His team, his boys, his posse, right? Paul has this team. They're my only they the only Jews among this particular team he has in place now. He says, for the kingdom of God, and they have proved to be a comfort to me.
00:11:43
NextGen Matters
And that's my friend why i bring up those five individuals. They had all proven themselves to be a comfort to Paul. How does that take place? What's the context?
00:11:56
NextGen Matters
Ministry peer relationships. So let's dive in. First, we're looking into five reasons why peer
Five Reasons Peer Relationships Matter
00:12:04
NextGen Matters
relationships matter. Number one, Ministry relationships combat isolation.
00:12:10
NextGen Matters
They combat isolation. So let's start with something we don't always talk about. Ministry can be and is very isolating. Even though you can be surrounded with people, you can be the crazy one on stage. You can be the one bringing the word on stage. People in your church know your name. In your Christian organization, they know your name. People around your community may know your name. You walk into Starbucks, you walk into Kroger, you walk into Target, people may know your name.
00:12:36
NextGen Matters
but yet you can feel alone and even feel isolated. Loneliness is a real issue. And we're actually going to be bringing up loneliness in future episodes, probably within the next month or so.
00:12:49
NextGen Matters
Yeah. Before that episode 20 appears, right? Loneliness. When I've asked ministry leaders, what is your number one pain point? I consistently hear loneliness. We're going to lean into that topic probably for a few episodes and To let you know some of the backstory here, I'm looking to bring in a co-host as well as creating conversations, doing interviews, with other subject matter experts in various fields of youth ministry. So all that to say, we're going to cover loneliness. But right now, I want you to go back to what I said.
00:13:20
NextGen Matters
You can be surrounded with people and still feel lonely. You can start thinking like this. Do people really know me? Oh, they know my name.
00:13:31
NextGen Matters
They know who I am. but do they really know me or only know what I do?
00:13:38
NextGen Matters
Let me take that one level deeper. You could think, do people really love me or just love what I do? Peer relationships break that isolation.
00:13:51
NextGen Matters
Peer relationships remind you, you are part of a larger community of leaders who get it and get you. When you're talking with someone who understands the unique pressures of ministry, then your isolation begins to lift.
00:14:06
NextGen Matters
Number two, sharing the burden. Ministry leaders carry a lot. You know you do. Vision casting, conflict resolution, pastoral care, administrative responsibility, spiritual leadership, lead lesson prep, lesson delivery, and meetings and meetings and meetings.
00:14:23
NextGen Matters
It's a lot for one person to carry. Peers, ministry peers, provide a place for you to share that burden. Not to complain, but to be honest.
00:14:35
NextGen Matters
to say, this is heavy to someone else that's a ministry peer, and they hear you, and they get you, and they say, I know.
00:14:46
NextGen Matters
I've been there too. And they may not understand exactly what you're going through, just like you don't know exactly what they're going through, but there's enough of that Venn diagram, that common, the common sphere, if you will, that commonness to go, we do get each other.
00:15:02
NextGen Matters
That's powerful. Sharing the burden. Third, seeking confidential support. This comes right out of number two is number three, seeking confidential support.
00:15:13
NextGen Matters
There are things you simply cannot nor should not be sharing with people in your congregation or even your volunteer staff, your volunteer team.
00:15:25
NextGen Matters
We in ministry are given a lot of very sensitive information. And we need to be very wise as stewards of that information.
00:15:35
NextGen Matters
And yet sometimes you're hearing things, you're like how do I impact this? How do I deal with this? How do I make this decision? Who can I talk to that's not in my context? And that's the power of ministry peers from other ministries and other locations.
00:15:50
NextGen Matters
You got to talk through this leadership challenge. Maybe it's a personal struggle, a ministry struggle. Maybe even some doubt you're going through some different things. a possible move. We've all been there on that one, right?
00:16:01
NextGen Matters
And who do you talk to about that? I want i need some wisdom. i need some godly input. Yes, thank God for the Holy Spirit. And he leads me. He guides me. He's my counselor, my comforter. But I want to hear a human voice too. and
00:16:12
NextGen Matters
Having that ministry friend, that ministry peer allows you to have that safe, sacred, and confidential place to go. Trusted peers can, trusted, I said trusted peers can offer that.
00:16:27
NextGen Matters
They can become your sounding board, a safe harbor, a place where you can be fully human without worrying about how it will affect your role or your job. Fourth, gaining mutual understanding. Gaining mutual understanding. There's something deeply validating about talking with someone who has walked a very similar path.
00:16:50
NextGen Matters
Ministry peers understand your emotional, spiritual, and even your practical realities what you're going through in leadership in a way that others often can't.
00:17:02
NextGen Matters
Just like I don't understand the world of being a, let's say a head principal at a local high school, they're carrying things I would never know, even what to experience or how they carry it. Or or someone who's a CFO of a large quamp company, you may have you know Fortune 500 guys in your church. you don't You can respect what they do and you kind of understand a little bit, but there's no way you understand the details of what they go through. Just like the people in your church don't know what you do Well, they know what you do, but they don't know really what you're experiencing.
00:17:36
NextGen Matters
But when you find someone else that does similar in ministry passions and ministry pursuits, you're like, oh, my people, my team, you need each other. And fifth, strengthening resilience.
00:17:49
NextGen Matters
Peer relationships will strengthen resilience. When you have people around you that you can lean into, who can encourage you, who can challenge you, who can pray for you and even hold you accountable, you are so much more equipped to stay healthy and stay grounded in that calling God has placed on your life.
00:18:11
NextGen Matters
Resolence, that sense of toughness you need, that that thick skin, resilience isn't built in isolation. Resolence is built in community.
00:18:23
NextGen Matters
Now, the benefits, the five benefits of peer relationships. One, emotional and spiritual support.
Emotional and Spiritual Support
00:18:33
NextGen Matters
Peers can be prayer partners.
00:18:35
NextGen Matters
Peers, ministry peers can be encouragers, accountability companions. There's so much they can bring to you and you can bring to them where you can refresh one another, where you can be comforting to one another.
00:18:49
NextGen Matters
Ministry peers can help you stay spiritually grounded and emotionally supported, especially during those dark and difficult seasons.
00:19:00
NextGen Matters
Not that you may, but you will go through in ministry. Sometimes hearing, I'm praying for you, from someone one who understands your world,
00:19:13
NextGen Matters
is so incredibly strengthening. The last couple of weeks, I've received a number of texts actually from from former students of mine way way way back in the day.
00:19:26
NextGen Matters
One of them actually sent me a text with a picture, a screenshot, a picture of a an academic work text that I had written years ago, like 15 years ago. And he just was reaching out, seeing how I was doing and to thank, he thanked me for next to matters, to be honest.
00:19:44
NextGen Matters
And i appreciate that, man. and I really appreciate that. And I got a few others as well. Just, it means a lot when someone will say, Hey, God, put you my heart. I'm praying for you. Like, dude, I need it. emotional and spiritual support.
00:19:56
NextGen Matters
Second is practical wisdom and advice. Ministry leaders learn a lot through experience. Matter of fact, experience is the best teacher.
00:20:07
NextGen Matters
I mean, we kind of say that and we wonder, is that really true? Well, yeah. I believe in books. You know what I'm talking about. Last week's episode, last episode. My list of 33, I got one down, two more being finished next week.
00:20:20
NextGen Matters
I'm on pace to get those 33. So I'm all in on reading. i' I'm all in on academic pursuits. Come on, guys. I've done the ministry thing, you know pardon of me, the the university thing for so long and still teaching online, like I said, and got doctoral students and as well as undergrad students online. And I believe in academia, but there is nothing That is a better learning experience than just that experience.
00:20:47
NextGen Matters
Successes, failures, something in between. Learning on my own experiences and learning from others' experiences. And how do we know others' experiences?
00:20:58
NextGen Matters
Because we're connecting with them. I can troubleshoot together with another leader, certain things they've gone through I've gone through. We can share our resources. We can learn from each other's wins and losses and everything, like I said, in between.
00:21:12
NextGen Matters
I love this. You ready? It's collaborative problem solving at its best. Like Ecclesiastes says, the two chords, but the three chords are even stronger.
00:21:24
NextGen Matters
Practical wisdom and advice. Third is personal growth and well-being.
Preventing Burnout and Maintaining Boundaries
00:21:31
NextGen Matters
Burnout is real. Matter of fact, that will be an episode. I almost used that topic this episode, but I chose to push that back and I chose this topic instead.
00:21:42
NextGen Matters
Burnout is real and we will discuss it. And one of the most effective ways to prevent burnout is by having people who help you carry that load that you're carrying. Again, we're not wired to do it alone. Paul the Apostle, Colossians 4, come on. Peers help us maintain our healthy boundaries.
00:22:01
NextGen Matters
They develop better disciplines and they help us stay grounded in my identity outside of my role. Let me unpack. When you're in church,
00:22:13
NextGen Matters
ministry, when I've been in church ministry, I was known as Pastor Rich. What's your title, right? You're known by your title, typically. In the university context, hey, Doc Brown, Dr. Brown, Doc Brown.
00:22:24
NextGen Matters
Well, when I'm hanging out with people that are outside of my ministry context, or in my last number of years, my university context, they're just my brother or sister in Christ. My name is Rich.
00:22:35
NextGen Matters
I'm not their youth pastor. I'm not their professor. I'm their brother in Christ. That actually is cool because unfortunately we get our identity gets attached to our title and attached to our role. And when I have great relationships outside of my role, they know me for me.
00:22:57
NextGen Matters
That is freaking crazy. Something I've struggled with much of my ministry career is my identity, is my title. Am I alone?
00:23:09
NextGen Matters
Or do you also see yourself working through that one as well? I think a lot of us do. And the last few years, God has really used the experiences I've walked through to remind me of this beautiful treasure.
00:23:24
NextGen Matters
My identity is this. I, Richard Brown, am emethetes of Yeshua. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.
00:23:35
NextGen Matters
And my value comes from Colossians 1.16, where Paul speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ. He says this phrase. love this verse. Everything it says was made by Jesus, by him and for him.
00:23:51
NextGen Matters
Everything that has been made, ready, was made by Jesus and for Jesus. By Jesus, my identity. He's my creator.
00:24:03
NextGen Matters
For Jesus, my purpose. I live for him. Dead to self, alive, in and for Christ. He is my identity. I am his apprentice, his disciple.
00:24:17
NextGen Matters
Now, number four, expanding perspectives and creativity. When you i when you, when we are surrounded only by our own context, and I mean the place where we work,
00:24:29
NextGen Matters
Our perspective can be very narrow.
Fostering Creativity and New Ideas
00:24:31
NextGen Matters
We're in this echo chamber of ourselves and the people around us. Whereas when we are connecting with outside of our ministry context, peers, ministry peers can now expose us to new ideas, new approaches, and some really new creative ways to be thinking about ministry.
00:24:50
NextGen Matters
Well, I've never thought about that because you're hearing great input from other people. Creativity thrives in community.
00:25:00
NextGen Matters
One more time for the people in the back. Creativity thrives in community. Followed with the fifth benefit.
00:25:11
NextGen Matters
Building resources and collaboration.
Resource Sharing and Collaboration
00:25:14
NextGen Matters
Building resources and collaboration. Peer networks often lead to shared resources, joint events, collaborative outreach, and so much more. Matter of fact, to put this in real life context, right now, we're in the middle of July.
00:25:30
NextGen Matters
July, listen to me. I'm thinking about July already. We're in the middle of January. It's the 20th of January. Within two weeks, my church, where I serve as a volunteer in the student ministry and as a deacon, is is partnering with 14 other churches here in the Lynchburg, Virginia area for a large gathering of students. Trip Lee is gonna be the speaker throughout the weekend.
00:25:54
NextGen Matters
episode. Thank you to Thomas Robaptist. Cody Mumaw is the host of this this conference, if you will, being put together. And Cody is a huge fan of collaborative ministry. He did that in Charlotte for years and years and years. And he's brought that to the LYH. And that is, it's not gonna be our thing is going to be our thing. our thing.
00:26:15
NextGen Matters
And I can't wait to have the guys in my small group of 11th to 12th grade dudes get to see other 11th to 12th grade young men from all these other churches so they can realize we are not alone. We are better together, building resources and collaboration. When leaders connect, ministries grow stronger, not just individually, but collectively.
00:26:41
NextGen Matters
Practical ways to build peer relationships. I have five. You probably are all familiar with these. Matter of fact, you may be pursuing them. And if you are, great, don't let go. And even just go deeper.
00:26:56
NextGen Matters
Join local or online ministry leader groups. You can go scrolling on Facebook or Instagram. and You can find all kinds of student ministry and youth ministry collaborative sites. Matter of fact, that one's even called Youth Ministry Collaborators.
00:27:10
NextGen Matters
do those, but nothing replaces the face-to-face. Find something local. If you don't have something local, create something local where you're getting together with other ministry leaders. If you're children's ministry, youth ministry, young adult ministries, find yourself with other people of shared passions and begin something.
00:27:32
NextGen Matters
Now, here's the best resource for this. It's all built for you. National Network of Youth Ministries. If you haven't been to the website, go there. NNYM.org. It'll be in the show notes.
00:27:44
NextGen Matters
NNYM.org.
00:27:47
NextGen Matters
Reach out to them, go on their website and you can punch in where you live and you can see if there's already a group that meets in your area. And if not, reach out to a friend of mine, Doug Clark. Sorry, Doug, you're going to get your emails blowing up now. But here's Doug Clark out in San Diego. His job with NNYM is this, is to help...
00:28:09
NextGen Matters
help new chapters be birthed and get going and get growing. Reach out to Doug. I'll put his email in the links as well below because I want you, if you can't find one, maybe he can help you create one.
00:28:25
NextGen Matters
You have to have some connection in your local area. Second, attend conferences and retreats. Oh, I'm a huge fan of this. Now, don't make the mistake that I have seen. Please don't.
00:28:37
NextGen Matters
Please don't make this mistake. I've seen, not just youth pastors, I've seen and heard senior pastors do this. Their churches, out of budget, little Grandma Jones has given her, you know,
00:28:50
NextGen Matters
her money, and then we take it and we go to these conferences and I've heard so many youth workers and even senior pastors tell me they just ding dong ditch. They go and it's like a vacay. They go and they just go out to eat. I've had pastors smugly, senior pastors smugly laugh at at me saying this to me. I'm like, and I'm just shocked.
00:29:10
NextGen Matters
but you're you're You're taking God's people's money that they've stewarded to you and you just, oh, it's your vacation. no no, no. Dude, if you're going to be at a conference, be at the conference. And when you're there, get to know people. Talk to the speakers. Talk to those leading workshops.
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NextGen Matters
Line up and chat with them. Get to know people.
00:29:32
NextGen Matters
Four years ago, I stepped in to a new conference that was just starting. And I hope to think I'm one of their top fans. This organization, the Center for Parent Youth Understanding, started four years ago up in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Ligonier, yes, R.C. Sproul's hometown.
00:29:54
NextGen Matters
Right there in Ligonier, PA, the last four marches have had the Northeast Youth Ministry Summit. I've gone every year. And because I work for me, I don't have a budget that I can take money out of. I pay for me to go.
00:30:08
NextGen Matters
I drive myself up. In other words, I have made the effort. It has changed. And I mean this, the trajectory of my life in ministry. I have become friends, dear friends with so many of the people I have met with, many of them being top national leaders,
00:30:30
NextGen Matters
that are so humble and so gracious just to come to this conference and just spend time with us, the conferees, in every context and setting of every meal.
00:30:43
NextGen Matters
Walt Mueller has now become one of my dearer friends. There are so many that I have become so attached to and so just have grown so much through the relationships of the last three and four years I have met through this conference.
00:31:00
NextGen Matters
I don't say see you next year. I'm not connecting with them throughout the next 12 months. Getting to know and have a friendship with Doug Franklin from Leader Treks, that wouldn't have happened except for this conference.
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NextGen Matters
One of my heroes in the faith when I was in my 20s, Duffy Robbins. Matter of fact, Duffy's a the the keynote speaker this year. To get to know him, the guy's still crushing it. He's still as funny as ever. He's still teaching youth ministry up at Grove City College.
00:31:33
NextGen Matters
And I could go on and on with other names who have become dear friends of mine because I said yes to I will pay the money and I will go to the conference. Speaking of, if you listen to this before February 1st, $40 off. The link will be in the show notes. $40 off on the registration if you get it in by Feb 1. Go there.
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NextGen Matters
Please go to the Northeast Youth Ministry Summit. You will. You'll be so blessed. I told Walt four years ago, I finally found my people. A conference where it's biblically centered and biblically focused, because there's not a lot of those out there anymore, I'm just saying.
00:32:14
NextGen Matters
And also culturally relevant. To have cultural relevancy with a with the Bible at the core of everything. Not just over here, but at the core.
00:32:25
NextGen Matters
That's when I told Walt the last day before I drove back to Lynchburg, Virginia. Four years ago, I said, Doug, I said to to Walt, I said, Walt, I found my people. Thank you for putting this on.
00:32:37
NextGen Matters
So attend conferences and retreats and get your tail to CPYU's Northeast Youth Ministry Summit, y'all. Next, I've done the following. That's why I wrote it down. Build a list and then reach out. Yeah, last year, actually built a list of 20 different men that I'm not i'm not doing you know coffee one-on-one with a female. I love my wife too much and et cetera, cetera. I don't need to explain that. I hope I don't. But I made a list of 20 men.
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NextGen Matters
And as a couple, Jane and I made a list of 10 couples that we want to spend time with socially to get to know. Same principle here with these men, men who are basically in my church or in the greater area where I live.
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NextGen Matters
I want to pursue them. I have five of the 20 that I meet with once a month for coffee. And the others I try to get coffee with once or twice a quarter. So a few times a year, maybe three or four or five, six times a year.
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NextGen Matters
Why? Because I need relationships. So I said, you know what? I'm going to pursue it. I'm going take the first step out. And I'm so glad I have. Some of them are full-time on staff at our church.
00:33:42
NextGen Matters
Some are volunteering like myself in different ministry capacities. With that in place, I also then have people I reach out to who are not in my church for ministry connections.
00:33:54
NextGen Matters
Schedule regular and I'm sorry, schedule regular check-ins. So not only do I build a list and pursue the list, but I also schedule regular check-ins. That's texting, Zoom calls,
00:34:07
NextGen Matters
gathering for monthly coffees. Do something where you're reaching out to someone every week. Whether it's something as simple as that encouragement text, like I said, a Zoom call, working from home alone, absolutely.
00:34:21
NextGen Matters
Zoom was one of my friends. I use it to connect. Consistently builds trust. Consistency builds trust. And the last resource is the elephant in the room.
00:34:34
NextGen Matters
It's right here in front of you. Next Gen Matters. Take advantage of what we have to offer. Absolutely. Here we go. Here it is. I'm going to mention it now.
00:34:46
NextGen Matters
In April, I am fully intending on getting off the ground something I've been working on for two years, and that is a membership subscription, where we are going to be developing something that's not like the other membership subscriptions in youth
Summary and Call to Action
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NextGen Matters
ministry. This will be very unique to us.
00:35:04
NextGen Matters
but you have a place and a space to connect with other ministry leaders. Yes, online. Yes, in cohorts. Yes, in very intimate world one-on-one conversations with myself and other ministry leaders.
00:35:16
NextGen Matters
I really want to develop the NGM circle where you have a place to connect and to grow deeper, not shallow stuff, and not just top of the funnel of ministry, some of the deeper stuff where you can connect.
00:35:31
NextGen Matters
Get involved in our cohorts. Our next cohort's coming up in April called Sustainable. You need one-on-one coaching? That's what I do. So reach out to me for that. For any information, just email me. I'll let you know.
00:35:44
NextGen Matters
Get involved in NextGen Matters. We're going to wrap this up. In conclusion. Let's review. We talked about the why, the reasons behind peer relationships, why they matter.
00:35:55
NextGen Matters
They combat isolation, help share the burden. They provide confidential support. They foster mutual understanding and they strengthen resilience. And then we just explored the benefits, emotional and spiritual support, practical wisdom, personal well-being,
00:36:13
NextGen Matters
Expand your creativity and the collaboration and the resource sharing, which is so rewarding. Peer relationships aren't just helpful. They are essential.
00:36:25
NextGen Matters
You were never meant to lead alone. In case we forget, see Paul and see Jesus, see the apostle Peter. They all did ministry in the context of a team.
00:36:38
NextGen Matters
Don't do it alone. So why peer relationships truly matter?
00:36:45
NextGen Matters
Because peer relationships aren't just a bonus in ministry. They're a lifeline. When you connect with other leaders, you're breaking isolation, sharing the weight, you're gaining real support, and you're staying grounded in who God called who god calleds you to be and what God called you to do.
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NextGen Matters
These relationships will spark fresh ideas. They strengthen resilience and remind you you're not carrying this thing of ministry all alone. So as you head throughout the rest of your week, I want you to take this simple step.
00:37:21
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Reach out, connect, and build the kind of community that keeps you healthy and thriving because you were never meant to lead alone so you don't have to.
00:37:33
NextGen Matters
So here's the call to action. It's simple. It's the simplest one I think I could ever give you. Today, today, take out your phone and text a fellow leader, not in your church, a ministry leader that you know outside of your church context and send them a text of encouragement or a step further and make that phone call.
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NextGen Matters
Say, I want to get together for coffee or whatever you do, right? Lunch, et cetera. Then set up the time to do it. Just don't say whenever because it never happens.
00:38:11
NextGen Matters
Set up a time to do it.
00:38:13
NextGen Matters
We need to connect with other leaders. Also, if you have any stories how peer relationships have shaped your ministry, I'd love to hear it. So email me, richednextgenmatters.com.
00:38:26
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Also consider dropping that story, very briefly, but dropping that story into our comment box so you can encourage others because your experience might encourage someone else.
00:38:37
NextGen Matters
And then i'm going to ask you to not only leave a comment in the podcast comment box, but also share this podcast to another ministry leader.
Conclusion
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Well, as we say, that's a wrap. So thanks for joining me today on the Next Gen Matters podcast. And remember, leadership is a journey that's best traveled when you journey with others.
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You don't have to be alone. You can go faster when you're alone. but you go further when you do your journey together. Hey, have you just have you subscribed yet to this podcast? I mean, do you get the notifications?
00:39:16
NextGen Matters
So if not, please subscribe to this podcast and then also be so kind, leave a review. And then like I said, share this with someone else.
00:39:27
NextGen Matters
And if you don't yet get our weekly NGM Thursday tool email, please make sure to sign up for that. That link is also in the show notes. Thank you so much for joining me today on this, the Next Gen Matters podcast.
00:39:43
NextGen Matters
And until next time, remember, your leadership matters because your ministry matters because the gospel matters.
00:39:54
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Thank you so much and have a great day.