Danny sits down with veteran youth pastor Justin Wong. Justin serves as the Pastor of Youth at Chinese Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. He has worked with students, parents, and families for the past 24 years. He received his Masters of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  

They discuss how social media impacts teenagers and families from a youth pastor’s perspective. Justin talks about how social media can be harmful in different ways, how it impacts the mental health of a teenager, but also how it can be redeemed by a youth ministry that expresses the hope of the gospel in the lives of teenagers. 

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Danny sits down with longtime friend of Rooted Alice Churnock. Alice is a licensed professional counselor specializing in adolescents and college students. She enjoys leading seminars for groups both nationally and internationally, and is married and has two young boys in Birmingham, AL.

They sit down to talk about the topic of eating disorders in teenagers.  She offers deep insights into eating disorders of teenagers as a licensed professional counselor.  Moreover, for churches and youth ministries, her insights offer help for churches and youth ministries, as they serve teenagers and their families, battling these issues.

Resources:

• Purchase Anxiety: Finding the Better Story by Liz Edrington today.

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Danny sits down with longtime veteran Youth Pastor Brock Morgan.  Brock is a popular speaker for retreats, conferences, and camps and has written twenty books including, Youth Ministry in a Post-Christian World and Beautiful Rebellion. Brock is the associate pastor at The Bridge Chino and lives in southern California with his wife Kelsey, their daughter Dancin and their puppy, C.S. Lewis.

They talk about teenage anxiety from a Youth Pastor’s perspective, including discussing Brock’s most recent book, The Anxious Teen.  From the Youth Pastor’s perspective, they discuss the struggle of anxiety that is in the hearts and minds of today’s teenagers and how we might respond and be a part of bringing health and wholeness through the gospel and youth ministry.  Brock also shares very intimately about his own struggles with anxiety.

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In this episode, Danny sits down with Liz Edrington. Danny and Liz talk about teenage anxiety from a counseling perspective for the church and youth ministry. As Liz has wide experience with youth and adult ministry, she offers a unique perspective on how the church and youth ministries can serve teenagers and families who struggle with anxiety. Liz is the author of a 31-day devotional for teenagers called Anxiety: Finding the Better Story (P&R Publishing, 2023). 

Liz Edrington serves as the Fellowship Groups and Young Adults Director at North Shore Fellowship in Chattanooga, TN. She received her M.A. in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, FL, and she has worked with students in one form or another since 2002. She is an emeritus member of the Rooted steering committee.

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Husband and wife Danny and Monica Kwon talk about the role of the church and the youth minister in helping struggling teenagers and their families as they navigate mental health issues.  As a seasoned youth minister and a Christian counselor, respectively, they offer helpful insights and practical suggestions on serving teens and families who are dealing with mental health struggles. 

Before joining Rooted, Danny was the youth and family pastor at his church for 29 years. Monica is both a Christian counselor and licensed psychologist (PhD) who has treated mental health issues of teenagers and their families in both a clinical setting, and in serving along Danny in youth ministry. In this new mini-series season on youth ministry and mental health, Danny and Monica hope to help the church, youth workers, and parents as they minister to teenagers in some of their mental health challenges. Various other guests will be appearing in this new mini-season.

Resources:

www.NAMI.org

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In this second episode of the new mini-season of the RYMP, husband and wife Danny and Monica Kwon talk about gospel centrality as the foundation for dealing with the mental health issues of teenagers and their families. They speak from their experience dealing with the mental health issues of one of their own teenagers. Additionally, Danny spent 29 years serving as the youth pastor at one church, while Monica is both a psychologist and a Christian counselor. In speaking from these three distinct but overlapping perspectives, they admit their failures as leaders in the church, but also how they sought to apply the gospel as the foundation for their own family as well as in their service to teenagers and families dealing with mental health issues.  

Before joining Rooted, Danny was the youth and family pastor at his church for 29 years. Monica is both a Christian counselor and licensed psychologist (PhD) who has treated mental health issues of teenagers and their families in both a clinical setting, and in serving along Danny in youth ministry. In this new mini-series season on youth ministry and mental health, Danny and Monica hope to help the church, youth workers, and parents as they minister to teenagers in some of their mental health challenges. Various other guests will be appearing in this new mini-season.

Listen to more episodes of the Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast.

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In this first episode of the new mini-season of the RYMP, husband and wife Danny and Monica Kwon talk about various aspects of youth ministry and the issue of mental health in the lives of teenagers. This was recorded at their Rooted 2023 Conference workshop. Before joining Rooted, Danny was the youth and family pastor at his church for 29 years. Monica is both a Christian counselor and licensed psychologist (PhD) who has treated mental health issues of teenagers and their families in both a clinical setting, and in serving along Danny in youth ministry. In this new mini-series season on youth ministry and mental health, Danny and Monica hope to help the church, youth workers, and parents as they minister to teenagers in some of their mental health challenges. Various other guests will be appearing in this new mini-season.

Listen to more episodes of the Rooted Youth Ministry Podcast.

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In this episode, Danny sits down to talk with Huey Lee, the longtime Youth Pastor at Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia and a member of Rooted’s Asian American Steering Committee. Together they reflect on hopes he has in youth ministry generally, as well as practical ways he strives to make the gospel central in youth ministry to his teenagers, parents, and ministry volunteers. Huey and Danny discuss aspects of persevering in youth ministry and some of the realities of serving teenagers, as well as how the gospel and its centrality help us continue in hope. Finally, he discusses personal ways he finds hope and perseveres in youth ministry. 

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“We want the gospel to not just be at the surface level but go deep into the little parts and areas of our lives and hearts.”

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In this episode, Danny sits down to talk with Stephen Yates, who serves as an Assistant Pastor to Families and Students at Intown Community Church in Atlanta, GA, and is a visiting instructor at his alma mater, Covenant Theological Seminary, and the PCA’s NEXT Institute. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Stephen talks about hopes in youth ministry as a practitioner. He shares hopeful and purposeful ways that theological depth is implemented in youth ministry with students and adult small group leaders. Stephen also talks about the difficulties in implementing theological depth for youth ministry and some hopeful solutions and ways to persevere to overcome them, as well as personal ways he perseveres in ministry. 

“Students are much smarter than we have often given them credit for.”

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In this episode, Danny sits down to talk with Travis Palmer, Dallas Knight, Emily Seibert, and Jamie Negus to discuss mentoring and their participation in the Rooted Youth Pastor Mentoring cohort. They discuss the valuable lessons and importance of mentoring, as well as the particular benefits and joys of the Rooted Youth Ministry Mentoring Cohorts were for them. 

Quotes:

“A mentor to me has really critical to me as a human, but also me in youth ministry and as a youth director…. because a mentor outside of my specific context…has been really powerful for me…. because they are able to ask questions that people within the context wouldn’t be able to ask.” - Emily Seibert

“The mentorship for me…having someone as a seasoned person who has done it for a long time, to walk alongside you through…really helped with my mental health and support.” - Jamie Negus

"The one-on-one times [of the Rooted mentorship program], where you just bring things that have been really hard in ministry, or areas you knew you were just struggling…and have to just spend working through issues and programs…there’s not a number you can put on the value it put on our ministry here.” - Travis Palmer

“My biggest thing [about the Rooted mentoring program] is I knew I could go to my cohort or mentor with a problem, whether it was in an official meeting or a text, and just be like…can we talk…I am dealing with something here and I need someone else who is in this role to talk about it. And that’s why I would recommend [the Rooted mentoring program], because it gets you connected in ways that don’t naturally happen all the time.” - Dallas Knight

Links:

www.rootedministry.com/mentorship

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In this episode, Danny sits down to talk with Tracy Yi, Chelsea Erickson, Rebecca Lankford, and Tim Franks to discuss their selections for the 2023 Rooted Book Awards. The categories include best new books for youth ministers, parents, teenagers, and for Bible teaching.

Here are your 2023 Book Awards Panelists:

Chelsea Kingston Erickson  

Chelsea is Editor of Youth Ministry Content and the Director of Publishing for Rooted. She previously served as a youth pastor in New England churches for 13 years. She and her husband, Steve, live north of Boston and are parents to Wells and Emmett. Chelsea holds an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where she is currently pursuing a Master of Theology (Th.M.) in Old Testament Studies. She is passionate about teaching teenagers biblical theology and helping them learn to study Scripture for themselves.

Rebecca Lankford

Rebecca serves as the Ministry Development Coordinator/Assistant Editor for Rooted. Previously, she has worked in both youth and young adult ministries. She is a graduate of Furman University and recently completed her master’s in theology at Beeson Divinity School. Rebecca is happiest on a porch swing, in a boat, or on the dance floor.

Tim Franks

Tim hails from the West Coast, California and Colorado. He graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 2005 and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2009. He married his wife Alicia in 2010. Tim and Alicia adopted Michael, Marlayna, and Maicee in 2020. He previously served in student ministry in Phoenix, AZ and Wilson, NC. He began serving at Eureka Bible Church as Associate Pastor in July 2017. Pastor Tim is an avid reader, loves watching and playing sports, and traveling to new places (especially historical sites).

Tracy Yi

Tracy is a mom of 3 and has served alongside her husband, Kevin, in youth ministry for over 16 years and now serves college and young adults ministry at Church Everyday in Southern California. 

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