Beyond the Event: A Youth Ministry Podcast

BTE 5.08 Middle and High School Separate vs. Together: Part 2 with Trevor Sill and Brittany Shoemake

• Season 5 • Episode 8

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We explore why Trevor Sill at The Bridge Christian Church combines junior high and high school and how they rebuilt midweek around one big night and weekly small groups. Trevor shares wins, missteps, and the practices that turned constraints into a discipleship advantage.

• Reasons for combining ages including space, staffing, family rhythm
• One big night monthly plus weekly small groups structure
• High schoolers as culture carriers and mentors
• Onboarding fifth graders and the move-up pathway
• MIX as a relational fast-forward for incoming sixth graders
• Teaching at a shared level with age-specific application in groups
• Handling pushback and aligning leaders to the vision
• Stories of student-led impact including a new sixth grade FCS
• Electives on Sundays for deeper age-targeted study
• Whole-church Wednesday ecosystem that connects parents and students

If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe to Beyond the Event wherever you listen to podcasts.


SPEAKER_02:

Hi, I'm Brad Warren. This is Beyond the Event, a youth ministry podcast presented by Christ and Youth, where we help you maintain momentum between the mountaintops. Uh today's guest is Trevor Still. He is the youth pastor at the Bridge Christian Church in Carthage, Missouri, right down the road from us. And he's going to be uh talking to us about why it is beneficial for them to do junior high and high school programming together. If you missed our last episode uh with Michelle Cruz talking about the opposite, having youth ministry split by junior high and high school, you can go back and listen to that one as well. These two will kind of exist in a pair together. Uh but before we do that, I am joined by the elusive.

SPEAKER_04:

I know you're gonna make some comment.

SPEAKER_02:

Brittany, do make I have like you're impossible to get on here. This is well hold on. Let's let people be objective.

SPEAKER_04:

Let's let people in on your scheduling of meetings habit.

SPEAKER_02:

Let's talk about all the things that you have done in the months of September and October. Wait, how many how many countries have you been to in the months of September and October?

SPEAKER_04:

Technically, three. Three countries.

SPEAKER_02:

Technically, yes. I like it. Republic of Ireland. Yeah, okay. Got it.

SPEAKER_04:

Republic of Ireland. So that'd be in the South and then Northern Ireland.

SPEAKER_02:

So and then the Dominican Republic.

SPEAKER_04:

And then and then Dominican Republic.

SPEAKER_02:

In our offseason. Just gallivanting all over the world.

SPEAKER_04:

Just gallivanting.

SPEAKER_02:

What were you getting up to?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes. We uh we were doing some site visits and checking in with some of our partners there and also talking about some new opportunities with them as well.

SPEAKER_02:

So fun.

SPEAKER_04:

So yeah, it it was a good time to do that. Good time to have some extra time with our partners like that. Uh with teams there. Um so a little bit just more intentional time that we can get with them. So it was fun. And then I I also got to go to Connected.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So from our our CIY Europe team, they put on a youth worker conference in Ireland.

SPEAKER_02:

Is it more like wilderness or YMS? Or kind of a combination of the two? I would say it's a combination. Okay.

SPEAKER_04:

It really is. So, and there were 65, 70 youth workers there.

SPEAKER_02:

Which is incredible.

SPEAKER_04:

Ireland, which is incredible. So it was good. Saw people there that I've seen through the years of doing work in Ireland, and then some of our partners were there too. So yeah, it's great. And got to hang out with our CIY Ireland team.

SPEAKER_02:

They are just a hoot and a half.

SPEAKER_04:

It was lovely.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, that is wonderful. Uh, so I wanted to have you on like four episodes ago to talk about your summer, you know, and just see how like well we got to get like an engage or we got to get like a move summer update, a mixed summer update, and I was like, well, we'll get an engaged summer update. Um, but then I did a bad job of scheduling the podcast. And uh here we are in December, and I'm just now asking you about your summer, but well, it takes a lot of lean power to think back. No, it's actually kind of fitting for engage anyway.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay, how?

SPEAKER_02:

Because like it's a year-round thing. Like we talk about summers and like there's a high concentration in the summer, but it's like really we get to reflect on kind of 2025.

SPEAKER_04:

Right.

SPEAKER_02:

So, how was 2025 for engage?

SPEAKER_04:

2025 for engage. Uh yeah, that's funny because our mind is already in 2026.

SPEAKER_02:

Your mind is already in 2020.

SPEAKER_04:

So not so. Um 2025. I know that that's the year we're in, but it feels like that was years ago.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Um, it was great. We had the highest number of spring break trips that we've had. So had took several teams um to we had three back-to-back-to-back weeks in Northern Ireland at Riot, um, which was exciting. I mean, that would have been coming out of two years ago. Uh, Riot was the ministry partner of CIY as a whole. And so we got to to talk about them a lot. And then so having so many teams get to come over and actually support and be with them in person was really encouraging. And the the Riot team loves that. All of the students that are at Riot come to the youth center, get to see more of American teens that are their age, their peers that they get to hang out with. So um, yeah, so that was great. And then into the summer we had had several teams. It was different for me, I'll say this. And as I've been having conversations, I this was my first summer at CIY. So been here for 18 years now. That was my 19th summer. That's crazy. 19th summer, and I was not on a summer engaged trip.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So first time ever. So I got to go and bounce around at several moves and popped in at mix. So yeah, it was a little bit of a different summer for me, but how was that?

SPEAKER_02:

How did that? It was different.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, it was it was good. Yeah, it was good because we I mean, we have such capable leaders that are leading the teams. We know that that's not all just reliant on our engaged team and our engaged staff. And so we have other leaders that are incredible that that well you did it.

SPEAKER_02:

You would you also did all three spring break trips, right? Like you just stayed in stayed in Northern Ireland for a bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

So yes, I got to see see those three teams come in and just see how that transition would be with the back-to-back.

SPEAKER_02:

Including uh past and future podcast guest.

SPEAKER_04:

Really?

SPEAKER_02:

Tyler Hensley, right?

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, Tyler. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

He was one of the Spring Racers.

SPEAKER_04:

He was the the middle one, yes. They were they were team number two coming in.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

And that was their second time going back to Riot. So that was even uh a sweeter deal too, when you can have uh a church that partners multiple years at the same mission partner and get to build a relationship, yeah, yeah. Seeing that relationship get to continue. And a few of the same students, even that came back from they had been two years earlier with you. With me. Look at that.

SPEAKER_02:

How fun was that? Yeah. I love Tyler. I love that church. Yeah. I'm sure he's listening to this. Hello, Tyler. Thank you for going on an engaged trip. Um faithful listener to be on the event. Um okay. I wanna do I I I have a couple of like uh I kind of want to do like lightning round and just ask you a couple of random questions about international travel.

SPEAKER_03:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

But we gotta move quickly through them. Like, we don't need unless you're like, can I tell a story? And then I'll probably let you tell a story.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay.

SPEAKER_02:

So here we go.

SPEAKER_04:

A little nervous, but that's okay.

SPEAKER_02:

It's fine. You're gonna do great. I believe in this. Uh worst international airport.

SPEAKER_04:

Worst international airport? Oh, Heathrow. Heathrow in London, yes.

SPEAKER_02:

You didn't even have to think about it. I didn't have to think about it. Okay. Uh worst domestic airport?

SPEAKER_04:

Chicago.

SPEAKER_02:

I agree.

SPEAKER_04:

Chicago O'Hare.

SPEAKER_02:

Every Pikeel loves Chicago. Really? That's not what I would say.

SPEAKER_04:

I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, he flies up there sometimes just to hang out at the airport, and then it'll fly back at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_01:

But it is absolutely not my favorite. Or not my favorite domestic airport. Louisville. Uh uh I would say Louisville's not my favorite domestic airport either. Okay. Well, way too many bats. Now you're lightning around.

SPEAKER_04:

So one story flying into Chicago with a team several years ago, coming home from a trip. Church was from Arkansas, uh, flights get delayed, delayed, delayed. We ended up renting vans and driving from Chicago to get this group home.

SPEAKER_02:

Woof.

SPEAKER_04:

Coming off of an international flight.

SPEAKER_02:

Where did you say where they were going back to?

SPEAKER_04:

Arkansas.

SPEAKER_02:

Um okay, favorite international airport.

SPEAKER_04:

Favorite international airport. That's a good question. Like connecting through or landing and through.

SPEAKER_03:

It doesn't matter.

SPEAKER_04:

It doesn't matter. Um the nicest was in Singapore. There was a movie theater in the airport. Oh gosh. Yes. So had a little bit of a long layover there. And yeah, everything just felt very comfortable.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what you mean.

SPEAKER_04:

I wouldn't say that that's a word that you would always associate with an airport.

SPEAKER_02:

No, but a lot of times on those trips to places in Asia, you have like eight or twelve hour layovers. You know, like a long layover. So it's nice to be like, I'm gonna go see Mission Impossible. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Uh Dublin Airport perks with so they have a connection with the United States border control that you can go through customs and immigration in Dublin.

SPEAKER_03:

Yep.

SPEAKER_04:

So when you are coming home from a trip, you do all of that in Dublin. So when you land in the US, it is like landing on a domestic flight. Yeah. You don't have to do that. So nice.

SPEAKER_02:

So and they have a weird yellow sculpture thing that I like.

SPEAKER_04:

The art piece. Yeah. Art. It's called art.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, okay. Favorite international food item. Like you get to have one meal.

SPEAKER_04:

What is it?

unknown:

Brad.

SPEAKER_04:

You're making me make decisions.

SPEAKER_02:

Um, why is it beef low clock?

SPEAKER_04:

It is pineapple fried rice, actually. Okay, we've both been kimbo together. We're in the same country.

SPEAKER_02:

We were in the same country. That's so fun.

SPEAKER_04:

Pineapple fried rice.

SPEAKER_02:

I do love pineapple fried rice. Oh my gosh. Yes. Okay. Uh, favorite engaged mission partner? Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

Lightning round. All of them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I'll be all very special. I love that you went to the DR and we're getting uh it's it's been a couple years since we've been there, but we're getting to go back this year. Has it been a couple years since we've been there?

SPEAKER_04:

Um, we weren't there this last summer, but it's the year before.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. So yeah, two calendar years since we've uh been down there. Yeah. Great mission partner. Gosh, I love them so much.

SPEAKER_04:

Church is growing like crazy that we partner with there. So they I mean, since we have been partnering with them since 2016, they are in their third space now for meetings. Not in the movie theater. So no, that's where they are. So they were in two different like houses that had been converted to churches before that. Um, so now yeah, they are renting a space. It's in a mall, actually. It's like the ballroom in a mall.

SPEAKER_02:

That's what it is. That's right.

SPEAKER_04:

Where they meet. Uh, but they're like growing out of that space. That's so fun. Kids' ministry is growing, youth ministry is growing. The during the service, kids leave and they actually go meet in the food court of the mall. Um, that's like the largest space that they can be able to meet at.

SPEAKER_02:

So it's amazing.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So and they are that's so like true to the history of the church, too, though.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, they are just such an out. I was gonna say they're such an outreach focused church. Yeah. And so they have started partnering with some other ministries. And so that's why I was down there, was getting to meet some of the other ministries that they are partnering with, yeah, that then are engaged. Within their communities, get to get to go and tag in and learn from as well. So that's so fun. Yeah, I love that. God is doing awesome things. So God's such a good church.

SPEAKER_02:

Speaking of food, when I've been to the Dominican Republic twice with Engage, and every time we get in a vehicle in the Dominican Republic, I would make uh Christian Corporan, our fearless leader, uh stop at a roadside stand so that I could buy pineapples.

SPEAKER_04:

Really?

SPEAKER_02:

I ate probably one whole pineapple a day.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, did it like do things to your mouth with I just are you like allergic to it?

SPEAKER_02:

What is it?

SPEAKER_04:

I when I eat too much pineapple, like fresh pineapple, it starts to get like I would buy three pineapples every day. Wow.

SPEAKER_02:

And I would like eat one and then I would cut one up two up for the team.

SPEAKER_04:

That's I I mean I approve.

SPEAKER_02:

It's like a different thing than what you can get here.

SPEAKER_04:

It's true. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, I missed it. I almost texted you and had you bring me back a pineapple, which is super illegal. Okay.

SPEAKER_04:

Um yeah. No, this is this is funny. It's a slash trip. So producer Lauren was was on this trip with me too. I don't know if we're off mic, off camera, producer Lauren. Yeah, producer Lauren. Um we this normally doesn't happen when we have teams there. There's a lot of Dominican food that is eaten. But we had our first meal there was Chinese. So Dominican Chinese. Yeah. And then we had Italian, and then we had true Dominican food. Um, and we had sushi. And more Dominican food, I would say, after that.

SPEAKER_02:

Boy, I bet their sushi is there.

SPEAKER_04:

It it felt like the international tour of the Dominican Republic.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. I bet their sushi is so good.

SPEAKER_04:

So it was good. It was different. Um they have chicken in their sushi.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Which I mean, I'm open to that.

SPEAKER_04:

Haven't seen it on a menu. You can ask producer Lauren about it.

SPEAKER_02:

Very odd to hear you say those words in succession, but I would try it.

SPEAKER_03:

We did try it.

SPEAKER_02:

Quick o' walking Phoenix foot for me. Thumbs up, thumbs down. What are we? Thumb Oh. Oh, thumbs up.

SPEAKER_04:

Okay. It wasn't terrible.

SPEAKER_02:

Not terrible.

SPEAKER_04:

I would not.

SPEAKER_02:

You guys need to go to the Dominican Republic and get some chicken sushi.

unknown:

I would not.

SPEAKER_04:

There's better options.

SPEAKER_02:

Like, I'm sure the seafood is great. It is. It is. Um okay, anyway. That is lovely. Very excited for Engage. Excited for what's coming this year. We got like a million trips that are happening. Um, so many not in the summer.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So many not in the summer. Right.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. And I'm like super glad about that. Like that is the uniqueness of Engage is that we have opportunities to do uh trips outside of the summer when we know that summer's gonna fill up and get so busy with camps and BBS and stuff going on at the church and students taking family vacations, and I mean youth pastors taking family vacations. So summers we know can can get packed. And so when we can provide those opportunities um outside of that during other breaks, it um I mean it even helps spread things out through our mission partners as well. So can be a win-win in a lot of different ways.

SPEAKER_02:

I count one, two, three, four, five spring break trips that are definitely happening, right?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

That's probably the most we've ever had.

SPEAKER_04:

So and then we'll Is that the most we've ever had? Um yeah, most in in that in that time period. Yeah. So and we uh we're actually this year doing a youth leader trip that is also in the spring. So what does that mean? So we are so we're going to Northern Ireland and providing an opportunity for youth pastors who have uh maybe been interested in engage, but are still trying to decide or really want to know like what is engage like? This is a hey, come see it and experience it for yourself.

SPEAKER_02:

And so we're gonna be I apologize if I'm putting you in an awkward spot right now. Could could someone like reach out and be part of that?

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. So space is limited.

SPEAKER_02:

I did not have a little bit of a lot of people. I did not know this was happening. So yeah, that's lovely.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah, it's it's our first year running it. So we haven't like fully, fully publicized it way out in the open.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

But we've yeah, been talking with some people about it. And yeah, there's there's still some spots left. So if anybody hearing this is interested, yeah, we can we can talk about it. But it's it's gonna be a high-level view of Engage. So it's not we're going to riot. That's what we're seeing, that's where it's being hosted at, but it's not like only people who are interested specifically in going to riot, right? We'll give an overview of this is what you would experience on on every Engage trip and walking through our training and just some of the things that make Engage unique and how we partner with ministries for lasting impact and the the relational side of ministry too. And so gonna get to walk along uh a few different youth workers in Ireland as well. So, even outside of Riot, get to learn from just people who are doing youth work there. So, and then some rest and seeing some historical sites and I was gonna say, will they get to go to St.

SPEAKER_02:

George's Market and get a Belfast Bab?

SPEAKER_04:

Absolutely. Okay, absolutely wonderful.

SPEAKER_02:

So worth the price of admission.

SPEAKER_04:

And uh maybe some optional stuff like golfing, if anybody is interested.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh yeah? You take in people golfing?

SPEAKER_04:

I mean, Richie will take people golfing. I don't think anybody wants me to take the page. Um yeah, definitely have some of that more just like spiritual retreat type stuff as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. Well, that's amazing. Yeah. I'm excited about it.

SPEAKER_04:

People will be hearing more about these opportunities in the future.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that. That's so amazing. Um okay, Brittany, we no longer do the mailbag. In its stead, uh, we do something called Mic'ed Up, which is where Michael gets to talk about anything he wants. So it's time for another iteration. Mic'ed up.

SPEAKER_04:

I like this season of the podcast, I'll say with getting to hear more of Michael. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh, thank you. So a delight.

SPEAKER_04:

I love it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Great addition.

SPEAKER_02:

I had to make him do it.

SPEAKER_01:

It's true. Um, right around the corner, Christmas. Celebrating the birth of our Lord. Um, here's what I would like to here's what I would like to um hear about is growing up, favorite family traditions, and looking to the future. Maybe. And if you don't have anything, it's okay. Traditions you would like to carry forward. It's just to two single people who have no kids. I know. Me too. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Literally everyone in this room. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Nieces and nephews that I love in a dog.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. So I have it on the way. It's on Instagram, so I've allowed to say it now. It's so fun.

SPEAKER_04:

Well, that's exciting.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. That's exciting.

SPEAKER_04:

The first one that comes to my mind with traditions is like my whole mom side of the family. So my grandparents, uh, my grandpa was like oh, he, I mean, he's still alive when I say was. He just doesn't do anymore. Um, he did a lot of woodworking and so had had made us a bunch of stuff, but um isn't quite doing that anymore. But they he would make ornaments for everybody in the family. So everybody would have have their own ornament, and it would look like, oh, this is a great, you know, snowman, Christmas tree, whatever it is. But somewhere in the ornament would always be a hidden roll of cash or folded up. So love cash. That was the thing. So you would you would walk in, we'd see, you know, all of the same ornaments on the tree. So we all know. But every year we would, you know, hand out the ornaments, find the one with your name on it, and you know, all of us are like, where is the the secret little spot here? Where's the money? And every year my grandpa's like, no, you know, it's been a hard year, and not every year we can do this. And then every and then we start, and then we're like breaking our ornaments, you know, like trying to find out. So then they're like, Why are you breaking the ornaments? You know, so he had to do that spiel every year. Um, but we would always find the cash inside.

SPEAKER_02:

So are you gonna take up woodworking to do this for your nieces and nephews?

SPEAKER_04:

Um maybe find some other ways, other ways to do it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, fair enough.

SPEAKER_04:

Um, but that yeah, and I mean we still have all the ornaments on our trees, and it's fun when I go to cousins' houses or aunt and uncle's house, you can see those uh on the trees too, and the other pieces that grandpa has made that we've torn apart, but then hot click back together.

SPEAKER_02:

Classic.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it.

SPEAKER_04:

Great tradition. That's funny.

SPEAKER_02:

I love it. Um mine is a w I think kind of strange. Um, but I I I was born in central Kentucky and then uh moved to Jacksonville, Florida, and we would drive from Florida up to Kentucky for Christmas every year, as one does. And um, I don't know how this happened, but the movie that like became a staple of that drive was the sound of music. We had like a you know, one of those old TV VCR combo things and like an inverter that plugged into the car like lighter. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

We did this too.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, yeah, you you had to. Oh yeah. And um I I think the sound of music was on two cassette tapes.

SPEAKER_03:

That sounds right.

SPEAKER_02:

It's like a four-hour movie. Still one of my favorite movies to this day, but like uh to me, the sound of music is a Christmas movie. I watch it every year at Christmas time, and that's my favorite attrition.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Is there a scene in the movie that is like a Christmas like there is not. Not a not a not a single one.

SPEAKER_01:

I I just could not remember. It's been a long time since I watched it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, it's truly a very summer movie. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

Great summer vibes. At one point, Julie Andrews says this warm summer air is not good for the children's voices. I just don't remember like how much time the movie covers.

SPEAKER_01:

That's true. Yeah, fair.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_04:

Michael, what are you?

SPEAKER_01:

You know, I think I think there's there's a couple that I could talk about. Um one of the most treasured for the Hester family is every Christmas morning, my dad makes um spaghetti and eggs for breakfast.

SPEAKER_02:

Second mention of spaghetti and eggs on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

This season. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Oh, right. You made it for somebody for our small group.

SPEAKER_01:

And I just like it just I it's it I've it's been better at home. You know, like I've made a better thing.

SPEAKER_02:

Spaghetti and eggs is already weird. Having it for breakfast is like oh I I can't even ride. It's like jumping the shark for spaghetti and eggs. Yeah, I guess.

SPEAKER_04:

Add in some chicken sushi. And it's just gonna make it.

SPEAKER_02:

In sympathy for Tim and Margie Hester, they were trying to feed 14 people.

SPEAKER_04:

So that's true.

SPEAKER_01:

Not just not trying, succeeding. Yeah. Yeah. Um with you know, bacon bits, tater tots. It's a great it's a great little breakfast. Um the other thing, and this is this is pretty this is pretty simple and straightforward, but every Christmas morning we always um read um from Luke chapter two. Um and I don't remember if we do that before we open our stockings, which we do first. It's always like stockings, breakfast, and then presence under the tree. Um I I think we do it before stockings, but one or two times it may have been after breakfast before presence under the tree. Um but normally my dad is the one that would read it. Um, the last several years, I think he's like kind of delegated it out to um some siblings. But I can remember one or two of the recent years that my dad would read it and him getting like very clearly and openly emotional describing the scene of the angels appearing to the shepherds and just talking about the good news. Um or glad tidings, I guess would maybe be the term. I don't know. Glad tidings of great truth. Um but just like the I I there's something about the example of of my father um being vulnerable enough to just show that that emotion about how important the story of um Christ's coming is. Um is uh it's just a great thing to have growing up. And I don't I don't know that very many people actually get to have that kind of thing um and experience that, like the blessing that that is.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Um so I I think that I think that kind of like that kind of vulnerability is something that I want to like continue forward. Um is and you know, like Christmas is so much there's so much fun around Christmas and there's so much um uh excitement, but also um making sure that we're keeping at the center like how incredibly important um it is that what we're celebrating. Yeah. I love that.

SPEAKER_04:

Amen. Yeah. That that is the tradition that has continued in our family that has changed with the nieces and nephews. So reading out of loop two, dad would always do it out of the Bible. It has now changed to the Jesus storybook Bible with with little kids in the family.

SPEAKER_02:

We do a similar thing, but we read the account of the birth of Christ from Revelation. Oh, yeah. Where there's like a dragon waiting for him.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, a little different. When when I was at Ozark, this is like the most like high-level Bible college thing that I think I have ever conceived of. I I really w had wished there was like a version of Silent Night that had an at an added verse about like the dragon.

SPEAKER_02:

My New Testament professor had like a Lord of the Rings figurine or something that he added to his nativity scene every year. Was it like smog? I don't know. It was like part of the nativity scene. I think Shane Wood does the same thing. That's amazing. Shout out. Okay, well, speaking of dragons, let's go talk to Trevor.

SPEAKER_04:

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh Trevor, so glad to have you here all the way from beautiful Carthage, uh, Missouri. Hey, um, so I love you and I love the the work that you do at the bridge and am excited to kind of dive into this conversation.

SPEAKER_04:

This is why Trevor was brought on. It's for Brad to tell him that he loves you.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes. He's my advocate. Thank you, Brad. Yeah. Um you're already threw you off. I just called you like a thoughtful person a second ago, and now this is the world that I live in where I'm just being like Why can't grown men just tell each other they love each other? I do, I do literally all the time. I say it all the time. Um, it makes some people uncomfortable, but that's okay. Like Peikel, Peikel, I love you. I love you too, Brad. He used to not say it back, and I had to be like, say it back, Peikel, and then he said it back. Oh, that's true. Anyway. Okay. Um boy, that's a tough start to this. Sorry. Um anyway. Uh talking about junior high and high school programming, we're gonna get into a little bit of like the bridge, a little bit of uh kind of the world that you live in. Um I I wanna start with though, just like what what do you guys do for your junior high and high school programming? Um we'll start there and then we'll can kind of dive into why it makes sense for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So we we do our main programming on Wednesday nights still. Uh so midweek, midweek programming. And our church is unique in the sense that I I think it's kind of old school. I'm not sure how many churches in the area or around the nation do this, but we still have like a pretty big family atmosphere on Wednesday nights. So we have kids' ministry going, youth ministry going, and then we have a number of adult Bible studies or small groups meeting. So I think that's a really cool aspect within our churches. You know, you can walk in on a Wednesday night and see, you know, ages from birth to to 80 there on a Wednesday night, all in the same area, um, doing doing different studies, different things. And so uh we we've thought about not doing the the Wednesday night switching to a Sunday, but that would take away a huge family aspect that we have. So we stick with the the Wednesday nights, and then this year within our student ministry specifically, we've made a pretty big change where uh we we switch to like a one big night program. So the first Wednesday of every month, we have worship, sermon as normal, and then the rest of the Wednesdays, the remaining Wednesdays of that month, we go just small groups. So we'll have 45 minutes to an hour in small groups to kind of talk through uh what students are going through in their faith personally, what what's going through in their lives, and then also recap the sermon from the beginning of the month.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay. So do you do anything on Sundays?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, we do uh so our main thing is we encourage students to go to church with their families. Uh we think that's a big deal uh to be with that. And then we also have um some electives that meet uh throughout the week, throughout the year uh for high school. So that's that is when we separate, we separate high school and junior high for those electives. That's a real cool idea.

SPEAKER_02:

You like one like one-off things, or like, hey, we're gonna do four weeks through this. Do they happen every Sunday, or is it just like sometimes?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's not not every Sunday. So we this semester, we just got done going through uh the book of Ephesians. So we went through that for six weeks and then we took a short break, and now we're in Second Timothy, and we're gonna be in that until uh or through the rest of November and then take a break for December. And so we kind of leave it up to the students. Hey, what's a what's a book of the Bible that you guys want to go through, or what's a topic you want to discuss? And we we want that to be kind of like a smaller group setting where we get to go through topics related to them or or just books of the Bible that they want to go through.

SPEAKER_02:

It's really interesting. I don't think I've ever heard it branded as like electives before, but that's that that happens on Sundays.

SPEAKER_04:

Did you say when happens on Sunday mornings? Yeah. Sunday mornings, okay.

SPEAKER_02:

So like primary goal, go to church with your family. Yep. But also like the the electives are available. That's cool. All right, so um for the one big night, you junior high and high school together, that's what we're gonna be kind of leaning into. Um, you alluded a little bit to the bridge as like old school, which um respectfully I disagree with. I've been there one time and I was like, they actually do some kind of cool things here, um that are different and fun, and like the the family atmosphere thing plays out in some interesting ways, um, that are really cool. So um just tell me a little bit about the bridge. You've been there for five years, your wife has been there for 30 years, yeah. Uh born and raised. Like, why and and we've talked, and you're like, no, this is where I want to be. Like, there is not a step up after this, like we're happy in Carthage, we're happy at the bridge. This is great. Yeah. So tell me about the bridge and like why do you love it? What what is it about that culture that you know draws you to it?

SPEAKER_00:

Great question. Um, so it was just really cool being able to come back here. Like, you know, Brad, you and I worked at a church in Colorado together, and uh, I never thought I'd be back in the in the area. I grew up here in Carl Junction and always kind of want to not come back to this area. But when it the opportunity came back or arose to to come back here, Court and I were praying about it. And there's just something leading us to back back to home, like both of us growing up here in the area. It just means uh a lot more. It's a lot more personal to us. And I know especially for her, uh like growing up and spending time at this church as a student, as a kid, and still having all those relationships, like she still has small group leaders that she had when she was in high school, who are still small group leaders in our ministry today, which is like super cool. And it's just like this this is home. Um even even if I no longer worked at this church, this is still where we would go to church because Carthage is home and and we love this place. Um and like as a as a church, uh kind of demographically speaking, we we have about 700 people uh that attend here uh any given week. And our demographic is is super interesting. I know, Brad, we've had some conversations about this, but we have uh this really cool, unique relationship between law enforcement and like past criminals. And so um like there are multiple stories I could tell of like uh a police officer running into a member, be like, hey, you look familiar. And the guy would be like, Yeah, you arrested me like years ago. Um, but now they're like worshiping together in in small groups together, and so it's just a really cool dynamic that we're walking through. Uh difficult for sure to to disciple um just the discipleship process that that leads us into, but super cool demographic and opportunity that we have uh going on here at the bridge. So uh I guess that's a little bit more about that. Um, do you need anything else on that?

SPEAKER_02:

No, no, no, that's great. Um it's like yeah, it's uh you you you call it going home, but Carl Junction to Carthage is a pretty big step up. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Trevor, within within the youth group, are what would you say like percentage-wise, kids that are coming, their families are also coming, and then kids that are just coming with their families?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's that's a good question. Yeah, uh, we've had a lot of conversations about that as as a team, and I would say we're right about like that 50, 50, 60 percent of our students, their families uh attend. Yeah, and uh the rest of them do not. And so that it goes back to that family aspect, which is really cool because we have all of those ministries kind of feed into each other. Uh, there'll be parents who attend this church, but their kids do not. And then all of a sudden that we do a study on Wednesday night for adults that they want to really want to be a part of. And so they come to it as as adults and they say, hey, they bring their kids around and they send them up to to youth ministry with us, and and vice versa. We'll have kids who are coming here and then invite their parents or tell their parents about it, and then their parents get connected uh with the Wednesday night stuff. And so it's really cool to see how those those ministries feed into each other.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

So I'm sure you put some thought into this idea of like, okay, we're doing junior high and high school Wednesday nights. Uh, we're really talking about once a month at this point. Um put put I'm sure I'm sure you've put some thought into like we're together, do we need to split them up? Do we not? Do like what you know. Um what has like what have been the primary factors for you and for the bridge that have like kind of informed that decision? Like why why do they meet together?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Um so a lot of what determined this decision are things kind of out of our control right now. I would say the the first thing is space. We don't have enough space to to split up, especially if we were gonna do the same night and split up junior high and high school. Uh, we don't have that space to do that. And also, like I I oversee both junior high and high school. And so it would be difficult for me to kind of be in two places.

SPEAKER_02:

We should have said that once like you you're the only student ministry staff.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I'm the only student minister here. Um and so that would kind of stretch me pretty thin um to do two nights a week. And then again, going back to that that family aspect, like I'm sure there's there's a number of families that we have who have uh students who are junior high and high school, and so then having to take them to two different places or having two different nights out of the week taken up for that um could be difficult. And so those are some of the main uh main thoughts that went into this, and we realized it's gonna be really difficult for us to separate. And so, how can we make the most of this opportunity to have them together? Um, and so that's kind of like where we where we settled instead of complaining of like, man, I wish we had more space, I wish we could, you know, bring another person on staff to oversee a high school or junior high and let it be more focused. And that's just not in the cards for us right now. So our thoughts sort of go into how can we make this better? How can we really pour into you know our older kids just to see this as an opportunity for discipleship and leading these younger kids and not to see them just as an annoyance or a nuisance or something in the way on a Wednesday night. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. So can I follow up question on that? Like, how do you how do you practically do that? Like set that way.

SPEAKER_00:

We don't really have like a we don't really have like a student leadership team, but we we expect our, especially upperclassmen, to to just be leaders. And you know, we we have those conversations with them um within the small group time or with within the one-on-one moments that we have pouring into them. And because we we've had to wrestle with that a lot. Like high school kids do not think sixth graders are very cool, and you know, that sometimes they're being there to be. I don't either. Yes, yes. Um, and I I should say too, we we oversee like sixth through twelfth grade is our ministry, so that's that's where we're at. And so when we we actually just made that change a couple of years ago, and it was tough to to invite those sixth graders into the ministry and watch some of our high school kids like treat them like they had the plague or something like that. And it was it was tough to walk through that, but it was also cool to have those conversations of like, guys, remember when you were sixth graders or when you were seventh graders and you came in, you had older kids who poured into you. You had older kids who kind of showed you the example, and they're like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so they kind of that group kind of caught on really quickly, and it's really started this cool precedence or cool example of hey, if you're an older kid, if you're an upperclassman, like part of your job isn't just to show up and and get fed, it's to make sure these younger kids are being discipled as well. Um, there's a really cool story that we had, I think this last last last summer, end of last school year, where we invited our our sixth graders into the ministry for the first time. And for that event, we try to keep it just junior high only, not to intimidate our our sixth graders coming up. But there were a couple upperclassmen who were like, Hey, can we come and uh and and ref we were doing uh broom ball. I don't know if you guys have ever played broomball before. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's it's awesome. And so, like, hey, can we come ref? I'm like, Yeah, that'd be awesome. And so they walked in and some of our security. Boys were like, who are they? Like they looked up their small group leader.

SPEAKER_03:

Who are they?

SPEAKER_00:

Like they were so enamored. And their small group leader was like, those are the juniors and seniors. And they were just like hooked automatically. And so I was like, that's super cool. And I got to tell that to our upperclassmen boys. And they're like, Yeah, yeah, we we have an opportunity here. And so they took it and ran with it. And so I I love opportunities like that that we've gotten to have within our ministry because of that. That's cool.

SPEAKER_02:

So you're you're kind of um you you've scratched the surface on what I'm about to say a little bit, but I do want to kind of lean into it. Um you're talking a lot about how the high school experience is kind of affected by this and some of the really cool opportunities that come along with that for leadership and kind of calling them to a higher standard and those kinds of things. When you made the sw were you at the bridge when you made the change from from sixth graders for sixth graders? For sixth graders coming in, yeah. Yeah. Okay, that that's pretty recent. Um uh I'm I'm curious how their experience, like the younger kids' experience, has been impacted by having you know, older kids around. Do you feel like you've seen um a difference in maturity level in what they're able to kind of like their their Bible knowledge? I don't know, like has it been has it helped?

SPEAKER_00:

I think yeah, I think so. It's I I tend to focus more on the on the high school relationship because I think you know they're a little more affected by it. I feel like the the younger kids just like show up and have fun regardless of that matter. Um yeah, but I I have seen uh some of that growth. Like, you know, when we when we first had those sixth graders up there, they were treating it like a kids' ministry, like we're just gonna run around up here, and like they were literally running sprints like around the room, and we're like, hey, the older kids were like, hey, we don't really do that here. Stop. Yeah, yeah. And so like that's that's kind of like a shallow service level example. But um, along with that, and and this is, I mean, it can be a pro or or a con. I go back back and forth on it all the time, but when when I write down or sit down to write my sermon, I I usually tend to write it with a a sophomore or junior in high school in mind. And so that's kind of the level that we we teach to. And obviously, our sixth graders are are below that, you know, maybe not as as theologically sound as as a junior or a sophomore in high school is, but we that's why we've devoted so much time to these small groups, and we really have that opportunity for them to go into that and be like, hey, we we talked about this, and I'm having a real time, real hard time like understanding what was being said. Um, and so our small group leaders have a great opportunity to kind of fill the gap between between that. And um, we've seen a lot of a lot of growth happen uh within that. Like our sixth graders right now, uh so FCS, we do FCS at Carthage, it's basically FCA, um, just with a different title. And so junior high and high school both do that, but here at Carthage, there's a sixth grade center, so it's just sixth graders in this building. And they're like, Man, we hear the junior high kids and the high school kids talk about FCS all the time. Why don't we have one? And we're like, well, you you guys need to start it if you want one. And so that happened this year at the sixth grade center. Like they saw these junior high and high school students. They're like, We we want to have this Christian club at our school too. And so they they talk to their teachers and their leaders at the sixth grade center and they got it up and running. And uh, so there's some examples of how our older kids have have led these younger kids in in the decision making and discipleship process as well. Yeah, that's really cool.

SPEAKER_02:

Um do I had a question and I lost it. This is the earliest we've ever recorded a podcast. I want everyone to know that. So if you're listening and you're like, Brad sounds tired. Brad is tired. Okay. Walked in first thing this morning. It's like you have to be super on your game and and record a podcast, but I'm not gonna say that that's Britney's fault. But I'm not gonna say that it's just not Britney's fault. Again, go back to Brad's scheduling habits that aren't that great. They're not. They're not. Um I have a question.

SPEAKER_04:

So as far as like outside events outside of your church, whether camp, whatever, whatever you guys do, is it still common then for high schoolers to be um like leaders with your with your middle schoolers? Do you see that happening?

SPEAKER_00:

We haven't, I don't think we've ever taken high school students on like a a mix event. Like we we've never done that. But we and and that's just something like I I don't I think it's sometimes a little too too close. I would have to you know I'd have to be a really mature high schooler uh for me to trust it to take them. But what we do is like once you once you graduate, then we and you're sticking around, like we immediately try to get you plugged into that yet younger group of of students. And so the last couple of years we've had the opportunity to take some of our college graduates on on junior high events and leaders for mixed and and things like that. Um but when we do like junior high specific events, I always try to bring in um like like a one-night kind of a thing, not not like camp experiences, but uh with a one-night junior high event, I try to bring in high school students who would be willing to serve and and and be there for that night.

SPEAKER_04:

Yeah. Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_02:

I remembered my question. It's a it's it's it's it's uh I don't know if this is gonna go anywhere or not, and it's fine if it doesn't. But have you worked or collaborated with the children's ministry at the bridge at all, knowing that like when somebody is making the transition from fifth to sixth grade, there is gonna be kind of this abrupt change in in the level that they're being taught at. You know what I mean? Like did I I'm I I just wonder, I don't know, if if that's ever been a conversation or if anything's come out of that or what.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I would say there's not as much uh collaboration as we would like to have. Um but I I try to I try to be over there and and do things uh at least a a handful of times during the year. Uh once once the new year new year starts, that's when we really try to focus on uh that that transition stage. And so uh we call it move up day. And I'll I'll start, I'll I'll go over there January or February and just introduce myself to the to the fifth graders and and talk about like you know, hey, we go on this thing called called Mix. Like you guys have been a part of Superstart for a couple of years now. And so Mix is the next CIY event that you guys will be going to as uh as student ministry, ministry students, and um kind of start start building the relationship then and then try to go over there like uh once a month or a couple times a month to just continue to build that relationship and um and then start reaching out to parents and and inviting them uh to be a part of our ministry and ask questions if they need to.

SPEAKER_02:

So do they go to mix before they go to any like programming stuff for junior high?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh so they yeah, we have our move up day is like end of May. Like as soon as school gets out, the next couple weeks, we we go ahead and move up our fifth graders uh into student ministry, our incoming sixth graders. And so they spend the summer with us. And so they have the option to go to we go to Sayokamo with our our kids. Uh huh. Uh so they have the option to go to Sayokomo or Mix or both if they want to, uh that first summer.

SPEAKER_02:

It has uh Mix seems like a great, I mean I guess, you know, I'm I'm I'm pretend I'm not a employee of CIY, and I'm saying that's okay. Yeah, uh Mix uh seems like a really great aid to what you're doing too, though, because um, you know, you got a fifth grader, rising sixth grader, and then they go away for four days and have kind of a boot camp, a rapid initiation into hey, this is what junior high ministry is uh is like, and then you get to kind of come back and build on that throughout the course of the rest of uh the summer and and going into the fall. Has has that been your experience?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh yeah, yeah. Like it's uh I I I give the students an option for both, but I push really hard to get them to go to Mix just because it it it fast forwards their their relationships with not only each other, but their small group leaders as well. Um and so we we saw this last year. The students who you know did go to mix, um, they were the ones who you know come August, September when we really started hitting the ground with our programming, they they already knew like what student ministry was about at the bridge. They had a good relationship with their small group leaders, they had that opportunity to you know kind of bond and build relationships at Mix. And so they were ahead of the game when it came to just relationships and comfortability within the ministry, and those who maybe decided not to go or or even went to Sao Kumo an extra year. And I don't want to say that one is you know way better than the other, but it just does it, it helps when when an uncoming sixth grader comes to comes to mix just with the comfortability factor of it. And um, that's why I love mixed. You know, this isn't uh I know that you guys work for CIY, but I'm a huge fan of Mix. And um that that love for mix has grown over the years because of that, because it does such a great job of like making it a fun, inviting event for our younger kids, but then also not being afraid to jump into biblical truths um that that maybe are a little too much for them at the time, but lead to a lot of growth.

SPEAKER_01:

Is something weird happening? Um I don't think it's anything that we can fix. I think it's uh it's not anything I'm worried about. Okay.

SPEAKER_04:

Um just answer that question.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04:

Um okay, so thinking back to a couple years ago when you made this decision to to bring junior high into it, how how did the vision casting go to parents to other leaders? And how was that received? Like was there was there any pushback when combined.

SPEAKER_00:

When we brought sixth graders into the ministry?

SPEAKER_04:

Yes.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. So that was a fun time. Um yeah, so there there were a couple of different factors that led us to making that decision. And I think the biggest one is uh I we kind of use the term like age out, like we had a lot of kids who are aging out of of kids' ministry, and especially as like sixth graders in that ministry, they felt like they were they were too old for it. Um, and so we would lose a lot of kids to um from fifth grade to seventh grade. Um, they would just like lose interest in in church altogether. And a lot of times it led to families going somewhere else, or families just stopped going to church altogether. And you know, as as student ministers and and children's ministers, we we know the the impact that our ministries have on churches. Like a lot of times kids decide where the the families go based on where they want to go, where the kids' programming is the is is good or where their friends are going. Um so we sat down and had some conversations uh about that and uh and talked about it uh the best way that we could do it. And you know, that's when we kind of discussed well, do we need to just have like a pre-team ministry? Uh because going back to the way our school systems are, sixth graders in general here in Carthage are just kind of like they kind of feel like outcasts, you know, they're in their own. They have their own, they're in their own building, they're in their own bubble.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, that's something that I want to like kind of hammer home for people because this is not a thing that other people have to deal with. No, yeah, like you are in a school in Carthage from kindergarten to fifth grade. Yep, yep. And then you go to a different building for sixth grade, the intermediate school. Yeah, and then you go to junior high for seventh and eighth, and then high school. So yeah. Um, which is like just kind of a bizarre thing. And I, you know, I'm sure that that was a reaction to something that they had to like accommodate for growth or or whatever it is, but it is a super weird dynamic that you have to deal with.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah. And so I think that definitely played a role in them feeling like they were, you know, kind of too old to be around fifth and fourth graders because they they weren't in that that building with them during the the school days in the school year. Um so it's just that kind of a unique situation that we walked through and you know, we we prayed a lot about it, we talked a lot about it, we exhausted a lot of options, and we just went to the the decision, hey, we think we need to move up sixth graders into our ministry. And uh there was there was some pushback. Um I don't think there was any pushback with with the parents as much as uh some of our small group leaders, you know, were really like, hey, this could be uh a big issue for our upperclassmen, for our older kids. And they're really scared of like we we could lose, we could lose a lot of our older kids because we're we're too young, we're too immature. Um and that was that was a big a big fear. And then that's when we just started having those conversations of like, hey, if if you want like being being a student in a student ministry means pouring into those who are younger than you, whether you're a senior and that's pouring into a sophomore, or whether you're a junior and that's pouring into a sixth grader. Like this, this is kind of your your role in your faith. And we see that throughout the Bible. We see that um, you know, throughout throughout the whole Christian life of people who have poured into those who are are beneath them, coming up below them. Um, and so thankfully we had a really good group of of juniors and seniors that year who who held on to the vision and were able to see it when we casted it. And our small group leaders, uh, those who are given some pushback were able to see it uh a little bit of like, hey, we have this really cool opportunity if we can speak into it and and allow students to to see the the importance of it.

SPEAKER_04:

That's cool. So um saw it and then believed it.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah. Um so uh the proponents of splitting junior high and high school, their big uh uh you know, rationale, which I think makes a lot of sense, is that you get to teach really intentionally for the age that uh you're you're you're talking to. Um because an 11-year-old, a lot different than an 18-year-old in some ways, maybe more similar than they should be in other ways. Um, but you know, there's a huge like intellectual intelligence, emotional intelligence, like gap there. Um I know you spent some time thinking about this. You even alluded to like, yeah, I teach like a sophomore junior level. I know that the younger kids are gonna miss some things, but we have small groups to fill that in. Um what uh do you like how I don't even know how to ask this question. Um, but what what is uh I think what I'm trying to say is uh how do you make sure that everybody is getting what they need out of the ministry? Like you personally, because you're not you do oversee this whole ministry, but you're not sitting in every single small group, you know, making you know, knowing whether and that's true for any youth pastor, you know, but yeah, um when you do have to throw such a wide net when it comes to the teaching itself, you know, how do you make sure that everybody in that room is getting what you would want them to get out of an experience at the bridge youth ministry? Yeah, um, that's that's a tough question. So I only play hardball, Trev.

SPEAKER_00:

Right, that's right. I know, I know. I had to have two cups of coffee because I know you're coming down with the heat. Um no great question. So I I think when I sit down to to write a sermon, like I said, uh I I do think about that, those sophomore and junior level uh students and try to preach their level. And uh, but also I try try to make our our application section like really really specific or or really um I just try to hit heavy hard on the application part. And so we don't have a whole lot of time um to like dig into a sermon. You know, we have about 15, 15 minutes to really discuss it. And so I'll I'll share with them some some biblical truth and then just sit down and be like, hey, this this is what it means, and try to give them three three really clear points of like this this is how this scripture should affect the the environment that you find yourselves in. And then uh from that, uh once we go into small groups the next couple of weeks, all the questions that we have in small group will will dissect each of those application points. And so that that first week in small groups is like, all right, here was the the first point of application. How does this look like in your life? How does this look like in your environment? And then the next thing with the the second week and the third week. Uh really just hit that.

SPEAKER_02:

Are the questions different? Like if I'm a sixth grade leader or if I'm a senior leader? Or no, they're they're all the same. They're all the same. Okay, got it. All the same. But they kind of focus in on like, hey, Trevor said this as an application, like let's take that and let's say, what does this mean for a sixth grade girl? What does this mean for a junior boy? Right. Yeah. Okay. So you're exactly like that.

SPEAKER_00:

Um, and so I think like, you know, I think it was Orange Curriculum always said if we wanna, if we want to grow big, we gotta grow small. And and so that's what we try to do is like try to make those small groups as uh as small as we can, um, and as as close in age as we can. And that way, you know, the sermon or whoever spoke maybe a generalized truth that we try to get across, then we can spend a lot of time in those small groups and making that general truth more specific and more personal to where each student is at.

SPEAKER_02:

Do you think that this we're gonna have to wind down here a little bit? But I like a zillion questions. Um do you do you think that this when did you make the switch? Let me start here. When did you make the switch from every week uh normal like Wednesday night programming worship sermon, small group? When did you make the transition from that to like, hey, we're gonna do once a month and do small groups every other week of the month? Is that a new thing?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it's a new thing. We started on September.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay, begin the semester. Because the way you're describing it is like Like this makes so much sense. Um was was this a response to some pain points that you were having in this area?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah before. Uh this this could get uh this will get more fired up because I love talking about this. But um we we kind of went through uh a tough time in our our ministry uh end of last last semester and into the summer where we really saw the disconnect of our upperclassmen and our our sixth graders. And like it brought a lot of like like I was just wrestling through it personally. I was like, man, we shouldn't have done this. Like this was a bad call. We we shouldn't have let these sixth graders come up here, um, because it was just like that that big of a disconnect. And so it was it was something I was really struggling with, and um our our leaders were were feeling that tension as well. And so going into the summer, uh a lot of us were really discouraged because of that. Um but like going through uh it was just so cool, like God's timing was so awesome as we went through the book of Hebrews um over the over the course of the summer with like move, and we even went through our own series of it before going to move and mix both. And like there's some really hard truths in the book of Hebrews about um not being lazy and and not neglecting those who are younger. Like Hebrews 13, 7 was a key verse that we went over uh with our students this summer of like imitate those who have gone before you. And so we were really able to hit that hard over the summer, and we realized not just with the disconnect between our upperclassmen and our younger kids, but disconnect between like a lot of our students and leaders, our students to students, like there just wasn't a lot of consistency. And so we're like, if we want to to make this ministry as impactful as we can, we we really need to go all in on discipleship. And so we're like, we can't we can't build these relationships if we have an hour on a Wednesday night and 45 minutes of that time is taken up with worship and sermon. Like those things are great and necessary, but only having 10 to 15 minutes in a small group setting isn't gonna build relationships, it's not gonna be uh discipleship driven. And so like I was ready to burn it all to the ground and just like let's let's start over, uh let's let's normally go to like small groups and throw everything else out the window. But through a lot of prayer and and discussions as as a team, we we were led to uh this program that we have right now, and man, it's been so cool to see how impactful it has been uh for our students and just for the relationships that they're they're building right now with each other and with with their adult leaders as well.

SPEAKER_02:

Incredible. Um okay, we're coming to the end of our time together here. Britney, you good? You got anything? No, you sit you sitting on any thank you. Yeah. Um well, Trev, I appreciate you, respect you a lot. I think like what you're doing is uh just like uh an apex example of playing with the hand you're dealt. It's like this is what we have space-wise, this is what I have time-wise, uh this isn't really working the way we wanted it to. The number of changes that you've been willing to make in order to kind of hone in on something that's right for you guys is really cool. And I'm encouraged that it's that it's kind of working. So thanks for coming on. Thanks for sharing all that with us.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No problem. Thanks, Charlie. Thanks for having me on.

SPEAKER_02:

Brittany, thanks for being here today. We're gonna let you add somebody to our unnamed wall of honor.

SPEAKER_04:

It has never been named.

SPEAKER_02:

It has never been named. Who do you have?

SPEAKER_04:

That's sad. Well, I have Brittany Michaels. Classic. Britney picked a Brittany. Not only does she have a really great name, uh, Brittany is a youth minister up in Iowa, great state of Iowa, Grinnell Christian Church. And I got the opportunity to meet her at YMS this last year at Youth Ministry Summit in San Diego. And just connected and just love her heart for Jesus, for the church, for her students, her family, her dogs, uh, all of it. Uh she is just she's been there for years at at this church um in Grinnell, Iowa. And just a constant, the consistency, the commitment that she has. Um just really great to hear and learn uh from her. But then this summer when I was at Move in Nebraska, uh got to run into her again. And then so get to see that from just spending time with her as you know, in San Diego, as talking, talking ministry, talking shop, and then get to see her actually with her students and how great of a leader she is. Um, just was the icing on the cake. So I love it. Um super great to know her and just love her heart for Jesus and for students. So add her to the board. Brittany Michaels, what a name.

SPEAKER_02:

Brittany Michaels. Is it spelled right?

SPEAKER_04:

It is, yes, that is a very good question, Brad. Uh she it is spelled right.

SPEAKER_02:

This is the first edition to the board that I do not know. So I'm very excited uh and happy to learn about the ministry that you're doing, Brittany. Thank you. Um also thanks to Trevor for the very insightful and wonderful conversation. Thanks, Brittany, for being here.

SPEAKER_04:

Of course.

SPEAKER_02:

Today's episode is produced by Michael Hester, Lauren Bryan, and myself. If you like what you heard, be sure to subscribe to Beyond the Event wherever you get your podcast. Uh, our next episode is going to be not in two weeks. It's gonna be after the new year. We're taking a little break for the holidays, but when we come back, you'll get to hear from the guy. You'll get to hear from Jason French. So if you don't want to miss that, like I said, subscribe. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_04:

Merry Christmas!