The Brad Jurkovich Podcast
Leadership. Conviction. Hope.
Hosted by Dr. Brad Jurkovich—pastor of First Bossier, national leader in the Conservative Baptist Network, and trusted voice for biblical truth—this podcast equips Christians to stand strong in today’s culture. Each episode tackles the real challenges believers face across the nation, from defending faith and family to leading with courage in the church, community, and public square.
With a proven track record of visionary leadership—from planting churches and building the Freedom Fields Sports Complex, to guiding a congregation through the largest fire in Bossier City’s history and a complete campus rebuild—Dr. Jurkovich brings biblical wisdom shaped by experience. His ministry has touched thousands through local outreach, military family support, national denominational leadership, and the weekly preaching of God’s Word across the Ark-La-Tex.
Listeners will gain practical leadership lessons, encouragement for their walk with Christ, and a clear call to engage the culture with conviction and hope.
The Brad Jurkovich Podcast
Reaching the next generation with First Priority
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In this episode hear from the regional Director of Northwest Louisiana’s First Priority student outreach, John Dollar. You will be inspired by John’s passion for students to know the power of the Gospel through this dynamic outreach. John’s local church experience and ministry partnership with local churches will help you see a tremendous vision of reaching students and seeing lives changed!a
Hi, and welcome to the Brad Jerkovich Podcast. Really excited today on the topic, but really the man that I'm interviewing, I just appreciate his passion for people to know the good news of Jesus Christ. John Dahler's with me today, director for all of the Architects with a ministry called First Priority. And John, it's really cool to have you here, man. You've got a lot of years of ministry and outreach and family, and God's using you in some really cool ways with students all throughout the Architects. For those listening right now or watching, what is the Arklitex? I'm just curious. Is that like uh just a part of Louisiana? What is it, buddy?
SPEAKER_01Well, uh, my Texas friends say don't get too far over in Texas now because we got our own thing going on. But uh, it's like an hour away from like downtown Streepport.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So you know into Texas, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, into Texas.
SPEAKER_00And then South Arkansas? Or no?
SPEAKER_01We're not there yet, but I mean Texas, Canada is an hour away.
SPEAKER_00Right, exactly. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I haven't gotten that far. We're trying to go east right now. We haven't really gone south that much. Mostly we're in Bojer Caddo in East Texas. Right. That's we love East Texas.
SPEAKER_00So first party, we're gonna unpack what that means for folks here in a in a couple minutes. But John, listen, we've become friends over the years. I've appreciated your ministry over the years, local church ministry. Now you're doing more of this. I'm just curious, where did you grow up, man? Just a little bit about your story, bud.
SPEAKER_01Minden, Louisiana. Minden, Louisiana. Yeah, this is like a homecoming. I moved back here like 14 years ago. Yeah. And uh graduated, roll tide roll, and went to Northwestern State University, studied theater down there, and uh decided to go to ministry school when I was in college.
SPEAKER_00Now, wait a minute, wait, wait a minute, John. You studied minute uh what did you say, theater school, yeah. So you want did you want to be an actor? I did.
SPEAKER_01Wow, I planning on going to New York, had some buddies uh in school I was gonna graduate with, and uh, we were just planning on moving to New York and get an apartment, and already had a like a printed out layout of the city, all the different places to audition, and it was uh what I thought was gonna happen. But I was in a play about the last days of Jesus' life. Wow, and um I had like one of the main roles with the most lines, and I had to memorize a bunch of lines from the Gospel of John. Wow, and those just sunk deep. That is amazing. Yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_00So even learning that is an in in an acting capacity, God really used his word in your life right there. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00That is that is really cool, man.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_00So you did that, but then you were like, I just I'm not gonna pursue acting anymore. I feel like God's calling me into ministry. Yes. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Exactly. I went to Dallas, a ministry school. Uh I was had a young preacher that spoke into my life. He's like, You should go to the ministry school that I went to. So it was a small ministry school in Dallas. Was there for three years and decided to um get my graduate degree, study Bible at ACU. Met my wife out there. I was doing campus ministry at the time at Southern Hills Church on the south side of town. Uh we got married, um, thought we were gonna do a Mission Miami plant of at Florida International University. Yeah, the funding fell through, so I got a job working for a youth ministry in now south of Atlanta, Georgia.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01So we had our three kids out there, have three boys, and um they we moved here when they all started school. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And you've been in local church ministry doing student ministry. Doing student ministry, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I did. Um I was an intern when I moved to Dallas, immediately became an intern, started working there, and yeah, and had a blast working with kids. Um in ACU, I did campus ministry. I got hired to be the first youth minister for that church plant outside of Atlanta, and then um met some people in Atlanta that were doing Christian movies.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01Uh, so I got cast for a couple of Christian movies and thought, had some good mentors in my life that told me you can make a bigger impact doing Christian movies instead of doing working for this little church plant, which I loved. It was fun, right? But um and effective. I was doing a lot of FCA work in a local high school and a middle school and just having fun with it, had a small youth group. But um, I decided that's what I'm gonna do. So I uh took one job and started working on getting another one in acting, started working with actors, models, and talent for Christ. If you've ever heard of that, yeah, actually, I've heard of that, yeah. So uh that was that was gonna be my future, but we prayed hard about it. I had a friend from Dallas, meet me in Atlanta, and say, uh, dude, there's this church. I turned down the youth ministry position, and he told me where it was, and I'm like, dude, I'm from Louisiana. You don't remember my life? You know, we were we worked in Dallas in Dallas together many years before. Yeah. And uh he tells me about this church, and uh I'm I'm he contacts them and they call me, and the the church had actually paid my way to ministry school. Wow, it's where I did the play. Yeah, so I'm like, wow, this is kind of crazy. So my wife's really faithful, and she said, we've got to pray about it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I think she kind of wanted to come here and do church work. Right. You know, I mean the the the acting thing, Christian acting movies, how much can that pay?
SPEAKER_00How good is that, right? Yeah, it's dicey.
SPEAKER_01So uh so I I actually prayed about it and then I got sick. I you know, this uh craziest thing. I got really sick, so for a few days I could barely talk.
SPEAKER_00Really? Yeah, just uh So how old were you when that happened?
SPEAKER_01Whoa, good question. Uh it was like 2011.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01So I'm 51.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So you got sick. Did you do the math? I couldn't do the math. Yeah, no, I don't have to be doing math.
SPEAKER_01We can put post it maybe later on.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. So in 2011 you got sick, and you could tell something with your with your speech. Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yes. I I couldn't speak well, and uh I remember I had already gotten this part in this one movie, and I read for the producers, but I could barely read. And they're like, well, just check the tape. You see he's got a good voice, it'll be fine. And um, so I did end up filming that movie, and they learned how to deal with it, you know, how the tech guys can can make it sound better or whatever, but uh they're like, yeah, it's just a raspy voice, it's fine. But it never came back.
unknownWow.
SPEAKER_01So I go to the I didn't go to the doctor, I didn't actually have insurance at the time, no health insurance. Yeah. I didn't go to the doctor, I just was healing on my own. When I did finally go to the doctor, it turns out that I had um I had a po a paralyzed vocal cord.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01So yeah, one of my vocal cords does not work. You know how they just sit like this and they're both supposed to move. This one just sits there and this one does all the work. That's interesting, man. So I did have a surgery to help correct it and lift this one up a little so this one would work better. But um still, as you can tell right now, it getting it gets messed up sometimes. That's interesting. Yeah, overuse happens pretty fast. Sure. But the cool thing is uh that was like our sign.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01It's like, you know, we're probably not gonna do acting or be very successful at it with this voice. So let's do that job. Which really God set that up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, it was just meant to be.
SPEAKER_00You know, I really appreciate, I mean, honestly, just to kind of kind of add a as a side note, John, the fact that even as you're sharing that, brother, I mean, that's a big deal. I mean, to affect your speaking or whatever, I mean, I've had laryngitis, but you know, your voice comes back and you just kind of get stronger. But brother, seriously, for your faith and to be able to say, Man, I'm gonna give up one dream and one pursuit, but God clearly you're calling me to do this, and it and to do all that you're doing for the gospel, John, even with uh a hindrance, I guess, of a of a voice issue over the years. That's amazing, brother. Thanks for your testimony with that, man. I I I mean, it really is, it's encouraging because people go through stuff all the time that affects their life, but they don't really even turn to the Lord with that. But you did, and you really said, Okay, father, what do you want to do with my life then?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, we really had two things that were possible, and uh only one seemed to be the real possible at that point. That's it. So we came here and um I've done youth ministry all these years, and one of the things that I did in youth ministry soon after getting here was look for a chance to get into schools.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01So first priority was that great chance.
SPEAKER_00So I'm just curious, though, John, uh there's a lot of youth pastors out there that it's like, hey, I'm gonna, you know, disciple these kids, I'm gonna pour into these kids. But you had a burden to say, how do I connect with these schools? Why why was that a burden for you, man?
SPEAKER_01Well, that was pretty much my favorite part about doing youth ministry when I was in Atlanta. Interesting. Yeah, I was going to Sandy Creek High School every week doing FCA and then Flat Rock Middle School, and then I started teaching Bible at Arlington Christian School, and I I helped to bring an FCA there. Wow. You know, so I was all about that. I love sports, yeah, love coaching, so that was all a big part of my life. And I came here and was looking to do something like that, and somebody just introduced me to first priority. And one of the things, I guess, almost one of my weaknesses when it comes to ministry is I'm always thinking about the the kid on the outside. Yeah, the kid, the young church kid.
SPEAKER_02Sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I would do basketball programs in my church, and it was just the outsiders that would come. You know, a few of them would know about Jesus, but that would that really like that fueled me to teach people about Jesus for the first time. And first party, that's what it's about.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01It actually just teaches students how to to develop their testimony, develop their their gift of speaking about the gospel and tell other people about it. So you're looking for new converts.
SPEAKER_00It's amazing. I but I'm just saying though, John, some guys get a little isolated. They kind of look at their little world, you know what I'm saying? It's like, hey, this is what I do. And for you to be forward thinking, outward thinking, thinking about even a kid on the outside, what does that mean? Whether they're an athlete or an academic type student or whatever, or both, whatever it may be, um, I think it's amazing. Um first priority. I heard of that ministry, I don't know, man, 20 years ago, 20, 20, I don't I don't know. It's been around a while now, right? I mean, Fellowship of Christian Athletes has been around a long time. Yeah. But first priority has been around a while now. Yes. And you are have be you became the director. Are you is that a full-time role now for you now? Okay. Yes. Yeah. So full-time. You have a board of directors and everything that you kind of you work with.
SPEAKER_01Yes. It's fantastic. Yeah, a guy named John Carruth was um a youth minister in Mississippi. Uh he's from here, yeah. And he wanted to bring first priority here, so he he brought it up here and um started it all and got it plugged into schools, and we're still plugged into the same schools he was plugged in at wow years ago. It was about about 15 years ago, they they did their their charter. We're like a charter for first priority.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. So is it is it nationwide?
SPEAKER_01It well, it's not everywhere, okay, but it wants to be. Yeah. You know, they're they're expanding. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh, I'm I'm part of a group of people that's expanding into Texas right now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Uh we're actually our own entity.
SPEAKER_02Okay.
SPEAKER_01Um, but um I'm with a training group and I'm online working with people from a bunch of different cities around Texas to try to get this thing spread as best we can. I do believe it's like the coolest ministry. If you believe in evangelism, yeah, you'll love first priority.
SPEAKER_00So break that down for me. Just take a couple minutes when you say if you value evangelism, this is a great way to do that. Because I mean, you're gonna have some some moms and dads listening, you're gonna have some ministry personnel listening. What what does this mean when you say, Man, I love Christ, I love sharing the gospel. First priority has been an incredible avenue for that. What does that mean? Why why does it why are you so drawn to that?
SPEAKER_01Well, first priorities, um, they believe that the greatest mission field in America is the public school. Wow. And you can get in the public school. In fact, there's been lawsuits trying to fight against Christianity in public schools. Sure. Uh Mike Johnson was a lawyer for us, wrote up a document. Right. Remember, study this and know that you do have rights on campus. Students have rights. So First Party was perfectly set up for that because it's all student-led. The youth minister or some parent that's concerned, that's very faithful, will come in and help set up the club. There's a teacher sponsor that opens the door, makes sure everything's secure, you know, make sure everything's legal. Then the students run with it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I mean, they get material and they just study hard and they share their testimonies and they share the gospel message and they ask for people to make decisions about it. And once they make a decision about it, they're has to go to church with them. Yeah. First priority, I believe really one of the underlying main things about it is we're trying to get youth minist youth ministries to grow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Because uh there's a big push to to invite kids that have never been to church before. Yep. Get them to your youth group.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_01So we tell all the existing leadership team and all the different first priority students, like you need to be thinking about who is not going, who does not go to church, who doesn't have a youth minister, right? Who doesn't know Jesus. Yep. Now introduce them to Jesus and get them to your youth group.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01Churches and youth groups should grow. When first priority is going well, then youth groups are growing. And vice versa, because the youth groups are going well. They want those kids to be doing evangelism in school, and first priority allows them to do it.
SPEAKER_00So for youth pastors that are shepherding their students and ministering to their families, this is a very strategic and intentional way when you're surrounded by these public schools, because you're in middle schools and high schools and all that kind of stuff. And do you see kind of students kind of rise up as leaders because they're serving in a place called first priority? Yeah. How cool is that? Yeah, it's very cool.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And uh, in fact, your kids were some of them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Well, you know, John, when we were getting to know each other better, I mean, that really did mean a lot to me, man, that that you invested in my own son early on. Was he sharing a testimony in a first priority? Is that what it was?
SPEAKER_01Yes, yeah, he was a great leader. Yeah. Awesome leader. Youth Minister Adam over here was a great leader at school. Uh I was just sitting next to Catherine at lunch. Yeah. And she was a great leader. Yeah. Her and a group of girls were awesome leaders at Coke Middle School. And I was just telling her, like, when I would go into that club, uh, y'all had everything prepared. I would just stand at the door, say hi to people, fish box a little bit. Yeah, yeah, but they were rolling. They had their music ready, they had their slideshow ready, and they would just go. Just bring it. It's all about telling people about Jesus. And it's all student-led. So it's legal, it's beautiful, and it really makes good leaders out of students.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You know, they have to step up and do it.
SPEAKER_00I think that's what I'm saying, though. I think if you're looking for avenues to say, okay, I want to challenge my. Look, we can take them on mission trips, right? We can do these different things, service projects, but this is literally an incredible ministry avenue that is going to disciple, evangelize, raise up leaders, try to kind of challenge, empower them to, like you said, to own that moment and uh and honestly to kind of step out in front of their peer group and say, no, I really am serious about my faith. And this is a you know, this is a way that we can kind of build that.
SPEAKER_01Well, when they're young, they learn how to do peer-to-peer evangelism, then they'll carry it with them for life.
SPEAKER_00That's right.
SPEAKER_01You know, they're gonna be our age one day, and they have neighbors their age, you know, 50 years old or whatever.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Happy birthday, by the way. Thanks, man. I appreciate that. I'm getting older. You know what's amazing, John? It's what I, you know, it's funny it is funny. Today is my birthday. But looking back, when I was in high school in Southern California, we didn't have FCA, Fellowship with Christian athletes, we didn't have first priority, we didn't have, and I say we didn't, we didn't, not that it wasn't around, but I went to a large high school and and and my friends and I started a Christian club. We didn't know what else to call it, but just we're gonna start a Christian club at my high school, 4,000 students. And what when you talk about religious liberty and freedom as student-led, we were doing that, but the superintendent, when we started growing, came and met with us and was like, hey, I'm a Christian too, but what you guys are doing, praying and sharing the gospel, that needs to happen on Sundays at your church. And I'm like, no, the equal access law of at that point of like 1984, I think the Supreme Court had ruled, like, if you've got non-curriculum related activities on your campus, you can't not allow a student-led club like this. And so we had to take it to this to the uh school board, and they approved it. So we had to kind of fight for that, and there were articles on it and all that. But it it did empower a lot of us as students to say, man, I am serious about my faith. We are making a difference. It became the largest club on campus uh that year. And and so, John, when when when I've spoken to students over the years, I don't think they realize the opportunities that they really have. And first priority helps them with that.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Well, you were doing first priority before first priority. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
SPEAKER_00Like it's cool. What I'm saying is it encourages me now, even as a pastor and leader, to go, yes, this stuff is out there, and I can't encourage parents enough to say no. When those are active, get after it. And when you've got youth pastors and youth leaders like yourself who have a passion for that, uh it's really cool. What what drives you, John? I mean, beyond it being a great organization, whatever, but I mean, you you've got a passion to say, man, Christ is real, his message is real. Why why pour that effort into reaching young people?
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, I I have three sons. And um, so I started coaching them when they were really young, and there were kids on the team that didn't grow up knowing about Jesus. Also did inner city ministry for a while. Wow. And in that I saw that just a small percentage of the kids even knew who Jesus was.
SPEAKER_03Wow.
SPEAKER_01They certainly didn't know any like any major Bible characters that anybody that goes to church would. So um, you just see that there's a big hole there. In fact, there's a recent study, and that uh you're asking me about why I decided to do it in the past. Well, sure. But there's a recent study that says like four percent of American teenagers have a biblical worldview. Wow. Four? Wow. That's insane. Yeah, for sure, dude. I mean, like, what are we doing? I know. This needs to be all of our effort.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_01You know, this is the church's ministry. Yeah, I just really believe that first priority is a beautiful thing from God. Yeah, that's why when they offer me the job, I'm like, yeah. I mean, the first thought was I can't say no because it's too awesome. But I'm pretty comfortable working for this church. Right. Been doing for a long time. Yeah, for over 20 years, right? Right, right. Going in every week and preparing lessons and stuff, but but really one of my favorite things to do was to go to that campus and see those students learn about Jesus for the first time in some cases.
SPEAKER_00Do you feel, John, that in the local church side, do we put enough emphasis on reaching teenagers? Do you see, I mean, what what are some of your observations over the years, man?
SPEAKER_01Well, I just feel like um there are uh uh even principals and teachers and other people like that that are kind of resistant to it, even among the church. I'm like, I don't understand that. Yeah, I mean, if they really knew how cool and valuable it could be and how many people it could reach, yeah, then we would have it at every school, which we don't. And the architects, there's a lot of schools around here. Yeah, and we only have a handful. We have a handful in Bozier, a handful in in Cato, and then some in uh a handful really over in Texas too. Right. And we need to expand. In fact, we're going to expand to a lot of new schools starting this fall. Wow. But we do need help. It takes quite a few workers to make it happen.
SPEAKER_00Um is it important to reach teenagers today?
SPEAKER_01It's like, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01I think I think we all know.
SPEAKER_00Why why are we afraid to do it? Why do you think churches are like, I'm just not sure I really want to do that?
SPEAKER_01I think it's just apathy, and I'm not trying to down the church. No, but I think it's a real observation. It ought to move us to motivate us. It's Jesus' bride, you know. But um because we're losing them. Yeah. And we're losing the war, yeah. Satan's alive, he wants to destroy our kids. Yeah. And you see a kid that goes from hopelessness to hope and love for Jesus, yeah, you see a transformation and you see generational change. Yeah. That's a beautiful thing.
SPEAKER_00What would you say to a mom and dad listening today? Going into a new school year, would you say, hey, if we don't have a first priority, let's start one? Could they do that? Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Contact me.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Uh First Priority of America has does a lot of work building really great material, but also passing down information to charters like us.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And uh one of the things they're saying now is no shade on any youth ministers. But look, you the youth ministers don't always have time to do it. Right. But there may be like a member that the youth minister of the church can say, this is the kind of person that could lead this club. That's a point person. Very faithful parent or somebody like that that can do it. So, yes, contact me. We would love to put you in charge, make you a campus coach at a school.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Just a little bit of training, mostly just people at your church saying that this is the kind of person that you want to do it. And once they get in that that club, they work with a teacher sponsor, yeah, and then work with the student leadership team.
SPEAKER_00So they're not alone, is what I'm saying. They're not alone in that journey. It's not like, okay, I'm gonna go start this first priority deal and here we go.
SPEAKER_01No, we're we have a group me right now that has like 75 ministers from the area. Wow. We keep in touch with each other, cool. We eat together, hang out together, yeah, encourage each other. Uh we really one of the great things about first priority too is the unity that it fosters. Yeah. Because uh we're, you know, you know, like so. I was in airline for 10 years as a first priority volunteer.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01Uh I ministered kids from your church and all the different churches right here, yeah. Including your own kids, right? And I loved it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And guess what? I had kids in my youth group that were all that were in bird and wherever else, holding wherever. And there were other youth pastors doing the same thing to them. So we don't like jump around. Yeah, we stick to a club, work it really well, and we're blessing the community, the church everywhere.
SPEAKER_00That's exciting.
SPEAKER_01All the youth groups. So we work together, we bless each other.
SPEAKER_00I tell you, I think on a national scale, John, I think the Lord's moving in young people's hearts. I really do. I think they're hungry for this. That's why I say I'm I'm encouraged by seeing a guy like you with your experience where you've walked with the Lord, you've walked through difficult times and victorious times, you've seen your kids growing up, um, and and you've got that passion and burden. And I I'm excited about what God could do. And and but it's it does take work, it takes prayer. I'm just grateful for this kind of resource that I think churches need to understand is really there and really ripe for God to move and do something. I think parents need to understand that, you know. Yeah, um, and so, buddy, I just thank God for your faithfulness. I thank God for your your passion for the gospel. Um, to see kids growing up strong in the word of God. I mean, dude, that's huge. So, brother, I just thank you for taking a few minutes with us today, man, and just sharing and letting God just use you in a testimony, man.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you're awesome. Where's your energy come from? Oh, come on, man.
SPEAKER_00I'm dude, I'm 53 now. I'm getting old now. You're eating right, you're doing something right. Well, I thank God for you. You this fires me up, uh, you know, and and to hear about things like that. So just know we're praying with you, standing with you, my man. And uh we're praying it's gonna be a great school year. Yeah, God's gonna do some great things.
SPEAKER_01Can I know the last word? Yeah, okay. If you're a youth minister, you gotta plug into a first priority. I mean, you just have to.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01It will it will like inspire you, yeah, but we'll also grow your youth group. You know, that's what we want to do. I think it's great.
SPEAKER_00Grow the kingdom. I think it's great. John Dahler, thanks for joining us today, man. First priority, bringing it. It was great. It's gonna be a great school year. Love you, dude. You bet. God bless you guys. Thank you for joining us on the podcast today. I pray that you are encouraged, standing strong in the Lord, and listen, praying with me and John Dahler on seeing God just do a fresh work this new school year in the lives of teenagers. God bless you guys today. Be encouraged in the Lord.