M3 - Merge Ministry Mostly
A behind-the-scenes look at camp and ministry leadership, told with humor and heart. This podcast offers honest conversations about Christian leadership in student and children’s ministry—sharing real wins, mistakes, growth moments, and the everyday joys and challenges of serving. With plenty of laughs and genuine passion, it’s where Christian leadership meets youth camp chaos—real, relatable, and rooted in purpose.
Episodes
25 episodes
What bothers us?
Today we look at things that bother us that probably shouldn’t. Join and see if what bothers us, bothers you. You can always email in at mergeministries12@gmail.com to let us know what you agree with or disagree with. More than that let us know...
Special Guest TO “Thomas Owens Toole"
This week we are joined by the one and only TO. We will jump into football pics, dad life, and end with TO’s story with Merge. Join in on the picks or send us messages with your questions or comments to mergeministries12@gmail.com.
College and High School Football Preview
This week we jump into all things sports. We give our thoughts on the upcoming seasons for Auburn, Alabama, Central, Smiths Station, and Glenwood. We also quickly hit the Little League World Series, Central and Smiths Station Flag football, and...
Youth Camp Rewind
This week we look back on the success, struggles, and crazy start to youth camp. The best part of camp: lives were changed, the worst part of camp: Alabama summer weather, and the crazy part: no powerful for 5 hours! If you have thoughts, stori...
Kids Camp Rewind
This week we talk about the good, the struggles, and the stories from Kids Camp 2026. Things do not always go as planned but sometimes they do. Camp started off with no AC in a vehicle and ended with no oil in that same vehicle. Things were not...
We are back!
We are back after a successful season of camps. This week things did not go as planned but we finally got another podcast recorded. This week we see camp from the perspective of a staff member for kids camp and a camper at youth camp. Two great...
Guest: Colby Cook
This week we are joined by another camper turned staffer, Colby Cook. She is part of the dancers at camp who led the Kids Camp in motions during services. She shares her thoughts on college, travel sports, and Merge. If you would like to contac...
Special Guest: Trenton Tolbert (Merge Worship Leader)
This week we are joined by Trenton Tolbert the worship leader for Merge Camps. This week you will laugh a lot and get to know the man behind the mic. You will get to hear his heart for worship and how he feels about water not being wet. As alwa...
Types of Students at Camp
We start this week with another email from a listener! A little insight into the email, “Luke is nasty!” This week we look at the different types of students you will see at a summer camp! It’s great when over 20 churches get together for a wee...
Guest: Levi Cook (the most athletic staff member *according to him*)
This week we are joined by Levi Cook. He attended Merge as a kid and now serving on staff. We talk about his roles at Merge, what he would rather win, and him singing in the shower. If you have questions, comments, or input please email us at m...
Guest: Justin Williams (Board President)
This week we are joined by the Merge Board President Justin Williams. We dive into topics we have discussed before to get his thoughts, his email critic of the show, and a little of his story with Merge. As always if you have thoughts, question...
Types of Leaders at Camp
The true heroes of camp are the leaders who give of their time, vacation, and energy to keep their group together, on schedule, and safe. The thing is they each have their unique way of making that happen. Join us this week as we explore the ty...
Abbreviations
This week you can play along as we see how many common abbreviations we know. Below you will find the list of ones discussed so you can see how many you know. Don’t cheat! Send in the number of abbreviations you know to see if you are sma...
Socks, Clapping, and Nuggets
How do you put on your socks and shoes? Do you clap when movies end? Are boneless wings just chicken nuggets? We are back and solving all the world’s problems on this week’s episode of M3. If you have a topic idea, need help with something you ...
Hotdogs, Serving, and Sports
Everyone’s got opinions—but we’re putting ours on the mic. This episode dives into some of the most random yet oddly serious debates out there. From food classifications to church expectations to the age-old cheerleading question, nothing is of...
Overrated
What are things we think are overrated and underrated? Join us as we talk about the church, movies, TV shows, and dad bods! Email us at mergeministries12@gmail.com to let us know if you agree, disagree, or topics you want to hear our underrated...
Unpopular Opinions
This week’s episode is all about the hot takes!We’re sharing some of our most random opinions—from “ketchup belongs on everything” to “travel ball isn’t the devil.” Some of these might make you laugh, some might make you question us… and...
Moments That Made Us Laugh
It is not just about the destination but the journey and people along the way. Today we share some of the stories that made us laugh and continue to be shared through the years.
Should Kids Be In Adult Worship?
Check out this short clip of a conversation that did not make the final editing of the latest podcast. Should children be in the adult worship service? This will be something we dive into in later episodes but this came up this week.
What We Wish We Knew Sooner
What do you wish you'd known sooner? In this episode, we get personal — reflecting on the lessons that shaped them not just as leaders of Merge, but as ministers, spouses, and parents. These aren't lessons from a leadership course. They're the ...
The Hats You Wear
What does it really take to pull off a week of camp? In this episode of M3: Merge Ministry Mostly, Daniel and Luke pull back the curtain on the reality of being “camp programmers.” From preaching and production to problem-solving and l...
What makes Merge different?
Merge isn’t the first ministry to host a summer camp—and it certainly won’t be the last. But there are a few things we do differently that set Merge apart. Some of those differences are the reason our price is lower than many other camps, while...
Behind the Curtain Part 2: Being on Staff
What’s it really like to be part of the Merge staff?In Episode 3 of M3, Daniel and Luke pull back the curtain even further to share the heartbeat behind Merge—its staff. Made up of volunteers from more than fifteen different churches, sp...
Behind the Curtain Part 1: Learning, Growing, and Becoming
What if success isn’t just surviving a good week of camp—but faithfully walking the journey that gets you there?In Episode 2 of the M3 Podcast, we pull back the curtain on Merge to share the real story behind the scenes—the lessons learn...