Hybrid Ministry

Episode 196: Lock-Ins: Ministry Gold or Total Disaster?

April 9th, 2026  |  20 mins 8 secs

christian leadership, church community, church culture, church events, church events planning, church growth, church innovation, church leadership, church programming, church safety, discipleship, faith conversations, here are ~500 characters of strong, high school ministry, lock-in debate, middle school ministry, ministry burnout, ministry risks, ministry strategy, outreach ideas, searchable tags tailored to your episode + transcript: youth ministry, student engagement, student leadership, student ministry, volunteer leadership, youth events, youth group games, youth group ideas, youth ministry podcast, youth outreach, youth pastor

Lock-ins... is there a more polarizing youth ministry topic?
Should you do them?
Are they valuable?
Or are they the worst idea ever?

In this episode, two youth pastors go head to head, and you get to decide!

Episode 172: The Cellphone Problem in Youth Groups

October 23rd, 2025  |  11 mins 51 secs

cellphone problem, church leadership, church tech, digital notes, discipleship, fall social media plan, group covenants, how to keep kids off phones, hybrid ministry, paper bibles, phones in youth group, pro presenter, sidekick, student engagement, student ministry, youth group, youth group discipleship, youth group games, youth group ideas, youth group teaching, youth leaders, youth ministry, youth ministry growth, youth ministry strategy, youth ministry tips, youth pastor, youth pastor training

In this episode of the Hybrid Ministry Show, we tackle the cellphone problem in youth groups and reveal a 3-step phone prevention strategy for youth ministry that actually works. Instead of fighting students for their phones, you’ll learn how youth pastors can use a variety of tools to their benefit, including how to turn phones from a distraction to an actual asset. If you’re looking for practical youth ministry tips, phone management strategies, and digital discipleship tools to keep students engaged, this episode is for you.

Episode 142: How I Got Started doing Youth Group Social Media from scratch with Andrew Ostrander

March 27th, 2025  |  22 mins 18 secs

church community, content creation, digital ministry, interview style videos, leadership, social media, student engagement, youth culture, youth ministry, youth pastor

In this episode, I interview Andrew Ostrander, who shares his journey from education to youth ministry, discussing the challenges and surprises he faced during the transition. He walks you through the importance of engaging social media content to connect with students, detailing his approach to creating interview-style videos that resonate with youth culture. Andrew also highlights the benefits of delegating tasks, the significance of personal connections in ministry, and his future plans for expanding social media efforts. The conversation concludes with encouragement for new youth pastors to embrace social media as a tool for building community and fostering relationships.