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Talking Youth Ministry - A Youthscape Podcast
Ministry to Generation Alpha
Who are Gen A? What do they care about, and how do we help them to connect with the Christian faith? We’re joined by Youthscape’s Director of Training Alex Drew to unpack the trends and differences she’s seeing among under 15s. We read your emails (including one around toxic leadership- TW), and we stretch the definition of organised fun with a game that’s really more of an activity.
Shownotes
GWI report: https://www.gwi.com/reports/gen-alpha
Youthscape Essentials Deep dive: https://www.youthscape.co.uk/online-video-training/yse-deep-dive-generation-alpha
McCrindle, Generation Alpha: https://mccrindle.com.au/article/topic/generation-alpha/generation-alpha-defined/
Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.
To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
More episodes
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64. Get Fast Fit
50:49||Season 1, Ep. 64It’s the beginning of Lent, and Rachel, Martin and Lucy pack away the crisps and biscuits to ask: do we sometimes get this moment in the church calendar all wrong? Are there better ways to talk about and practice Lent with young people, and how do we make sure we’re not just dishing out a Christianised version of popular self-help? Plus there’s a discussion around how we handle healing, and the emergence of a new kind of super hero…Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
63. Safe as Houses?
49:16||Season 1, Ep. 63Martin sits down with David Howell to talk about whether meeting in homes is still a safe and effective way of doing youth ministry in 2026 after concerns from the NYA. The team are divided over the best way to get a group of noisy lads’ attention and give grace to a listener’s feeling of just plodding on. And of course Organised Fun descends into chaos… or should that be Fuganised Orn?Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
62. Lower Prophets
41:05||Season 1, Ep. 62Lucy, Rachel and Martin discuss recent stories alleging that American charismatic minister Shawn Bolz used information from social media to inform 'prophetic words'. How does this challenging conversation help inform better charismatic youth ministry practice, and does it suggest that we need a better model than 'words from the stage'? There's an Ask Us Anything question about finishing well, and a renewed commitment from the team to make the 'organised fun' section genuinely useful in your youth work. Time will tell.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
61. Troubling Parents
41:48||Season 1, Ep. 61It’s a packed pod today, as Youthscape CEO Chris Curtis makes his Talking Youth Ministry debut to discuss the organisation’s new ‘Troubling Jesus’ research. Martin, Lucy and Rachel ask how you can get parents on board with your youth work- wherever they’re coming from- and there’s some anarchic IKEA-based organised fun. Eclectic.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
60. Unlearning Youth Ministry
39:35||Season 1, Ep. 60This week Martin and Rachel explore how our youth work values and principles can change and evolve over time. Why did we once embrace purity culture? What’s the correct order of “believe, belong and behave”? And should we have ever wanted to be History Makers? Plus there’s a discussion- and vaguely linked game- around what makes for a great youth-led church service.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
59. The Youth Ministry Overthink Paradox
44:28||Season 1, Ep. 59Martin and Rachel discuss two apparently-contradictory struggles for youth ministers: believing it’s all on us, and worrying we’re not even worthy of doing it. They also discuss their unlikely starts in youth ministry, share a few surprise revelations, and end up in a brain-twisting, time-travelling challenge, in organised fun.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
58. Six Big Ideas for 2026
44:36||Season 1, Ep. 58To kick off the new term, Rachel, Lucy and Martin share the things they think we should all be thinking about as we focus on the year ahead. There will be predictions; there will be controversy; there may even be some unwarranted singing. And as always, we’ll share lots of your feedback and engage in a particularly well-researched bout of organised fun.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
57. Organised Fun LIVE - from the NYMW
39:58||Season 1, Ep. 57Happy New Year! Today we present a special treat to kick off 2026- the live recording of our special ‘Talking Youth Ministry’ event at November’s National Youth Ministry Weekend. If you’re looking for serious youth ministry content, maybe give this one a miss; if you’re in the mood for silly games and a dramatised reading from Hagbane’s Doom… listen in!Charles Merritt's 'The Anxious Man' - listen here https://open.spotify.com/album/3LyCv99SCt2nZzAx9qG1V5?si=8ddKZ6KeSDqj13mc49lyqwDo get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.
56. A Stat is born… again!
38:00||Season 1, Ep. 56Merry Christmas! The return of a now-annual tradition as the team invite Dr Hannah Bowden from the Youthscape Centre for Research to share some reports and statistics that are tangentially related to both the time of year and (in some cases) youth ministry! Join us as we work our way through Chris in the first half, and Tmas in the second- and round off 2025 with a very festive edition of organised fun.Do get in touch with us by emailing us podcast@youthscape.co.uk or commenting on individual Spotify episodes.To hear more episodes like this, search for Talking Youth Ministry: A Youthscape Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.For more content from Youthscape, find us on Instagram and Facebook.