Just a quick note to notify everyone that LIVE YM Talk will now be hosted at BlogTalkRadio.com.

In 2008 LIVE YM Talk was hosted on Skype before we quickly switched to Talkshoe.com, which worked great for a year and a half because it was free and served our needs perfectly. In fact, it still is the perfect solution for LIVE YM Talk, except that a couple months ago it started having a lot of issues with crashing people’s browsers, software incompatibilities, down-time, and more. I’ve been in touch with Talkshoe’s head support rep and, unfortunately, they don’t seem too eager to fix anything, so it’s time for us to move on.

Try joining us again

If you’ve joined us in the past but stopped because of all the technical difficulties with TalkShoe, I’d like to invite you to come back and join us again. Although BlogTalkRadio.com is missing some of the key features we loved at TalkShoe, at least it should be functional — it’d better anyway, I’m paying $39 a month for it!

Each week’s show link will be posted at it’s normal place on the LIVE YM Talk page here at LISM, so check that each Monday for a direct link to listen to the conversation online and access the chat room. We also now have a direct phone number: (646) 721-9140. Or, during the show you can just click a button and connect directly using your computer microphone with no software to install.

Some big upcoming shows!

We have a great lineup of discussions scheduled, including a live conversation and Q&A with Tic Long, the new Executive Director of Youth Specialties, in a couple weeks!

This Monday we’re talking with Eric Iverson, the Multi-Cultural Integrity Director for YouthWorks. He’ll lead us in a discussion about, “What every youth worker can learn from urban youth ministry.”

The Monday after that, on January 25, E.J. Swanson is going to join the conversation about, “How to connect God’s Word with students who appear disconnected, apathetic, and distracted.”

Check out the schedule of other upcoming discussions on the LIVE YM Talk page and join our conversation every Monday at 2:00 PM eastern time!

Today we had a great LIVE Youth Ministry Conversation about getting parents involved in the spiritual lives of their teenagers. Many of you requested that I record it due to your absence, so here it is! You can find the recording below.

In summary, here’s some things we talked about:

• Giving talk-sheets to parents after each youth group lesson so they can continue the discussion at home.
• Using monthly newsletters.
• Why we don’t use scare tactics and statistics about teens.
• Parent meetings/book clubs/small groups/classes/forums.
• Using parents as youth volunteers.
• Open house parent dinners.
• And a whole lot more.

I apologize for the poor audio quality. Technology never quite seems to work right. Ugh! One of these days it’ll work the way it’s supposed to… I hope.

Download this episode

Subscribe to conversations in iTunes

Next Topic: Problems with youth group as a “minichurch”

Youth groups often have their own worship services, their own “sermons,” their own worship bands, everything “big church” has, but tweaked for youth. It’s almost like there’s a minichurch inside the larger church. What affect does this have on a teenager’s perspective of what church is all about and their role in it? What’s happening to our churches as a result? Is there a better approach we should take? Come talk about it with us!

Upcoming Schedule

The schedule and topics are maintained on our LIVE Youth Ministry Conversations page, but here’s a glance at what’s coming up.

• August 15: No conversation.
• August 22: Problems with youth group as a “minichurch.”
• August 29: No conversation.
• September 5: Evaluating the spiritual depth of our youth ministries.
• September 12: Working with students who suffer from depression and eating disorders (special guest, TBA).

Join our next LIVE Youth Ministry Conversation!.

This Friday we’re scheduled to resume our weekly Skypecast conversation at 2:00 PM EST, but due to all the technical difficulties I’ve decided to move our discussions to Talkshoe.com instead. There are several advantages: it works on the first try every time, it’s much more user-friendly, Mac users can now join us, and there’s easy telephone access for those who want to call in to talk instead of using a computer microphone. A chat room is integrated for those who just want to listen online and participate via text.

How do I join the conversation?

When Friday at 2:00 PM EST roles around each week, here’s how you can join the LIVE youth ministry conversation.

1. Call (724) 444-7444 and enter ID number 19105#. If you’re a registered Talkshoe user, enter your pin number at the prompt. Otherwise, just press 1#. (Long distance charges may apply.) OR…
2. Visit our Talkshoe page to listen and join the chat. You can also use Talkshoe’s optional free software to talk in high quality with your computer mic.

This Week’s Topic: Balancing “fun” and Bible study in youth group

We all struggle with trying to balance “entertainment” and Bible study in youth group. What balance have you found works best for your group? What “fun” elements should be included in youth group? Or should we disregard the entertainment side altogether? Come prepared to share your thoughts or just to listen to what others have to say.

We also have a lot of catching up to do. Let’s talk about what’s been happening in your ministry so far this summer. How has God been working? What are you excited about? What issues have come up that you’d like to bounce off other youth workers? We want to hear all your stories from this summer so far.

Upcoming Schedule

The schedule and topics are maintained on our LIVE Youth Ministry Conversations page, but here’s a glance at what’s coming up.

• August 1: The balance between “fun” and Bible study in youth group.
• August 8: Getting parents involved in the spiritual lives of their teens.
• August 15: No conversation.
• August 22: Problems with youth group as a “minichurch.”
• August 29: No conversation.
• September 5: Evaluating the spiritual depth of our youth ministries.
• September 12: Working with students who suffer from depression and eating disorders (special guest, TBA).

What is the Life In Student Ministry Conversation?

Join us every Friday at 2:00 PM Eastern Time for a LIVE conversation between me and many other youth workers from around the country. Together we talk about anything and everything pertaining to “life in student ministry” and you’re invited to join the conversation! Although we usually set the topics beforehand, there’s always time for you to chime in, ask for input on an issue, share your advice with others, or just tell us about something exciting in your ministry, all LIVE via voice and video feeds!

More information can be found on our LIVE Youth Ministry Conversation page.