Limitless Leadership Podcast

In part three of our Ministry in the New World series, Tim Alford chats to Kyle McKinnon, the Director of Reign Ministries UK, about how to disciple young people. In this episode we chat about… … the difference between giving information and seeing transformation … understanding discipleship through the lens of spiritual parenting … overcoming the obstacles to disciple-making … how to discern the young people we should be discipling … the key things to talk about on the discipleship journey And listen up for a 15% discount code on the discipleship pack for all podcast listeners! FOR THE DISCIPLESHIP PACK: http://www.thediscipleshippack.co.uk FOR LIMITLESS FESTIVAL: http://www.limitlessfestival.co.uk   Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you listen. Enjoy!

In part two of our Ministry in the New World series, Tim Alford chats to Jonny Slatter about intergenerational youth ministry. Jonny explains a unique and exciting approach he has been exploring locally; an initiative called The Lighthouse Project which seeks to connect young people with adult mentors. We discuss… … what discipleship looks like when it’s working right … the challenge of trying to disciple a whole youth group … involving the whole church in the discipleship journey of a young person … raising up spiritual parents in our church communities … how to adopt an intergenerational approach in our local churches And as promised, here’s Jonny’ further reading list… - Radical - David Platt - Multiply - Francis Chan - 1-2-1 Discipleship - Christine Dillon - Intentional Mentoring - Paul Wilcox Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you listen. Enjoy! For LIMITLESS FESTIVAL 2021 - GATHER | PRAY | GO, visit: http://www.limitlessfestival.co.uk

For the next few episodes of the Limitless Leadership Podcast, we’re exploring how to adapt our models of youth ministry in order to effectively reach & disciple young people in a post-pandemic world. We’ll be reflecting on lessons from a year in lockdown, and asking, ‘what is the Lord is doing now and how do we join in?’ In part one, Limitless National Director Tim Alford introduces four shifts we must make as we lead into the future… … from programme development to people development … from a few gifted leaders to the priesthood of all believers … from mono-generational to multi-generational … from sit & watch to signs & wonders Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you listen. Enjoy!

FIVE YOUTH LEADERS REFLECT ON A YEAR OF ONLINE YOUTH MINISTRY We’re joined by a panel of youth workers to chat online youth ministry. We discuss… … online youth ministry fails … if digital is the new mission field … if we’re feeding digital addiction with our online content … why young people have disengaged from our online programmes … how we can help young people engage online … the online tools that have served us best … how to do online youth ministry without a tech team Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you listen. Enjoy! FOR LIMITLESS LEARNING COMMUNITIES: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/ymlc

Kenda Creasy Dean is the Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary. She joins us to talk… … youth ministry in a post-COVID world … why young people are holding onto faith but rejecting the church … how the pandemic has caused revelation and acceleration in the church … the primacy of relationship with young people … what we need to leave behind … and why we need to try things out! This conversation was originally recorded for Limitless Oxygen, but is so rich that it’s well worth revisiting on the Pod. Enjoy! FOR LIMITLESS ONE: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/one

Peter and Laura Toggs are the global Youth Pastors for Hillsong and the founders of Hillsong Young and Free. They joined us on the Limitless Leadership Podcast to chat… … lockdown life … online youth ministry … leading in uncertain times … finding your ‘why’ … how to reflect on your programme … and how challenging injustice reflects God’s heart for people As Laura says, “If God is doing a new thing, he is also making a way.” Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you listen. Enjoy! FOR LIMITLESS LEADERS: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/leaders

John Mark Comer from Bridgetown Church in Portland joins us to discuss digital freedom for a digital generation. After a slightly-longer-than-necessary conversation about Star Wars, John Mark discusses… … the dangers associated with our ever-increasing screen time … how our digital consumption is shaping our identity … if and how we should be engaging with young people in the digital space … whether or not the future of youth ministry is online … how we help young people find freedom from digital addiction … how parents can help their kids navigate the digital world This fascinating conversation was originally recorded for Limitless Oxygen, an online training day for youth and children’s ministry teams, but we thought it would make for a great podcast episode as well… enjoy! FOR MORE ON LIMITLESS LEADERS: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/leaders

Welcome to Part 2 of our chat with Dr. Lucie Shuker, the Director of the Youthscape Centre for Research. Lucie unpacks a fascinating study exploring the place of spiritual practices in our youth ministries, and the role they play in the faith formation of our young people. We discuss the spiritual practices which are common-place in our churches and youth ministries, as well as those that appear to be strangely absent. Lucie explores what this means for discipleship, mission and evangelism, as well as describing what it might look like to develop a Rule of Life. Enjoy! FOR MORE ON LIMITLESS LEADERS: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/leaders FOR MORE ON THE WE DO GOD RESEARCH: https://www.youthscape.co.uk/research/we-do-god

Dr. Lucie Shuker is the Director of the Youthscape Centre for Research. She recently conducted a fascinating study exploring the place of spiritual practices in our youth ministries, and the role they play in the faith formation of our young people. In this conversation, Lucie unpacks the spiritual practices which are common-place in our churches and youth ministries, as well as those that appear to be strangely absent. We discuss what this means for faith and identity formation, and take a deep dive into some practices that could prove to be really significant for reaching and discipling young people right now. Enjoy! FOR MORE ON THE WE DO GOD RESEARCH: https://www.youthscape.co.uk/research/we-do-god FOR MORE ON THE ONLINE YOUTH MINISTRY LEARNING COMMUNITY: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/ymlc

What are the things that make it difficult for young people to believe in God? How do young people view the character of God? Why are young people praying less? How courageous are our prayers with young people? Who influences what young people believe? What could inter-generational youth ministry look like? These are just some of the questions we put to Laura Hancock as she unpacks the impact of latest research from Youth for Christ on our youth ministries. It's a fascinating conversation that is sure to stir your thinking and stimulate new approaches to working with young people. Enjoy!  LIMITLESS OXYGEN INFO & REGISTRATION: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/oxygen

We welcome Laura Hancock to unpick the recently published from Youth for Christ, The Z to A of Spirituality.  It's a fascinating conversation that stimulates all kinds of relevant questions for our youth ministries, including... What is the impact of spiritual experience in the lives of young people? Why do more young people believe in ghosts than God? Have we lost our spiritual awareness? How do we has youth workers facilitate healthy spiritual experience with young people? How do we create youth ministries that are unashamedly spiritual without being weird? What do so many young people have a negative view of church? Do young people believe Jesus was a real person? And just how important is it to equip young people with the tools to share Jesus? And that's just Part 1! Enjoy the conversation... TO REGISTER FOR LIMITLESS OXYGEN: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/oxygen TO ORDER A COPY OF THE Z TO A OF SPIRITUALITY: https://yfc.co.uk/faithandspirituality/

Joel Harris returns to the podcast to talk through six key elements relating to the mental wellbeing of young people. They are... Honesty Depression Anxiety Perfectionism Shame Anger Joel offer some really helpful analogies that will help us in our pastoral support of young people, as well as discussing the beauty in our brokenness, the power of your own story, and the importance of vulnerability. And if you don't know what a stress bucket is, then this is your moment!  This is a fascinating conversation full of great insight from Joel. Enjoy the pod!  LIMITLESS FESTIVAL ONLINE: http://www.limitlessfestival.co.uk 

Joel Harris spent most of his teenage years growing an online following through YouTube & Instagram, becoming a social media influencer and travelling the country presenting shows. Despite such success he struggled with his identity, and the subtle trap of seeking worth through likes and followers.  In this Episode of the Limitless Leadership Podcast, Joel discusses his personal story, explaining how social media has impacted him and how he has learned to manage it. He has some great advice for youth leaders as to how we can utilise social media in youth ministry, and how we can disciple young people in a digital age.  Enjoy! 

Jonathan Rowland is a Youth Pastor in Enfield and former officer with the Metropolitan Police. Jonathan tells his own story of how racism has impacted him personally, and goes on to share some great wisdom for how youth leaders can respond to racial injustice.    Because this is such an important issue this chat is a long one, but it’s well worth listening through to the end as Jonathan shares with wisdom, grace and conviction.    We hope and pray this conversation inspires you to do what you can where you are to bring an end to racial injustice. From every nation, tribe and tongue - we are all one in Christ! 

In this final episode of a three part series, Tim Alford reveals three more leadership blindspots; things that may be limiting our leadership potential though we are unaware of their presence.    Tim and Ollie discuss the impact of straying out of your lane, aiming for nothing, and ideas without execution. This is a conversation for those who want to take a deep dive into their leadership and reflect on their practice from a different perspective. Enjoy!    FOR LEADERSHIP 101: http://www.youtube.com/limitlesselim 

HOW DO WE DO YOUTH MINISTRY WHEN WE CAN’T MEET? The times they are a changing! We're learning youth ministry in a totally new paradigm with the outbreak of COVID-19... so how do we do youth ministry when we can't meet? Martin Saunders, the Deputy CEO at YouthScape and all-round youth ministry legend, shares his insight on a compelling episode of the Limitless Leadership Podcast.    There are some really helpful tip for us here. In this episode we discuss… Innovative approaches to remote youth ministry  Useful resources and technologies  Safeguarding implications of youth online   We hope this helps you to continue to serve young people where you are. Together we can find a way. 

Tim and Ollie continue the conversation about leadership blindspots, revealing some common traps that we fall for in youth ministry.    This month the discussion turns to the impact of perfectionism on those we lead. We reflect on one of the most common leadership blindspots for youth workers - the failure to lead up. And we explore what happens when we lose our focus on the most important things and spread ourselves to thin.   This is a conversation that will cause you to reflect on your leadership from a different perspective. Enjoy!    FOR LEADERSHIP 101 VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS5E_VeVNzAvmm9TFftXPokT9YBlPloJi 

Are there some areas in your leadership that you may not be aware of but could be holding you back?    In this first episode of a three part series, Tim Alford sits down with Ollie Ward to shine a light on some leadership blindspots; things we may not yet be aware of, but could cause a leadership crash if we fail identify and address them. This is a conversation that will cause you to reflect on your leadership from a different perspective. Enjoy!    For more about Limitless One: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/one 

Whether you are a paid employee, or a volunteer yourself, leading volunteer teams is a BIG deal in youth ministry...   We've all experienced difficult team members who have caused negativity to spread through our teams. We've experienced the frustration of inconsistent attendance. We've all felt the stress caused by not having enough team members. But we've also experienced the joy of leading a fully-fired up kingdom dream team!    In this episode Joel Preston and Tim Alford discuss what it takes to lead the most fruitful and fun teams possible, and how to deal with the challenges when they arise.    Enjoy!    For LIMITLESS ONE visit: http://www.limitlesselim.co.uk/one For the LEADERSHIP 101 video series visit: http://www.youtube.com/limitlesselim 

In part two of their insightful conversation, Tim chats with Soul Survivor's Ali Martin about effective preaching in a youth context.    In the last episode Ali explained her process of preparation, this time she drills down into the delivery of a message. Ali reveals some common pitfalls that we must avoid, as well as some principles of best practice that will enable us all to become better communicators.    Enjoy!    FOR LEADERSHIP 101 VIDEO SERIES: http://www.youtube.com/limitlesselim FOR LOUD AND CLEAR SERIES: http://www.soulsurvivor.com/loudandclear