Youth Culture Matters - A CPYU Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Episode 221: "The Power of Networking to Help You Faithfully Serve" with NNYM Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

What does it mean to thrive as a youth worker in today’s rapidly changing youth culture? And what are the best practices we can employ to insure that we are faithfully serving the Lord in this high calling of ministering to students? We’re tackling those questions and more as I chat with a trio of seasoned youth workers from the National Network of Youth Ministries – Wayne Morgan, Travis Deans, and Tony Villafane, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 220: "Are Teens Gambling Online? You Bet" with Kyle Fulks and Katie Schneider May 19, 2026

Show notes

One survey found that one third of 11 year-old boys had gambled in the last year. Smartphones and gambling apps are now driving the numbers up among children and teens. As Christians we need to embrace a biblically-faithful theological perspective that not only informs our personal behaviors and choices, but which we can pass on to our kids as they grow up in a world that is doing everything it can to nurture them into a lifetime of gambling. That's what we talk about in this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 219: "Making Tech-Wise Disciples - A Youthworker Addresses Screens with Students and Parents" with Jake Bier May 05, 2026

Show notes

The number of parents expressing concerns and confusion regarding smartphones and screentime is on the rise. And as we learn more about what kids are seeing during screentime and what they are opting out of in order to spend time on screens, the worries are rising. What our parents need is a robust theological and practical response to these issues. Youth pastor Jake Bier decided to dive in to provide information, theological insights, and response strategies not just for parents, but for the entire adult population in his church. You can hear how Jake addressed the technology issue with integrity and depth, as I chat with him on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 218: "Christianity and Social Media Influence" with Justin Poythress Apr 14, 2026

Show notes

If we aren’t careful, social media can become a place where we can very easily indulge our sinful nature in ways that cause us to turn ourselves into little idols. We can become consumed with building our brand, bowing to the desires of our followers, and sharing versions of ourselves that really aren’t who we are at all. In a day and age where we experience ramped up identity pressure, we need to go to the right source to discover who we’ve been made to be. Today, I’m chatting with author and pastor Justin Poythress about overcoming these temptations, and finding stability and purpose in Jesus, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 217: "Effective Spiritual Nurture of Our Kids" with Katie Polski Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

Several years ago, a concerned father approached me during one of our CPYU seminars to pose this question: “How can I expect my 13-year-old son to hear the still small voice of Jesus with all those other voices out there calling him to come and follow, come and follow?” Like this man, our greatest desire should be to see our children and teens launch into adulthood as faithful followers of Jesus. How can we trumpet the life-giving message of the Gospel in a world filled with competing voices? We’ll look for answers to that question as we chat with Katie Polski as she gives us three helpful reminders regarding the effective spiritual nurture of our kids, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 216: "Inviting Teens and Young Adults into Biblical Truth" with Rut Etheridge Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

One of the great questions we face as Christians in today’s world is this: how do we lead young people to embrace biblical truth when the world they live in is obsessed with the "sovereignty of self"? They’re swimming in a culture of self-made truth, governed by the unholy trinity of me, myself, and I. Recently, I read a book for teens and young adults that pushes back against these false narratives—and does it with incredible kindness and grace. It’s called God-Breathed: Connecting Through Scripture to God, Others, the Natural World, and Yourself. Today, I’m chatting with the author, Rut Etheridge, to talk all about it on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 215: "Longevity in Youth Ministry" with Jody Livingston Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

All of us who do youth ministry know peers who have lasted a long time in youth ministry, and those whose time in ministry has either been a flash in the pan, or perhaps a flitting around from position to position, never staying long enough in one place to really nurture students into a deeper faith. This is not surprising in a culture that doesn’t value commitment. Can’t we change this? Jody Livingston has identified ten essentials for longevity in youth ministry. That’s why we’ve invited Jody in to talk about his new book, Staying Power, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 214: "What Do We Do with the Books and Resources of Fallen Ministry Leaders?" Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

It seems like every other day brings a story of a Christian leader, whether well-known or not, that falls into moral failure. How should we respond? Do we continue to use their teaching and writing after the revelations of sin come to light? And perhaps most importantly, are there lessons we need to learn about ourselves from the sins of those who have been entrusted with leadership? That's what we're talking about on this timely and sadly necessary episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 213: "Recommended Devotionals for 2026" Dec 29, 2025

Show notes

With 2025 coming to an end and 2026 right around the corner we want to invite you to listen in as we talk today about devotional resources that can help us grow in our faith. Resources that we can put into the hands of our teenagers, resources for youth workers, resources for parents, and resources for the rest of us to all grow in our faith. We'll be discussing some of the best devotional resources we've found in this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

Episode 212: "Teens as God's Image Bearers" with Mike McGarry Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

If I was to list the many ways in which today’s cultural narrative is misdirecting and misshaping our kids, the topic of identity would have to be at the top of the list. This is especially troubling when we realize that the search to figure out who I am is front and center in our kids lives as they grow through adolescence. Our friend Mike McGarry has written a book to help teenagers know and live out the beautiful reality of finding one’s identity as a divine image bearer. Stay tuned as I chat with Mike about leading kids to the truth about who they are, on this episode of Youth Culture Matters.

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