• 228 | Rooted Faith: When Ministry Drains You | SMC Podcast
    Oct 30 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where Brent and David are closing the theme for the month of October "Rooted Faith" with the discussion of the importance of roots during the seasons of ministry that are more draining than others.

    They also talk about the upcoming Big Country Youth Pastor Conference that they both will be attending on November 7th. You can find all the details and registration info by clicking the link below:

    https://wyliemethodist.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3141743


    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

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    58 mins
  • 227 | Rooted Faith: Living In Rooted Community | SMC Podcast
    Oct 23 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where Brent and David are joined by special guest Jared Pickrell, the founder and creator of the Fresh Fire app (www.freshfire.app), which is a youth group app to push students to work on creating habits of spiritual disciplines that are custom to your group. They are continuing the theme for the month of October "Rooted Faith" with the discussion of the importance of living relationally with others in community and how that needs to be modeled as much as be an active part of your life as a youth pastor.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • 226 | Rooted Faith: Prayer That Grounds You | SMC Podcast
    Oct 16 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where Brent and David continue the theme for the month of October "Rooted Faith" with the discussion of the importance of prayer and how it needs to be implemented in your life in a personal manner and not just formal (job related).

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    55 mins
  • 225 | Rooted Faith: Staying Rooted In Scripture | SMC Podcast
    Oct 9 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where Brent continues the theme for the month of October "Rooted Faith" with the discussion of the importance of scripture and how it needs to be in your personal life as much as you use it for reference and lesson planning. They also discuss how to model it to your students so they can adopt the spiritual discipline as well.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • 224 | Rooted Faith: Why Roots Matter | SMC Podcast
    Oct 2 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where Brent starts off the month of October's theme "Rooted Faith" with the discussion of the importance of roots and why it matters both to the mindset of your personal life and ministry and the lives of the teenagers and volunteers that are involved in your ministry.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • 223 | Group Growth: Maximizing Community Presence | SMC Podcast
    Sep 25 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where David and Brent continue the discussion on their theme for the month of September: "Growing Your Group". This week, they are talking about the importance of being involved in your community both as a youth pastor and as a youth group and how you can be a presence in your community and utilize it as a resource strategically as well.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Group Growth: Partnering With Parents | SMC Podcast | Episode 222
    Sep 18 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where David and Brent continue the roundtable discussion of the podcast continuing their theme for the month of September on growing your group. This week, they are talking through the importance of partnering with parents and working to move the parents in your ministry from being informed to being involved.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
  • Group Growth: Creating a Culture | SMC Podcast | Episode 221
    Sep 11 2025

    Welcome to this week's episode of the podcast where David and Brent continue the roundtable discussion of the podcast continuing their theme for the month of September on growing your group. This week, they are talking through the importance of creating a culture that promotes group growth including three specific things to look at.

    Whether you are a young or old youth pastor, we would love for you to listen in and see what is talked about in today's episode and we would also love to hear from you!

    What is your tidbit of advice that you would add to the conversation?

    You can listen to this episode on all your preferred podcast providers.

    We would also love to have you join the conversation if you would like to be on the show!

    Shoot us a message on social media (@talkstudentmin) or an email (podcast@studentministryconversations.org) to get a time set for you to be on the show.


    Show notes can be found on our website: www.studentministryconversations.org


    Connect With SMC

    Instagram – @talkstudentmin

    Twitter – @talkstudentmin

    Facebook – @talkstudentmin

    Youtube - "Student Ministry Conversations"


    Connect With The Hosts

    Brent Aiken – @heybrentaiken

    Russell Martin – @rgmmusic

    David Pruitt - @pruacoustic

    Melissa Stevenson - @melissa_stevenson81

    You can also email all the hosts individually by: firstname@studentministryconversations.org


    Support the Podcast!

    Buy Our Merch! - www.studentministryconversations.org/shop

    Show More Show Less
    55 mins