Mailbag questions or topic suggestions? Text us!
A new year deserves a new blueprint. We’re opening 2026 with a clear shift in youth ministry: equip students to share their faith with gentleness and respect, then walk with them through a real follow‑through plan that turns moments into movement. Jayson French joins us to unpack how CIY is doubling down on training, pairing students with mentors, and setting a focused 45‑day window so testimonies actually get told and gospel conversations get started where students already live—schools, teams, families, and friend groups.
We dig into the engine behind it: the follow‑through tools that help youth pastors measure what matters. Beyond attendance, you’ll see decisions for first‑time faith, repentance, kingdom work, and vocational ministry, track progress over time, and give volunteers a concrete way to coach students. This is practical, repeatable, and designed to help you tell a richer story at elders’ meetings and staff retreats—one that reflects spiritual growth you can actually see.
We also tackle a hard truth: AI is rapidly becoming a first stop for student counsel. We share why churches need clear ethics and compassionate guardrails that protect student agency and keep formation rooted in Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and real mentors. Technology can be useful; discipleship must be central. Yet the mood stays hopeful—churches are growing, teams are resilient, and students are hungry to live on mission when we train them well and model it ourselves.
