Welcome to Church Chat, the show where we have the conversations about ministry you wish we were having. Today we're talking to Steve Anderson, Pastor of Student Ministries at Mountain View Community Church, about how podcasting has made him a better youth pastor, the isolation of ministry, longevity in ministry, the evergreen needs of students, maintaining a vibrant relationship with your spouse, finding good team members, how to get along with your senior leader and more.
Steve Anderson is a youth ministry veteran of nearly 30-years, and has been at Mountain View Community Church since 2000!
He is a graduate of Grove City College and Denver Seminary, where he received his MDiv with an emphasis in Youth and Family Studies. After many years of raising their own teens, Steve and his wife, Karen, are now the proud parents of three young men. Steve loves to read great books, binge watch good shows, and play golf, basketball, or tennis. Born and raised in Western PA, he bleeds black and gold and is a passionate fan of all Pittsburgh sports.
He's also the founder and co-host of the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast.
Steve's spiritual passion is helping teenagers discover their place in God's amazing story and raising up the next generation of leaders.
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READ MORE FROM STEVE
5 Ways To Build A Ministry Of Encouragement
Sometimes, the most important things are the most obvious things. I learned a lot in seminary – how to interpret the Bible, how to preach and teach, loads of theology. I even learned some counseling skills and paradigms for youth ministry that have served me well. But the past few years, in the midst of…
3 Ways To See Past A Blind Spot
One of the world’s largest ships stumbled in the Suez Canal, turned sideways, and got stuck in the sand, completely blocking passage through one of the world’s most important trade routes. For six days, ships were backed up into the sea, their precious cargo of everything from shoes to TVs to barrels of oil stuck…
4 Principles From Hamilton That Will Remake The Way I Do Church
The past few months, we’ve all experienced significant losses – graduations, gatherings, job security, vacations, and in many cases, a friend or loved one. With all this heartache, it’s good to stop and appreciate the one thing we have all gained during the shutdown. Access to Hamilton! Hamilton, the award-winning, mind-blowing, smile-inducing reinvention of our…
I’ve Got Nothing, People.
When the schedule for our EDA bloggers came out, being assigned the middle of March seemed harmless enough. Now that it’s here, I have the simple task of writing a little something to encourage pastors and church leaders in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that is bringing everyone’s life to a screeching halt…
5 Ways To Achieve Longevity in Ministry
I’m a 53-year-old youth pastor. Most of the jokes at our youth ministry involve my baldness. I’m glad to give the students an easy target for their underdeveloped, juvenile sense of humor. Considering that our 19-year-old worship leader looks like a cross between Fabio and Samson, making fun of me for my high-gloss sheen is…
7 Ways To Discourage and Demoralize Your Staff and Volunteers
*The following is meant to be tongue-in-cheek* When I first started as a youth pastor, the ministry was small and I was solely responsible for every aspect of the program. The first thing I did was recruit some good volunteers and tell them what to do. Our small team did our best to lead the…
4 Ways To Play Left Tackle For Your Senior Pastor
I’ve never quarterbacked an NFL football team, but I’m certain it’s the most difficult position in sports. No other position requires such high levels of decision-making, vision, responsibility, leadership, and talent. Despite the fact there are 52 other players on the roster, 21 other starters, and three aspects of game play (offense, defense, special teams),…