Contributors

Here’s a list of the youth ministry leaders and experts that make youthministry360 an incredible and reliable source for training and networking. Watch for this list to grow as we build a community of voices. And if you’re interested in joining this list, click here for more information.


Aaron Kirkpatrick

Aaron Kirkpatrick has been leading the Chenal Valley Youth Group in Little Rock, AR for six years. He is passionate about relational ministry and connecting with teens where they already are. This has led to countless hours at basketball games, plays, recitals, Sonic parking lots, Minecraft servers, and anywhere else teens are congregating. When he needs to recharge his creativity, you’ll find him haunting a local Starbucks, Panera, or Baskin Robbins. You can follow his blog by clicking here and catch up with him on Twitter by clicking here.

Aaron’s Posts



Aaron Shaver

Aaron Shaver is a motivational speaker, blogger, and “youth pastor’s helper” who is available to speak and listen. Aaron has over 6 years experience in youth ministry. Recently, Aaron created Shaver’s Razor, a multi-level resource for youth and the pastors, leaders and teachers who mentor them. Check out www.shaversrazor.com to find out how he can help you. Drop in on Aaron’s blog or follow him on Twitter.

Aaron’s Posts



Amy Jo Girardier

Amy Jo Girardier is the Girls Minister at Brentwood Baptist in Brentwood, TN. She has been serving in this role for almost eight years and keeps pinching herself that this is what she gets to do for a job! She also is the founding editor of girlsminister.com, a website created to connect and resource girls minister, moms, and youth workers engaged in the girls ministry conversation. In addition, she has launched mygirlsministry.com to provide the first girls ministry social network. Amy Jo loves using technology, drinking coffee, reading on her Kindle, serving with her husband Darrel, and chill-axing with her Boston Terrier Diesel.

Amy Jo’s Posts



Andy Disher

Andy Disher has been in Student Ministry for 12 years. As he is starting his fifth year in full-time ministry at Kingsville Community Church, he is excited and hopeful for what the future holds. He has no idea what that is, but is fully trusting God. Hailing from Canada, he loves to dispel assumptions about Canadians. Yes, he has a pet moose. No, he does not live in an igloo (although, he thinks that’s pretty cool) and yes, he eats everything with maple syrup. On a more serious note, his passions include connecting with students and leaders alike, teaching, leading worship and helping people. To follow Andy on his blog click here. To keep in touch vie Twitter, click here.

Andy’s Posts



Austin McCann

Austin is currently a pastoral intern at Weymouth Community Church in Medina, OH. He just finished his Bachelors degree from Piedmont International University in Christian Ministries with a student ministries and pastoral studies minors. He is now working on his Master’s of Arts in Religion with a specialization in Christian Leadership from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He is engaged to Crystal Garofalo and is looking for his first-full time ministry position as a student pastor. You can visit Austin’s personal blog at www.austinmccann.com.

Austin’s Posts



Ben Birdsong

Ben Birdsong works with middle school students at First Baptist Church in Pelham, Alabama. He holds degrees in Marketing and Human Resource Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is currently working on his Masters of Divinity degree at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School. Ben has served with Student Life, Inc. and First Priority of Alabama. He loves to minister to students and challenge them to become campus missionaries and to live out their faith. Ben enjoys movies, reading, coffee shops, and blogging at http://www.benbirdsong.com.

Ben’s Posts



Ben Denen

Ben is the Director of Youth and Worship Ministries at Fellowship of Faith in Mchenry, IL. He has been working in Youth Ministry in some form or fashion for nearly a decade and is currently pursuing his graduate degree in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University. Ben’s passion is helping youth internalize their own faith through mentoring. He also loves to continually push leaders to not shy away from the uncomfortable, because the uncomfortable is often what students need to talk about with their mentors and parents. He and his wife, Tessa, have a nearly two-year-old son, Carter. Visit Ben’s personal blog at www.leadinginthemargins.com.

Ben’s Posts



Ben Kerns

After a career ending knee injury, Ben Kerns left competitive curling and has dedicated the last 15 years of his life to loving students. He enjoys partnering with other youth workers to help students come to know and follow Jesus. Ben is a network facilitator for the pacific southwest for the Evangelical Covenant Church and has been a resource for other youth workers for the past 5 years. He still brings pizza to any and every youth gathering. And now he has to run 20 miles a week to burn off the pizza weight to keep the love alive with his wife. He loves his kids, baseball, writing, and his iPhone, and doesn’t understand Twitter. Ben serves at Marin Covenant Church as the Pastor to Children and Students. You can check out his blog Average Youth Ministry or follow his struggling Twitter account.


Ben’s Posts:



Benjer McVeigh

Benjer McVeigh has been in youth ministry for 12 years, first as a volunteer and then as a youth pastor. After meeting Jesus while attending Colorado College, Benjer obtained a Master of Divinity from Denver Seminary with an emphasis in youth and family ministry. Since 2009, Benjer has served as a youth pastor at Washington Heights Church in Ogden, Utah. He blogs at www.BenjerMcVeigh.com and has written articles for Youthworker Journal and Immerse. Most importantly, he is married to Jennifer, the best companion for the Journey he could ever ask for. They have two beautiful daughters, Bethany and Samantha, and they live in a little brick house filled with lots of joy.

Benjer’s Posts



Brendt Blanks

Brendt Blanks is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who lives in Birmingham, AL. Her B. S. in Human Development and Family Studies, as well as her M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy were both earned at Auburn University (War Eagle!). Brendt is an active member of her church (Shades Mountain Baptist), leading grief groups, as well as helping out with children’s and student ministries. Brendt and her husband Andy (Co-Founder of youthministry360) have three incredible daughters who keep them on the go non-stop. Brendt would rather be at the beach with her family than pretty much anywhere else in the world. Drop her a note sometime on Facebook.

Brendt’s Posts


Brian Eberly

Brian Eberly has been in church ministry for over two decades in both California and Oregon. He is currently serving as associate pastor at Rock Harbor Church in Sherwood, Oregon. Brian spends most of his time hanging out with students as well as those that are committed to making a difference in their lives. Over the years he has been asked many times why he has been involved in student ministry for so long. After explaining that he may be growing older, but that he refuses to grow up, Brian lets people know that he can’t imagine himself doing anything else. There is no greater privilege than being a part of someone’s spiritual journey at such a formative stage of life. Outside of ministry Brian finds his greatest joy in life in spending time with his beautiful wife and two children. Brian blogs about the ride at www.brianeberly.com.

Brian’s Posts


Brian Ford

Brian is founder & feature Writer of Xposed2Jesus. He’s been in youth ministry for 15 years as a youth pastor, writer and speaker. He’s also a Deep & Wide Youth Ministry Advocate for Dare 2 Share and a member of the Life in Student Ministry Mentor Team. Brian is currently serving with Agape Christian Church in Terre Haute, IN as the Student Ministries Pastor. His passion is to communicate the Word of God so as to equip teenagers to live their life fully committed to Jesus. Brian believes teens want and need to be exposed to biblical theology so as to deepen their faith as well as equip them to share their faith. After living a life of rebellion, running from the truth, and roaming the streets of Newark, NJ, Brian put his faith in Christ as a result of one man taking the time to share the “clear” message of the Gospel. Since that moment his hearts desire has been to grow closer each day in his relationship with Jesus Christ and serve God in youth ministry. Check out Brian’s website and follow him on Twitter.

Brian’s Posts

 

Brian Fulton

Brian Fulton serves as the College and Small Groups Pastor at The Church at Shelby Crossings. There he started Ecclesia, a college ministry that reaches college students at the University of Montevallo. He is passionate about youth and college students making three conversions – a conversion to Christ, a conversion to community, and a conversion to mission. Brian maintains an itinerant preaching ministry at student retreats, Disciple Nows, church events, and college events, and blogs at www.brianfulton.org. He received his Bachelors from the University of Alabama in Birmingham, and earned his Master’s of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School. He spends much of his free time hanging out with students, traveling with his family, and reading books. Brian and his wife Ashley currently live in Calera, AL with their daughter Naomi.

Brian’s Posts


Bucky Rogers

Bucky Rogers is student pastor at Anderson Mill Road Baptist Church in Spartanburg, South Carolina. His wife of 9 years, Julie, and 3 sons, Sasha, Xan, and Brennan are the loves of his life. He received his Bachelors from the University of Tennessee and his Masters from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He can be occasionally found tickling the ivories, destroying helpless students at tennis, and beasting at some Tetris. Bucky is the author of Rooted in the Ancient Words, a devotional book for teenagers.

Bucky’s Posts



Chris Wesley

Chris graduated Xavier University (Cincinnati, OH) in 2003 with a BA in Communications (Electronic Media). He moved to Baltimore in the fall of 2003 where he served as a Jesuit Volunteer for a year. During that time he felt God’s calling to Student Ministry. In the summer of 2004 he was hired by Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland as a Middle School Youth Ministry. He currently oversees grades 5th-12th as the Director of Student Ministry.

Today he lives in Pikesville with his wife Kate and his son Matthew. Chris loves to cook and create new recipes, he’s an avid runner who believes there are no limits, you can read more about Chris and his ministry on his site Marathon Youth Ministry and follow his daily musings on twitter.

Chris’ Posts



Danny Bowers

Danny oversees the student ministries at Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo, California. He is married to his high school sweetheart & they have two sons, who are both cute, handsome, and manly. Danny and his family greatly enjoy the outdoors of all sorts. Southern California is home, but Colorado is where my Danny and his grew up. Danny loves Java, working with high school students, and adventures that Jesus puts him on. Danny’s biggest prayer is that he don’t waste his life. Follow his blog here. Catch up with his tweets here. And friend him on Facebook here.

Danny’s Posts



Danny Ferguson

Danny Ferguson currently works for Youth For Christ/Youth Unlimited in the Greater Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. However, he has over 15 years of youth ministry experience, the last 7 of them involved in urban community youth work. In his role as Director of the Langley chapter of Youth Unlimited, Danny has worn many hats: youth worker, social worker, counselor, spiritual mentor, teacher . . . even medic. You name it, Danny’s been there. But maybe his favorite role when it comes to teenagers is that of friend. Having worked within the context of church youth groups and on city streets, Danny offers a variety of experience on the relational aspects of youth work. Check out his blog here to read Danny’s thoughts on youth culture and stories from his ministry. Oh, and he loves being married to his wife, April.

Danny’s Posts


Darren Sutton

Darren serves as Pastor for Youth & Preteens at Christ Point Church in Corpus Christi, TX. He and his wife Katie co-founded Millennial Influence, a resource equipping and encouraging the adults capable of making the biggest potential impact on teenagers: their parents! Darren and Katie produce a weekly podcast & monthly newsletter for parents of teenagers and help encourage and resource youth pastors to impact the family. Darren & Katie have served in student ministry for over 20 years and between them have degrees in youth ministry, kids ministry, psychology, sociology, counseling, and discipleship. (They ought to have a degree in how to pay off student loans to a private college on a youth ministry salary!) They have three sons, a cat they hate (but can’t get rid of), and a blog. Connect with them at their website, their Facebook page, or through Twitter.

Darren’s Posts



David Kennedy

David Kennedy serves as Student Minister at South Jeff Christian Church in Louisville, KY. David’s educational pathway is different than most. He received his BA with a concentration in Poor Choices at Hard Knocks University. This degree prepared David for an exciting and fulfilling future in the United States Marine Corps. The side note to this experience is that during his time in the Marines, David committed his life to following Christ. David is passionate about youth ministry, particularly engaging public schools and the local community. David is experienced at speaking at conferences and camps. You can contact him www.dk@mysouthjeff.org. David lives in Louisville, with his wife, Julie and their 5 kids (I know…crazy, huh?). David enjoys spending time with his family, continuing his education, and his unhealthy knowledge of 1980′s professional wrestling.

David’s Posts


Doug Franklin

Doug Franklin is a veteran youth worker and the founder of LeaderTreks, a ministry dedicated to creating exceptional resources and experiences that lead students to grow into leaders. Through LeaderTreks, founded in 1994, Doug and his team influence youth workers to challenge students and prepare them for leadership in the kingdom of God. Doug is passionate about leadership development in the church. He was a youth pastor for 12 years and during that time he had many different focuses in his ministry: evangelism, discipleship, missions, teaching, community, and service. All good, but what made all of these focuses better was when students were leading them. Doug is married to a wonderfully creative woman named Angie Jones. They live in West Chicago IL, but love to serve those in the world that don’t have enough. Check out Doug’s Blog here, or visit the LeaderTreks website here, or Facebook page here.

Doug’s Posts



Greg Wilson

Greg Wilson received his bachelor’s degree from Baylor University. He holds masters degrees in Marriage and Family Counseling and Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has completed additional graduate study at Dallas Theological Seminary. Greg is a pastoral counselor specializing in adolescents, families and men at The Well Counseling Center in Coppell, Texas. For the past 20 years, he has provided gospel-centered biblical counseling in both individual and group contexts, and has also served churches in Texas and Georgia as a youth pastor and teaching pastor. Greg also manages the Dallas Care Center of TheHopeLine, where he leads a team of volunteer HopeCoaches who provide immediate care as well as long-term resources to struggling teenagers. Greg also blogs regularly at thirstyones.com, writing on issues related to spiritual formation, adolescence, youth ministry and counseling. Greg currently lives in the Dallas, Texas area with his wife and daughter, where they are active members of The Village Church.

Greg’s Posts


Heather Johnson

Heather moved several times growing up, but considers her hometown to be in Southern California. She moved to the south to attend Samford University, where she felt a call to ministry, and is working on her MDiv through the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Heather loves proving to people that she can lick her elbow, and spends her free time watching Murder, She Wrote reruns in her Snuggie. She loves sharing her story of how God redeemed the ‘bad’ in her life for His glory. And she loves listening to others’ stories as well. You can drop her a line at hjohnson@shades.org or follow her on Twitter (http://twitter.com/HeatherBJohnson)

Heather’s Posts


Jason Curry

Jason Curry is the Pastor To Students at The Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock, Arkansas. During his time at Rock Creek, Jason has seen the student ministry grow from just a handful of students to over 300 students, from every school in Central Arkansas, actively involved in Rock Creek Students. Additionally, Jason is a frequent speaker at Student Retreats, Camps, Disciple-Now events, parent conference, college retreats, & church wide events. Jason attended Mississippi College where he played four years of college baseball (and was named an All-American), and graduated with a degree in Communications. During his first year of college, Jason began a two-year commitment as a volunteer for K-Life ministries, an extension of Kanakuk. He then served at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN and later joined the staff at First Baptist Church in Jackson, MS. Jason is married to his high school sweetheart, Courtney, and they have two daughters, Carson & Cameron. Jason is an avid college football fan and loves the outdoors, especially duck and deer hunting. You can keep up with Jason at www.jasoncurry.org

Jason’s Posts



Jay Higham

Jay Higham is the Director of Youth and Family Ministries, at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, in Somerset, PA. He has been ministering to students for 20 years, and families for the last 10 years. Jay is married to Amy, and daddy to four active boys and one adorable princess. He is working toward completing his degree at at Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Pittsburgh, PA. Jay is also life long dcTalk, Star Wars, and Philadelphia Phillies & Eagle fan! He loves everything Mac (but still waiting for an iPad) and spending time with his family. You can visit Jay’s personal blog at www.jayhigham.com.

Jay’s Posts



Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins is an idea guy. Although originally a northerner, he now considers Tennessee home. He lives in Nashville with his wife Ashley and their dog Lyric. Working for Adventures In Missions (AIM), he helps mobilize people to follow Jesus into some of the darkest corners of the world where people need light and truth the most. He loves music, writing, movies, and coffee. He is especially passionate about words and used to collect pez dispensers. You can connect with him on Twitter by clicking here, read his AIM blog by clicking here, or his writing-focused blog by clicking here.

Jeff’s Posts



Jeremy Zach

Jeremy Zach easily gets dissatisfied with status quo. He reeks with passion and boredom is not in his vocabulary. He becomes wide awake when connecting with student pastors, thinking and writing about student ministry, experimenting with online technology, and working out. He is married to Mikaela and has two calico cats, Stella and Laguna. He lives in Alpharetta, Georgia and is a XP3 Orange Specialist for Orange—a division of the REthink Group. Zach holds a Communication degree from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities and Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Visit Jeremy Zach at his blog, ReYouthPastor.com, and follow him on twitter.

Jeremy’s Posts



Jerry Varner

Jerry Varner tries daily to be the Student Discipleship Pastor at Southside Church on the south side of Richmond, VA where he’s been for over 7 years. A graduate of Nyack College, he’s been in fulltime student ministry for 17+ years. He and his wife Merritt have 4 kids. Besides his family, his passions are communicating God’s Word in any way possible, leading students to love & follow a wild-eyed Jesus, writing, finding the best cheeseburger ever made, tweeting, & mountain biking.
Jerry blogs at jerrythinks.com and you can follow him on Twitter.

Jeremy’s Posts



Joshua Gill

Joshua Gill has been in youth ministry for nearly a decade. He lives in Downingtown, PA with his beautiful wife, Vicki, and their son, J.D. Currently, Josh is the Youth Director at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Josh holds a B.A. in Youth Ministry from Eastern University, a M.S. in Non-profit Business Management, and is currently working toward an M.DIV. from Palmer Theological Seminary. He has taught at several conferences including CAPS-East, and the annual Messiah College Youth Workers Conference. He has been published in Youth Worker Journal and at ym360. You can get more info about Josh and his consulting business, Directions in Youth Ministry at www.directionsym.com.

Joshua’s Posts



Justin Herman

Justin serves as Director of Ministry, Jr. High at Mariners Church in Irvine, CA. Since starting as a high school leader at his home church eight years ago,  he hasn’t looked back. He speaks at camps and FCA meetings, writes, and is a social media fanatic. He lives and breathes Jesus and the creativity that is so vital within youth ministry, with a goal of being a quality voice in the building process of the next generation.  He was born in NYC, raised in Buffalo, educated in Missouri at a small bible college, and now lives in California. You can connect with Justin on Twitter or on Facebook or follow his blog.

Justin’s Posts



Leneita Fix

Leneita Fix is the founder and lead consultant for Blue Sky/Green Sky Consulting whose heart is, “Development and Training, With the Goal of Creating Experts Of Those In Pursuit of Taking A Generation from Survival To Thriving In Christ.” Her heart and passion is to see the next generation walking out fully in who Christ has made them to be. Leneita looks at the sky through the lens of 18 years of ministry experience. The early years were spent in camp ministry, both with suburban and rural youth groups. With the Lord’s moving, the last 14 have been spent ministering in three different cities in an inner city setting (New Jersey, Virginia and Florida). Her responsibilities have included Bible-based program direction for children ages 5-18, curriculum writing, staff training and recruiting, discipleship, conference direction, resource creation, and speaking to national audiences. For the last five years her heart has been for multiplication of workers in the urban harvest field. Leneita’s passion is to raise up workers in practical, relationship-driven methods for bridging the gap from the green sky to the blue sky world. One of her greatest joys is serving in ministry as a family with her husband, three wonderful children, and niece. Simply, she resides among her friends in the city just living life as a family that loves being there.

Email Leneita at leneitafix@gmail.com or check out her blog by clicking here.

Leneita’s Posts



Mark Cox

Mark is the Student Pastor at Indian Springs Baptist Church just outside of Little Rock, Arkansas. He has lived all over (Ohio, Minnesota, Alabama, Indiana, Virginia, and Arkansas), but his hometown is Indianapolis, Indiana. He was part of an exciting student ministry as a high school student, which is where most of his influence in student ministry came from. He went to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he met his wife, Christi. Mark and Christi volunteered at a great church while in college, and knew that they both had a future in student ministry as a married couple. He graduated with a BA in Biblical Studies in 2005 and has been doing full-time student ministry ever since. Mark and Christi have a son named Kipton and a teacup Yorkie named Zoe. Mark loves coffee, frisbee golf, and the Boston Red Sox. Mark blogs at thinknextnow.com. You can catch up with him on his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter.

Mark’s Posts



Mark Jenkins

Mark Jenkins is a graduate of Union University and Beeson Divinity School. He has worked in full-time student ministry for the past three years and loves seeing students become passionate about the Bible and living out their faith on a consistent basis. He loves hanging out with students, preparing to teach them God’s Word, and helping them find avenues to get down and dirty with their faith. When he’s at home, he loves hanging out with his wife and daughter (soon to be “daughters”), grilling, reading, and watching the University of Tennessee dominate collegiate sports (2010 men’s tennis runner-up!!!!). His experience stacking packages of grits on the midnight shift at the Martha White Factory during the summer of 2005 helped mold him into the man he is today.

Mark’s Posts


Melanie Dill

Melanie, originally from Snellville, GA, attended Samford University in Birmingham, AL for studies in Graphic Design and Fine Art. She was called into ministry while working in Student Ministry at Shades Mountain Baptist Church in Vestavia Hills, AL. But God wasn’t done “calling.” Melanie was called pick up her life and move in order to make disciples of the nations. She is now doing Teen Ministry with Living Hope in Cape Town, South Africa. When not doing ministry, she loves reading, watching ‘Lost,’ eating cucumbers and drinking South African tea. You can follow her South African journey through her blog or her website.

Melanie’s Posts



Matt Wilson

Matt is currently the Executive Director of First Priority of Greater Birmingham, working daily to mobilize the church to reach every student, on every campus, in every community. Since beginning in youth ministry in 1998, his passion has been networking local churches, developing Godly youth leaders, and training student leaders who partner with him in reaching students with the love and message of Jesus. During his time at First Priority, Matt has been able to speak to hundreds of students weekly on local public school campuses. He enjoys spending time with his family, training for triathlons, and being an advocate for orphans around the world. He is married to Michelle and has two children, Jess and Miriam. He holds a degree from the University of Mobile and a Master’s of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Matt’s Posts


Paul Turner

Paul Turner has been working with teenagers for over 20 years. He is a speaker, author, and youth ministry trainer. His greatest joy is being married to his wife Kim and raising his three kids, Haley, Bryan, and Jon. Check out Paul’s website for additional youth ministry insights. Email Paul at thedproject@me.com, or follow him on Twitter or on Facebook.

Paul’s Posts


Phil Bell

Phil Bell is a youth pastor, writer, and blogger. He is originally from England and now lives in Michigan where he has been ministering to students and their families since 2000. Phil is passionate about helping students own their faith for the long haul, and is deeply committed to leadership development in youth workers in the local church. He loves spending quality time with his family, playing soccer, and drinking a good cup of English tea! He blogs at youthworktalk.com and tweets at @PhilBell.

Phil’s Posts

 

Phil Cunningham

Phil Cunningham is the husband of Amy, the father of Emma (8) and Abby (3), and the new baby coming in January 2011. Phil is a follower of Jesus and a champion of Justice. He has worked for Youth With A Mission (YWAM) since 1993, currently serving with them in San Diego, CA. Phil has cared deeply for Justice issues for the last 6+ years. He blogs about it over at www.stepsofjustice.org which, is also the ministry that Phil co-founded in 2009 with a good friend. Phil is Irish by birth, Canadian by his upbringing, and American by matter of his current address. The border guards love it when Phil rolls through. Follow Phil on Facebook or Twitter.

Phil’s Posts


Richard Parker

Richard Parker has been been involved in Student Ministry for 31 years, the past 21 years at First Baptist Church in Russellville, Alabama. He is the author of the book Character, a devotional book on people of the Old Testament, and has written three Character Education curriculum books for public schools. Richard speaks at church conferences as well as public education events. He hosts a weekly television show for the Russellville City School system and is the public address announcer for both high school football and basketball in Russellville. He and his wife Amy have two adult daughters, Lauren and Leah.

Richard’s Posts


Russell St. Bernard

Russell is currently the youth minister at Reid Temple AME Church’s north campus in Silver Spring, MD. He has served in youth ministry for over 10 years, and has a passion to see students and families connected to Christ. Russell has had the opportunity to write and train for many youth ministry organizations. He is currently working on a book entitled “After The Music Stops” which is focused on helping youth ministries and youth ministry leaders serve their students in a more effective way. Russell is married to his lovely wife Erica and they currently reside in Maryland. Check out his blog at www.afterthemusicstops.net.

Russell’s Posts


Sara Evanchick

Sara Evanchick has been in youth ministry for just over 5 years. She spent 4 years leading the youth ministry for a small town church and now runs a youth center in the same community. She met her husband, Tim, at the National Youthworkers Convention in 2009. They were married in 2010 and are expecting their first child in February 2011. Tim and Sara both work as missionaries with Scarlet Thread Ministries in Western New York.

Sara’s Posts


Scott Burks

Scott Burks is currently founder and President of ymnow.com and Fishhouse Creative. Scott has served on the Ministry Council for the National Network of Youth Ministries, See You at the Pole – The International Day of Prayer for Students, Student Discipleship Ministries, Student Life, and Youth Specialties. He’s also served on church staffs in Alabama, Texas, and Oklahoma. A graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Midwestern State University, Scott holds degrees in marketing and theology. Scott is a resident of Arlington, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Kelli, and three girls — Baily, Kori Kate and Macy.

Scott’s Posts


Spencer Sutton

Spencer is Founder and Executive Director for Neverthirst. Graduating from David Lipscomb University in 1995, Spencer spent over 13 years in various business ventures which included everything from restaurant ownership to the  ªWe Buy Ugly Houses º business in Alabama. In 2006 everything changed. Spending time in orphanages in Ukraine and in the villages of Sudan he came face to face with the reality that almost a billion people live without access to safe drinking water. Now, as Neverthirst Executive Director, Spencer oversees operations at home and abroad as he evaluates partners and projects in target countries. At home you can usually find him enjoying time with his wife, Allyson, and their two young children.

Spencer’s Posts



Tom Pounder

Tom Pounder has been sharing Jesus Christ with teenagers and their parents for nearly 15 years. Currently Tom serves as the Family Ministry Director at New Life Christian Church in Centreville, VA. He oversees the development of the children, youth and sportsplex programs. Tom is married to his beautiful wife, Anne, and has 4 amazing daughters. He also blogs regularly at www.ministryblackboard.com, inspiring youth ministers at smaller churches with practical tools to effectively build a ministry that lasts.

Tom’s Posts



Vickie Greatwood

Vickie Greatwood is a Virginia Wesleyan College graduate with a degree in Communications. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband, Russ, who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. Vickie felt the calling on her life to become a youth pastor at age 14 and she is currently serving as the youth and young adult director at Francis Asbury United Methodist Church. Everyone asks if she will one day move on to become a pastor. She doesn’t know what God has for her future, but for now this is her heart and it’s where she will stay until God calls her to move! In her spare time she likes to spend time with her husband and her Aussie, Sadie, go camping, hit the beach, or read. For information on her church you can visit www.francisasburyumc.org. Or, follow Vickie on twitter by clicking here.

Vickie’s Posts



Andy Blanks

Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy is passionate about God’s Word and the transformation that it brings in the lives of God’s people. What brings Andy the greatest joy is seeing teenagers’ become sold-out disciples of Christ, following the Lord no matter the cost, and influencing the world around them in the name of Jesus. Andy is a writer, teacher, speaker, and a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan. He lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife, Brendt, and his three daughters. Check out his blog (www.andyblanks.com) or follow him on Twitter (www.twitter.com/andyblanks).

Andy writes a LOT of content for ym360. If we listed all Andy’s blog post, this page would get really (really) long. But, we’ve listed all Andy’s posts here.




A word about the ym360 Contributors