meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Religion on the Mind

Are the Youth Pastors Okay?! (#330)

Religion on the Mind

Religion on the Mind

Religion, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.7542 Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode of You Have Permission, I'm checking in with youth pastors to see how they're really doing—and the answer is, “Not great.” My guest Joel Foster, who serves at University Church on Pepperdine's campus, argues that today's youth ministers are working with the most anxious and depressed generation of teenagers ever, but lack the tools and training to handle what they're facing. We explore uncomfortable questions about who's entering the field and why, the psychological toll of carrying students' crises without proper support systems, and whether traditional youth ministry approaches still work for today's kids. Joel opens up about late-night crisis calls, the gap between what this emotionally intensive work requires and what people are actually trained for, and the creative solutions he's developed to support fellow youth ministers.  Whether you're in youth ministry, have teenagers in your life, or are curious about how we're caring for the next generation, this conversation offers crucial insights into a field under pressure and what young people actually need from the adults in their lives. Highlights 05:46 Stereotypes of Youth Ministers 15:05 Mental Health and Youth Ministry 30:56 Understanding Adolescent Development 47:21 Challenges Faced by Youth Ministers ___________________________________________ Follow Dan on IG: www.instagram.com/dancoke/ Or Twitter: twitter.com/DanKoch Faith deconstruction resources: www.soyouredeconstructing.com/ Edited by Josh Gilbert (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠joshgilbertmedia.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -- he is accepting more work!) Join the Patreon for exclusive episodes (and more) every month: patreon.com/dankoch Email about the "sliding scale" for the Patreon: youhavepermissionpodcast@gmail.com YHP Patron-only FB group: tinyurl.com/ycvbbf98 Website: www.dankochwords.com/yhp.html Join Dan's email list: www.dankochwords.com/ Artwork by sprungle.co/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

What I've dedicated my life to is revenge.

0:04.7

A brand new drama based on the bestselling novel.

0:07.5

They think they're better than us.

0:08.5

Who do you think you are?

0:09.8

I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong.

0:11.5

She's punishing me.

0:13.0

You destroyed my family.

0:14.3

I will not rest until I've destroyed yours.

0:17.0

A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.

0:24.3

All right, welcome back, everybody to you have permission, show the names to take both Christianity and the modern world of science and culture.

0:30.4

Very seriously, I'm Dan Koch. I'm a licensed therapist. And joining me today, Joel Foster, youth pastor at University Church, which is on the Pepperdine

0:40.8

campus in Malibu, California.

0:44.3

That is the one of the wealthiest parts of Los Angeles.

0:48.0

It is.

0:48.9

University Church is a a cappella Church of Christ, which is also the official denomination of Pepperdine,

0:56.1

although I think Pepper 9 is more known these days as just a very high quality, beautiful,

1:03.3

private school.

1:04.5

It's kind of how I think of it.

1:05.5

Is that right?

1:06.9

High quality and high price, yep.

1:08.9

Yep.

1:09.2

Yeah, expensive on the water, but like you're probably going to get a good education.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Religion on the Mind, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Religion on the Mind and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.