Ep. 88: Ministering below the surface of behavioral problems


Podcast IconA few weeks ago, Tom had Ben Kerns on to talk about his blog post, “Pot, Prostitution, and Porn: Develop a theology of morality in an amoral context“. In the podcast Ben and Tom talked about behaviors and how we teach students about obedience. Hear that episode here. This week, Tom has brought in Shannon Meyer, M.Ed., a credentialed teacher with experience working in impacted communities in the inner city to dig a little deeper into this issue of ministering to students through a behavioral issue. She is also in charge of Yolo Parents in which she seeks to help parents and educators be in tune with themselves and their children so that they can connect in ways that form lifelong healthy relationships. This background is exactly why Tom invited her on the podcast. In today’s episode they talk about:

  • Shannon’s background
  • Behaviors and what could be going on with someone
  • How this applies to ministry
This may or may not be new to you, but it is a great reminder that when people behave badly in person or online, there is probably a deeper issue going on. Don’t be quick to punish the behavior without digging deeper into a potentially bigger issue. To dig even deeper, in the episode Shannon referenced research about this from Daniel Siegel and Tina Payne-Bryson. You can learn more about that here. So what do you think? How have you experienced this before and what did you do about it? I would love to hear from you so join the conversation by sharing your thoughts and insights below or on social media using the hashtag #ymsidekick.  Also, Tom would love to hear from you about what you’d like a future topic to be. To email Tom some ideas email him here. Make sure you goto iTunes and subscribe (http://ht.ly/QdLHJ) to the podcast and see what cool things we do each and every week!  And make sure you rate the show, especially if you like it. 🙂 Lastly, sign up for the Sidekick Scoop (http://ht.ly/TVyKF) to get content from all over the ministry world (especially online and student ministry topics).]]>


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