Featured Podcast
Listen in as Jonathan Kornelsen talks youth ministry, leadership, discipleship, and the challenges of building a healthy ministry that lasts. Jonathan has had the opportunity to join other ministry leaders and hosts for conversations about the realities of youth ministry—from developing volunteers and emerging leaders to creating intentional strategies that help ministries move beyond simply surviving from week to week.
Jonathan Kornelsen on Volunteer Youth Worker Community - Episode 250
In this episode, Jeremy is joined by veteran youth pastor Jonathan Kornelsen from Central Community Church in Chilliwack, BC, to unpack a question that every youth worker eventually faces: How do I care for a student whose family life is messy, broken, or confusing? Jonathan brings 20+ years of youth ministry experience into this honest, compassionate conversation about the limits and opportunities of our role as youth workers. From mandatory reporting to faithful presence, from avoiding the savior complex to knowing when to just take a kid out for ice cream—this episode offers a practical guide for navigating the mess with wisdom and love.
Jonathan Kornelsen on Volunteer Youth Worker Community - Episode 104
When a teenager discloses a traumatic part of their life it can be difficult to know how to process it and what your responsibility is as a youth worker. Listen in to today’s conversation as a police officer, social worker, counsellor, and youth pastor take time to talk through some of the most difficult parts about journeying with teenagers.
Youth Ministry Blueprint- Youth Ministry Booster
This week's conversation with Canadian veteran youth pastor Jonathan Kornelsen dives into the shift from big events to spiritual formation, equipping teens to lead, and building a ministry that actually gets healthier over time. Jonathan outlines nine core convictions from his Youth Ministry Blueprint—clarifying mission and priorities before any program, crafting a discipleship strategy with measurable wins, protecting leader health as the true foundation, building a volunteer pipeline with strong onboarding, and designing gatherings that are excellent without becoming the point. We connect those principles to biblical models: Nehemiah’s prayerful planning, Moses’ detailed tabernacle instructions, Paul’s leadership structures, and Jesus’ focus on disciples over crowds. The result is a practical path for ministries of any size to create belonging, sustain growth, and hand off a stronger system to the next leader
Youth Ministry Blueprint- Download Youth Ministry
“In this episode, we talk with Jonathan Donald-Kornelsen, author of Youth Ministry Blueprint, about guiding a youth ministry with clarity and purpose. We explore practical strategies, leadership insights, and how to build a Christ-centered ministry that lasts. Tune in for wisdom that helps you lead with confidence and heart and a fresh blueprint for ministry!”
