120 - Answering Tricky Questions - with Annemarie Rivers

Josh is joined by Youthworks’ Annemarie Rivers to discuss how kids and youth leaders can respond to tricky questions without needing to know everything. They explore building a safe culture where questions are welcomed, using discussion and Scripture to help young people think things through, and knowing when to pause, follow up later, or talk one-on-one. They also highlight practical ways to show questions are taken seriously, the value of long-term relationships, and the importance of teaching hard topics like judgment faithfully as part of the Bible’s bigger story, while listening well and caring for the person behind the question.

Connect with Youthworks
Click through to discover more about the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youthworks Ministry Support Team ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and how Youthworks can help you have an effective youth and children's ministry in your local church, or check out our Facebook Page
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You can connect with the broader Youthworks family by clicking here
.
You can partner in the ministry of Youthworks by donating here
.
We would love to hear from you! Send your thoughts, comments, and suggestions to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠effectiveministrypodcast@youthworks.net

New Creation Kids: A Principle-Led, Bible-Centered Children’s Ministry Curriculum

Meaghan Turner chats with Youthworks children’s ministry advisors Annemarie Rivers and Cam Harte about New Creation Kids, a new three-year, subscription-based curriculum. It’s been intentionally created to align with Youthworks 7 principles for effective youth and children's ministry with the key focus being on Bible-centered relational ministry, partnering with the home and training leaders effectively. Have a listen to found out how!

Launches online Nov 2, 2026 at newcreationkids.org with samples available now.

00:00 Cold Open Mixup

01:09 Why Create Curriculum

02:27 What New Creation Kids Is

03:14 Principle Led Bible Centred and Relational

06:58 Partnering With Parents

09:53 Leader Training

12:29 Podcast And Minister Support

15:10 Not Plug And Play

17:09 Getting Started Online Platform

19:19 Unit Structure And Planning

21:08 Bible Reading Cards NIV

23:44 Weekly Program Flow

26:58 Visual Aids Library

27:34 Apply Head Heart Hands

29:03 Discussion Questions Toolkit

30:39 Support And Training

31:52 Curriculum Purpose

33:26 Favorite Units Preview

35:26 Three Year Scope

42:12 Trust And Review

43:53 Churches Teaching Together

46:58 Access And Launch

49:21 International Use

50:21 Final Wrap Up

Al James speaks with Katie Stringer, a high school SRE teacher and Inner West coordinator, about why SRE matters and how to grow it across schools and year groups. Katie describes coordinating a diverse volunteer team to provide SRE classes, seminars, and lunchtime groups, driven by a conviction that every student should have access to the stories of Jesus and the Bible within the curriculum. They discuss practical growth strategies: regularly asking “How can we get more SRE?”, partnering with local churches and the regional SRE advisor, delivering excellent lessons using the Think Faith curriculum, building consistent coverage through teams with teachers and helpers, and using “novelty” via Easter/Christmas (and other) seminars to raise SRE’s profile. They also cover addressing common issues like irregular timetabling below the 1,200-minute minimum and low attendance of students on the roll by working with principals to align with school procedures.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:40 Katie Role and Vision

02:47 Why SRE Matters

04:46 Katie Journey Into SRE

07:55 Meet the Volunteer Team

11:58 Growing SRE Big Picture

13:32 From Zero to One

17:10 Why Year 11 and 12

20:11 Expand to Nearby Schools

22:17 Local Context Advantage

22:55 Excellent Bible Curriculum

23:59 Consistency Game Time Mindset

25:55 Why Four Touchpoints Matter

29:02 Teamwork Teacher And Helper

33:22 Recruitment Pipeline Capacity

35:32 Novelty Christmas Easter Seminars

42:36 Fixing Minutes And Attendance

45:57 Team Sport Final Encouragement

Connect with Youthworks
Click through to discover more about the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Youthworks Ministry Support Team ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and how Youthworks can help you have an effective youth and children's ministry in your local church, or check out our Facebook Page
.
You can connect with the broader Youthworks family by clicking here
.
You can partner in the ministry of Youthworks by donating here
.
We would love to hear from you! Send your thoughts, comments, and suggestions to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠effectiveministrypodcast@youthworks.net