Who we are
Hi, we are Steve Anderson and Mathew McCabe, two long-time youth pastors in Maryland. We serve at two different medium-sized churches in our area. We aren't special or superstars by any means, but we have been great friends for more than a dozen years and we've both been in youth ministry for nearly 30 years. We are passionate about Student Ministry, and we care deeply for those who have answered the call to be a part of the tribe called "Youth Workers." As youth ministry "veterans," we talked for a couple years about ways we could encourage more youth workers to stay in the game for the long haul. We finally saw our dreams come to fruition in January of this year when we started the "Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast."
We chose the name because it represents what we are about. Sherpas are mountain people. You've probably read about them in great mountaineering stories. Sherpas know their terrain and are acclimated to the climate. Sherpas shoulder other's burdens along the trail so they can survive and thrive. Sherpas are essential for completing the journey.
We started from scratch. We scraped together some money for a website, microphone, logos, and stickers to give away. We read up on how to do a podcast. We created all our social media accounts. And then we recorded. And recorded. And recorded. In fact, we've made 24 full-length episodes in just 7 months, plus 26 mini-episodes we called Sherpa Shorts. We've built a small following, and are having a blast doing it. Our podcast is two friends having a conversation, laughing a lot, telling stories about youth ministry success and failure, and encouraging others to keep going.
Which is what we plan to do! We want to take our podcast to another level. But we need your help, and we need some capital. That's where this campaign comes in.
What We Need
Help us get to the National Youth Workers Convention!
- We are planning to represent ourselves at the National Youth Worker Convention in St. Louis this November. There will be 4500 youth workers there! We need to cover vendor fees, create a dynamic display booth, and buy promotional stuff to give away so people will remember us.
- We are buying new equipment so we can improve our audio quality and record online interviews with great youth ministry guests! We already have some amazing ones lined up.
- If we don't meet our goal, we will do what we have always done--figure out a way to make it work with what we have! Hey, we're youth pastors---we go with the flow.
The Impact
The more youth workers we can encourage to stay in the game for the long haul, the better shape youth ministry will be in. The better shape youth ministry is in, the more students who will be impacted with the life changing message of Jesus.
What You Get
To say thanks for helping support our Podcast, we will provide the following gifts:
- $10-$49 = Sherpa Stickers and Show Mention
- $50 - $99 = Above, plus Sherpa T-shirt
- $100 + = Above, plus Guest Appearance as Intro Voice
- $500 + = Above, plus 2-pack of Yeti Wine Tumblers or Coffee Mugs
Other Ways You Can Help
- Share this opportunity with your friends and followers. Please!
- Know a Youth Worker? Share the Youth Ministry Sherpas Podcast with them through any podcast app, iTunes, Spofify, or www.youthminstrysherpas.com
And that's all there is to it. Thanks!