694. How Can Youth Ministry Impact the Next Generation?

[00:00:00] Welcome to Church on the Block, Real Talk about Hip Hop, Church and the Streets with my great

[00:00:19] co-host Pastor Jay and Ruck Boy on Holy Culture Radio, Sears XM. Welcome to Church on

[00:00:27] the Block. That's right, you are back with this Holy Culture Radio channel 140 on Sears XM

[00:00:33] Radio. We are here Sunday 9 a.m. Central time, which is really the only time it really matters in

[00:00:40] the middle of the earth, middle of the US 10, you see time and we are talking about in our work

[00:00:49] at this show Real Talk by Hip Hop, the Church and the Streets and we want to not just talk about

[00:00:55] things that are understood by church or low, that by tubular faith but things that are understood

[00:01:03] but never maybe talked about or challenged or brought up. I mean we got some things we're going

[00:01:08] to be talking through here in the next couple of weeks it may bring up some kind of stuff with people

[00:01:14] you know the gift of tongues beginning to tongue not speaking to tongue right what things that

[00:01:19] people would argue about for a long time but how that creates a lot of confusion amongst a lot of

[00:01:25] people still even to this day. We're going to get into that you know later on but this is what

[00:01:28] this show was about man it's trying to touch you know those subjects looking at those subjects

[00:01:32] from LG LGBTQIA plus to should you carry a gun and a pool pin you got concealed a carry I mean

[00:01:39] being able to wrap out real discussions around things that some time people have questions about

[00:01:44] wonder about and maybe even never knew that the church would even talk on these things so

[00:01:49] that's what this effort is with this show man church on the block real talk about hip hop

[00:01:54] the church and the streets and today we got a great brother great friend great great leader

[00:02:00] that God has been using in powerful ways man the Reverend doctor oh my no law yeah I fast

[00:02:10] the Russell Sabanard man good brother man he will you know in ministry as you're in it for a long

[00:02:17] time as you know for a while you know you you you run into cats who you have a kindred connection

[00:02:23] with right and added that kid your connection you want to foster that together right to sharpen

[00:02:28] each other and Russ is one of those brothers man is a beautiful heart connected to what God is doing

[00:02:37] in ministry in his own life not intimidating to express that that that space and owns and knows his

[00:02:44] own value and worth man and so I just want to introduce everybody to to my friend pastor Russ

[00:02:51] and we're going to talk through this show today about an array of different things around you know

[00:02:56] the black church and the movement of ministry youth and and the work that he's doing right now so

[00:03:02] Russ welcome to church on the block man man pastor felt I appreciate you man love you bro thanks for

[00:03:08] having me on appreciate you having me on this way I appreciate that you call me a friend and

[00:03:14] I call you a friend would also call you the homie the big home of mental I was I was saying it off

[00:03:21] off-trait but man you are one of a handful of brothers man that God used to allow for me

[00:03:30] to allow my gift to get into that room you know the word says that your gift will make room for

[00:03:36] you and and allow you to be in the presence of great people you were one of those brothers that

[00:03:41] where my gift got in the room you were there and then you ate one point me to other rooms man

[00:03:45] and so I'm thankful for you and excited about this this conversation man excited about

[00:03:50] what God has opened up then and looking looking forward to seeing what we're going to say

[00:03:56] yeah yeah yeah grateful for that Russ and man I know as we connected just a little

[00:04:02] little while ago you know yeah been there uh well my when my daughter was in in going to

[00:04:07] Morgan State Manage and I grabbed them to help them go to a concert to do some things back

[00:04:13] and forth it was going on at that time man so just grateful for that longevity together ministry

[00:04:20] and looking forward to I'm grateful to be on you know your show that there was air on the 10th

[00:04:27] right the 10th of January yeah yeah this class yeah yeah a couple couple days ago man

[00:04:31] man forget it you killed it man I'm encouraged if everybody to listen I had a hard time trying

[00:04:37] to find soundbites in myself a person that helps me out uh in the background really I was like Russ

[00:04:42] you didn't say a whole lot right yeah I said man he said good stuff I couldn't say nothing

[00:04:48] and then we uh I posted as some other folks have heard it and they really liked it and loved

[00:04:52] it man so grateful to be able to um be a part of the movement of what you are doing as well man so

[00:04:58] they just introduce yourself to folks man what you know um where you're at the role you you're serving

[00:05:05] in now and the type of church uh that is we give people context and then a little history of

[00:05:11] of where you come from in ministry yeah yeah so so let me let me let me go so I am uh

[00:05:19] Russell Sampinart Rev Russ is super easy uh past the Russ is only Facebook because I serve

[00:05:25] at a great church and then my current denomination is only one pastor so shout out to my pastor

[00:05:29] uh past the Matthew L. Whitley because I won't know small um I am uh Rev Russ and uh I serve at

[00:05:36] Kingdom Fellowship AME Church uh currently serve in a role uh we have pillars of our church

[00:05:43] a gather grove give and go I'm I'm currently overall gather what that means in layman's terms uh is

[00:05:49] I serve over operations uh and uh but I started at the church as a in youth ministry let me go back

[00:05:56] so I am uh said born and raised in Brooklyn uh love my family uh I did church when I was home

[00:06:02] but I really didn't uh was it really a part of the church heavily it's like I got to college

[00:06:07] when I got to college I got saved with some Morgan State uh big shout out uh Morgan's at

[00:06:11] university got saved in my senior year I threw parties every other year behind that senior year

[00:06:17] home and uh I threw I threw parties when I first got there uh because I I play you know I had

[00:06:23] you know off from Brooklyn man I either you uh Biggie would say either you uh slinging plaque rock

[00:06:28] or you got a wicked jump shot I had a pretty good jump shot so I pretty pretty good jump shot

[00:06:33] pretty good jump shot uh but going to college is different going college so high school ball is

[00:06:38] different than college ball yeah I was red shirting uh the first year and I remember talking to my mom

[00:06:44] after I didn't quite make the team but I was close and the guy was like hey you can red shirt kind

[00:06:49] of be with us my mom said I cool so if you with them that means you're not gonna have a job that

[00:06:53] means you're gonna you know you're gonna wear sweats and stuff and I'm from Brooklyn I said that

[00:06:57] couple times um and so I couldn't I couldn't do it I couldn't do it so I ended up throwing parties

[00:07:02] so I ended up throwing parties and I had all of the teams just coming to my parties uh how

[00:07:06] on but a long way you was making money on the party so you was making money on the party that's

[00:07:12] that's what I was endeavoring to do I was endeavoring to I had a weekly uh party with a

[00:07:18] friends of mine called wet Wednesdays uh oh I did not I was so far from knowing the Lord

[00:07:23] uh in really understanding but I knew him I just didn't like get them you know what I mean

[00:07:27] yeah right yeah me because there were moments that if he didn't have me it would have been a whole

[00:07:32] another one of the thing but I end up getting saved um end up telling my fellows that I couldn't

[00:07:38] no longer be a part of the group end up moving from the house that I was living with them doing

[00:07:43] all of this stuff and um got plugged in man and and got plugged in the church and just really started

[00:07:49] to serve started to serve in a mincewain program and uh understood that uh God wanted more of me

[00:07:57] um I was doing three different Bible going to three different churches a week man for Bible study

[00:08:01] I was I was as hungry that my my thing was if I could go parties uh and be a part of parties in New

[00:08:08] York on a Sunday night and drive the term pipe home to Baltimore and change in the car to show up at

[00:08:16] my job in the morning and go to school that night then if I can do all of that then I can go

[00:08:21] hard for God in the same way um and so I did and then it took a couple years to really figure

[00:08:27] out that Yo Youth Ministry was my thing um I've gotten books on it we'll talk about that

[00:08:32] I've been able to to go around and be a part I had a youth ministry toward that we did a little

[00:08:38] while ago more several years ago now but I remember uh specifically when I told you this off

[00:08:44] off tape but I'm gonna say it here that you it it was a moment where um I started in Pima

[00:08:51] uh fully administrative or at a pay memorial AME um but started really being able to do

[00:08:57] youth ministry heavily needed that empowerment temple and the pasted Jamal Bryant when he was still there

[00:09:02] um and I remember I knew black church really well I was following you we would talk every now

[00:09:09] and again I think I saw you like twice and you were just always opening out of the office but you

[00:09:13] would also always just you right so like there was a moment in in in church history where

[00:09:21] you being uh authentic and authentic in those days early 2000s was um you you being you know hip-hop

[00:09:31] is what it was I mean it's still now but hip-hop is kind of hip-hop is kind of got a sheen on

[00:09:35] it a little bit now so it's a little different but this was this was hip-hop with the you know I

[00:09:42] still got pictures of me calling myself the hope dealer and I had a Bible with a fitted cap at a

[00:09:49] do rag and uh the Bible was on the chain you know to me like I remember yeah and you were that space

[00:09:57] because a lot of churches were like yeah even though we want you to relate we don't want

[00:10:03] you to relate that much and I'm like I'm not even trying like I'm just me and me like I'm just

[00:10:07] and and pastor Phil Jackson was that guy that was like you know you can be a hundred percent you

[00:10:13] and still be affected and so I remember it as day man I went to a workshop we we we chopped it up after

[00:10:19] over some food I told you I was really looking I loved my past past a Bryant at that point but he

[00:10:24] encouraged me to hey if you really want more go see if there's opportunities and you connected me with

[00:10:30] a church in Florida um passed the Wayne Lomac shot out to them uh they just merged into a

[00:10:37] cool church um but I you you connected me with them and Florida was an eye-opener for me man it

[00:10:45] just showed me youth ministry it showed me ministry in a whole another in a whole other way um and so

[00:10:53] I did that for a while and then I left that church came uh to where I am now actually a couple

[00:11:00] years before that came to where I am now we were re-tumple uh AME church and then our pastor then

[00:11:06] senior pastor Leepy Washington retired and uh pastor widely who I came in under was able to start

[00:11:13] kingdom fellowship and I'm a I'm a founding minister man I come from Brooklyn all the way uh pastor

[00:11:20] Phil to I got I got my name on the documents for this church man my my name and address on a

[00:11:26] back little church man um so for years to come decades to come uh if somebody looks up the

[00:11:34] founding of the church man uh the you know you got put your address in your social in there

[00:11:38] they they go see little old uh Russell St. Bernard from Brooklyn uh apartment 12B

[00:11:44] Williamsburg community projects man it's it's crazy it's crazy whoa all right that was a lot

[00:11:49] I don't know if you wanted all that well that was not that's exactly right now that was powerful man

[00:11:53] because uh the journey of that right again as I was saying before um that that in ministry you know

[00:12:00] when you accept a call of ministry you don't even know initially where that's from like what you

[00:12:04] as you say in a word or not not not you don't know where it's from you know what that means

[00:12:07] especially the black church we're here it's the pastor maybe a minister music you know maybe

[00:12:13] you know some other leaders and some capacity but not and youth ministry or some other

[00:12:18] something that you may be passionate about but since you've been called a ministry you know

[00:12:22] you're called to ministry so in narrows I think in some regards to where you kind of get a

[00:12:26] focus of what it is that uh your passion about and you boldly committed to to be that agent

[00:12:32] of change in the in the local church man so I praise God for that journey like what was it that

[00:12:38] you felt like like um diving into youth ministry as you were going to those Bible studies man

[00:12:43] again fed um again hungry and it may it may be you know that that it was always an aspect of

[00:12:50] of that anyway simply you know because you know he was a young person involved in these parties

[00:12:55] and kicking it was there was there conviction of a path you know to youth ministry uh in your journey

[00:13:03] yeah so so there was and I don't know if I've ever really articulated this heavily before but

[00:13:09] I used to so when once I finally got saved and was really doing what I was supposed to be doing

[00:13:14] my mom um they shout out to her mom uh was uh living in New York she she she she's in Maryland now

[00:13:20] with me um but she lived in New York and she used to do these uh youth retreats in in in Delaware

[00:13:28] and uh they went to Bethany Beach Delaware and I remember so I would drive down and meet them

[00:13:33] she's like how well she could do this uh you could be a counselor so I was like I had

[00:13:37] co-out help out and I remember literally so I went uh you know I've been able to swim for

[00:13:44] for a while swimming as a part of my work I have it now but I remember it was a kid man

[00:13:51] and one of the bad kids too it was a kid there who when I'll you know you say don't go past this line

[00:13:56] obviously you know what they do they go I'll pass this line uh but you know Brooklyn kid

[00:14:01] and I remember seeing it and like the lifeguard was kind of looking but not really looking

[00:14:06] but the kid was going off first and I seen a kid flailing so I had a shirt on and I

[00:14:12] swam out to where the kid was to get the kid but then I got caught in the undertow

[00:14:17] and some of that a bolted one say in the undertow and I remember the lifeguard coming to get both of us

[00:14:25] and I remember breaking down in the bathroom bro and I remember it as clear as day God is saying

[00:14:34] I need you to go get my kids but I need you to come without the stuff all I need you to go get

[00:14:39] my kids I need you to come without the stuff all man I remember that like breaking me and at that

[00:14:46] point that for me was my shift mode that for me was like okay I gotta do this you for this

[00:14:53] thing but I can't do it looking like somebody else I can do it acting like somebody else um

[00:15:02] and and that was the shift man that that was the pivot that I needed and then I just started

[00:15:08] to really go hard at it and then really realize that I had a I had a gift and you know

[00:15:14] when I was younger even now every now and again my my stutter will come up when I was younger

[00:15:19] Stutherland was a really big deal for me um really had a hard time and imagine you know

[00:15:24] in in Brooklyn and people aren't you know yeah the dozens was a thing so you know no doubt

[00:15:29] I'm quick with it I'm quick with it because I had to be because I had to always be with defense

[00:15:33] like I knew that was coming um but but I remember what he did for myself what exactly exactly

[00:15:44] exactly exactly and we couldn't you couldn't do the father the wife follow was around unfortunately

[00:15:48] that that didn't work um but but it was it was like it was it was it was it was it was it was just it

[00:15:54] just hit different and I remember when I realized that the way I was to able to explain the way

[00:16:02] God gave me illustrations the way God allowed me to look at songs and see them differently

[00:16:09] and be able to communicate that differently um and then film me I stopped I stopped counting

[00:16:15] some years ago and I'm mad at myself for doing that but I I was took to God's glory not mine

[00:16:21] I was in the thousands man I used to count so for me when I went out the bridge

[00:16:25] some people counted their offering um to see how much they make throughout the year

[00:16:28] I didn't hear about that I counted I counted how many people came up and how many salvation

[00:16:33] and I was in the thousands bro and when I got into the hundreds realizing that that was a thing

[00:16:39] I was like yo I've I've got to do this this is this is what I've got to do because I went for me

[00:16:46] I went all through middle school high school and most of college without hearing the gospel

[00:16:52] in a way that made sense well and if it was my charge to speak it in a way that makes sense

[00:16:58] I can get kids to start early and from that man I've been blessed to see um four or five

[00:17:04] kids who are still preaching to this day or still administering to this day because of the

[00:17:09] ministry that God allowed me is that we we used to have a a new for treat that we used to do called

[00:17:14] broken out here where four or five hundred kids would come every summer with different churches

[00:17:19] our plants together um and we used to do you seven last words on bridge Friday uh the adults

[00:17:25] would have their service but we would have seven kids who would preach from churches our partner

[00:17:29] with at and again now again to God's glory man uh some of those kids are still preaching some of

[00:17:36] those kids is they are still leading because that's the call um so I but I I remember in Bethany

[00:17:43] Beach that moment and him like yo no I'm calling you to get them without the stuff I'm calling

[00:17:49] you to get them without the stuff next door I love that's a whole I know you're preaching that

[00:17:54] right there yo this is faster for me what real talking about hip-hop the church of the streets

[00:17:59] holy coach real channel 140 oh seriously excited we're gonna be right back for more uh with

[00:18:05] the pastor us we are back man church on the block real talk about hip-hop the church in the

[00:18:22] street channel 140 series xm holy coach radio uh big tree again out big tree again out

[00:18:29] so we are here with my brother my friend got uh guy guys using powerful way to talk about that

[00:18:36] in the first part of the show um Reverend Russ uh Russell St Bernard um doing some

[00:18:43] also word man a powerful testimony of how God led him to serving youth ministry and used him

[00:18:51] and is still using them in powerful ways uh in youth ministry man so to rest talk about that

[00:18:57] the just you know the evolution of your call like like like you know uh if you're not aware

[00:19:05] of your own rhythms I think in life and ministry um you may you may be a suffering grumpy old usher

[00:19:13] even though you should have stopped ushering you know 20 years ago but but you never thought

[00:19:18] you know you starting this fishing ministry with these young guys that was an idea you should have

[00:19:22] did it but you but you didn't some kind of a union see a mission ministry thing and so you

[00:19:27] you didn't do that but you still usher sometimes people are in ministry in certain spaces maybe uh

[00:19:32] not necessarily beyond their usefulness but they're not aware of God's nudging them

[00:19:37] in other ways that their leadership um can still touch those areas but just in your own um movement

[00:19:44] of of ministry may share that with us and and I shared in such a way maybe where uh cats who

[00:19:50] are listening and their own journey of ministry you know um things that you had to go through

[00:19:55] things you overcame things you pressed through uh in that space so they don't think they like

[00:19:59] hand but man I could but you know everyday when I overcome your thoughts

[00:20:05] you know I appreciate that man I think I think the biggest thing man is being uh as we talked

[00:20:11] about a minute ago being being being being being authentic and relevant right but you need

[00:20:17] you need um permission to do a shout out one of my one of one of my uh spaces they I got mentees

[00:20:22] now but one of my mentees um past the jarad uh got a got none of the uh in uh uh uh in Memphis uh

[00:20:29] he actually started and has started this thing called riot starter and he has this thing that uh

[00:20:35] you you don't need passion they already got passion they need permission and and I

[00:20:41] I quote him and saying that because you need permission to be who you are right and that that's

[00:20:46] what I needed I needed permission to be who I was to be how God equipped me to be and not be a

[00:20:54] carbon cutter of the next young preacher that looked a certain way and and again I shout out to you

[00:21:00] past the film because you were an example of that you were an example of being authentic to who

[00:21:05] you are being authentic to where you are but the the being authentic to who God is called you

[00:21:10] be and I have this saying and and one one of my books uh my first book after music stops that we

[00:21:16] have to allow young people and I would say this to youth pastors youth leaders even now we have to

[00:21:21] have we have to allow young people access to us but it needs to be a window not a door and what

[00:21:27] what I mean by that and I say this all the time is you need to allow them to see how real things were

[00:21:34] but don't make it so appealing that it's a door that they want to try it right you need to be able to

[00:21:39] see um that life was tough see that I only saw my father literally four times in my life see uh

[00:21:47] that my grandfather is the one who raised me with my uncle see uh that my mom had to work two and

[00:21:53] three job my mom put me on to how to hustle because she was uh taking pictures at school uh

[00:21:58] high schools and school graduations and I was the one holding the camera and and you know this

[00:22:03] is back in the with with the actual polar war picture I'm waving the picture out so you know

[00:22:07] I'm winging it with my hands so that we can see the picture in prison he didn't give me the five

[00:22:11] dollars uh so I can get put it inside my mom's purse like I allow I allowed them to see that

[00:22:17] but don't allow them the thing that they have to live that to be neat be able to say

[00:22:22] but uh the better structure is when the father stays the better structure is when uh my mom was

[00:22:29] doing that because she did finish her college degree and she she was working to finish it but the

[00:22:33] better structure is to do it that way so I think that was was a big part and that was a big part

[00:22:37] of what God did with me in ministry so it was always the opportunity uh to be real and to be

[00:22:43] relevant but also uh the opportunity uh to show them uh the revelation of what can happen right

[00:22:50] I think I think a lot of the times in youth ministry we want to relate so much that we don't

[00:22:55] evolve an impact right because at the end of the day I don't want you to stay on the corner with

[00:23:00] me I want you to come on a corner with it I want you to show me the corner all right I want you

[00:23:04] to show me that same corner store that I look at all the time as a spy to meet but help me talk to

[00:23:10] the dude who worked inside uh because he owns the building right in the corner store is just a part of

[00:23:16] what he's doing like I think for me that's the evolution of what youth ministry needs to look like

[00:23:22] the evolution of what ministry needs to look like it's not just a relating uh but it's moving forward

[00:23:27] but the truth is that time to change it um and you and I'll talk with us a little bit I honestly

[00:23:33] man can only name one or two youth ministry that is still rocking and rolling the way they were

[00:23:39] rocking and rolling when I was doing full-time just youth ministry now now I'm over operations

[00:23:44] so the youth ministry teams that I have now uh big shout out uh to our kingdom students uh

[00:23:50] ministerian urban van der moriah uh minister rani uh I was able and I'll say that in this part

[00:23:57] I knew what I wanted to have when I was the young minister you've passed her but it took me to

[00:24:05] move into a different role but to be able to write the job description is for what I know needs

[00:24:11] to be in the role so now I was seeing a youth pastor as a staff of three because I knew I needed

[00:24:16] this fact but it wasn't for me to do it it was for me to be able to move to the next space and then

[00:24:23] write it in so now he has the opportunity that I didn't have and maybe that's the role too right maybe

[00:24:28] that's the opportunity that God is setting up for us uh to understand what needs to happen and for

[00:24:36] us to work it as best we can or what we're giving but to set up a legacy for what's next because I

[00:24:41] tell you uh I don't I don't get another I don't think there's a bigger joy I get in ministry now

[00:24:48] than having my nine-year-old daughter be a part of a student ministry that I set up having my now one

[00:24:55] year old son be a part of a nursery ministry that I helped to set up when we had no kids and we had

[00:25:00] nothing going on uh like that's just I think that's the that's the turn uh uh I think God's hand

[00:25:07] that's a powerful testimony right there I mean the the reality that you still have your hand on it

[00:25:14] and moving within the leaders there giving those leaders their own permission right to do and be

[00:25:20] themselves uh as they model it from you um and and senior like you say senior-owned children

[00:25:28] involved in it and being blessed in that space I think um in ministry and you know we we started

[00:25:33] out of the house a little three or hip-hop church and had some great leaders come through

[00:25:37] and um at times when it came to getting some castes to lead in a different way like here's a

[00:25:43] particular outline run with it make it your own um some cast didn't know what that meant right they

[00:25:49] hadn't necessarily owned their own I think their own uh courage-string power or or they if they did

[00:25:54] they didn't know initially how to apply it then we had some castes who was ready ready in a ready

[00:25:59] on point ready to serve and do even couples ministry but I held on to them to close meaning that

[00:26:05] we didn't release that at uh in in a timely way and it's kind of like they didn't how they've got

[00:26:10] bottled up and then they just like and they ended up going and serving at another church which wasn't

[00:26:15] a problem I just learned something from that like just being able to say okay let's build with you

[00:26:20] are you ready this is where our ideas are let's let's start um that that's not so many things

[00:26:26] with let's pull all this all all on the table so you know in that space you're pointing at these

[00:26:31] leaders while they're able to kind of you know feel themselves out right through themselves in

[00:26:36] these spaces and that you know I think anybody in youth ministry and ministry in general need to

[00:26:41] look at what it is they feel perhaps is the direction that they're serving whether a senior citizens

[00:26:46] were or are you and then figure out if you had a budget of like a billion dollars like what would

[00:26:51] you what would you do and just a dream that I'll put stuff on the board at Sikki notes or whatever

[00:26:56] and though you only got like 12 hours like go back and be like okay what are the

[00:27:00] you know five positions a volunteer wise I could create here if I had a billion yeah I would

[00:27:06] miss and I feel I'm gonna have like the question I asked myself all the time when it comes to

[00:27:10] like a new vision or dream is um what is it I know I would do if I knew I couldn't fail I couldn't

[00:27:16] fail no way to fail yeah no way yeah man then the ideas are endless in the context of what that

[00:27:24] pushing pushing yourself for their creativity and that's where then you go back up and be like okay

[00:27:28] here's how we got to get these steps going I say that because sometimes we hold people with me

[00:27:32] may feel called to youth ministry um at a particular role for too long it may kind of like

[00:27:38] mean I'm I'm busted in the seams here I want I want to I want to run with so then it's not

[00:27:44] java tin and I think and I know for me there's two things in that but I know for me

[00:27:51] um early on in ministry I had to I had to pivot from one church to another church because the

[00:27:59] one church understood that I had a call but they quoted the text in the Bible which I

[00:28:04] wholeheartedly understand but they quoted the text that said you know don't lay hand or any man

[00:28:09] quickly like um you know you can have zero but you've got to have the nurture and I was like okay cool

[00:28:15] but what does that mean and they were like you know there's a million people who want you to stick around

[00:28:18] and kind of and I'm awful watching people in ministry but where I was wasn't the space that I

[00:28:25] needed to because for me if I didn't jump in wholeheart heartily to the church and kind of give it my

[00:28:31] all I you know I still got the same fall number and the same friends who are calling me saying hey

[00:28:38] you know this artist came in town do you want to help us with this or hey you know so and so said

[00:28:43] the building is open do you want us you know do a a Friday night homecoming is coming do you want to

[00:28:49] you know go to the club to do it big like so I needed to be wholeheartedly in because I needed

[00:28:55] to treat you know it's like the text which says you know the scripture where it talks about um if

[00:28:59] you don't get all of the if you get all the unclean spirits out um they're gonna come back seven

[00:29:04] times stronger if you don't fill it with something else right and I think what happens is uh oftentimes

[00:29:10] in ministry we are so slow to allow people in that then they don't then I'm able to occupy the

[00:29:18] space that God is ordained for them but more importantly you're not able to occupy the next space

[00:29:22] so I always say that uh the less you do the more you can do right so the more I give away yeah

[00:29:29] than the more I'm able to do another side but if I don't give away anything that I'm still trying to

[00:29:34] do the same thing then I'm I'm literally a bottleneck for other than I'm not allowing for them

[00:29:41] to spew through because I'm trying to filter it all and I'm trying to filter it all to look like me

[00:29:46] but if God wanted it next and he looked like me he would just create a hundred knees now I

[00:29:51] Russell is wonderful I think I am great um we do the Clifton strip finders and I got self assurance

[00:29:57] in like number and like number eight number nine hello I know I'm right you get exactly the Lord

[00:30:04] the Lord was born in Brooklyn like it's the same thing like we're all that's what it is oh but if

[00:30:12] if the case is that everybody else is also unique everybody else is also gifted then I need to give

[00:30:19] it away so I can do something else and then she would they do with it but as they do something

[00:30:24] with it then I'm able to pick something else so I think that's a lot of a lot of attention when I

[00:30:28] was teaching and coaching even you chemistry leaders uh and pastors a lot of attention I

[00:30:35] were in not doing this but the truth is they're not doing it because you're still doing it

[00:30:39] so if you gave it away and you did something else that it was forced and Noah's not going to look

[00:30:45] like how you did it but you don't want to look like how you did it you just wanted to get done

[00:30:50] so that that now wheel is running and now you can do what only you can do right I use this text all

[00:30:55] the time I'm gonna say this laughing at I'm gonna stop um Jesus in the text when he's going to get

[00:31:00] Lazarus he tells the disciples roll a stone away this is Jesus the dude walked on water do fed 5,000

[00:31:08] the dude appeared out of nowhere in in in scriptures to come uh so why could he not just blow the

[00:31:15] stone up or walk through the stone the point was and we know this and you know this well is Jesus

[00:31:21] wanted them to do what they could do so that he could do with no one else could do right it's

[00:31:27] the same thing in miniature that here we have to do what only we can do and as though we master

[00:31:33] that we have to train that so somebody else can do it and then we can go do something else that

[00:31:38] only we can do and it's the same cycle but many of us in you from ministry don't want to work

[00:31:44] ourselves out of a job we still want significance but you are significant if you do what you call to do

[00:31:51] yeah yeah yeah I mean and sometimes there are patterns where you're

[00:31:57] gifted to do what only you can do that's still in the tradition of that local church or local

[00:32:01] ministry and then sometimes that things you know you're called to do that outside of that particular

[00:32:06] tradition they've become with another layer of courage another layer of uh a boldness to engage it

[00:32:15] you know and the spaces like that because as things that evolved in ministry or even in life I mean

[00:32:22] you move from bottles to cans people drink Coca-Cola out of a bottle now that you have a can it's

[00:32:27] more whatever it is and health wise or maybe it's not but in the context of there's evolution in all

[00:32:33] other phases um and sometimes people don't grasp I think even though they're whatever they may be

[00:32:38] uncomfortable in an evolution of things in ministry you know in those spaces okay and so God I

[00:32:43] mean your way that uh that as you recognize it what is your call to do roll that stone away

[00:32:50] in that space that um you go for it because there are those who are who are waiting for what it is

[00:32:56] you have the God as a coach called for um to be impacted on it's not like it's not like

[00:33:04] this God still won't use and you know bring them to faith but the unique gift she's giving you

[00:33:09] as procure is it my look like uh you know God wants you to go for that right and and do what God

[00:33:17] called you to do specifically I know one of the started ministry for folks who had disabilities

[00:33:22] man and and he was you know called to the masses of folks but specifically for folks who were on

[00:33:28] the margins with disabilities and poor folks with disabilities who may not have access to a lot so

[00:33:32] he even built the church where the pews were bigger one had the pews but the aisles were bigger

[00:33:39] and there were spaces where we went with no chairs you just rolled the wheelchair right in that spot

[00:33:43] you know it was all unique thing but he built that you know because God called him in that space to do

[00:33:48] that and you know other folks me question him or challenge him in that space so what it what happens when

[00:33:53] folks aren't coming who got no disability whatever might have might have been um but he

[00:33:58] stayed true to that true to that space they may have seen peculiar to other people but not

[00:34:02] to God you know this is church on the blog made real talk about hip hop and church industries with uh

[00:34:08] was it revenue doctor again of his revenue rush that's not just never know we're gonna be right back

[00:34:13] right there

[00:34:25] we are back you on the right channel 140 S races XM holy culture radio uh we in the building

[00:34:32] church on the block man and we hear from my good friend brother uh who do some powerful

[00:34:37] working ministry man for years uh been on that man and uh and he's from Brooklyn gotta say that

[00:34:43] I remember that's right that is from Brooklyn um but now man Russell say Bernard man uh great brother

[00:34:53] man you know um the evolution of youth ministry the evolution of ministry in general and your

[00:34:59] own life and the testimony of all of that man it's to me even in the story it's still

[00:35:03] it's nothing has um like veer meaning that meaning that that same intensity saying passion

[00:35:14] same um expect you're still there everything you talk about like from when first man and talk

[00:35:19] is still there it it evolved it looks different right another a different type of energy is exerted

[00:35:24] for that particular piece but it that same that different at level energy exerted in that space

[00:35:28] doesn't mean it's not coming with the same level of passion and everything else like that so

[00:35:31] I mean that's that's a testimony to you and I praise God for you for that man sometimes things can

[00:35:36] get can can weigh you know or can weigh in in different spaces and you know ministry's tough

[00:35:41] in so many times people have faked it like it's not tough because there's a lot of things

[00:35:45] you know socially emotionally stuff from family and things like that that are um oftentimes

[00:35:50] not even you know brought up and talked about man um so we made maybe a little touch on that

[00:35:54] a little bit too uh in the midst of things but man let me we ask you first before we get started

[00:35:58] because I want to get lost as we rush out tell me about your book to me and tell people about

[00:36:02] the books that you've written and um things you got coming up yeah yeah man I appreciate that

[00:36:08] I'll pass the film and again super honored to be on this platform man with you any platform man

[00:36:14] my god I just gotta eat Richard um but but I um man yeah so I also realized in this space right

[00:36:22] we talked about like identity and like realness to yourself that while there were books out on

[00:36:27] youth ministry and we appreciate all those who are right um if you should be right in a book

[00:36:32] you should pass the film you know I'm looking at you um but uh because I love you you you you

[00:36:36] you're already got stuff but you know every time we talk I'm gonna say it um boy but I realized as

[00:36:42] I was uh looking to books and trying to understand what was going on that there was a gap and so I

[00:36:49] I've written a couple books on youth ministry after the music stop I also written a hindsight uh

[00:36:55] in hindsight so I actually some questions and that and and and and I have uh several uh devotionals

[00:37:02] probably four or five devotionals uh because what I saw it there was an evolution of me right so I

[00:37:07] wanted something to teach my youth ministry people how to make sure we focused on uh the youth

[00:37:12] ministry but not just the biggest thing right so now that you've got a couple other students coming

[00:37:17] but what's that what's after the music stops what's after it's overshot out uh look right had

[00:37:22] an album come out around that same time uh and and and and this this this this really uh hit

[00:37:28] and it really made sense so I made it into a book uh but then as I was developing the book I also

[00:37:34] realized that students needed the resource so once again I've been blessed to have a couple thousand

[00:37:39] kids uh make decisions for Christ once they came in they needed they needed a pathway so I would

[00:37:44] always say we gotta go reprivers so after saying it teaching a couple courses on it I wrote a book

[00:37:50] called fresh uh in the 31 day devotional then after the kids would finish one devotional pairs okay well

[00:37:56] they done that well what's the next one I said I don't know go read the Bible they go read something

[00:37:59] else from then I wrote another devotional wrote a one on what's love and I wrote another one then I got

[00:38:04] a sister trimine uh sister Lisa McClendon uh the uh gospel artist she wrote one I wrote devoted uh

[00:38:10] she wrote proverbial girl uh then I wrote another book so I have devotional because it was the next

[00:38:17] thing for Pat for students it was the next leg and then if I could encourage any uh you've passed

[00:38:22] a youth leader man uh to realize that there's something in you that God has developed that while

[00:38:27] there may be a option out there um you have a remix of the option and and we all know that that

[00:38:35] nine times out of ten uh the remix is always better than than than the original uh and so you have

[00:38:41] to make sure that you allow for yourself uh to to use into writing that way so I have books out

[00:38:47] all of them are under the after the music stops brand uh of my ministry uh and so you can go to

[00:38:53] aftermusicstops.org you can go to store. After the musicstops.org uh to actually get all of the

[00:39:00] resources that are there uh and then most recently God has empowered me uh and inspired me uh to

[00:39:06] start this thing called ministry pivot which you you were on a couple days ago feels super excited

[00:39:11] to have me warn the airman and just speak man I told you when I heard you warn me I told my pastor

[00:39:15] and I misspelled. I had him on my podcast and this just just does hear and feel talk about work again

[00:39:20] I missed I missed Phil um but you too but I started ministry pivot uh to really let people know that

[00:39:28] this is your season of opportunity that that even though uh some things have been tough it's not

[00:39:33] tough everywhere we look at uh it's just streaming now we look at um uh uh uh we look at movie sales

[00:39:41] now we look at uh sales of clothing now we look at uh the stock market now it looks like it's up

[00:39:47] for everybody it can't be up for everybody and not up for you not up for me not up for God's church

[00:39:53] so this is a season of opportunity we have to be willing to pivot toward it so that's really what

[00:39:58] I'm pushing if you want to look at any of those podcasts any of those articles that I write on

[00:40:03] there it's ministrypivot.com uh ministrypivot.com you can go to it I'm excited about coming up

[00:40:10] and in the next quarter of this year I'll be starting what's called pivot university so

[00:40:16] I'll be coaching and trading and leading people around ways to pivot in whatever area of life

[00:40:22] God has given you ways to identify the opportunity and move into it I love that man and

[00:40:29] you know being able to have it to where stuff like this you know oftentimes we search for

[00:40:34] the things for us and we came behind it right we need something to go on our line and finish

[00:40:39] and then it's like you're writing from what's happening in your world in life

[00:40:43] and then and then not only just writing but you step back and take a look at it be like okay

[00:40:48] this is how that happen for me this hot can help other people and then providing a resource man

[00:40:52] for folks to be able to say yo okay I'm not so crazy there's some tools out there you know

[00:40:57] um I teach these brothers I'll teach these brothers that uh state bill prison um this master's

[00:41:03] a group program through north park seminary I teach identity and practices like the core store

[00:41:07] or capstone class and um I'm helping his brother like yo let's start another profit I don't care

[00:41:12] if you're inside dude I know you got somebody relative somebody maybe it's a church partner

[00:41:16] somebody can help you start an nonprofit I did not have thought in their head like I'm inside

[00:41:20] how the reason I don't know we don't know I was gonna read but here are some people there's a book called

[00:41:25] you know breakthrough thinking non-profits or whatever creative thing so let's read through this and talk

[00:41:30] through and just helping cats to really uh uh get some information so so like your pivot though

[00:41:37] rust like it and moving from the work that you know with you ministry and the shift uh uh now still

[00:41:43] in barberings where she leading a team of these young people may have 500 yeah people coming out of

[00:41:47] Sunday is crazy helping them stay focusing around it but how how did that pivot look um and that

[00:41:54] shift uh you know within within the church that you're at yeah I went kick it in his room shout out

[00:42:01] my pastor again a pastor after you widely I went so he literally came to me uh pastor Phil man had

[00:42:07] to be two two two two two three times uh two times and said and he kind of mentioned like hey

[00:42:14] you're doing really good work here but I really think I need you to do it for everybody

[00:42:20] like so you're doing really good working and you know that effective youth ministry man ends up

[00:42:25] bleeding over into the church if you do really well in youth ministry you bleed over into the adult

[00:42:31] church and it's like oh I can take this or I can take especially with like leaders if anybody

[00:42:35] listening you know that if you groomed a good leader the next thing that's gonna happen is your

[00:42:39] pastor's gonna take him and you just gotta be happy that you groomed him all right you get him back

[00:42:43] it is what it is um because but but he kept saying it and I kept saying nah because for me Phil

[00:42:49] I was locked in I was like nope youth ministry is not a step-install I wrote on this it's one of

[00:42:54] my pillars no yeah I'm not moving I'm not moving I'm not moving until I started to see God do things

[00:43:00] where I was still effective in youth ministry but I started to dabble in other stuff or mention

[00:43:06] other stuff because my seat I no longer sat with the students I sat with the adults because I got

[00:43:11] over and so I started sitting with the adults and they're thinking about I'm like oh you can just

[00:43:17] do it this way we did this oh yeah I do is change it like it's the same group because I've always

[00:43:21] said that there's no difference between youth ministry and adult ministry it's just a population

[00:43:27] that you serve the age group is the only difference and he helped me see that and so I finally said yes

[00:43:34] we had a vacancy and I youth pastor area for for a couple years while I said yes I was trying to do both

[00:43:40] um but it it helped me to do honestly the next level of gifted because even though in I think

[00:43:49] everybody's been in this place where you go to youth church or youth ministry whatever it is

[00:43:52] uh even at the house I'm sure if you have most like man if we just had this it could be this much

[00:43:57] bigger we just had this we can reach more kids uh and the truth is you can do that but you've got

[00:44:03] to do it for the whole demographic not just the subset of all students and and when that clicked

[00:44:09] for me that you know what if I impact their parents I'm gonna impact their kids and it clicked

[00:44:16] and so then I started to make that pivot and again shout out to my pastor pastor widely who pushed

[00:44:22] and said hey I really think you would you would you would serve in this role and I need you in this

[00:44:27] role I started to lean into that and once I leaned into that um it just started so now I serve

[00:44:34] as director of ministry operations so I serve all operations uh for kingdom

[00:44:39] and it's really great I got leaders who serve under me I got leaders who serve with me I got

[00:44:44] leaders who serve above me and and and we just serve as one team we we have a saying in here uh called

[00:44:50] we say we together uh because we together and so um I I think God for the grace last year

[00:44:56] in 2023 outreach magazine uh they shout out to them uh named us the fastest growing church in

[00:45:03] the country uh we we see on average God has been super kind we see on average uh about a hundred

[00:45:10] people join our church uh and there are several other hundred people who make uh salvage so last year

[00:45:16] we ended with 1300 people uh joining our church and about 500 people saying yes to these disc rights

[00:45:23] for salvation um and and we saw about a hundred and some change almost 200 people give back to us

[00:45:31] uh so uh I know those numbers because I'm operations so one thing that I knew was I track it

[00:45:37] I verified so I know where they all come in uh I got to do a report today uh it's a holiday but

[00:45:43] I'm still in my passport out so that uh we look at and see what we look at year over year and kind

[00:45:48] of where things are trending but God has been kind man and so uh we're really busting out the seams

[00:45:54] which is great in this season um and looking at new ways and new opportunities to reach more people

[00:46:01] uh and so what kind of expansion uh we're looking to do with that here but man that that that's

[00:46:06] what I'm doing now and and super excited to do that and obviously serving with uh friends I mentioned

[00:46:13] past the Gerard uh in Memphis I'll mention past past the Hebrew brown out here in Baltimore

[00:46:20] people I'm helping do uh other thing because one thing I realized feel is that um while

[00:46:26] while God is consistently pouring into us it's our job to pour out but knowing that we can't

[00:46:33] pour out this into one cup and so I've been uh blessed to have several opportunities to pour

[00:46:41] out into several cups uh that refresh those people in the way the way the way God has been able

[00:46:47] to us will refresh me and other leaders like you feel uh and also one of my other mentors passed

[00:46:53] the Adam Derso have been able to fill me up and then obviously my past that some widely fills me up

[00:46:58] and and then I'm able to pour out so but yeah man that's what we at Kingdom Fellowship man uh making

[00:47:04] kingdom disciples making a kingdom uh a difference man trying to trying to trying to try to kill it

[00:47:10] for the kingdom man and right in a good way right right that's powerful man I think there is a

[00:47:17] difference with which you're talking about if folks take a particular role of ministry as a stepping

[00:47:21] stone uh like the whole agenda is is that way it's not you know I'm saying the whole agenda

[00:47:28] the whole agenda is pursued uh you know with a false um area false false illusion or where you're

[00:47:35] occurring at you know really considering you know bloom me where you're planted you're just like

[00:47:40] uh you're trying to bloom so you can be planted somewhere else and that's the you know what you

[00:47:45] explain is a whole different you you're organically in that space when the end of prompting of God

[00:47:51] when we like I said before ministry starts out broad and then God calls you the ministry calls you

[00:47:55] the minister in the king narrow into uh into a tighter focus man so so Russ let us know how can people

[00:48:01] reach you under you system uh other information about the website the piecat or your your

[00:48:05] other information the other information that you want to you want to share that you didn't

[00:48:08] about what people can reach you yeah no I think all of those uh just a word that after the music

[00:48:14] stops all of those are cool and then on IG I'm just a rever us man uh looking for the meeting job

[00:48:20] yeah yeah you know this is past the field man church on the block real talk about hip hop

[00:48:25] with church in the streets for it rever us man and thank you uh past your russian being with his man

[00:48:30] love you appreciate uh the longevity of our friendship and ministry together man tell uh Erica and um

[00:48:37] carry right carry then you have another baby yeah carus carus and calis calis calis and calis and say

[00:48:43] yeah thank you man uh love you man uh always and appreciate you man and please tell a kid

[00:48:49] in the family man how many years y'all been married now again i mean 39 is she's just

[00:48:53] just that's that that's why I wanted that's what I want to hear so we we 18 we coming up but we

[00:48:57] 39 man 39 man 39 39 39 that is awesome after eight years for real nobody really wants you I mean

[00:49:05] if you have some tell us what can you try to leave somebody you go have a hard time somebody really

[00:49:10] wants a little dry jokes and everything i said well man blesses the bimic your brother love you

[00:49:17] so much man proud of you and keep keep doing what you do man thank you man love you to time to drop

[00:49:23] bars a young brother who was a king and runner able motai was a few meters from the finish line of

[00:49:29] this marathon confused by the signals he had stopped thinking that he had finished the race

[00:49:34] a spanish runner Ivan Fernandez was right behind it and realizing what had happened in front of him

[00:49:39] began shot us through the king and runner to keep running but motai did not know spanish and didn't

[00:49:45] understand so Fernandez pushed motai to victory one reporter even asked him why did you do this

[00:49:52] he replied my dream is that one day we could have a kind of community

[00:49:58] the kind of community life that pushes ourselves and others to win as well bothered by this

[00:50:05] the reporter asked him again and insisted and he replied i didn't let him win he would have won

[00:50:13] won the race he was already winning reporter kept pushing but you could have won Evan looked

[00:50:20] adam in five but what is the merit of my victory what is the honor of this medal what will my mama

[00:50:28] thank you you know the values that we pass on count and matter and those values must be lived out in

[00:50:36] order for others who go after us are able to stand their ground yo this pass a fill hold on to the

[00:50:42] value of who you are in Christ hold on to the values that crisis taught us we will live more

[00:50:47] favorably for him and be bold enough to not just be focused on winning in ourselves we're focusing

[00:50:52] on it thank you for listening to church on the block real talk about hip hop the church and the

[00:50:56] streets back here next week same time same channel fully culture radio celsius xm channel 154 come with us