Meet My Friend Jim Kast-Keat

One of the most interesting and creative guys I know is Jim Kast-Keat.  Every time I talk with him I’m inspired in some way. He’s such a cool guy that I want you to meet him, so I sent him a few questions to answer so can! Enjoy the conversation!

Give us a snapshot of your past experience in the preteen ministry world.

• Preteen ministry pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church (Grand Rapids, MI) for six years.
• Speaker at various preteen ministry camps and events (Camp Geneva, Camp Sixty, Zelos, Preteen Leaders Conference, and more).
• Contributor to various print and web publications regarding preteen ministry (Collaborate: Church + Family, K! Magazine,PreteenMinistry.net curriculum, and more).
• Founding member of FourFiveSix.
• Designer for Connect, a new curriculum for preteen ministry by Sparkhouse.

You’ve recently made some major life changes. Tell us about them.
I moved to New York City! After a decade in West Michigan my wife and I moved to Manhattan where she works as the associate pastor at West End Collegiate Church. This means I left my position at Mars Hill — a difficult transition to make after six years —  but transitioned immediately on staff as a Product Designer with Sparkhouse, the ecumenical branch of Augsburg Fortress. Though Sparkhouse is located in Minneapolis I am able to work primarily from home turning my living room and local coffee shop into my office. I’m also less than a year from completing my Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary and have I always have a slew of projects I am working on. So there’s always something to do! You can read more about my transition here and here.

Why focus on reaching preteens?
As I said in a recent video for Connect, preteen ministry is emerging as a pain point in churches. A couple hundred years ago it was Sunday School. And a few decades ago it was Youth Group. Now the need is Preteen Ministry, environments and resources designed specifically for this rapidly changing demographic. You cannot put upper elementary students in the same room as first graders and expect a cohesive experience. One group is reading Harry Potter while the other group is still hooked on Phonics. Preteens need environments and resources designed and delivered just for them to help their faith grow and develop now and in the future.

What one piece of advice would you give preteen leaders?
Keep going. While Sunday School and Youth Groups have been around for generations, Preteen Ministry is just getting started. And while we can see some results now, especially in the ways preteens transition into adolescence and emerging adulthood, much of our work will come to life in 20-30 years when the preteens we are loving today become the parents and leaders of the next generation. I don’t just want to inspire the next generation of junior high or high school students. I want to inspire a new generation of doctors and teachers and parents and families and all the things they will become.

What one thought, idea or concept regarding preteen ministry has been swimming around in your head lately?
Practices trump programs. Our programs will end but the practices we invite preteens to participate in will keep going. Identifying developmentally appropriate practices (as well as how they will grow in the ministries to come) is essential. It’s one thing to create a Bible reading program or prayer series but another thing to incorporate them as regular practices in your preteen ministry. (For more on this concept, check out this interview.)

You also do some freelance speaking and writing. Tell us more.
I sure do. And if you’re looking for a speaker or writer, I’d love to talk more. Along with speaking regularly at Mars Hill over the past six years I speak at numerous camps and events and write for a variety of publications (as well as my own blog). You can view my completespeaking and publication history on my website. Or just download my CV to see it all in one place.

Aside from this blog post, where can we find you?
I live in New York City, so if you’re ever in Manhattan let me know and we’ll grab a cup of coffee. I’d love to chat about life and ministry and technology and innovation and more. But I’m also all over the interwebs. I’m on Facebook and Twitter and if that’s not enough you can find links to all my online real estate on my website. (My recent favorite is Our Daily Bridge.) Happy clicking and I hope to connect with you soon.