Ministry Minded: A Podcast by Step Up To Life · Step Up To Life

From Disinterest to Discipleship: Vaughn Perez & Reaching the Next Generation

·1 hr 3 min·4 clips

At City Light Lincoln, Vaughn says a house analogy exposed the inside of his life.

Vaughn Perez joins Ministry Minded for a conversation that starts with the kind of ministry friendship that feels familiar right away. The hosts welcome him as a youth pastor at City Light Bennington in Omaha, along with the other roles that fill his week. He opens up about where he has been and what he has been doing. The tone stays relaxed and personal, with room for story. The conversation moves into how he met his wife and how quickly their relationship developed. A lot of that story lives in ordinary settings like Cubby's and work meetings at Stories. Those shared spaces become part of the memory of how the relationship grew. The hosts laugh through parts of it because they were there for some of it in real time. That gives the episode a lived-in feel instead of a polished one. It also gives the episode a strong sense of community. From there, the discussion turns toward marriage, ministry, and the pressure to keep moving at full speed. Vaughn speaks honestly about the pace of life and the pull toward constant motion. The episode keeps coming back to what it means to help young people follow Jesus in a noisy world. It does not treat discipleship as a slogan. It treats it as a steady, patient way of life. The conversation also leaves room for reflection without losing its conversational feel. The hosts ask open questions and let the answers breathe. Vaughn responds with the kind of detail that usually comes from real ministry experience. By the end, the emphasis lands on stillness, trust, and the reminder that God is not absent in the middle of the chaos. The result is a ministry conversation that feels warm, honest, and rooted in everyday church life.

As heard by us

A warm ministry conversation that turns everyday life into a steady picture of faith.

This episode follows Vaughn Perez through the routines that shape his ministry: youth pastoring, coaching, substitute teaching, marriage, and podcasting.

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Why you'd press play

Hear a youth pastor trace calling through work, marriage, and ministry life.

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