EP44: Why Your Ministry Needs Margin with Emma Chaplin

About This Episode

What does youth ministry have to offer in a world where young people can find almost any piece of content they could ever want with a few taps on their phones?

Emma Chaplin, Associate Director of Alpha in a Catholic Context, joins Pete and Annie for a conversation about why the answer isn't necessarily better content. Alpha and YDisciple both create content, but both recognize that content is ultimately a tool. What really matters is what happens around it: the relationships, the conversations, the hospitality, and the space where people can ask honest questions and encounter Jesus.

Emma shares how her experience working in a coffee shop helped her see the value of "margin"—those unstructured moments where people can slow down, talk, listen, and simply be present to one another. Pete and Annie connect that idea to youth ministry, where some of the most meaningful conversations can happen before the program starts, while everyone is hanging around, or in the moments that weren't planned at all.

The conversation also explores the idea that young people need to belong before they can believe. Rather than rushing through every question or trying to fit discipleship into a perfect process, ministry leaders are invited to create spaces where young people feel seen, known, and loved—and where they can become hungry for deeper questions.

Connect With Us

Learn more about Alpha in a Catholic context at alphausa.org/catholic.

Looking for support in your youth ministry? Connect with a YDisciple coach at ydisciple.com/coaching and get practical advice from someone with real ministry experience. Your first coaching call is completely free.