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Show Intro

This interview with Christian Memes/Memes for Jesus founder Michael Schaffer was two years in the making. I had originally reached out to him as part of a blog series that I was writing on young leaders in the bible, and it was a joy to finally get to sit down and chat about missions, youth ministry, and of course, Memes for Jesus.

In this interview, Michael talks about his time in ministry school learning to share the gospel around the United States, including what it’s like to minister in challenging environments like Mardi Gras.  He opens up about some of his challenges as a young leader and how he grew through them, and he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like running Memes for Jesus and having a platform to reach 750,000 people with the gospel.

Show Highlights

1:16 – Michael’s ministry story
1:55 – Michael’s experience at Missio Dei School of Missions and Evangelism
5:27 – Lessons learned on the mission field in New Orleans
7:10 – Experiencing reviling on the streets of New Orleans
8:44 – How to be bold in opposition
11:00 – Changed lives on the Mardi Gras trip
12:35 – How Michael is learning to reproduce himself as a youth pastor
15:00 – How introverts can be effective at building pastoral relationships
18:05 – How to move from “surface level” conversation to heart-level conversation
20:48 – How Michael experienced God calling him to be a youth pastor
25:00 – Lessons Michael is learning as a youth pastor (“I didn’t know anything.”)
29:07 – Learning to serve your senior pastor well
31:11 – Michael opens up about ministry challenges and how he grew through them
38:53 – How Christian Memes/Memes for Jesus got started
41:38 – How Memes for Jesus helped support and platform Michael’s ministry
43:20 – Staying humble when 750,000 people follow you
45:23 – The positive impact of Memes for Jesus
47:20 – What’s next for Memes for Jesus
50:03 – Where to connect with Michael and support his ministry online

Links & Resources

Below are some of the links and resources that we mentioned in this episode.

Michael on Twitter | Instagram
Support Michael’s work on Patreon
Missio Dei School of Missions and Evangelism
Memes for Jesus (Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr)
Memes for Jesus store