An Interview with DJ Cronrath

We’re excited to continue our Goshen Baptist Church staff interviews with our Youth Director, DJ Cronrath as he shares with us his journey of becoming a youth director, his future outlook of youth ministry and some very exciting news!

Goshen Baptist Church (GBC): Hey DJ. I believe you have some very important news to share with us??

DJ: Yes, Danielle and I are expecting our 3^rd child!

GBC: That’s wonderful! Congratulations!

DJ: Thanks

GBC: Well, welcome to West Chester!  What do you think so far?

DJ: I think it’s great.  Haven’t explored too much of it yet, but it looks fun.  It’s been good.

GBC: How’s the transition going?  You went through a lot of change, with the move and new job.

DJ: Good.  I think when it gets warmer it’ll be nice to be able to check out more places, local parks.  If will be nice to be able to do more things with the kids.  We’ve been kind of holed up inside so far.

GBC: Are the kids adjusting okay?

DJ: Yeah, Jakes been loving the nursery and Sunday School, just being with other little kids.

GBC: How did you and Danielle get here?  Where are you from and how did you get to be here at Goshen?

DJ: We were working at a boarding school in Long Island, N.Y. where Danielle is from.  It was a Christian boarding school and we were able to do a lot in ministry there, but we really wanted to be more involved in a church setting, in full time ministry.  We took a leap of faith.  Normally when you leave a job you have another one lined up.  We didn’t.  We told them we were leaving at the end of the school year and left without a job just knowing that we wanted to do full time ministry.  Through tons of prayer and seeking out what God wants for us we applied to Goshen in the summer of 2016.  It took a few months to go through the process but here we are.

GBC: Why youth ministry?

DJ: It’s really been a lifelong dream, from when I was in youth group.  My youth minister was a huge influence in my life.  I just loved seeing how he was able to bring me and my brother to a connection to him and the church, and the other kids in the youth ministry.  I loved that time.  I saw the youth pastor as the first Christian that was also fun.  He wasn’t just lecturing, it was a relationship.  I wanted to do that for other people too.

GBC:  How did you come to faith?

DJ:  Really through my step dad.  My parents got divorced when I was really young and my mom remarried when I was about seven.  My stepdad was a born again believer.  We were going to a Catholic Church but he felt like it wasn’t what he needed in his life.  He started taking us to different churches.  Seeing how much he wanted to be invested, every church that we went to he wanted to be involved.  That helped me to connect to the church too.  So it was the church that we ending up sticking with and my dad’s involvement there that got me plugged in.  We were doing a bagel ministry on Sunday morning and I would go to church with him even if my Mom and brother didn’t.  Eventually we got plugged into the youth group and it was at a concert that I heard the message of salvation.  So, through my dad’s example and brining me to the church.  I would also say through the youth pastor being there for me helped me to come to know the Lord.

GBC:  You’ve been here since October 2016.  What have been some of the highlights so far?

DJ: The Lock-In was huge.  It’s one of the biggest undertakings that I’ve ever done in such a short time frame.  It was less than a month after taking the job, and a week after moving into town.  It was great, a lot of fun.  I like that kind of interaction.  The all night, playing games, having fun and connecting to the students.  Honestly, all the different events we’ve been doing, meeting weekly with students at youth group.  It’s been a blast.  I enjoy teaching, but also connecting.

GBC: Where do you see the future of youth ministry going?  The kids today are facing things that we didn’t face growing up.

DJ:  I think that youth ministry is always going to be similar to what it’s always been.  I think the issues students are dealing with are similar to what we dealt with but on a bigger level.  We still dealt with identity issues and trying to figure out who we were.  The students are facing the same things, but now it’s being broadcast online, being shared with friends.  Whether or not somebody “likes” them is a whole different terminology now.  It’s who “likes” them on Facebook, who “likes” them on Instagram and not just them as a person.  You’re trying to get this instant gratification, this instant connectiveness from anything you do.  You want a response, not just doing things because you want to do them anymore.  I think that’s where we're trying to help students connect like always with God, but really seeing who they are thru God’s eyes, rather than through their friend’s eyes.

GBC: So looking down the road it sounds like the core of ministry will never change?

DJ: Right.  I’ve heard the expression: “methods are many, principles are few, methods may change, principles never do.”  It’s something that is true.  The principals that are in the bible are solid, they’re rock solid.  They’re always applicable to us.  During Sunday School we read through Daniel and about his friends when they were taken in captivity and the things that they were going through.  The isolation that they had is very similar to the way we are as Christians today.  Going to school and the schools opposing Christianity openly.  Government making laws against Christianity.  It’s not to the same scale, we’re not slaves here, but we’re still facing direct opposition.  They were able to stay with integrity and keep strong, so it’s our example.

GBC:  What are some things that really startle you working with youth today?

DJ: Yeah, just what we’ve been talking about.  How much students, and myself, put too much stock in what people think.  It just so happens that for students it’s online, it’s all around them.  It doesn’t stop at the end of the school day when they leave their friends.  Their friends are technically always with them, in their pockets, on their devices and they’re able to constantly see how their friends feel about them.  So you’re constantly on your toes trying to make sure you’re doing your best, being your best, on your game.  To me that’s scary.  It’s exhausting to constantly be presenting yourself.  I think back to job interviews, you always put your best foot forward.  You try to look your best.  That what everyone is doing online these days too.  And online life isn’t necessarily who you are, it’s who you want people to think you are.  That’s scary.

GBC: What are some things that give you optimism?

DJ: We started a series on questions where the students could ask pretty much any question that want about the Bible, who God is, and Christianity.  Some of the responses just really show me where their faith is.  How strong they are.  A couple of students asked how to share their faith with others, people in other religions.  It’s encouraging to see that they’re actively owning it.  They’re asking questions to be more, to do more as a Christian, and it’s not just because it’s right or wrong.  It’s wanting to share their faith with friends.  I’ve seen it.  God is definitely moving in them.

GBC: We’ve got a lot of great parents here, don’t we?

DJ: Yes, especially Tara Mummert.  She’s the bomb-digity.  Yes, absolutely.  We had a great parent meeting recently, and just seeing how the parents want to be involved is really encouraging...  A couple of parents helped at the Lock-In.  It’s great that they want to be a part too.

GBC: What are some of your hobbies?

DJ: I haven’t done too many hobbies since I’ve been here, with the transition.  I like to do a lot of things outside.  I like to play sports; I’m playing softball with the church team.  I like ultimate frisbee and disk golf.  Just getting out there and enjoying the outside.  I love the beach.

GBC: Have you been converted to a Philly “Phan” yet?

DJ: I haven’t been converted, and I don’t think that is going to happen.  I have been liking some of the Eagles players, and having a little more respect for them.

GBC:  Who are your teams then?

DJ: Well for football, it’s the Giants, which I know is a sore subject here.  Yankees are my baseball team.  I don’t really have a basketball team, New Jersey doesn’t have one.

GBC: See, so you can adopt the 76ers then.

DJ: Sure, why not.

GBC:  If you’re going to be stranded on a dessert island, what three albums are you taking with you?

DJ: Oh man, that’s tough.  I haven’t listened to a full album in a while.  Honestly what I like to listen to most is country music.  Zach Brown Band, Brad Paisley and I love Darius Rucker.  Loved him in Hootie and The Blow Fish and I love him now.  He always sounded good.

GBC: Favorite concert that you’ve been to?

DJ: I went to a Switchfoot concert at Liberty right before they started to get big.  I’ve also gone to Creation Festival.  That was really cool

GBC: If you could have dinner with any one person alive today who would it be?

DJ: Having dinner with my wife is always a nice thing, but that sounds like a cop-out.  I don’t know.  I think Chris Pratt is a pretty cool guy, pretty funny.  You want somebody who’s going to be entertaining, not boring the whole time.  You want to have a good time.  I’d go actor or comedian.  Someone who I also thought would be good, that I could learn from and be encouraged by, on a more serious note would be Andy Stanley.  I feel like that could be a very inspirational dinner.

GBC: So tell us about Andy Stanley then.  Has he influenced you?

DJ: Yeah.  My wife got me listening to his pod casts.  She really likes him and Craig Groeschel.  They’ve both been very inspirational in helping to dig deeper into the Bible and understanding more, and really getting excited about my faith in recent years.

GBC: If you could ask God one question right now what would it be?

DJ: Wow.  That’s a really deep question.  Something that I’ve always wondered is why now?  Why did he create the world when He did and what happened before that?

GBC: Go-to movie?

DJ: Depends on my mood.  That’s hard.  My favorite comedy is probably Princess Bride.  It’s a good pick-me-up.  I also like action movies.  Give me something old school like the Terminator and I’ll enjoy it.  Any of the Marvel Superhero movies today.

GBC: What is your favorite TV show?  Past and current.

DJ: Something my wife and I have been watching is This Is Us.  Great show.  Not always the most fun to watch, because it can be very depressing, but it’s very well done.  Favorite show of all time is tough.  I like a little suspense.  There was a show called White Collar.  It was kind of like Catch Me If You Can.  It was a fun light hearted show, but a little intense too.

GBC: Tell me about This Is Us.  It’s got some incredible messages in it.  Have there been certain episodes or themes that really resonated with you and Danielle?

DJ: Yeah, I think the value of family on the show is really unprecedented.  You don’t see that a lot on TV shows.  Especially the roll of the father.  You don’t see that high quality of a father that does it all for his family and wife.  He goes to bat for her over anything.  He sticks up for his kids and treats them so well.  Normally you see dads that are a joke on shows.  Dads that can’t hold it together, or that are just dumb.  This is a show where the dad is totally there for his kids and then you see how they have turned out because of him. Some of the most redeeming times are when they’re looking at what their dad would have done, or they’re talking about their dad.  It encourages me as a father a lot.

GBC: Do you think you’ll ever pull any of those themes into the messages at Youth Group?

DJ: Yeah, I do like to use movies and media in messages.  There might be a theme or two thrown in.  It really depends on if the students are watching the show or not.  There are a lot of good movies out this summer that I could see being a highlight over this next year.

GBC: Last question.  It’s a very serious one.  If you were a kitchen appliance what would it be and why?

DJ: I don’t know.  I’ve never really considered such a deep theological question like this before.  I don’t do a lot of cooking in the kitchen; Danielle is definitely the master chef.  I tend to use the spatula a lot.  I make pancakes, grilled cheese, things like that.

GBC: So you’re a “flipper”?

DJ: Yes. I do breakfast.  So I guess I’d say that’s the one I’m most skilled with.