Faith · Community · Leadership
The nationwide hub for coffee-house-style youth & young-adult ministry — resources, free leader training, and a growing network of Grind chapters. Starting on the East Coast. Every denomination. Every young person. Welcome.
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." — 1 Timothy 4:12
Felix — Master Guide (Advanced) · Pathfinder Leadership Instructor Trainer · John Maxwell–trained. Neusa — Master Guide · Kids Blast Teen Leader. 30+ years developing young leaders. See full credentials ↓
The coffee-house model at the heart of The Grind isn't borrowed — Felix built and ran it more than 20 years ago, out of decades on the front line of youth ministry. What national programs later made popular, he was already doing: coffee, music, real conversation, and a short, honest message that meets young people where they are.
Felix is a certified Master Guide (Advanced) and a conference-certified youth-leadership trainer — someone already credentialed to train and certify other leaders — with the full Pathfinder honor set and decades as a Pathfinder club director and youth leader. Neusa brings the same heart for mentorship and community. Together they've spent their lives developing young people from childhood faith into adult conviction.
Now we're scaling what we pioneered — into a national hub that equips and certifies leaders everywhere to do the same. We're not here to babysit. We're here to build leaders.
Our certification standard is backed by a real training pedigree — not a self-appointed badge:
Master Guide — Advanced
Conference-certified youth-leadership trainer
Full Pathfinder honor & certification set
Decades as club director & youth leader
Four decades of youth leadership behind one mission.
Felix pioneered the coffee-house youth-ministry model more than 20 years ago, out of three decades on the front line of youth leadership — long before national programs made the idea popular. He has led as a Conference Coordinator and club director of four clubs, and holds the field's highest leadership credentials: Master Guide at the Advanced, Leadership, and Instructor Award levels, with the full Pathfinder honor set (250+ awards).
He is a certified Pathfinder Leadership Instructor Trainer and Teen Leadership Instructor Trainer — credentialed to train the trainers — plus a Red Cross Instructor Trainer, competitive Drill Instructor (six first-place trophies), and an instructor in event planning, sound, and security. As his conference's Club Staff Background-Check Coordinator, youth safety has always come first. A John Maxwell–trained leader and founder of an engineering company (est. 1992), Felix brings a builder's discipline to ministry: a proven system others can be trained and certified to run.
Neusa is the heart of hospitality and community behind The Grind. A certified Master Guide and Kids Blast Teen Leader, she has spent decades mentoring young people and building the kind of warm, welcoming spaces where they feel safe enough to belong.
Where Felix builds the system, Neusa makes sure no young person walks in and feels invisible. Together they've devoted their lives to developing the next generation — from childhood faith to adult conviction — and to equipping other leaders to do the same in their own communities.
The training pedigree behind our certification standard. Decades of front-line youth leadership, plus hundreds of additional trainings.
Nieto Ministries is independent and all-denominations; credentials reflect the founders' personal youth-leadership training and are shown to establish the pedigree behind our leader certification.
Everything we do flows through these three principles.
A place to belong. Before you can grow spiritually, you need to feel safe. We build that space — authentic, judgment-free, and alive.
Growth that's intentional. From the first visit to leading others — a clear path from curiosity to conviction to multiplication.
Faith in action. Not hidden, not performative — lived. Fellowship, study, prayer, and service that others can see and experience.
We're becoming the nationwide hub for coffee-house-style youth & young-adult ministry — starting on the East Coast, growing across the country.
The go-to library for everything youth & young-adult (to age 22) and coffee-house-style programs.
Explore resources →Learn to start and run your own Grind, under our guidance — free training through NEIademy.
Start training →A growing network of local Grind coffee houses. Bring one to your community.
Start a chapter →Everything you need to build real community for young people — free and growing.
The model, the vision, and how a Grind night runs.
Youth protection, waivers, ratios, and policy templates.
Run-of-show, hospitality, music, and games.
Short-message formats and discussion guides.
Sponsorships and support to keep the doors open.
Building a safe, judgment-free space.
Four certification tracks take you from safety-first fundamentals to a launch-ready, certified chapter leader — free, self-paced, and guided by us through our academy.
Youth protection, background checks, adult-to-youth ratios, chaperone & emergency policy, and mandatory-reporter basics. Required first — the gate for every leader certification.
Certification: Certified in Youth Protection Required PrerequisiteUnderstanding ages 14–22, the discipleship path, building community & belonging, communication, and leading volunteer teams.
Certification: Certified Youth Ministry LeaderOur founder-authored coffee-house playbook: the model & vision, running the night (hospitality, food, live music, the "Super Short Sermon"), moderation & safe space, Bring-a-Friend growth, sponsorships, and the launch playbook.
Certification: Certified Grind Chapter Leader → Eligible to open a chapterLegal/entity/insurance basics, the digital stack (site, chat, phone, blog), marketing, and measurement. Optional, for leaders scaling up.
Certification: Certified Ministry OperatorPathway: Youth Protection → Foundations → The Grind Model (capstone). Each track ends with a quiz and a verifiable certificate; complete the capstone plus a signed chapter agreement and safety proof to be approved and listed in the network.
Bring The Grind to your community. Here's the path from "I'm interested" to a launched, certified chapter — with us guiding you the whole way.
Tell us your name, your town, and the young people you want to reach. We'll follow up and set up your free leader account.
Complete Youth Protection & Safety first, then Foundations and The Grind Model capstone — self-paced, guided by us.
Line up a room, a few caring adults, and a date. We help you plan the first night and build a youth-led team.
Sign the chapter agreement and safety proof, launch your first Grind, and join the national network directory.
Bring a Grind to your community — under our model, brand, and guidance.
Complete the free Ministry Leadership track on NEIademy.
Adopt our safety, conduct, and brand standards.
We review and welcome you into the network, under our guidance.
Open your Grind and get listed in our directory.
Nieto Ministries is an independent, Christ-centered ministry — all denominations, all young people, fully inclusive. We're not here to divide by label; we're here to build the next generation together.
What we're building — one gathering at a time.
Friday night coffee house for ages 16-22. Music, food, short messages, real community. Twice monthly.
Launching Summer 2026Quarterly outdoor experiences. Camping, hiking, team challenges. Building courage and connection in God's creation.
Coming 2027Quarterly community service. Faith made visible through action. Teams serving together, growing together.
Coming 2027For youth ready to lead. Public speaking, event planning, mentoring skills. Preparing the next generation of church leaders.
Coming 2027Gatherings, services, and community nights. Come be part of it.
Moments from our community, programs, and gatherings.
For families, leaders, and partners.
An independent, Christ-centered ministry founded by Felix and Neusa Nieto, building the nationwide hub for coffee-house-style youth and young-adult ministry. We run our flagship (The Grind) and equip and certify leaders to launch their own.
We're independent and all-denominations. Every young person and every leader who shares the mission is welcome.
Our flagship program — a free Friday-night coffee house for youth and young adults ages 16–22: coffee, food, live music, a short message, and real community. Learn more at jointhegrind.org.
Reach out, complete our free leader training (safety first), set up your night, and launch under our guidance. See the "Start a Chapter" steps above.
Yes. The Ministry tier is free — mission first. You'll get a free leader account scoped to our leadership training as tracks roll out.
Not at this time. Nieto Ministries is currently a for-profit LLC; giving is appreciated but is not tax-deductible.