Transcript
NextGen Matters: Hey, let's be real. School identity can... hijack a student ministry before you even notice it. public school, Christian school. homeschool. Every one of these students comes into your ministry room with stereotypes.
NextGen Matters: assumptions. and even invisible walls that can divide your ministry. But as a leader, you understand your role. goes beyond just managing social dynamics. You're here to unleash A mission.
NextGen Matters: One Lord, one Savior, one gospel, one calling. One team under the banner of Jesus Christ to go make disciples.
NextGen Matters: So when your students can catch that vision. Unity. will stop being something you just talk about from the stage. And it could become actually something that is lived out.
NextGen Matters: among your ministry. Well, the last three episodes here at the Next Gen Matters podcast, we've been focusing on how we can help our students engage in missional ministry.
NextGen Matters: as we have walked through the three academic environments that our students are in. the public school christian school and homeschool movements all right so the question must be asked How do we create oneness?
NextGen Matters: out of these three environments. And then how can we become one team? That's on one. mission. Well, hey friend, Rich Brown here. Welcome to the Next Gen Matters podcast.
NextGen Matters: A show for ministry leaders. seeking to move beyond overwhelm and move into leading with clarity, confidence, and consistency. This is going to be a fun episode. This one wraps up this little mini series I've been doing on.
NextGen Matters: Basically, how do we create a missional mindset within our student ministries and our children's ministries? Maybe you have a young adult ministry. The same thing. Right. So I have three basic goals I want to lay out for you kind of on the front end. And then we're going to take this time to unpack all three.
NextGen Matters: My first goal with you all today is this. How can we help our students? understand that they are to be the champions. of their school I want them to actually learn to like and even love their school. We're going to unpack that. Second goal is this. How can we create group unity?
NextGen Matters: within the fact that we have school diversity. And not just even public Christian and home. You have different Christian schools. You have different... Public schools. I'm shooting this on a Wednesday afternoon. I leave for student ministry in two hours.
NextGen Matters: We're going to have probably 15 different schools. that are in a group of like 60 students. Because there's that many co -ops, there's that many Christian schools, and there's that many public schools.
NextGen Matters: So we want to create unity out of that diversity. The third goal is how to create unity. In purpose. In that sense of purpose, and how can that, of course, that purpose is, that that purpose is to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ.
NextGen Matters: to the most spiritually and lost and yet the most spiritually open demographic. which of course, is teenagers. So by the end of this podcast, I entrust. You'll be encouraged.
NextGen Matters: with actionable steps how to integrate all three of these goals into your ministry. to develop one team. Living. I'm one. mission Well, let's look at our first of the three goals, and that is our students should champion their schools.
NextGen Matters: Now, I want to unpack this maybe from a different angle that you may... typically think I would be going down, like what road would I be going down? I may take this a different road. But again, the road leads us to we want our students to champion their schools.
NextGen Matters: I have four thoughts under this one. So here's the first one. Groups. groups, any kind of... gatherings groups, communities, groups. are from God.
NextGen Matters: Let's go back to the beginning of The Word of God, Genesis chapter 11, the Tower of Babel. God had already told the people to scatter and populate. and to create that sense of nations.
NextGen Matters: They rebelled against that. Thus, they built the Tower of Babel, and then God confused. The one language they had and created multiple languages and out of those languages created different cultures, and eventually nations.
NextGen Matters: We also see that same principle that the Apostle Paul shares. In Acts 17, especially in verse 26. where he there at the Areopagus is sharing with these men of Athens that did the creator God, the one God of all, created nations and boundaries.
NextGen Matters: In other words, he created cultures. I also then think of even just the 12 tribes of Israel. So within one nation, God had the construct of 12 tribes.
NextGen Matters: Joshua chapters 14 through 19. Give the go into the details And when they went into the promised land of this is your section, Judah, this is your section, Simeon, et cetera, et cetera. 12 tribes had their specific land allotments.
NextGen Matters: And out of that then came clans. And then families. You see, what I'm getting at is God is okay in our student ministries with us recognizing that we have different students at different schools.
NextGen Matters: That's a good thing. That's a good thing. See, in those schools, they can create community. So I want them to see, number one, that God... is the creator of let's say groupings all right second of all We want to see what I'm going to call identity versus assignment identity versus assignment Now. Leaders, let's help remind our students of this.
NextGen Matters: Our ultimate allegiance. is not to our high school or middle school. or our college or even our elementary schools. Our ultimate allegiance. The same thing with our nation. I love my country. I'm so grateful to be an American.
NextGen Matters: But end of the day, my ultimate allegiance is not to my nation or not to my school, not even to my church. is to Jesus Christ. So I want again, I want to point this out identity versus assignment.
NextGen Matters: God has... given an assignment to each of these students like he's given to all of us. right so ultimate allegiance is not to our school but to jesus then help our students understand God has strategically placed each one of them in their school For a reason.
NextGen Matters: And that reason, of course, is 2 Corinthians 5. to be ambassadors of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Also, I want students to see, and I hope you understand this too, wanting your students to see, desiring your students to see that your school is not your identity.
NextGen Matters: But it is your mission field. I mean, I could say it is your identity, small. All right. but not your identity big I. okay Yeah, my my sons and my daughter all went to, in the area where I live in Lynchburg, Virginia, Jefferson Forest, the Cavaliers. So I was glad that they could say, you know, we're Cavaliers. Small eye.
NextGen Matters: But I wanted even my own so my own children to realize. Big I identity is I am a disciple of Jesus. Come on. OK, so identity. It's not only Matt.
NextGen Matters: Is that to be met? I mean, in their campus, it's met in Christ. and that Jesus has given them that campus to be their mission field. Hey, third point is this. Healthy versus unhealthy school. pride.
NextGen Matters: Oh my goodness. Unpack that one, right? Healthy versus unhealthy school pride. I'm not going to say they shouldn't have school pride. I think there's a healthy sense of pride that that creates that creates, yes, community, that creates a sense of ownership, that creates a sense of responsibility.
NextGen Matters: I mean, if I don't You can see where... Even while going through or driving through neighborhoods where there's trash all piled up, you really understand they don't take a sense of healthy pride of the area. If they did, they'd clean up the trash.
NextGen Matters: okay Maybe it's a bad example, but I'm just saying that I want students to be. grateful and to be proud if you will, of their school. healthy. but not.
NextGen Matters: unhealthy And here's where, again, as leaders, we come in. We should be affirming with them. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay to love your school. Matter of fact... I would say you need to love your school.
NextGen Matters: I'll get to that later, but it's okay to love your school. It's okay to cheer for your school. It's okay to cheer for your team. It's okay to rep your colors. But we also want them to understand School Pride.
NextGen Matters: And here's the other side of the coin. School pride should never become... disrespectful to others. School pride should never become...
NextGen Matters: divisive against others. And school pride should never become dismissive of others. All right, so it's years and years and years ago. I'm going to give you a backstory here. It's years and years and years ago. i'm i'm I almost said sub -teaching. I was guest speaking in a in a very large student ministry, two, three hundred high school students.
NextGen Matters: And they were often a predominantly... a very well -known Christian school in the area. matter of fact that was the majority of the youth ministry was from that particular christian school That was from that church.
NextGen Matters: And their style was to have a visiting student. They would say their name. from the stage right they would say the name and what school they go to Well, here I am. I'm getting ready to speak in about 10 minutes, right?
NextGen Matters: And I hear. the Daddy. adults on the stage saying, and I don't remember the young lady's name, of course, this was like, 20 years ago but the The name is stated.
NextGen Matters: And then it says she's from. Holy Cross High School, which was a Catholic high school.
NextGen Matters: And she got booed. she Literally, she got booed. They booed and they were trashing on her school.
NextGen Matters: It broke my heart. Dude, it broke my heart and I thought well, you'll never see her again You just chased her away. Then I got a microphone in about 10 minutes.
NextGen Matters: Yeah, I... I kind of went there a little bit. Okay. But I'm just saying is like, what have we done? What we created, even in this ministry, there was this sense of. of, yes, it's good to have school pride, healthy, but not unhealthy when you start dissing somebody else.
NextGen Matters: especially in a church, right? What really disturbed me though... It wasn't just that the students did that. Are you ahead of me now? do you think Do you think you know what I'm going to say next?
NextGen Matters: What really disturbed me? was there was zero pushback from the leaders. There was nothing mentioned. In other words, Silence. equals agreement.
NextGen Matters: All right, so leaders, we need to understand, we need to help. our students redirect their energy without shutting down their enthusiasm. We want them to have energy, but redirect it to be pro their own school, but not Busted on our anti someone else's.
NextGen Matters: just to be sensitive. Okay, number three number actually number four is we want to help students desire to see their schools. prosper.
NextGen Matters: Now this one I promise you I'm going to go down a road you probably wouldn't think I would have gone down. Regarding this, we want students to champion their schools. I'm going to take a few minutes with this one, so allow me to unpack it.
NextGen Matters: I'm going to give you an Old Testament scripture. and I'm going to give you a New Testament scripture. Because I see. that when I say this phrase, students should desire to see their schools prosper, we see this principle. in the scriptures.
NextGen Matters: And by the way, ahead of time. This is, I'm going to give it in its context, not out of its context. Jeremiah 29. 1 through 9.
NextGen Matters: Jeremiah is God's prophet, God's man in Jerusalem. as Babylon has suffocated and surrounded not only the people of Judah, but even directly the city of Jerusalem.
NextGen Matters: Ezekiel has already been deported he's already in exile he's already in Babylon, so just like Daniel, Hanani, Azariah. and Hannah in dinner Rackshack and Benny, okay? Ha ha!
NextGen Matters: Hannah, Michelle, and Azaria. I got it out. Those cats are already there, right? You got Ezekiel there. We got a bunch of godly people already taken away. Jeremiah is God's man to Jerusalem for those people, whereas Ezekiel is God's man.
NextGen Matters: boots on the ground, if you will, for those who are already deported and who already are exiles. now When... When Jeremiah writes this passage out, He's writing it for those.
NextGen Matters: even living around him as they will some of them some of them will be deported the third major deportation when the city falls but he's also writing it for those who are already over there In Babylon.
NextGen Matters: When he writes Jeremiah 29, 1 through 9, It is basically right before the fall of Jerusalem, and that's in 497 BC. King Jehoiachin then surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar.
NextGen Matters: Jeremiah writes to these exiles, who were tempted to believe that the false prophets who are promising a quick return home. and they were given this false narrative of okay god's gonna bring you right back Guys, that's the same false prophets that said Babylon would never take over Judah. And it happened.
NextGen Matters: So. He is writing this to encourage the people that after 70 years, God will return you to the land. But during those 70 years, he gives some directives.
NextGen Matters: He gives some directives. We are hearing these lessons from some exiles, and here's one. Right? Here's one, and that's Jeremiah. He says to those exiles over there and in Babylon, he says, look. Build houses.
NextGen Matters: Plant gardens. Mary. Raise your babies, raise families, settle in for the long haul, 70 years, because you're going to be there. Then he explains Reject the false prophets.
NextGen Matters: air quotes of God, who are claiming God will soon end the exile. which it was not true. God was purifying his people. Then he says, and here's what's crazy, seek the peace of Babylon.
NextGen Matters: And he attaches it to this because your own well -being is tied to the city's well -being. I have the passage actually. right here. Verse 7, Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too.
NextGen Matters: will prosper. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says. Do not let the prophets and the diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
NextGen Matters: They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. He says, settle down, settle in. No, this is not your final home. I hope you're catching the parallel.
NextGen Matters: I hope you're catching the parallel it's a massive parallel. He says to these folks, Jeremiah says, look. This is not your...
NextGen Matters: eventual home. This is not your long -term home. But for right here and right now, this is where God has you.
NextGen Matters: I hope you're catching. the parallel. Our students may feel like... They're going to be forever stuck in school. And we all know, he eventually get out. It's called 12th Grade and Graduation.
NextGen Matters: you know for high school. But there's such parallel with this. While you're in this school. While you feel like you're in exile, okay? While you're in this school.
NextGen Matters: Do what you can to see that school succeed. You know there's other exiles in the Old Testament. I think of Joseph. They're in Egypt. A Hebrew. in Egypt against his will.
NextGen Matters: but he wants to see the Egyptian people. Be prosperous. He actually... Takes the evil that was bent to take him out. And God flips it and he says, and God used it for the good, for the saving of many lives. Genesis 50.
NextGen Matters: You have Joseph there in Egypt. I'm thinking of Daniel, who also then is in Babylon. Daniel served under multiple kings, and even just not the Babylonian empire, but eventually even the Persian empire. That was in my quiet time this morning I was reading that.
NextGen Matters: right So you have Daniel serving in Babylon. trying to have that empire that crushed his own nation, and yet he wants to have them be at peace and be successful.
NextGen Matters: Nehemiah, 400 years after these... situations I just was talking about in 444 BC is working with Artaxerxes, king of Persia, he's the cupbearer.
NextGen Matters: You do know what a cup bearer is, right? He's poison control. The dude has to drink whatever the king is going to drink to make sure that there's no poison in it. Basically, he was the front door to what the king would eat and drink.
NextGen Matters: If there's poison, if there's toxin. He's gonna get it. He's going to get wiped out. which means the king extremely trusted Nehemiah. He truly was an influencer.
NextGen Matters: Nehemiah wanted what was best for his king. and including Persia, and yet his heart broke for his homeland. We know that story from... the Book of Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2. Jesus.
NextGen Matters: commands us in matthew 5 44 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Now here's my point. sometimes your your students are going to feel like, you know, I don't really belong here especially those in a public school. They're right.
NextGen Matters: It's not their world. This is contrarian to to their Christian worldview. And even sometimes in private schools. and sometimes in co -ops and in homeschools. I want our students to see this We want to see your school do well.
NextGen Matters: We want to see your school do well. You know... jeremiah 29 7 when it teaches that god's people should four things here ready Engage culture. rather than withdraw from it.
NextGen Matters: And I see that in the New Testament. That's John 17, the high priestly prayer from Jesus. Like Jesus says, this is not my world, but I was sent to this world to rescue it.
NextGen Matters: Right? And then he says, you are not of this world. He goes, but I've sent you into the world. Basically the phrase to be in the world, but what? Not of it.
NextGen Matters: Just like Jeremiah 29 7. Engage with a culture Don't withdraw from it. We're also see this, where we're going to be praying for leaders, even difficult leaders.
NextGen Matters: That's also seen in 1 Timothy 2, 1 and 2, praying for the kings. that's That's Paul talking about praying for... Emperor Nero? The emperor that eventually beheads him in Rome?
NextGen Matters: We're also called to be working for dignity, integrity, stability, and flourishing of our communities, just like they were. Under Jeremiah 29, so even us. working for the integrity, stability, and the flourishing.
NextGen Matters: of our schools And then ultimately... That passage of scripture also says we are to be displaying God's character among people. who may not share our core values.
NextGen Matters: may not share any of our values. but We also realize that's what the New Testament tells us to do. We are called to be salt. And. Light. We are called to be on mission.
NextGen Matters: In whatever Babylon, if you will, God has placed us in. I see those lessons from. the old testament i also on the quick see this from the apostle paul in romans 9. one through five.
NextGen Matters: He just finishes this most tremendous doctrinal layout of justification by faith, chapters 1 through 8. He then steps in into chapter 9. And he begins that passage on the doctrine of election, to be honest. And he begins, before he starts into that doctrine, he talks about this.
NextGen Matters: His heart. heart. beat. for his own people. of Israel. Again, he's writing to the believers in Rome, the epicenter of the Roman Empire.
NextGen Matters: But he dials it back in and he goes, you know, these are my words. Again, I'm kind of paraphrasing. He goes, I would do whatever I could. to if I could exchange my own salvation.
NextGen Matters: So that my nation, my people, he goes, my own flesh, meaning his his fellow Hebrews, his fellow Jewish people, I would exchange my salvation if they would come to faith in Jesus Christ.
NextGen Matters: He goes, he realizes it's it's impossible. It's theologically impossible. He's engrafted into Christ. Right. He goes, but if it was possible, I would consider myself accursed. That means I would go to hell.
NextGen Matters: He said, i would I would go to hell. If my nation would come to Christ and go to heaven. That's love for his people. Wow.
NextGen Matters: That. is amazing. I want our students to see that they are to be champions. of their schools Now, let's take the second.
NextGen Matters: big goal i have here that's how can we create group unity within the sense of school diversity. Creating group unity within the school within within school diversity. You know, school is...
NextGen Matters: part of their life story. But as I've already said, it's not their identity. Identity? is in Jesus Christ. and the mission is to be making disciples.
NextGen Matters: as we are working together For the glory of God. As we see people come to faith in Jesus Christ. Now... Few thoughts here.
NextGen Matters: Unity in relationships. among each other. I have. four or five points I'm laying out here for you under this one. I want to see us. have ministries that Have unity.
NextGen Matters: in relationships. among each other. All right. So when we come together on a Wednesday night or a Sunday or some event that all the different schools as they come together, we are seeing ourselves as one.
NextGen Matters: We are relationally connected. Unity in relationships. How can we do that? Here's a few thoughts. create mixed school small groups.
NextGen Matters: i know i'm a fan of this i did it for years and years and by the way i would But when I say this, let me also say. On Wednesday nights, we had campus -based home groups because I wanted them to have that sense of being a champion for their school and connect with relationships from their school.
NextGen Matters: But on Sundays, Our breakout groups are small groups for discussion. We're same grade, same gender. See, I did both Sunday with same grade, same gender. So you get a multiple schools represented in those 10th grade guys.
NextGen Matters: Right? But in midweek, they had campus -based home groups because I wanted them to see the value of both. But in this context of unity among the diversity of schools,
NextGen Matters: Create. Mixed school small groups. Easy to do if you think same grade, same gender. All right. sharing testimonies regularly. Okay, so when you're having, even within your own small group or up on the stage, having students share their own experiences, their own struggles. and their victories in their specific school settings.
NextGen Matters: some Some examples, here we go. public school student. They're sharing their challenges. of living out their faith. in a very secular and even antithetical view of god especially when it comes to you know sexuality now it's gender issues biology you know the sciences the origins of of life itself.
NextGen Matters: And they can feel very much alone. And it's good for the students in the other schools to hear that. this is These are our struggles. a Christian school student. they may share the struggle of what Pastor Andy and I were talking about.
NextGen Matters: a few episodes ago. of avoiding that sense of cultural Christianity, where you just kind of like play along with everything, but in their hearts, they're really kind of struggling with their own faith, but they kind of externally pretend they're going along with everything.
NextGen Matters: In other words, Possible Phariseeism. Maybe that Christian school student will share that. homeschool student, maybe they begin to open up and share some of their challenges they face. You know, the social assumptions people have against them, or even some of that isolation that they may feel.
NextGen Matters: In other words, We want to help them overcome understanding that will replace the stereotypes. So when all three are sharing. of their own.
NextGen Matters: issues and struggles they have in their environment. It helps the other ones have that sense of, wow. we need We need to lift them up. we need we need to have their backs we need to pull them in So that's the first point. All right.
NextGen Matters: First point again. Unity in relationship. Second point, celebrating differences. without creating Divisions. This can be hard. Celebrating the differences in the schools without creating divisions.
NextGen Matters: I think here's here's some ways we could help. Lean into this. Yes, acknowledge. that students do have different daily experiences.
NextGen Matters: So we need to avoid things like. Public school students have it tougher. Again, these are things we already covered in those three episodes. We just assume public school students have it tougher. That's sending the message to the Christian school student or homeschool student. Oh, so I have it easy?
NextGen Matters: And though I don't. that can create division Or you Christian school students, you have it so easy. You get chapel all the time, Bible all the time. Well, we know from their perspective.
NextGen Matters: It could sometimes be brain overload. right So we have to be careful with this. And then the homeschool, homeschool students, you just don't understand. You just don't understand. And then that kind of like. Downplace them what they're going through.
NextGen Matters: So while we celebrate the differences, Let's also make sure we're not creating divisions. We need to be emphasizing the following. Every environment. has unique opportunities.
NextGen Matters: and unique challenges. for following Jesus.
NextGen Matters: Third point under how to develop relationships on your team to make sure that they are one team. Construct. Cross -school friendships through various activities and events.
NextGen Matters: So let's construct. like like Cross -school friendships. For example, your serving teams and your ministry teams. Those are great opportunities to have the the students from all those different schools serving on one team. They're on this particular serving team or this particular ministry team.
NextGen Matters: Similarly, service projects. You think of the service projects you guys are doing, you can be doing, and now they're integrated. They're spending time together, getting to know each other better, learning to value each other. Even when they come from different schools, they're like, hey, we're on the same page, man. Let's go.
NextGen Matters: Mission trips. Even when you have your team competitions on Wednesday night or during a camp, a summer, whatever, when you do team competitions, divide it up by the schools. In other words, not I'm sorry, not by the schools, but integrate the schools into your various teams.
NextGen Matters: And that's my last point under this number three of construct cross school friendships is this. Always be thinking integration. How can we keep integrating public, home, and and christian school students together so we need to construct those those those frameworks of how to help them come together.
NextGen Matters: And. Play well in the playground, okay? And then communicate oneness. Communicate oneness. Regularly be reminding your students.
NextGen Matters: that scripture describes believers. as One body. 1 Corinthians 12 One family. Ephesians 2 .19 One flock.
NextGen Matters: Words of Jesus, John 10 and verse 16. and one team. Philippians 1, 27. You know, the church is one of the few places or people from different backgrounds can intentionally unite around Jesus Christ.
NextGen Matters: The church. It should be that primary place. where people from different backgrounds can come together uniting it round The Lordship of Jesus Christ.
NextGen Matters: So leaders, we can model this. we can model this and and here's some suggestions right highlighting wins from every school. If you're going to be shouting at one school, think of some things some other, let's say, wins. Not just athletic wins, but various wins of other schools. Be shouting out all the different schools at different times.
NextGen Matters: So highlight the various winds. Also celebrating stories across the different. academic environments, celebrate the various stories that's going on, and then showing students how God is moving.
NextGen Matters: at the Christian school. In this homeschool co -op. at that public school. Today of this recording is See at the Pole. What an opportunity that would be during this evening.
NextGen Matters: Now, you're not going to be listening to this until Thursday when I... unleash it. But I'm saying when I'm recording. This morning we see at the poll. Something like that. It's a great opportunity to show students how God is moving in all different types of academic communities.
NextGen Matters: Then. Pray. Pray for one another's schools. For example, a public school student. In your small group.
NextGen Matters: is gonna intentionally pray over. the Kirsten School students. in his small group in her small group or even in the youth ministry Christian school students. praying for homeschool families.
NextGen Matters: Home school students. praying for the public school campuses. Nothing. Nothing builds unity. Quite like prayer. Nothing builds unity. quite like prayer.
NextGen Matters: I remember back in my day in college. A few decades ago, right? Amen. I grew up in an era where dudes don't hug. all right we dudes hug now but back in my day dudes didn't hug There was something powerful after eight. very Passion time of prayer.
NextGen Matters: among a small group of us college guys. The natural reaction when you stand up coming off your knees or being on a couch sitting down, the natural reaction after an intense time of prayer, you stand up, you and do what?
NextGen Matters: Ya hug. It's amazing how... prayer. unifies us and pulls us together. now Of our three goals, here's our third one. How can we create group unity?
NextGen Matters: in our purpose We talked about celebrating. We want students to celebrate their schools. We also want to create unity and relationships within the ministry. But what about rolling up our sleeves and doing God's work, God's business, about God's mission?
NextGen Matters: What can we do to gather creating unity in the sense of our purpose? Relationships are important. but relationships aren't the ultimate goal. The deeper unity. comes from sharing.
NextGen Matters: in the same mission. And I go back to Philippians 1 .27, one of my... Favorite verses. Striving together. as one person for the faith of the gospel.
NextGen Matters: I've got four thoughts on this. Focus on the ministry's mission. When you're together as a ministry. Focus on the ministry's mission. Yes, students are attending different schools.
NextGen Matters: But those students in the different schools all have the same calling. It's Matthew 28, 19. Go therefore and make disciples. You want to continually be Pressing into that.
NextGen Matters: to your students. When you're out in all your schools, you're to be making disciples. Homeschool, yes. Christian school, yes. Public school, yes. And when we come together as a team. We're on that same mission.
NextGen Matters: together. When we come together, we're on that same mission. Just keep repeating it. They don't remember something you're going to say one time. I don't. I'll forget most of what I said in this podcast. You forget most of your lessons and sermons. Come on. It's just what it is.
NextGen Matters: let alone the person who's hearing it. But if you keep repeating it... and you keep pounding away. When we come together. We must be on the same mission. They'll finally get it.
NextGen Matters: Secondary is this. define success The same way for everyone. I'll explain. define success for the same way for everyone. No matter their school. no matter Public Christian or home? Each student in each context should define success.
NextGen Matters: as the following Love Jesus. Love them faithfully. Share the gospel. Invest in others spiritually. Live your lives obedient to Jesus.
NextGen Matters: Everyone in every school context should have those in mind. So? No defining success. for everyone. no matter what school they're in.
NextGen Matters: They're the same goals. Right? Number three. Tell disciple -making stories from every context. Yes. Public school. I got to invite a friend to church. That was awesome. Christian school. I got to lead a Bible study after school.
NextGen Matters: homeschool. I get to disciple a younger student. I mean... He's only in fifth grade, but he's really hungry for the things of God. Let's champion those stories. Tell disciple -making stories from every context.
NextGen Matters: okay students begin to see that God is working in all three. academic settings. Then communicate. that your local public schools Are your Jerusalem.
NextGen Matters: Now some may not understand. this as i as I say it. But please allow me to explain it. Even if my student, my child, went to a Christian school or home school,
NextGen Matters: I would still want, as a parent, I would want them to know to that school. And if I'm a homeowner, I'm paying taxes to that school. You know what I'm saying? That local school, those local public schools, that's our Jerusalem. weather My child. a tense there or not.
NextGen Matters: That is my Jerusalem. I want. every student in the ministry and i mean this as a student pastor in my day i wanted and i Put that on the front burner. I want everyone to understand whether you want to back out in the Seattle area, Issaquah High School, Eastlake High School.
NextGen Matters: You know, Redmond High School, whatever schools they were in, I wanted them to know. That. These schools in our area. 96 % of those students are lost. So no matter where you're attending student, wherever, no matter where you're attending.
NextGen Matters: We must believe that our community's public school is a massive mission field. every time we drive by a school. Dating Jesus. Every time you walk by the school. They need Jesus.
NextGen Matters: What am I going to do about it? What am I going to do? How can I reach them? You see, this is not to negate the needs of the other schools at all. but it's just realistically understanding.
NextGen Matters: Dead. Those schools are fields that are white unto harvest. Matthew 9. 35 to 38. Jesus says to those 12, look over there. And they could say, well, we don't know them. That's not our group. You catch my parallel?
NextGen Matters: because they weren't their group. They were the 12. They were Jesus's niche. they were They were his homies. you know they They were tight with him. They could have said easily, well, that's not our...
NextGen Matters: problem. that's Those are our people. It's like it didn't matter. They weren't even from their own hometown. It didn't matter. They were people that needed. the saving grace of Jesus. And Jesus says, see them? They have needs. They need me. Pray the Lord of the harvest will send forth workers into the harvest fields. That's what I'm getting at.
NextGen Matters: Now, encourage your public school students. to... Invite. here's Here's the thought. I'm telling you, unpack this one, y 'all. Encourage your public schools. students. to invite their homeschool and Christian school friends.
NextGen Matters: to join them. Further athletic events. and see the mission field for themselves.
NextGen Matters: If you're listening and you had me in a youth ministry class, at Liberty back in the day. And even if you had me online, you know, in my intro youth class 201, I'd have the students go out and...
NextGen Matters: go to a local public school football game in the fall term. basketball game in the spring term. I wanted. residential students and even online students now to see The fields are white in the harvest.
NextGen Matters: And when I read those papers. Yeah, I graded those papers last week. When I read those papers, so many of these adults are shocked. at the lostness of the culture.
NextGen Matters: there were led the question that the the The statements are like, I knew it was bad, but not this bad. kind of thing. Yeah. They need Jesus. So I would say do the same principle, the same thing. Encourage your public school students.
NextGen Matters: to invite their Christian school and homeschool students to hang out with them. Go to a football game. Go to a basketball game. Go to some kind of school event and just hang out with them. And be friends with them, obviously, you know and don't...
NextGen Matters: this This is common sense, but. Please tell your your public school students, don't ditch your Christian school friends and leave them by themselves. Don't go hang out with your other friends. That's just... social etiquette but sometimes you gotta explain that right but i'm saying you get them to hang out and go, wow. This is the world I'm in.
NextGen Matters: And this this is why I so tell you guys in our small group. They need Jesus. And the the responses could easily be like. i knew it was this I knew it was bad, but I didn't know it was this bad. for the sake of the gospel. That's what we want their hearts to be broken.
NextGen Matters: We want their mindsetset mind mindset to shift. We want the mindset to shift into this. Oh. christian school student to public school student that's your mission field to This is... our mission field.
NextGen Matters: I want every student in the ministry to say, those campuses are our mission field. Now... i'm going to bring this down to a close i got a last thought on on the last actionable step, if you will.
NextGen Matters: Assign. cross school. outreach teams. And here's what I mean. When you're doing an outreach event, And I hope you are. When you do an outreach event, Create serving teams.
NextGen Matters: They have. public Christian and homeschool students. integrated into those various Ministry teams those various places where they're serving For example, the welcome table.
NextGen Matters: have students from all three groups. From all three schools. whether it's your your your your game team, you know, your staging team. Set up. follow -up conversations, a hospitality team.
NextGen Matters: Whoever's running the games. Did I say that? You know, if you're running games, right? I mean when you're getting your students involved integrate all those three school environments into those teams.
NextGen Matters: they're going to start to work together. for the sake of the gospel. Shared mission. often produces unity faster. Then discussions. about unity Hmm.
NextGen Matters: is I bring this to a close. Imagine what God could do. if our students stopped seeing themselves primarily as public school students. Christian school students.
NextGen Matters: homeschool students and started seeing themselves as disciple makers. working together for the faith of the gospel. different campuses, different settings.
NextGen Matters: different experiences. but one gospel. One team. and one mission. That's what real unity is. will look like. Key takeaway, here it is.
NextGen Matters: Relational unity. says, We belong. to each other. Missional unity says, We're moving. in the same direction together. And both are necessary.
NextGen Matters: for a healthy student. ministry. I got three simple calls to action. They're basically As follows. Take one step.
NextGen Matters: this week. toward relational unity. in your ministry. Maybe you'd go back. Listen to that part again or look at the transcript. for some suggestions or Better than that. Come up with better suggestions than I gave you.
NextGen Matters: but come up with one step. that you can do this week to build relational unity within your ministry.
NextGen Matters: Called action number two Take one step toward missional unity this week. be reinforcing that every school is a mission field. and every student.
NextGen Matters: is a missionary on that campus. So what can I do? to help our students. become missional in what they're doing this week.
NextGen Matters: And then. Take one step. towards school appreciation. Encourage their students I encourage your students to be thinking through what could you do to take just one simple step.
NextGen Matters: to be a champion of your school. Maybe that's offering to help around the office. It's cleaning up some of the lockers. He's doing something to help around the school, doing something.
NextGen Matters: to be a fan of the school to to value and affirm. Leadership. But they're not saved, Rich. Yes, and they need Jesus. And that's why we we're salt and light.
NextGen Matters: Getting our students to see. We can be champions of our school. We need to be relationally connecting. And we need... to be missionally focused together. Wow.
NextGen Matters: I hope you're fired up. I hope you're ready to go. Let's go, all right? Well, hey, thanks for joining me in the Next Gen Matters podcast. Remember, if today is ministered to you, Email me, richardnextgenmanage .com. Love to hear from you.
NextGen Matters: Drop a comment. In the. in the spotify or apple or even youtube comment section and also remember to share this with another friend. who needs to be encouraged.
NextGen Matters: to go further faster. for the sake of the gospel. Remember. Your leadership matters. because your ministry matters. because the gospel matters. Thanks for joining me on the Next Gen Matters podcast. Until next time.
NextGen Matters: We'll see you later.
