Bob's Blog

I've been on the road the past two weeks so I'm trying to catch up with my post. The first week, I was at the Momentum Conference in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. I oversaw the Fusion ministry which covers ages 18-25. I loved the time with the students and I enjoyed hanging out with friends from all over the country. I will probably remember this conference for a long time. We had an amazing week and a great opportunity in serving others. The Gulfport region is still feeling the devastation brought on by hurricane Katrina. It amazes me to think that after two years it seems that almost nothing has been done for those who still live in homes without electricity or running water. Many residence from the areas of Gulfport and Perlington have told us that if it wasn't for churches and Christian organizations, they would all be but forgotten. I was reminded again about how this Millennial generation loves to serve. On one of the days that we were helping to prep a house for painting, one of the college students remarked that she didn't think she could do conference the same way again. I asked her what she meant and she replied,"This is why I came to conference this year. I came to help others and share the love of Jesus through my serving." Lives were changed and I know God was pleased.

We had a great time at Equip as well. I had the opportunity to host a college round table that took place at CE National Russell Center. There were over 15 who participated and if we counted those who came to the college ministry round table's at Momentum, we had over 30 people who came to find out more about college ministries. I am convinced that there is a need among the FGBC's and other churches across our country in understanding how to reach and keep this Millennial generation. The two questions I consistently hear from lay leaders, pastors, and parents are these; how do we keep our young people from leaving the church and how do we reach this generation for Jesus. We not only need to bring these questions to a national level (Equip, Focus Retreat, ministerium, etc...) but to come before God and seek His answers in bringing the Gospel to the next generation. There are many groups who are starting to take the lead in this area. Chuck Bomar, a good friend and a speaker at the Fusion Power Trax at Momentum, is one of those who God is giving a voice to help churches reach this generation. He's the college pastor at Cornerstone Simi and has started a ministry called collegeleader. Check out his website at www.collegeleader.org. CE National is hosting a summit for about 12-15 college leaders from a cross section of our nation this October. Some of the most influential churches will be a part of this gathering called Summit on Emerging Adults.

There are many great things God is doing and choosing to do it through young people. We'll be sharing on future posts how some churches are reaching and keeping this 18-25 age group and how you can start to do the same.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 6, 2007 at 9:13 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.