A Discussion About Next Gen Leadership

KEY THOUGHT: Discipleship is not about growing a big church. It is about growing big people!

The generational trends says that Millennials are biblically illiterate, but they are passionate about learning. This generation is passionate about acquiring new knowledge and a desire to learn things at a deep level rather than skimming the top of issues. The challenge in discipling this generation is to build depth in a shallow culture. Teaching at them will not work. Go to where they are – that will work! Understand their emptiness is a result from a secularized materialistic world. This has led to a hunger for more and many are unable to go further than a search for experiences.

So, what are practical strategies and approaches for this generation? Start with the leaders heart by being a Shepherd and not a star. Everything about the pastoral role is about leading with a shepherds heart. The Shepherd exists for the sheep; the sheep do not exist for the Shepherd.

Our discipleship strategy must go deeper than what we currently offer. Our prevailing culture is that we are image-driven. The culture has neglected the inner voice that cries for more. As leaders you must be aware of what you are doing to attract people. That will be the thing that you must do to retain people.

We must provide Bible teaching and doctrinal studies. It may seem overly simplistic, but we must face the fact there is a generation that is not grounded with common bible knowledge. There is a fundamental need to teach bible basics and fundamental doctrine. In a superficial culture, depth is attractive!

Provide content driven courses and lessons to help them learn. This generation has a tremendous appetite for learning. Why not make the church the center of that learning journey?