by Jon Konnerup
T his is a question often asked by today’s Christian young people when brought face to face with the need to carry the gospel to the regions beyond us. If we can answer this question, we’ve got their attention.
As in all organizations, BBFI missionaries are aging, and the key to future growth is to be found among the youth in our churches. If we are going to effectively answer their question, we must understand them, encourage them, and equip them.
Students today are different. Their world is different. In the past, the mentality was “do one thing and do it well.” Today they may have three or more different careers before they retire. One might be an accountant for a few years, and then a missionary possibly for six years, and then end up starting his own business back home. This generation is also very relationship oriented and likes to be a part of a team. They look for advice and seek adult direction for service in the world. They listen to adults whose lives they respect, who admit their failures, who tell the truth, and who treat them with sincerity. They respond better when confronted with truth and challenged radically to make a difference.
Given these characteristics, we must encourage them to integrate missions into the world in which they already live; they don’t have to wait until they are approved missionaries. We must encourage our student ministry pastors to mobilize this generation in ministries through their churches today. Today’s students appreciate mentors who are veteran missionaries. The older generations have the information as to what problems to watch for and the new generations have the creative ideas to get the job done. The older generations have an abundance of wisdom and experience from which the younger generations need to draw.
Equipping the next generation to carry out the Great Commission is also vital. This equipping extends beyond their formal training; it begins at home and their local church. Practical equipping can be anything from teaching them not to get caught up in materialism and heavy debt (which many times keeps them from ever making it to the mission field) to responsible use of technology.
So how do we answer their question? For starters, we need to live the answer. We need to be convinced that missions and reaching people for Christ is worth our time. We need to go from a “me-centered” mentality to the “we’ve a story to tell to the nations” mentality.
These younger generations want to be shown how to make a difference, not just that there is a need. They need a sense of direction to channel their strategies and efforts. All this said, we must work together to fulfill the Great Commission, and it can be done through the churches of the BBFI. Are we up to the challenge?