Is Gen Z Ready for Serious Missions?

Stephanie Maher • Aug 13, 2018

Have you ever been fearful about the future of missions? Anxiously wondered if these next generations will carry on the vision God has so clearly given?

We all know those worries and fears need to be given over the Jesus, to acknowledge that the work is being done by the Holy Spirit and we aren’t in control. But sometimes it’s helpful to be encouraged in our doubts and questions. It helps us refute the lies of the enemy, and it allows us to participate in God’s work with this next generation through prayer and mentoring.

I serve as a missions coach with TEAM , where I have the wonderful privilege of getting to know students and young adults. My team and I are so excited about who these men and women are and how they approach engagement with missions! And today, I want to share a few of the missional traits we see in the next generation.

Radical Obedience

People may have their own biases against younger generations. But as a missions coach, I meet students all the time who show incredible commitment, grit and a single-minded vision in serving God. Bruce is a great example.

As a high schooler, Bruce* had dreams of engineering. But in high school, his youth group held an event for fasting and prayer for the poor and marginalized. During that time, God clearly called Bruce to put aside his personal ambitions, study agriculture and become a missionary.

At 21, Bruce contacted TEAM about serving mid-term, using agriculture as a platform for ministry. But we challenged him to pray about committing long term. And soon, Bruce was preparing for a long-term position!

Intentional Living

In your late teens and early 20s, it’s easy to feel like you have endless time to figure out life. And it’s common to think that you should have your fun before settling into responsibilities. But I am often inspired by how intentional today’s students are with their time.

One of our mobilizers recently met a young couple while visiting national missionaries in South Asia. Hari and Priya have already committed to doing what they can to spread the Gospel in their country. They work with a local missions organization that focuses on university students, and they open their home to disciple believers and unbelievers alike.

Here in the States, young people are investing in God’s kingdom by working with refugees and immigrants , choosing to live in parts of town with unreached people groups, and engaging with non-English church plants. They are making choices to intentionally live missionally and it is having a great impact for the Kingdom!

Strategic and Discerning

Generation Z

Before they commit to long-term missions, Gen Z-ers are traveling all around the world via short-term trips to learn more about cultures — and themselves.

Anna is a Spanish major with a passion for mentoring young people. So, she decided to spend her summer seeing if those things would combine well for long-term missions in Spain. This summer, she flew there, to help start a new summer camp at a local sports club.

Gabrielle hopes to serve as a long-term missionary in the Middle East. So, a few days after her high school graduation, she left to work at a refugee camp in Athens. She hoped the trip would give her clarity about her call. After the trip, Gabrielle plans to study linguistics in college before returning to the mission field.

Each of these women has clear gifts and passions. But they aren’t jumping headlong into ministry. Like many of their peers, they’re looking for the best fit on the mission field. And they’re serving short-term so they can better prepare for long-term service.

Kingdom-Focused

Pete and Joe both picked majors that could one day give them a good living. For Pete, it’s engineering, and Joe is studying agriculture. But neither one seems too interested in living the American dream. Instead, they’re looking for ways to holistically serve the body of Christ .

Joe is looking into creation care and how he can teach sustainable farming practices. Meanwhile, Pete’s working on a well-digging project in Chad.

It’s inspiring to see talented young people use their skills for ministry — especially when those skills are in rare supply. But this generation is full of Christians ready to do so.

Boldly Passionate

In case it’s not abundantly clear by this point, this generation is passionate and confident about walking through the doors God opens to them. Let me share just one more example: Jane and Mike.

These young adults took a Perspectives on World Missions class and decided to research an Indian subgroup with a large population in their area. Now, they’re realizing they have a lot of friends and connections from this unreached subgroup. But they didn’t want to keep their mission to themselves — so they encouraged their church to engage in reaching this group, too.

Jane and Mike are young, but they are using their passion to influence an older church to think outside the box and engage this people group right on their doorstep.

A Generation Ready for Missions

There are so many other traits I could share about today’s students — like their teachability and willingness to engage those who think differently without fear.

There is no doubt in my mind that many in the younger generations are willing to boldly and passionately live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ and dedicate their lives to see His reign established in the hearts of all peoples! Ask some students and young adults at your church about missions and their hearts for the nations. I hope you will find what we have and be encouraged.

*All names have been changed to protect students’ privacy.

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
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