In this Episode:

1. Understand the different perspectives on missions and how we’re defining missions.

• Young leaders have different view than older generations. E.g. “Being a missionary is outdated” “Is missions even necessary?” “Should the west be doing missions?”
• Differing perspectives means different ways of decision-making which is not necessarily a right or wrong situation, it’s just culturally different.
• Younger generations make decisions more based through emotional processes like story-telling and experiences which help engage them more.
• Older more rational generation working with younger emotional generation can cause friction. A balance of both are needed.

2. Have older/more experienced leader mentoring to believe in, encourage, & walk beside younger generation.

• Help them process what they believe & apply all the information coming at them through the web as natural forms of mentorship are fading away.
• Churches can engage through actively seeking out mentor relationships where the older mentor engages in active listening & open questions as well as meeting practical needs.

3. Provide “On-Ramps”

• Help young people know “how” to be a goer or sender so they can get past decision-paralysis.
• Practical ways include doing research into opportunities that young people can engage with that suit their personality, gifting and training and then engaging with young people as to what this could look like for them.
• Help young people understand who they are through personality tests, gifting tests, etc. and how they fit into missions.

Last Word:

• Include young people in everything that you’re doing; intentionally invite them to be a part of the missions committee, part of leading programs & activities, to be a part of guiding decisions. Engagement from leaders is one of the things encouraging & retaining younger generations.
• Older generations need an attitude of humility as they engage with Millenials and Gen Z.