The GenSend Podcast

According to Lifeway Research, many young adults drop out of church attendance between 18 and 22. Paul, Shane and Lacey discuss the critical gaps in student ministry and share insights on how church leaders and parents can actively participate in helping students navigate these transitions successfully. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: The four gaps for students between middle and high school. How to encourage students during life’s toughest challenges. Addressing the gaps proactively. Extending care for students beyond graduation Sunday. Balancing seeker-sensitive approaches with deep discipleship. Helpful Resources: Addressing the four major gaps in student ministry by Shane Pruitt Article Next Gen leader: It’s time for mental health to be a part of student ministry by Shane Pruitt Article America Has Reached Peak Therapy. Why Is Our Mental Health Getting Worse? TIME Article MinistrySafe One Big Happy Home Falls Creek Next Chapter The Oaks Retreat We want to hear how you’re addressing the GAPs in your ministry. Email us at evangelism@namb.net. Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Shareable Quotes: “I don’t know if I love the term seeker sensitive because of how it’s been used in the past. But I do think it’s good to have a fun, welcoming, excellent environment or environments that new non-Christian students can come and attend. The gospel makes sense to them. They’re welcome. It’s fun, exciting. I’m a big fan of all that stuff.” @PaulWorcester “If you remove one of them [seeker-sensitive and deep discipleship], in a sense, the train falls off the track. So, there’s got to be a come and see, go and tell.”  @shane_pruitt78 “We need to be as teachers and communicators and worship leaders filled with the spirit ourselves and able to respond to that—but also fostering an environment where, hey, if you’re coming, if you’re checking out this event, get ready to encounter God. And that comes with teaching God’s Word in a clear, authoritative and even bold way.” @PaulWorcester “If you’re in a crowd, and it doesn’t matter if the crowd is 12 or 1200, you’re typically going to have four types of people in that crowd. And I think as communicators, as leaders, we always have to be aware of all four. And maybe even ask ourselves, how am I addressing all four of these people?” @shane_pruitt78 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is it possible for collegiate and youth leaders to create a thriving culture of committed volunteers? Hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey discuss the significance of building and maintaining strong volunteer leadership teams, emphasizing the importance of casting a compelling vision, training leaders for a lifetime of ministry and creating a culture of commitment and care. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How casting a vision of evangelism, discipleship and meaningful service can inspire students and volunteers. Viewing training opportunities differently to help raise a generation of influential disciple makers and missionaries. Strategic accountability and how it fosters a sense of purpose among volunteers. How prayer encourages leaders in raising laborers that yield impactful results. Ways in which gratitude can lead to organic growth as existing leaders become advocates for ministry. Helpful Resources: “CP Stage: Shepherding the Revival Generation” “Practical Ideas for Leading Your Core Team” “Qualities for Ministry Leadership” Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org.  Subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes: “One thing we’ve got to realize as leaders is Generation Z—young adults, college students, teenagers—they want more out of church than just going to potluck dinners. You know what I mean? They want more out of church than even just listening to us preach.” @shane_pruitt78 “When you want to build a student leadership team, lead with vision, not just with expectations…” @PaulWorcester “Don’t make people feel guilty if they don’t want to step into leadership, but make it available to the ones with potential.” – @PaulWorcester “Ask the Lord of the harvest to call out and raise up laborers for the harvest because it’s His harvest; it’s His laborers; it’s His message; it’s His mission field; it’s His bride. So, we need to go to Him first.” – @shane_pruitt78 “Take really good care of the ones you have, and then they’ll spread the word as well.” – @shane_pruitt78 “You can’t use people. You have to love people, invest in people.” – @PaulWorcester “It’s about people that are going to be impacted. It starts with the leaders. It starts with us investing in leaders.” – @PaulWorcester Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

How do you lead women called to serve in ministry? Hosts Paul, Shane and Lacey talk to Catherine Renfro about the challenges and opportunities faced by women responding to the call of ministry and how they can be effectively led and nurtured in their journey. In This Episode, You’ll Discover: How to recognize and affirm a calling. The significance of investing time and effort into personal discipleship for aspiring female ministry leaders. The internal struggles often faced by women called to ministry and how to encourage them. How to empower women in ministry and how to foster growth and confidence. What steps to take and how to navigate the journey toward working in ministry. Helpful Resources: Shane Pruitt and Scott Pace’s book: Calling Out the Called Interested in learning more? Check out our GenSend Webinar: Calling Out the Called. Are you ready to discover more about Understanding a Calling to Ministry? SBCCalled has information, resources and training for high school and college students called to ministry. Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at GenSend.org. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave a rating and review on iTunes. Sharable Quotes: “God put so many leaders in my life that just believed in me and saw something in me before I even saw it in myself. And I think some of the most helpful things those leaders did was invest time in me.” – @CatherineRenfro “There’s a whole bunch of young women in the ministry that want to be discipled, need help and need a solid leader. And the harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. And there’s a lot of ministries I could place if I had 100 women that wanted to join college ministry staffs, I could go place them all right now.” @PaulWorcester “We truly believe God never stopped calling people to ministry leadership. For the most part, us as leaders stopped asking a whole generation to consider if God’s calling them the ministry leadership. So, I think now that we’re asking again, people are saying, ‘Yes, I believe that’s what God’s calling me to do.’”  @shane_pruitt78 “I think I know the way the Lord is calling me. I think I know what he wants me to do, but I trust that no matter what, He’s just going to direct my steps, and He is going to open the doors along the way. And all I knew is serve where I could in the church.” @CatherineRenfro “There’re opportunities out there that you can just take and explore those options. So, I encourage people to take a more of a broader faith-based risk—take a risk for the kingdom and step out in faith and see what opportunities the Lord provides.” @PaulWorcester “What we need to do is to help them have very real, very deep spiritual disciplines because we’re going to be at our best when we serve and lead and teach out of the overflow of our own with Jesus.”  @shane_pruitt78 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.