Reaching the Next Generation

by Conference Minister Ron Hamilton

The theme for this year’s annual meeting in Providence, Rhode Island is “For Every Generation.”

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (Psalm 33:11)

This conference will provide the opportunity to celebrate the foundation laid for the CCCC in past generations. Dr. Ed Stetzer, our featured speaker on Tuesday, will help us explore ways to minister effectively in this generation. Our Conference needs to face the challenge of welcoming the next generation of pastors and church members.

A recent survey of the breakdown of member ministers in the CCCC shows that 11% of the total member ministers are under age 40. This number is skewed a bit because we have many retired ministers who maintain membership in our fellowship but are not actively involved in pastoral ministry. However, it clearly points out a reality that there is much work to be done in reaching the next generation. The Conference has seen an influx of young church planters and young pastors who are interested in the work of church development that we are doing. I trust that this is the beginning of a movement in the CCCC.

The Conference has been intentional in including Millennials in our leadership. It is exciting to see these people grow in their ability to lead in many facets of our ministry. This year we are nominating two people under age 45 to serve as our President (Todd Venman) and Vice-President (Matt Milligan). Both Todd and Matt have been instrumental in the development of the vision that God has laid on our hearts in these days.

One of the Guiding Values adopted by the leadership of the Conference is “A Membership Reflective of the Harvest Field’s Diversity.” This value is focused on welcoming younger people as well as people who are ethnically diverse.  We are not alone in facing this challenge and we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest for young laborers to reach the next generation.

In his book, Lost and Found, Ed Stetzer points out four markers of young adult ministry:
●    Community — they sense a need to be involved in genuine relationships.
●    Depth — they’d rather be “in over their heads” in life as opposed to kicking around in the shallow end.
●    Responsibility — they know that their choices make a difference.
●    Connection — they want to learn from those who have experienced the things that they are about to face.

May the Lord give us the wisdom and courage to welcome the next generation into our fellowship in the coming days.