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David Hanley, founder of the band Press Play and worship pastor at New Hope Christian Fellowship, a Foursquare church in Simi Valley, Calif., believes that a lifestyle of worship is a calling for all of us. Worship is not mainly about leading from a platform, he says. It’s about leading people to Christ.
Through Foursquare maintaining amazing camping facilities, organizing retreats, and facilitating camps and getaways, room is made for thousands of people to encounter God. John Cox, NextGen coordinator for the Pacific Coast and Valleys District, recalls many instances of lives being changed at camp and explains how important it is for these to be remembered.
Tommy Green from Salt Lake City Foursquare Church in Utah reaches out to “hardcore” young people who are normally overlooked by the church. He insists they have a passion we need to recognize, and encourages leaders to look past the hairstyles and tattoos and see their hearts.
Recent high school graduate Dylan Haynes started a father/son basketball outreach with his dad when he was still in high school. The idea was simple: Every Tuesday night, he and other members from New Life Community Church in Manchester, N.H., would play basketball for a couple of hours with people from the community and develop relationships. The impact has been profound.
In the conclusion of our three-part series, Foursquare NextGen leaders discuss how parents and pastors can work together to create an environment for young people where they will feel safe and can explore their relationship with God.
Just in time for the new school year, Ignite Academy opened its doors at its new address in Christiansburg, Va., and became accredited as an extension campus of Life Pacific College, ensuring transferability of college credits to any college institution.
Studies show that teens are rejecting the church in droves. How can we turn this around before we lose the next generation? By approaching youth ministry with a new paradigm that is more holistic, say Foursquare NextGen leaders. As author Reggie Joiner notes, if we want to “experience a different outcome, we need to embrace a different strategy.”
The latest research reveals that most young people today are resistant to the church. It’s a disturbing trend, but Foursquare churches across the nation are tackling the issue head-on. It’s not too late, say Foursquare’s NextGen leaders, to develop a successful ministry that effectively reaches the “cradle to college” crowd.
Lynn Cooper, a Foursquare children’s pastor at Life (Decatur Foursquare Church) in Illinois, recounts the night she witnessed the pure faith of a child like never before. It’s the kind of faith, she says, that can move mountains, heal the sick, and love this world, and she prays for that kind of faith every day.
During a powerful worship art performance at Foursquare Connection 2011, teenager Tory Foster beautifully executed a dramatic painting of Jesus’ face while a worship song played. The audience was moved to tears. Tory says that the painting was her way of saying: “Thank You. I see, Jesus, what You did. I feel it.”