Experiencing Next Gen 10:2 and Humbly Seeking the Lord

By Kaedon Back

The Next Gen 10:2 Gathering was full of many different teachings, but my favorite by far was by Chris Pulice as he went over mapping and the 3:1:4:1 tool. These are all great tools that are taught through Encounters by the Church Development Network. During this time, I got to see different people of my age group stand up and share their goals. I got to see the maps of my peers across the country and how God was calling my generation to different areas in their communities. I appreciated seeing how this time and exercise opened the eyes of my peers to where they can serve within their communities.

During this gathering, I found the most beautiful part was the time in between worship where people shared their testimonies about this time together. Many of my peers would come forward — some crying — and explain how God was touching them. We got to hear how God was encouraging, answering prayers, and calling people deeper. This was a beautiful time and a reminder that God was moving around us.

Prayer and Commissioning

The gathering ended Saturday night with a time of prayer and commissioning. The superintendents of different conferences and bishops took the time to pray over us and anoint us for the mission God has for us.

This was one of the most touching moments for me. It was beautiful to see our Free Methodist Church leadership humbly take the time to love us, pray over us, and bless us.

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 “We got to hear how God was encouraging, answering prayers, and calling people deeper. This was a beautiful time and a reminder that God was moving around us.”

There is no doubt in my mind that God moved within many, and He used this gathering for His glory.

Entering With Uncertainty

There were also some concerns I had. Going into the gathering, I did not know what to expect, and I found I was not the only one. I heard from other people who didn’t understand why they were selected or lacked clarity regarding what the gathering would be about.

For the most part, an event like this will either be empowering or equipping. Empowering is focused on encouraging, building up, time meeting with the Lord, and reminding people they can do greater things through Christ than they believe. Equipping is focused on giving tools and direction to each person. Both of these are good, but it is important to understand which one you are focused on and to have clarity to hit your target.

I had felt, because the gathering was invitation-only and named 10:2 (for Luke 10:2), that it would be primarily focused on equipping, but the great teachings and times of worship focused more on empowering.

Learning From Peers

The gathering included a panel made up of different Gen Z leaders within the FMC. They took the time to explain their point of view about The Free Methodist Way. I understand and see the benefits of getting a peer point of view.

In the future, similar panels could include a conversation with experts such as the bishops. It is easier to see a full picture of something with both sides — experts and novices. Hearing from both experts and novices is also a beautiful way to bridge the gap between generations and to create greater unity.

I heard a story from one of my peers that I want to share. During a time of mapping through CDN, a young lady explained some of her own story. She was going to college with many spiritually hungry college students on her campus but with no church nearby. She wanted to start a church and saw a big opportunity, but was told no by her home conference.

When God is clearly moving in people’s hearts, we need to help them. We need to guide them and say something. We need to make sure we don’t put requirements on serving Christ that God never put. We need to be careful we don’t begin to hinder the growth of the kingdom of God.

Our Pride or God’s Kingdom?

I want to end with a warning to my generation. We have been very blessed to have a denomination that believes in us and gives us opportunities to share our perspective. The number of people who are taking the time to build into my generation is humbling and amazing.

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 “We need to make sure we don’t put requirements on serving Christ that God never put. We need to be careful we don’t begin to hinder the growth of the kingdom of God.”

This is a good thing, but we must be careful, as the devil will try to twist a good thing. We must be careful to remember that while the generations before us intentionally invest and mobilize us, we aren’t better than others. Those thoughts can easily creep in.

Every single one of us has a desire to do something that matters and to get praise. Are these things of more importance to us than Jesus? Are we seeking to build our own empires to get noticed or praised?

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 “We must be careful to remember that while the generations before us intentionally invest and mobilize us, we aren’t better than others.”

We must humbly seek the Lord first and follow obediently wherever He calls us. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall” (NLT). This is a serious warning for all of us. If we live a life of pride and focus on getting praise and recognition over being obedient to Christ, we will fall. Seek God and His kingdom first, and be willing to go wherever He may take you.
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