What We Are
Preparing the Next Generation of Leaders for the Church in Africa
The goals of the Next Gen Ministry are to, first, establish a rock-solid biblical, Christian worldview foundation for this next generation. Then equip them to answer questions asked of them about Christianity, God, the Bible, Jesus, the resurrection, the gospel to name a few. We customarily call this “apologetics,” or being ready to make a defense (1 Pet 3:15).
What does apologetics have to do with advancing the gospel and helping to strengthen churches spiritually?
The current church leadership in Africa, like the church in America, will rise or fall on the next generation. Africa is the youngest continent in the world. The median age is 18.8 years old, 60% are under 25 years of age, and they are very active on social media, unlike previous generations. As a result, the younger generation in Africa is beginning to ask the same questions about Christianity that American youth have been asking and the current church leadership is not prepared to answer them. Enter apologetics.
A few years ago, God prompted me to build an ITEM Next Generation Ministry on the foundation of apologetics. So, I am focusing on doing seminars to answer the questions Next Gen Africans are beginning to ask about Christianity, train pastors to answer the questions, and train young apologists to go on campuses and answer the questions students may have about Christianity.