Jake Mulder, PhD, is the assistant chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary, executive director for the non-degreed online Christian leader training platform FULLER Equip, and senior adviser for the Fuller Youth Institute and TENx10 Collaboration. Passionate about helping individuals and churches achieve their full potential, Jake is the coauthor of Growing Young, and recently coauthored, Future-Focused Church.
Dr. Mulder’s presentation at Young Adult LIFE Experience [YALX] gave emphasis to current realities in the Adventist Church and gave a call for young adults to lead us into our shared future. He encouraged emerging leaders in the importance of getting equipped to take on weight-bearing responsibilities in the local church. Jake admonished current Adventist leaders and administrators that it is a worthy risk to pour into young adults who may falter and at times fail, but it is a failing forward process worth experiencing together.
“YALX was such a refreshing space to connect with other leaders who care about young adults and the church,” lauded Geoff Starr, Young Adult Director, Georgia-Cumberland Conference. “I came away encouraged, full of ideas, and excited about what God is doing through emerging generations.”
The North American Division reports that 60-80% of Adventist churches have plateaued or are in decline. Revitalization is an earnest attempt to reverse these trends and see more of our congregations thriving with all generations growing together, exhibiting health and vitality.
Dr. Mulder was joined by Drs. Peter Cincala, Rogelio Paquini, and A Allan Martin in a panel discussion moderated by Julian Humphrey-Davis, Esq., discussing revitalization and practical steps YALX attendees could take to help local churches make a positive turnaround.
YALX, the panelists, Dr. Mulder, as well as his co-authors, hold to the belief that “the best days of the church are ahead.” As we collaborate across the generations and embody a Jesus model of Kingdom building, our relationships with each other and our world can truly make a powerful and profound impact.
FUTURE-FOCUSED VISION LAB
Throughout YALX, various breakout sessions gave emphasis to Leadership Impact, including Future-Focused Vision Lab which coincides with Dr. Mulder’s recently released book. In this interactive learning lab, participants engaged in a visioning process intended to clarify how to get one’s church from “here to there.” Dr. A Allan Martin facilitated the breakout and had participants role play with one another imagineering the future.
Navigating change is difficult, yet discipleship calls faithful visionaries to lead transformation, fostering vitality and growth. During the breakout, participants looked at some great examples, share resources, and got started in developing a vision for their own future-focused church.
“The Future-Focused Vision Lab was a practical, thought-provoking breakout that encouraged reflection and motivated participants to take action,” commended Dr. Ariel Manzueta, Secretariat for the Greater New York Conference. “Anyone seeking to meaningfully impact the future of their church should strongly consider this Biblically-grounded approach to dreaming dreams and envisioning visions. . . together.”
“I am a firm believer that the best days for the church are ahead of us, not behind us,” offered Christine Caine, Founder of A21 and Propel Women. “Future-Focused Church should be required reading for every pastor and leader. It provides the insights and practical tools needed to navigate through current realities and move into the hope-filled future that awaits. We have a generation to reach and a mandate to fulfill. This book shows us how.”
FORGING THE FUTURE AT YOUNGER GENERATION CHURCH
Younger Generation Church is the vibrant young adult ministry of the Arlington Seventh-day Adventist Church [Texas, USA]. At the end of each decade for our ministry, we invest ourselves in casting an ambitious, hope-filled vision for the next ten years. We are using Future-Focused Church as a field guide in our visioning process.
Thanks to the generosity of the Fuller Youth Institute, you can get a sneak peek into Future-Focused Church, downloading the first chapter for free. We are using the book with our church staff for professional ministry development. In YG, we held a sermon series based on the book to start the new year, and I recently took our Future-Focused Transformation Team to YALX, which was a huge blessing. At YALX, I beta-texted an intensive version of the Future-Focused Church Vision Lab which I had earlier enjoying going through with the co-authors and Fuller Youth Institute.
We’re still learning and growing, but on behalf of YG, I’m excited to offer you, your ministry, and your local church:
FOCUS ON THE FUTURE: THE BEST IS SET TO COME
In collaboration with Young Adult LIFE, we’re offering this intensive training where we at YG will share resources and experiences based on the visioning journey we have been on and the valuable insights found in Future-Focused Church. Hopefully it can support you, your leaders, and your local church envision GOD’s future for your faith community and help you take doable steps into making it a reality. We come at it with our contextualized understanding of Adventism and our shared realities, which we hope will increase the practical and relevant value of the intensive. If you’re merely curious <G>, DM me. If you want to have us come share with your team/church, DM me. And of course DM me with your questions. I along with our entire team at YG truly believe the Best is Set To Come!
— A Allan Martin, PhD, Teaching Pastor, Younger Generation Church
Upcoming posts will highlight other discipleship competencies emphasized at YALX as well as follow up resources to use in your ministry and local faith context.
Growing Together 