Overview
Next Gen 360 exist for the purpose of serving, loving, and leading young people to a truth that will transform their lives…THE truth that will lead them into growing relationships with Jesus Christ and fuel a lifetime of fulfilling mission in the service of the King.
Next Gen 360 seeks to shepherd young hearts to enjoy a BIG GOD, to embrace his BIG PURPOSE for their lives in faith, and to urge them to do BIG THINGS for His honor and glory.
The purpose of this curriculum is to empower youth pastors, student ministry leaders, and students with the tools necessary to be disciples who make disciple-makers. Next Gen 360 sets out to tell the story of God and his grand plan for all mankind to reveal Himself and his glory. We tell this story in four stages…
Next Gen 360 sets out to answer life’s most fundamental questions…
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- Who am I and why am I here?
- What went wrong with the world?
- What is God’s plan to make it right?
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Target Audience
The targeted aim of the Next Gen 360 strategy is students ages 16-24 who feel a stirring in their souls for something that goes against the grain of current popular culture…namely a truth that transforms lives. Furthermore, we are seeking to invest in students who desire answers to life’s most critical questions and are looking to break away from the man-centered, godless ideology that is crippling the world in which we live.
Practical Strategy
Next Gen 360 employs a 3-phase approach to train, equip and mobilize the next generation to embrace God’s lofty calling on their lives to make disciples who make disciples. Our aim is three-fold:
- Inform…Next Gen 360 is guided by the philosophy that truth informs feelings and feelings mobilize actions. While merely addressing truth would fall short of impacting the whole person, it is our hope that beginning with truth will lay the necessary foundations that will produce a lifetime of faithful disciple making in students and leaders alike.
- Engage…Next Gen 360 provides a safe space for students to engage with difficult truths, question without judgement, and acknowledge and work through the feelings of the heart that they might grow into all that God has for them, embracing affections that honor Christ and propelling them forward to live lives of deep and committed faith.
- Empower…Next Gen 360 seeks to mobilize students to embrace the calling that God has placed on their lives by making truth practical, engaging, and active. Each lesson sets out to move each student to practical action in engaging with the calling that God has placed on their lives to make disciples.
As we meaningfully engage this three-tiered approach, it is our hope that each student will come full circle to embrace the truth that transforms, love the God of all truth and delight in his way, and embrace the lifelong calling to make disciple-makers.
Scope and Sequence
Phase 1…We will gather once per month starting with a three day kick off retreat in month 1. Each successive month’s gathering will be four hours in length and will include, teaching/facilitation, small group activities, lunch, and worship. Our discussion topics will be as follows:
Month 1…Introduction to God
Month 2…Worldview(part 1)
Month 3…Worldview(part 2)
Month 4…Relational Reconciliation
Month 5…Spiritual Warfare
Month 6…God’s Word
Month 7…Fear and Deception
Month 8…Identity(part 1): Idolatry/False Identities
Month 9…Identity(part2): God’s Intended Design
Month 10…My Goals vs. God’s Goals
Month 11…The Cost of Fellowship
Month 12…The Great CO-mission
Phase 2…We will move from group discussion to individual mentorship(one on one/couple on couple for those who are married) for those who aspire to greater growth and seek to take another step in being disciple-makers. Phase two will encompass 16 lessons(four modules with 4 lessons in each module). Each lesson will involve rich self-guided teaching, dynamic video content, and engaging activities. During this phase, each student will meet with their mentor once per week to discuss their previous week’s lesson and engage with their truth in action activity. Phase two is meant to be completed in no less that four months but may take more time depending on the rate of progress through the curriculum.
Phase 3…This will be a repeat of phase one with the goal of having each of our year-two mentees step into the leadership cohorts and be utilized to facilitate group discussion with their respective groups. Having experienced the truth that transforms, these students will be well equipped to lead their peers on a journey of Biblical discovery and gospel growth. The goals and trajectory of phase three will mirror phase one with the hopes that those students who have been discipled in phase two will be prepared to disciple theirs peers coming out of phase one who, like them, are yearning for a deeper level of engagement. The ultimate aim at the end of phase three is that we would see students discipling students.
Conclusion
Next Gen 360 is an experiential journey of truth in discovery and practical engagement in the disciple-making process. We firmly believe that addressing the whole person takes time and requires incremental movement and careful shepherding. It is our sincere hope that upon walking the path of this three-phase experiential journey, that each student and leader will be well equipped to make disciples who make disciples.