THE MILLENNIAL OPPORTUNITY Finding the Connection from Sunday to Monday
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Millennials Calling: Helping the Largest Living Generation Find their Place Copyright © 2019 by Paul Sohn and Derek Bell Exponential is a growing movement of activists committed to the multiplication of healthy new churches. Exponential Resources spotlights actionable principles, ideas and solutions for the accelerated multiplication of healthy, reproducing faith communities. For more information, visit exponential.org. The vision of Made for More is to see every Christian mobilized into their unique, God-given purpose and for healthy biblical mobilization to become a normative measure of success in the Church. We are passionate about seeing a movement of everyday Christians mobilized into their unique personal callings in the mission fields where they work, live, study and play. Find out more at www.personalcalling.org. Leadership Network has been a trusted resource for leaders of some of the world’s largest, fastest-growing churches since 1984. Leadership Network provides you and your team with connections to peers, access to leaders, and an introduction to tools and processes that will propel you beyond your greatest strategic challenges. Learn more at leadnet.org. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including icons and images, may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from copyright holder, except where noted in the text and in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. This book is manufactured in the United States. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author. Scriptures marked ESV used with permission by Crossway. The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ISBN-13: 978-1-62424-025-6 Edited by Lindy Lowry Cover design by Jarrid Wilson Interior design by Harrington Interactive Media FOREWORD illennials Calling is the first eBook to be released jointly Mby Exponential, Leadership Network, and the new ministry, Made for More. I believe this is one of the most important books we’ve had the privilege of stewarding. The idea of helping the largest living generation find their unique place is vitally important to the future of the church, if we approach it the right way and with the right motives. At Exponential, we’ve seen the vital importance and need to elevate the conversation around calling among members of the body of Christ. Our vision is that the new Made for More ministry and its resources will help inspire, encourage, and equip church leaders to see the unique giftings and callings of God’s people differently. Instead of a volunteer-centric, “we can do it, you can help” approach to mobilization, Millennials are looking for a missionary-centric, “you can do it, how can we help” approach from the church. Millennials are sensitive to being manipulated as pawns by the institutional machine. Instead of feeling used, they want to be valued for their unique contribution and role. Previous generations need to celebrate and embrace this amazing opportunity to equip the next generation to find their unique place. That’s where this new book Millennials Calling fits so nicely. So where did we start? By finding the right leaders to speak into this important topic. God put Paul Sohn and Derek Bell directly in our path. 4 Paul Sohn is a young leader truly making a difference among his Millennial peers. He started QARA, a dynamic organization to help Millennials discover their true identity and calling—to become empowered to live every day to the fullest. Paul is also the author of Quarter-Life Calling: Pursuing Your God-Given Purpose in Your Twenties. Derek Bell and I had the privilege of serving Bob Buford together for almost ten years. In that decade, I had the great opportunity to witness Derek’s passion for equipping men and women to walk into their Ephesians 2:10 calling. His passion and gifting are so aligned with the Made for More vision that we tapped Derek to help us launch the organization and serve as Executive Director of Made for More. Throughout the pages of Millennials Calling, Paul and Derek speak from experience and great passion. Their ideas are simple yet profound. I hope you’ll process these ideas both prayerfully and strategically as a means to helping the largest living generation become more effective disciple-makers as they live within the sweet spot of their unique personal calling. Todd Wilson CEO, Exponential Co-founder, Made for More Co-founder, The Buford Library 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS If I (Derek) have done anything good for the Kingdom, it is because of the love and discipleship of my Mom and Dad and the partnership in marriage and ministry of Jennifer, my wife. Thank you to Macy, Parker and Grayson for being my three favorite people on the planet. When it comes to walking into calling, two men who are both in the presence of their Savior shaped me greatly--Bob Buford and Greg Murtha. Bob and Greg finished well as good and faithful servants. Thank you for doing life with me. I look forward to being back alongside you again someday. I (Paul) am deeply indebted to my mom and dad who have been instrumental in helping live out my calling. Without their ceaseless prayer, unwavering support, and godly wisdom, I would not be who I am today. Their lives are a perfect reminder that living out one’s calling starts and ends with an intimate relationship with Caller. 6 SPECIAL INVITATION Please consider attending one of our Exponential 2019 conferences. Exponential’s goal is to help shape your paradigm for multiplication, inspire and encourage you to multiply, and equip you to turn ideas into action. 2019 Theme: Made for More: Mobilizing God’s People, God’s Way Locations and dates: Exponential 2019 is our national event, which includes thousands of church multiplication leaders, 150+ Nationally known speakers (including J.D. Greear, Dave Ferguson, Alan Hirsch, Cynthia Marshall and Albert Tate), 200+ Workshops and 15 pre-conference sessions. 2019 National Event March 4 – 7, 2019 Orlando, FL Our Exponential regional events are shorter and geographically based (translating to lower overall costs for large teams). Regionals bring the full “punch” of the national conferences’ five main stage sessions without the breakout workshops. 2019 Regional Events Boise ID, Washington DC, Southern CA, Bay Area CA, Chicago IL, Houston TX, and New York City, NY 9 For more information, please go to exponential.org/events. MADE FOR MORE RESOURCES For information about the 2019 Made for More theme and other FREE Made for More Resources, please visit our Made for More Resource Page. 10 INSIDE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 CALLING IN CONTEXT Building a Foundation of Discipleship CHAPTER 2 GETTING PERSPECTIVE Understanding the Largest Living Generation CHAPTER 3 THE MILLENNIAL OPPORTUNITY Finding the connection from Sunday to Monday CHAPTER 4 DISCOVERING IDENTITY Helping Millennials Understand Whose They Are CHAPTER 5 COACHING IDEAS Discovering 3 Powerful Coaching Ideas APPENDIX ENDNOTES ABOUT THE AUTHORS INTRODUCTION A tidal wave of epic proportions. We believe that’s the great opportunity we could witness if today’s Millennial generation discovered and engaged in their Kingdom calling. And we have the numbers to back up our vision. According to the Pew Research Center, the Millennial generation (roughly born between 1980 and 2000) will be the largest living generation in the United States in 2019. Research indicates Millennials and Baby Boomers will cross paths in population numbers somewhere between 72 million and 73 million, making it the most influential living generation in the word. Millennials represent 80 million strong. By 2020, they will take over 75 percent of the workforce.1 And their influence goes beyond sheer numbers. Consider this. In 2013, U.S. Millennials spent $1.3 trillion and will spend more than any other generation by 2017 as they continue to enter the beginning and middle stages of their earning years.2. 15 Millenials Calling A God-Breathed Vision Since the launch of my book Quarter-Life Calling,3 I (Paul) have had the opportunity to give hundreds of talks to Millennials, spanning from Asia to Central and North America. During my countless coaching and dialogue with Millennials, one unanswered, deep-seated question always came up: Why am I here? Mark Twain is correct: “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” The latter part of that statement has become the centerpiece of my (Paul’s) life calling. That is, to help others discover their why through their calling. I have witnessed the potency of the lives of Millennials who have embraced their calling. In a world where many suffer from Obsessive Comparison Disorder (OCD), Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), anxiety, panic attacks and depression, Millennials who have established a clear understanding of who they are and what they are called to do appear uncannily countercultural and different. They seem to have an overwhelmingly high sense of confidence, self-esteem, joy and peace in their lives. They truly seem to be living in their sweet spot. God ignited a vision in my life. I wondered what would happen if: More Millennials could discover their true identity in Christ? More Millennials stopped comparing themselves to others and embraced their God-given identity? More Millennials redefine their standards of success from one that is of the world to one that of the Kingdom? 16 Introduction More Millennials relentlessly lived out their calling? I’m convinced the world would be a different place.