Next Is Now: Engaging the Next Generation in Small Groups
Pastor Ken has been reminding us: "Next is Now." These three words should reshape how we think about the next generation in our small groups.
The next generation isn't waiting for permission or their turn to lead and serve. They're ready now. They're hungry for authentic community, desperate for meaningful purpose, and searching for places where their voices matter.
As small group leaders, we can either be bridges that connect generations or barriers that keep them apart. Our groups have the power to unleash the potential God has already placed in younger believers.
Five Practical Ways to Include the Next Generation
1. Extend Personal Invitations
Don't wait for young adults to find your group—go find them. Identify younger believers and personally invite them. Be specific: "I'd love for you to join us. We need your perspective."
2. Create Leadership Opportunities Immediately
Give them responsibilities from day one: lead a discussion question, share first in prayer requests, choose the next study topic, or coordinate a service project.
3. Adapt Your Format
Try round-table discussions, collaborative service projects, hybrid meetings (in-person and virtual), or interactive elements like journaling and discussion-based learning.
4. Leverage Their Skills
Let them manage group communications, create social media content, or use their digital skills to enhance your group's impact.
5. Make Space for Their Passions
Ask what issues keep them up at night—justice, mental health, creation care. Build studies and service projects around these Kingdom concerns.
Devotional: "A Generation That Will Seek Him"
Psalm 24:3-6
"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart... Such is the generation of those who seek him."
Reflection
The psalmist speaks of "a generation of those who seek Him." Not the previous generation. Not the next generation. A generation. Present tense. Now.
Throughout Scripture, God used the "next generation" in their present moment:
Samuel was a young boy when God first spoke to him
David was a teenager when Samuel anointed him
Josiah was eight when he became king and led reformation
Mary was likely a teenager when she said yes to bearing the Messiah
Timothy was young when Paul said, "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young"
The qualifications for ascending God's mountain aren't about age or experience—they're about the heart. A sixteen-year-old with a surrendered heart can ascend just as surely as a sixty-year-old.
When we embrace "Next is Now," generations don't compete—they collaborate. Older believers bring wisdom and perspective. Younger believers bring energy and fresh vision. Together, we become "a generation" that seeks God's face.
Prayer
"Lord, help us see that Your Kingdom needs every voice and every generation working together right now. Give us eyes to recognize the calling You've placed on younger believers. Help us build groups where all generations seek Your face together. In Jesus' name, amen."
The Challenge
"Next is Now" isn't a program for someday—it's a mindset for today. This week, take one step: invite someone younger, hand off a leadership opportunity, or ask a question and really listen.
The next generation isn't coming. They're already here. And they're ready to seek God's face alongside us.