GrowLeader Podcast Episode 70: “Reaching & Discipling the Next Generation”

Host: Pastor Chris Hodges (PC)
Guests: Mark Pettus & Bubba Massey
Date: February 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode focuses on practical strategies and deep insights for reaching and discipling the next generation—specifically high school and college students. Pastor Chris Hodges is joined by Mark Pettus (father of the influential Motion Movement) and Bubba Massey (Tuscaloosa campus pastor and college ministry leader) to discuss the evolving landscape of youth ministry post-pandemic, the hunger among young people for real and deep faith, and the practical steps churches can take to grow vibrant student ministries. The conversation is both inspirational and packed with actionable tips for church leaders.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spiritual Hunger and Changing Culture Among Students

• Post-Covid Spiritual Reawakening: There's a clear move of God among students, with evidence such as increased in-person Bible engagement and a desire for deep spiritual experiences.
  • Quote: “They're not just asking, they're showing with their Bible being like, can you help me understand this verse more? And so there is such a hunger.” (Bubba Massey, 00:00)
• Preference for In-Person, Authentic Experiences: College students favor physical Bibles, note-taking, and authentic community over digital interactions.
  • “We can't get them to be digital in church. It's so interesting. We're watching them with like, it's paper Bibles. It is Notes… they're hungry for the Word.” (Bubba Massey, 08:12)

2. Practical Models for Student Ministry

• Multi-Environment Approach:

  • Monthly large evangelistic “Motion Nights.”
  • Regular mid-sized meetings for discipleship and connection.
  • Weekly small groups fostering deeper relationships.
  • Integration of students into broader church life (e.g., serving on Sundays).
    • “When you hit all those different environments, what you're doing is seeing students go through a journey of growth, getting planted…” (Mark Pettis, 10:39)

• Consistency and Local Leadership:

  • Having dedicated student pastors at each campus for ongoing, personal ministry, not just big gatherings.
    • “We went and hired, you know, student pastors at every location… Now we're not just having big gatherings, but pastoring and discipling…” (PC, 10:58)

• Importance of Consistent Rhythm:

  • Students and parents appreciate knowing what to expect, fostering security and engagement.
    • “The consistency of our schedule... is a massive, massive thing that we're seeing happen right now.” (Mark Pettis, 12:02)

3. Empowerment and Discipleship

• Early Activation:

  • Students are not the “next generation” but the “now generation.” Leadership, purpose, and service begin early.
    • “They're not the next generation, they're the now generation. And so we let them on the stage leading worship. We put them behind cameras.” (PC, 13:10)

• Challenging Beyond ‘Fun’:

  • Inviting students into challenging, mission-driven faith, not just entertainment.
    • “Give them something bigger than that sin. Give them something bigger than the party… Let them live their faith in motion now.” (Mark Pettis, 14:40)

• Mission Trips and Ownership:

  • Experiences like missions (even smuggling Bibles in the past!) foster maturity and spiritual hunger.
  • Creating environments where students say: “This is my ministry to be a part of.” (Bubba Massey, 15:09)

4. Distinctives of College Ministry

• Relational Community:

  • College ministry modeled as family, with pastors and mentors filling in for absent parents.
    • “What's different about college world too is that you're leaving your family... So for us, they find mentors, they find parents, they find families.” (Bubba Massey, 15:48)

• Deep Theological Engagement:

  • College students are looking for real answers to tough questions—“from PE to physics” in terms of depth.
    • “College students are coming, asking some deep theological questions. And they're not just asking, they're showing with their Bible being like, can you help me understand this verse more?” (Bubba Massey, 16:56)

• Discipleship Beyond Services:

  • The most significant growth often comes in informal gatherings—homes, meals, authentic confession.
    • “Thank God for the meeting. But... I hear more about the gatherings that happen in your home and the way you've discipled students…” (PC, 18:43)

• Confession and Intergenerational Mentoring:

  • High value on authentic confession and connection with older believers (see James 5:16 model).
    • “If you're having that moment and you look to your say, turn to your neighbor and tell them one area of your life that you're really struggling, they'll lean into it.” (Bubba Massey, 21:48)
    • “It's a great way not only to build solid ministry but also to involve the people in your church.” (PC, 22:37)

5. Best Practices and Action Steps for Leaders

• Integrate, Don’t Outsource:

  • Student ministry must be fully woven into the local church, not relegated as a side program.
    • “Don't put high school ministry almost like a para ministry in a box, separate from you... Integrate every way you can.” (Mark Pettis, 25:59)

• Personal Invitation and Unleashing Students:

  • Simply inviting young people to more involvement and trusting them with responsibility is key.
    • “Just ask every student, anybody that's in the building... tell them what to do and... unleash them.” (Bubba Massey, 26:33)

• Senior Leaders' Role:

  • The primary move that grows churches is the investment of time and faith by lead pastors in young people.
    • “Pour your life into young people and you will be so grateful a couple of decades later.” (PC, 27:39)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Student Hunger Post-Covid:
  “We saw students wanted to beat the doors down. They were like, don't stop. Don't stop. This meeting... They're hungry for the Word is something real.”
  —Bubba Massey [08:12]

• On Calling Young People to Ministry:
  “Every time you come down, you call them into ministry and how many students, whether it's accounting again, finance... they feel like I'm leaving here, going in to ministry in my life.”
  —Bubba Massey [18:46]

• On the Need for Challenging Ministry:
  “I think there's a thrill and there's something, you know, exciting about serving God. Absolutely. And … the more I pushed them toward godly things and trips and missions and warfare, prayer... that replaced that adrenaline they were getting from, you know, impure things on Friday and Saturday nights.”
  —Pastor Chris [14:07]

• On the Power of Confession and Honest Relationships:
  “There's one word that I think we're seeing in this college movement... it's confession.”
  —Bubba Massey [21:19]

• Encouragement for Pastors:
  “Don't outsource it. Integrate it.”
  —Mark Pettis [25:59]

  “Unleash them. It's messy, it's raw... But in the middle of that, it's just unleash them and let them do ministry.”
  —Bubba Massey [26:33]

  “Pour your life into young people and you will be so grateful a couple of decades later.”
  —Pastor Chris [27:39]

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 - Bubba introduces the deep hunger among college students.
• 08:12 - Bubba on the in-person, paper Bible preference among students.
• 10:39 - Mark describes the multi-environment student ministry approach.
• 13:10 - PC on activating youth for leadership and service now.
• 14:40 - Mark Pettis shares the importance of offering students a higher purpose.
• 15:33–16:56 - Bubba details the distinction between college and high school ministry, including deep theological engagement.
• 21:19 - Bubba and Mark discuss the emerging confession movement among students.
• 23:22 - Mark and PC discuss the rise of student-led intercession and prayer.
• 25:59–26:59 - Closing advice from Mark and Bubba on integration and empowerment.

Conclusion

This episode is a blueprint for church leaders wanting to reach and disciple young people. The key takeaways are the importance of integrating student ministries into the whole church, empowering young people with real responsibility, and calling them to deeper, more meaningful expressions of faith. Authentic leadership, vulnerable relationships, and intentional discipleship are the marks of a thriving next generation ministry—one that grows not only students but entire churches.

(For more details and applications, look forward to the GrowLeader One Day event on April 1st, 2025, focusing on student and children’s ministry.)