Next Gen Ministries

We Love the Next Generation.
& We Love the Leaders Who Walk With Them.

We believe the Church is at its best when every generation is seen, heard, and given space to grow. That’s why we’re committed to supporting the people who pour into kids, youth, and young adults.

NextGen Ministries is a network of volunteers, leaders, and dreamers who are passionate about helping the next generation follow Jesus and step into their Kingdom potential. We’re here to champion you, cheer you on, and walk alongside you as you lead.

Teens smiling at Evangelical Missionary Church outdoor event

What We’re About

The EMCC Next Gen Team exists to create stronger connections among Next Gen leaders and equip them to thrive in our rapidly shifting culture. We focus on building relationships, multiplying leaders, and offering support that’s practical, prayerful, and rooted in the way of Jesus.

Here’s what we do right now

  • We Connect Leaders

    Through Next Gen Huddles, we help leaders find each other, share the journey, and grow in how they follow Jesus in their local context.

  • We Show Up

    You’ll find us at Regional Gatherings, Pastor Retreats, and Assembly—advocating for Next Gen ministry, creating workshops and conversations and listening for how we can serve leaders across the country.

  • We Resource & Encourage

    Whether it’s a Zoom connection check-in, a social media conversation, or a new resource on Enrich, we’re always looking for ways to help you feel less alone in the work you do.

  • We Dream & Pray

    The future Church is deeply connected to the faith of the next generation. We’re offering the Growing Young Initiative as one way to help churches become places where young people feel they belong and want to lead.

Meet the team

We’re a volunteer team of seasoned leaders from across Canada who are committed to helping Next Gen leaders thrive. We’ve served in this work ourselves, and we’re here to walk with you.

We believe in the next generation.
We believe in what the Spirit is shaping in you! 
And we’re here to help however we can.

Let’s Connect!

If you’re serving with kids, youth, or young adults—or you care about seeing the next generation follow Jesus—we’d love to hear from you.

Email us at nextgen@emcc.ca Follow us on Insta: @emccnextgenleaders

  Growing Young  

The Growing Young initiative in the EMCC is about empowering whole church communities to effectively walk alongside and influence the next generation of Christ-followers.

Teen getting baptized at lake at EMCC Camp Mishewah

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” - Isaiah 44:3

Group of Young Adults leading worship at NextGen event

Jesus didn’t just welcome young followers—He called them. He chose disciples who were still growing, still learning, still discovering who He was and who they were. He lived life with them, invited their questions, and shaped them into leaders who would carry His mission forward.

Rooted in this way of Jesus, and holding fast to God’s promise to pour out His Spirit on the next generation, we dream of church communities where every younger person walks alongside a trusted, Jesus-following adult and belongs fully in a loving, life-giving church family.

In these kinds of churches, young people are deeply known, deeply loved, and deeply formed. And from that place, they rise—growing in faith, leading with courage, serving with joy, and carrying forward the mission of Jesus to share the Good News of the Kingdom.

Growing Young is an initiative designed to help EMCC churches become more of this sort of community, helping the whole church embrace a posture that disciples across generational gaps.

Why Growing Young?

Across Canada, many churches are wrestling with how to meaningfully engage younger generations,  who largely have never been part of a church community.  But we believe there’s hope. Not in programs—but in Jesus, His people, prayer, and a shift to the kind of church Jesus is inviting us to be.

We’re offering this initiative as one way to respond with faith, not fear.

What Is Growing Young?

The Growing Young Initiative is a national invitation to EMCC churches to explore six core commitments that have been shown to help churches meaningfully engage young people and grow in vibrancy across all generations.

These aren’t quick fixes. They’re deep shifts rooted in how we listen, love, and lead in the Way of Jesus.

We’re offering a variety of ways for churches to engage:

  • A national Growing Young Cohort launching September 2025

  • A recorded workshop from Regional Gathering (2024) to share with your team

  • An upcoming podcast series (launching late June) with stories and insights from across Canada

  • A growing library of resources, including prayer guides, workshop materials, articles, and assessment tools

  • An upcoming monthly prayer gathering for leaders and intercessors

  • Leadership coaching and connection through our EMCC Next Gen team

We’re praying this becomes more than an initiative.
We want it to become a posture—a way of seeing and serving the next generation with open hands and open hearts.

Resources

Recommended Books

Recommended Websites

Recommended Podcasts

Children & At Home Resouces

For Churches

Want to Learn More?

If you're curious about what this could look like in your context, we’d love to talk. Whether you're ready to jump in or just want to ask a few questions, we're here for it.

Email us at nextgen@emcc.ca