![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Fernandez.jpg?resize=1920%2C1264&ssl=1\")
\n<\/center>\n<\/p>\n
Most of us hate being labeled. But we’vebecome accustomed to multi-generational terms: Baby Boomers, Gen-Xers and Millennials. Each generation brings different values and viewpoints to the playing field, often competing – and sometimes complaining – when it’s time to work as a team. In the last two years, the Florida family of churches witnessed the appointment of three young evangelists and women’s ministry leaders who partne rwith mature leaders and bring fresh perspectives to winning communities forChrist. It’s counter cultural – andit’s cool! <\/p>\n
Kyleand Kristin Eastman (Gainesville Christian Church<\/a>), Tony and Cassandra Fernandez (Broward Church\/South Florida Church of Christ<\/a>) and Nilson and Elena Ramirez (Anchor Point Church<\/a> in Tampa) appreciate the experience, wisdom and insight that older evangelists and elders bring to the table. Despite different communication styles, younger evangelists get the message that their ideas and their input is welcomed by older church leaders. <\/p>\n “We feel incredibly believed in and empowered,” said the Eastmans. “The leadership team listens to our suggestions and values our insights, even on the most sensitive matters. They include us in their decision making, far beyond just campus ministry related topics. They entrust us with responsibilities that affect the whole church. We really feel like partners.” <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sharing the gospel is the call for every disciple of Jesus. Reaching this generation with the message of good news presents a challenge these young church leaders readily embrace. When Nilson and Elena moved to Tampa, they were eager to learn from experienced leaders and, at the same time, were ready to pursue dreams of making outreach and Sunday services more “visitor friendly.” <\/p>\n “We’ve worked very hard at updating our church website, expanding our social media presence, and live-streaming our services. The goal is for anyone who walks in on a Sunday morning to be able to understand the sermon (by taking out typical church and religious lingo), sing along with the worship portion (using more contemporary songs that people may have already heard on the radio), and know where to go to get connected after service (by introducing a Connection Table that has a map of all our house churches and people to answer questions). These may seem relatively simple, but we’ve already heard so much positive feedback from members and visitors about their ‘Sunday experience’,” said Elena. <\/p>\n One year after Tony was appointed an evangelist, the Broward Church lead evangelist moved to the mission field to lead a church in Scotland. Although blessed with natural leadership skills, Tony understands that forging a collaborative leadership team is a wise way to lead a church of nearly 500 members. He and Cassandra describe working with the elders as “nothing but joy. They believe in us, inspire us, guide us and work right by our side.” Whether considering repairs or a remodel to the Broward Church building, a sermon series, or church member concerns, Tony and Cassandra meet regularly with the elders and their wives and opinion leaders to form decisions that will benefit the whole body of Christ. Under their leadership, the Broward Church is on a healthy course after a year of growth. <\/p>\n All three couples experienced parenthood for the first time in 2017. During state wide retreats, conferences and leadership meetings, at some point you will find them together – laughing and swapping stories about taming their toddlers; comparing notes on media trends and encouraging each other to fight the good fight of faith. As church leaders, they are determined to defy the generational divide, with a little help from their friends! <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the last two years, the Florida family of churches witnessed the appointment of three young evangelists and women\u2019s ministry…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":5397,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[61,54],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-5396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-missions","tag-north-america"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Fernandez.jpg?fit=1600%2C1053&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-1p2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5156,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/next-generation-brazilian-leadership-revival\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":0},"title":"Next Generation Brazilian Leadership Revival","author":"dtadmin","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"At the 2018 Florida Discipleship Conference, a partnership between Brazil and US Campus ministries was announced. Read more about MAPA.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/brazil_FDS-887x452-1.jpg?fit=887%2C452&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/brazil_FDS-887x452-1.jpg?fit=887%2C452&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/brazil_FDS-887x452-1.jpg?fit=887%2C452&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/brazil_FDS-887x452-1.jpg?fit=887%2C452&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":127,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/a-leap-of-faith-at-the-2009-international-leadership-conference\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":1},"title":"A Leap of Faith at the 2009 International Leadership Conference","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"October 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. \u2013 Joshua 1:9 Each year since 2003, the International Leadership Conference (ILC) has served as a barometer of the health of the International Churches of Christ (ICOC). By the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/2009-ILC-logo.jpg?fit=228%2C284&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":30366,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/church-builders-conference-inspires-leaders-to-faith-and-revival\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":2},"title":"Church Builders Conference Inspires Leaders to Faith and Revival","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"May 21, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"More than 700 leaders gathered in Boston last month with a shared vision to help our churches thrive and make a lasting impact.","rel":"","context":"In "Leadership"","block_context":{"text":"Leadership","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/leadership\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/healthy-church-growth-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/healthy-church-growth-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/healthy-church-growth-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/healthy-church-growth-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/healthy-church-growth-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C820&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":144,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/youth-family-service-team-news\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":3},"title":"Youth & Family Service Team News","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"April 23, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The International Churches of Christ are congregations of disciples of Jesus who work together to glorify God, to know God and to make God known around the world. Over the past several years, various Service Teams have been appointed to address the global needs of our churches in specific areas.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2386,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/reunited-and-it-feels-so-good-florida-leaders-spring-retreat\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":4},"title":"Reunited, and It Feels So Good: Florida Leaders Spring Retreat","author":"dtadmin","date":"May 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Over 90 full-time and part-time staff, elders and their wives and lay leaders met for the annual Florida Leaders Retreat.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida_campus_leaders.jpg?fit=879%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida_campus_leaders.jpg?fit=879%2C318&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida_campus_leaders.jpg?fit=879%2C318&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/florida_campus_leaders.jpg?fit=879%2C318&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":185,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/missions-committee-progress-report-2011\/","url_meta":{"origin":5396,"position":5},"title":"Missions Committee Progress Report 2011","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"December 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The purpose of the missions committee has been: to access the opportunities and resources we have on a global scale to fulfill our mission. As well as, to evaluate our efficiency and organization in accomplishing God\u2019s mission around the world. This year our focus has been to address the financial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Fernandez.jpg?fit=1600%2C1053&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5396"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=5396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Eastmans.jpg?resize=1920%2C1816&ssl=1\")
\n<\/center>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Ramirez.jpg?resize=1920%2C1275&ssl=1\")
\n<\/center>\n