At the beginning of 2020, we laid out the following vision to the Northern Virginia Church of Christ (NOVA):

A Vision for the Next Generation: We see the future, and the future is now. We invest the best of who we are and what we have into the next generation. We hold fiercely to biblical CONVICTION while allowing for changes in church PRACTICE. We open up spaces for young people to lead. Older voices yield, but stay engaged as active disciples, mentors, dreamers and doers.

This vision led to an idea for a podcast that came from our younger staff. It is their voice. What they are saying is scriptural (these guys are serious Bible students), spiritual, authentic, personal, fresh and real-world relevant. The church here is loving it, as are a growing number of listeners across the country and world. Now that we are all doing virtual church, they are producing a video version of the podcast for our households and house churches to watch and discuss that can be found on the NOVA YouTube channel.

The podcast format is proving to be a great conversation starter, including topics like “In the Margins,” a gospel of Mark series hosted by our YoPro/Singles minister, Matt Fisk, and our campus minister, Josh Lund (with special guests like Mark & Nadine Templer), or the women’s series hosted by Katie Fisk and campus intern Sarah Schwartz. Go to the NOVA Academy website for a full listing of episodes.

Our world is changing rapidly around us. Culture is shifting. Leaders are aging. New voices are rising. There is a tension in society, in politics, and yes at times, even in the church. It is not new and it is not unexpected. Every parent who has raised a teenager and every college graduate who has tried to establish themselves knows how hard this passage can be. My prayer is that we all embrace this moment with great humility, vision, energy and agility. It will take all of us to build a church that is both deeply rooted and relevant in a world that seems more lost and disoriented than ever.

May God speak his word in new and creative ways, and may we with fresh ears hear his voice.