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By Andrea Dujardin-Flexhaug
‘CHURCH at the speed of God.’
Not just a catchy logo, but a phrase used to describe
neXgen, a new youth orientated church in Penticton. neXgen stands for
‘Next Generation of Church.’
“Just like people birth and raise the next
generation of humans,” explains lead pastor Wilf Desjarlais,
“so also must the church raise up a new generation in order to thrive
into the future.”
While neXgen maintains the same checks and balances as
every other church, they have also freed up the pastor and executive to act
between board meetings. Their pastor is empowered to act on behalf of the
congregation, and answers for his decisions – rather than asking
permission at the board meetings.
“This allows us to follow the direction of God
more quickly, to go through any door God opens in a timely fashion,”
says Desjarlais.
neXgen’s vision statement centres on one goal,
which is “to reach the youth and kids of Penticton with the gospel of
Jesus Christ, to disciple them and to be there for them when they are in
need.”
Desjarlais resigned as a pastor at Penticton’s
Bethel Church last June, as he was drawn to minister to teens more
full-time.
“Over the past nine years, I have noticed that
here in Penticton, youth and children’s ministries have taken a back
seat to adult and/or seniors’ ministries,” he says.
Desjarlais wants to take things to another level at
neXgen, and reach out to teens of all backgrounds beyond the four walls of
the church.
“We want to be in the community and participate
in community life on a daily basis,” he says.
In the past half year since the church has been
evolving, neXgen has been taking its words and putting them into action. In
2008, they ran a coffee house for teens across from a Penticton high
school, which was well received; and at Christmas, they worked with a local
high school civics class to raise money and food for needy families.
“We were able to help three families,”
notes Desjarlais. “And I have been asked to speak in the high school
to the civics classes about why the church cares and why it
helps.”
neXgen is also leading a coalition of Penticton
churches in a pilot project at Skaha Lake Middle School. Each weekday they
serve breakfast to hungry students, at no charge.
“This seemed to be an excellent way to break down
the barriers that have grown between the churches and public school
system,” notes Desjarlais.
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They have started the new year meeting for weekly
Saturday evening services at the auditorium in the local library building.
Services will be semi-structured in an informal atmosphere, with
music a key element.
“But it is not the only form of worship,”
says Desjarlais. “So we are not stuck in the ‘worship team
trap.’”
He adds: “We have, however, had a surprisingly
positive response to our style of service from unbelievers across the
board. We don’t ‘do church’ or ‘attend
church,’ because of our definition of it being people.”
However, they are looking for a more permanent place,
where they can have the weekly services and a teen drop-in centre/coffee
house during the week.
Desjarlais notes that a teen centre “has proven
to be incredibly effective in Penticton,” and that local churches
have attempted it before.
“The success is greater than the time commitment
available,” says Desjarlais, but he feels that “will not be a
problem for us since it is the heart of our ministry.”
neXgen has three basic leadership positions that the
ministry will be built upon: head pastor Desjarlais, administrator Phillip
Watson and an outreach coordinator.
A board of four directors will include a representative
from the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada district office.
It is a challenge to start up a new church, and there
is much to be done; but as Desjarlais notes, neXgen has had some success
already in “reaching unchurched people, and that is our primary goal
anyway.”
Contact: nexgen.info or 250-276-4185.
February 2009
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