I have learned so many things over the past 10 years watching the Passion team lead and invest in the next generation of young adults. This year is no different. I am being challenged to process what serving and inspiring this generation will look like in the years to come. When you serve teens and college students you have to always be looking ahead, planning ahead, and yes, praying ahead. There are so many things Passion does right. Here are a few things Passion is doing right when it comes to investing in the next generation.
- Embracing the big and small / Passion understands the importance of the gathering and small group and manages the tension that comes from needing both. These guys do an amazing job with creating worship and teaching experiences. They also create space and time for small group relationships. Both are needed for life change.
- Striving for excellence / From lighting, to volunteers, to communicators, to sound, to venue, the team at Passion strives for excellence. It has nothing to do with extravagance and everything to do with excellence. This team understands how to create an environment where students want to be and pushes systems to help people have a great experience.
- Going to the campus / Passion strives to take their message to the college campus so they can reach students where they are at. Every Passion event is preceded by a campus tour. Conferences are not the goal. Seeing college students honor Jesus with their life is the goal. Students will live their faith out on a campus not a conference and Passion gets that.
- Clearly teaching truth / At every level Passion teaches God’s Word with clarity. For many college students they have never heard the Bible preached in a way that connects with them and Passion shines a bright light on God’s truth every year and at every event.
- Empowering female leaders / I am a dad of two daughters and I will never accept the way the traditional church has limited the ministry of women in the Kingdom of God and local church. Passion empowers young woment to dream big dreams and find a way to make a difference. From teaching to worship leading to mission work to leadership in the church, Passion helps young woment look to make an impact.
- Helping college students make a global and local impact / Every Passion event is connected with spreading the gospel and brining light to a dark world. You can’t attend a Passion event and not hear about spreading the gospel and brining justice to a broken world globally and locally.
- Willing to change when God leads / The team at Passion seriously follows the lead of the Holy Spirit and takes huge risks for the Kingdom of God. I have friends who have seen the inside of this organization and the obedience to the leadership of God is breath taking and frightening at times.