Is the Next Generation Hopeless? How to Disciple Young People

They say this generation is lost in their phones, hopeless, “cooked.” Terry and Kim McMunn have spent decades with young people, and they see something different: a generation hungry for truth. In this episode, Jack sits down with Terry and Kim McMunn, longtime members of Center Bethel Church. Terry is an elder, and both serve in the nursing home and prison ministries and in missionary outreach. Married over 51 years, they also led a Youth for Christ group early in their marriage. They share what they’ve learned about marriage, mentoring, and passing faith from one generation to the next. Scripture: 2 Timothy ch.1 vv.5-6 | Titus 2 | Joel | Psalms In this episode: • Marriage advice after 51 years, including why to strike the word “divorce” from your vocabulary • Why a godly marriage is “the closest thing to heaven you’ll have on earth” • Stories from leading a youth group: a 60-passenger church bus and a night of “illegal church” in the dark • Why young people are hungry for authenticity, not watered-down faith • 2 Timothy 1:5 and why discipleship can’t be left to the youth pastor • Why Jack believes Jesus’ disciples were likely teenagers and young adults • How people rise to the level of belief you have in them, and why young people need real responsibility • The $100 bill illustration, and how to “dig the gold” out of people • Discipleship as learner, follower, and apprentice, and why every apprentice needs a mentor • “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” Leave a comment or a question. It might become our next episode topic. 0:00 Cold open and welcome: meet Terry and Kim McMunn 1:29 51 years of marriage: advice for young couples 3:32 “The best representation of heaven on earth is a godly marriage” 5:01 Leading a youth group with Kansas City Youth for Christ 7:04 The 60-passenger church bus and 60 to 80 teenagers 8:35 Church in the dark: pretending it was illegal to be a Christian 10:05 Is this generation “cooked”? Why they are hungry for truth 11:40 Discipleship is not just the youth pastor’s job, 2 Timothy 1:5 16:15 Why Jesus’ disciples were likely young 16:36 People rise to expectations: giving young people responsibility 19:13 Peter, the $100 bill, and digging the gold out of people 21:03 Why “potential” is a loaded word, and how belief shapes behavior 22:04 What is discipleship? Learner, follower, apprentice 24:07 “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” 26:03 Every generation in Scripture: Joel, Psalms, and Titus 2 27:11 Closing thoughts #faithinculture #discipleship #genzfaith #christianpodcast #centerbethel