More than half of the people alive today are under the age of 25. What is the future of the Gospel if we don’t reach them now, while they’re so open to respectful and caring relationships? I believe that hanging out with young people—drinking coffee with them and sitting and talking about life—is the best way to reach emerging generations everywhere. Young people find their identity in being connected to others—not necessarily, or even usually, their families. "Friends are there for you," they say.

If the main thing in young people’s lives is friends, then the primary way to reach them for Christ is to be their friend. Some time ago I met a long-term missionary in Ghana who told me that all she wanted to do was to have a ministry of hanging out. At first her job description surprised me, and then I realized that she was right. All around the SIM world, people of all ages are learning that “hanging out” with young people can be an amazing way of connecting Jesus into their world. True, they may run programs, but they realize that the purpose of programs is to build relationships.

Sadly, in many mission contexts, church has become a religious belief system that is about keeping up appearances and standards without tackling the issues of today. Often, youth in these churches come to view God as irrelevant. Who can show them a better way?

Jesus was great at "hanging out." When he met the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4), he first showed her that he respected her and did not judge her. In the same way, we must first show that we accept young people, even though their lifestyle, values, and ideas may not fit with ours. In this way we earn the right to speak further into their lives.

Youth ministries around the world will not necessarily look like traditional youth activities we may be familiar with. The Word of God is still our message, but it must be incarnated in caring relationships. My passion is to see hundreds of people learning the ministry of "hanging out" for the sake of today’s youth.