BTE 5.04 Prioritizing Student-Only Spaces vs. Integrating Students in "Big Church": Part 2 with Jordan Francis and Korey Klein
Description
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A freshman gets baptized by his friends. A mom weeps because her child—wounded by past violence—finally steps out to a church event. Teenagers run cameras, lead songs, read Scripture, and help with communion. The thread tying it together is simple and bold: there’s no junior Holy Spirit, and students don’t need a separate church—they need a real place in the church.
We sit down with Jordan Francis of Reframe Youth to unpack why intergenerational ministry is more than a nice idea; it’s one of the strongest predictors of a faith that lasts beyond graduation. Jordan shares how smaller and more diverse congregations often integrate students by necessity, and how that necessity becomes a discipleship advantage. We dig into practical systems you can replicate: use Wednesdays to build relationships and pathways, then launch students into Sunday roles—worship, kids, production, hospitality—where older saints mentor and teenagers contribute in meaningful ways.
If you’re in a large church, Jordan maps a smart playbook: don’t start with the senior pastor; partner with kids and next gen leaders to build a simple pipeline, gather stories and data, and expand from proof-of-concept to church-wide practice. Along the way, we talk about calling out gifts, coaching through the mess, giving teens language for hard days, and shifting Sunday from a show to a shared family responsibility. Expect sharp insights, field-tested tactics, and stories that will reshape how you see teenagers in your worshiping community.
United States
