The Next Generation in Germany: 100+ initiative! (X288)

In March of 2000, I landed as a bright-eyed study abroad student in Bonn, Germany wearing flip-flops and a t-shirt; I was not aware of the climate of this place called Germany.  As I started classes at the University of Bonn with about 40,000 other college students - I thought I would find a fellowship group of other college students, with whom I could dialogue about life, faith, and relationships as we discovered what the Bible had to say about life. It took me two months to find a group of 20 young leaders who were committed to doing just that. It took me two months to find this group.  I would say there were less than 1/10 of 1% of those students who had any kind of community that was committed to those things. I was ill-prepared for the literal and spiritual climate I was entering. At that point, a burning question was planted in my heart "Where do young people here have to go to ask questions about life, faith, and relationships? Where do they have the opportunity to dialogue with a follower of Jesus?" After returning home to the US, finishing my studies, getting married and starting a job as a youth pastor - this question didn't go away.  At the end of my three-year theological training, this burning question became a burden for my wife and I, and out of the burden we received a clear calling to go and develop young leaders to rebuild what was missing in my study abroad experience. We joined the staff of Young Life in 2005 and started to develop young leaders in Munich and Stuttgart, Germany.  As we continued our work - we connected with other youth movements in Germany who had the same desire and goal; to raise up a generation of leaders to change the spiritual climate of Germany.  As our partnership and relationships in SW Germany have grown - we have a unique opportunity to train, equip, and deploy 100+ youth leaders by December 2015.

The videos answer 3 questions:

Video #1) Why does it matter?

Video #2) How will we train leaders?

Video #3) How will we train teams? 

Watch the vids - tell your friends - join our team … none of this is possible without people like you who say "yes" with us.  We must not fail in the task to reach the next generation of leaders in Germany! Pick up a brick, and help us rebuild :)