A Conversation with Garrett Pope

TNG Radio, where today's culture and timeless truths come together. It's reasoned, relevant content apologetics, worldview, and answers to the questions that you need to know. From Alex McFarland Ministries, this is Truth for a New Generation Radio.

And now, the man who preached in 50 states in 50 days, speaker, writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. If there's one question that I get on a weekly basis, in fact several times a week, the question from churches and leaders all across the nation, people will reach out to me and they'll say, Alex, how do we reach young people with the gospel? How do we bring teenagers back to church?

How do we strengthen our youth group? How do we reach this next generation? Hi, Alex McFarland here. You're listening to Truth for a New Generation Radio, TNG Radio. And we've got an exciting show.

I've got a guest here that you're going to meet in just a moment. And I'm so excited about, for one thing, seeing God raise up young leaders like the young man you're going to meet in just a minute. But also, frankly, I'm just grateful we can sort of pick his brain and talk about youth ministry and reaching young people. If your church is like 85 percent of all American churches, that you've seen the youth group or the ministry to students plateau or decline. And maybe, I'm in big churches. I mean, I'm sometimes in churches where there are eight, nine hundred, a thousand people on a Sunday morning and there might be ten to eleven kids in the youth group.

And leaders are saying, wait a minute, what do we do? We've got to reach young people. In 2 Timothy chapter 2, and you remember Paul in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, these were the pastoral epistles. And a lot of what's in there, Paul, the seasoned, mature leader, is coaching Timothy about the ministry and about a number of things related to the Christian life. But in 2 Timothy 2, Paul says to Timothy, the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. And the implication is that we are always passing on the truth of the gospel.

These things that we have heard, these things that we have learned, who God is and how Jesus gave his life on the cross, we're to always be handing these off to the next generation. And so I believe more than ever the American church really needs to be proactive and fruitful about doing that. So I'm on the road. I'm in Durham, North Carolina. I'm at Greystone Church. It's a wonderful church. We've had three consecutive Wednesday nights of great outreach to the people here and the students at Duke and different ones. So I meet a young man who's working in the student ministry, and Herb Hartsoe.

We circulated a social media video. Herb Hartsoe has just been so great to get me in front of the teenagers here. But I met one of his staff, Garrett Pope, and Garrett and I were just having a very interesting conversation about American youth. And I just wanted to have Garrett on Truth for a New Generation for a few minutes. Garrett, thanks.

I mean, you're busy. You've got a lot going on, and you've given some time to be with us on the radio. So I want to say thank you very much. Absolutely.

I'm glad to be here. Hey, let me throw a question at you, because I get this a lot. Do teenagers care about God? That is a good question, because I think initially, like if you were to talk to a high school student or even a middle school student, you wouldn't initially get that feel from them that God isn't necessarily something that they think about, because a lot of students are going through a lot of things.

Obviously, their mind's wrapped around school, sports, extracurricular activities, or some of them work or something like that. So initially, you wouldn't get that thought from them, that feeling from them that they think about God. But I think once you sit down and you begin talking to a student and you get through those layers of just everyday life and you really get to the heart and the mind of a student, I think a lot of students do have an idea or a thought about God. I think a lot of the students understand a little bit that there is something out there, maybe not the God of Christianity or the God of the Bible, but just this thought that there is something greater out there, the supernatural power or whatever it is. So I think students do have an idea or a thought about God, but it's not something that is necessarily on their list or at the top of their list all the time. It may be something that they just think about every now and then. Last week, I was with Herb, your colleague, and we were with some of the teens that are reading the Sermon on the Mount, and some – now, folks, listen to this.

True. Some are going to memorize Matthew 5-7, 111 verses, and in this year, they're going to memorize those verses, and that thrilled my heart. What is it that Greystone is doing that is being used by God to touch so many young lives? And give a word of encouragement or maybe coaching, if you would, to the churches out there that are trying to reach young people like you all are doing. Right. I definitely think that it starts with the youth leader. Whoever it is, whether it's a volunteer or whether it's paid staff, I think it really starts at the top. The youth leader themselves has to have a heart for teens. They have to have a heart for reaching teens. They have to have a heart for seeing teens grow in their faith. The air that they breathe, what they do, everything about their life has to be about reaching students. And here at Greystone, our youth pastor, Herb Hartzow, that's him to a T. He definitely lives out what it means to be a leader and what it means to be a youth leader, a student pastor. He's definitely very gospel-driven.

Everything about his life is about the gospel, and how can he impact other people for the gospel. And then from there, the youth leader can't do it all by themselves, so there has to be a team around them. And I know a lot of churches, you know, most churches don't have the resources for that, per se, whether it's a large team or a small team. It's usually left up to the youth leader to do everything. But here at Greystone, we've been able to build up a great team of volunteers.

I'm one of them. Herb brought me on here when I was younger, and it's just been great. We've been able to do so much more to reach students, to get into the schools, to have leaders going to sporting events or having lunch with the leaders or something like that. So just being able to have a team around you to be able to reach more students and influence the students on an individual level. And so the students see you all.

You're visible. Hey, we're going to take a quick break. Stay tuned, folks. We're going to continue talking with Garrett Pope about reaching young people. This is what all the churches need to be doing. And so stay tuned.

We're going to be right back after this. From I Am a Watchman Ministries, here's today's I Am a Watchman Minute. Being willing to step out for God and do the unusual is a mark of spiritual maturity. Consider the prophet Ezekiel. He was the son of a priest from a very distinguished family. But God told Ezekiel to do things that many thought were undignified. For example, in his preaching, he utilized drama and shadow puppets and miniature props. He cut his hair and burned some and buried some and threw some to the wind.

Once he allowed himself to be tied up for 430 days. He was radical for God, but also righteous before God. Ezekiel was a watchman, and watchmen faithfully follow God's leading.

Period. The I Am a Watchman Ministry is here to help you grow in Christ. And as he leads, be radical for God.

Are you willing to be radical for God? Be bold, be faithful, be a watchman. Iamawatchman.com You know, Alex has been writing for many years, and one of his classic books is still great today as a basic introduction to the Christian faith. It's called Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith. This book will help you help your teens get off the roller coaster of doubt and onto solid ground. You'll read about the six pillars of biblical Christianity. They are, one, inspiration of the Bible, two, the virgin birth, three, the deity of Christ, four, atonement, five, Christ's resurrection, and six, Christ's return. You know, Alex mixes it up with humor and stories he gleaned from decades of working with youth and encourages teens to build a foundation of faith that will stabilize their lives and help them take a stand for Christ. Simple and straightforward, Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakeable Faith, available wherever Christian books are sold. We care about justice and aren't afraid to ask hard questions.

In fact, we care about a lot of things. We have passion for truth. We are EngageMagazine.net, an online group of millennials brought together by a common goal to share truth, apply scripture, and to get involved in our lost and hurting world. EngageMagazine.net hosts discussions that help you apply a biblical worldview to your daily life.

EngageMagazine.net. At Liberty University, you'll earn more than a degree. You'll earn the satisfaction of seeing what you can accomplish and what God can accomplish through you. Choose from more than 600 degree options from an associate to a PhD and study 100% online more affordably than you think. Discover God's truth through every degree at Liberty University, where we train champions for Christ. Go to liberty.edu backslash explore to learn more. That's liberty.edu backslash explore to learn more. Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here.

We're on the road in Durham, North Carolina. We're talking about youth ministry. Hey, you know what? I want to remind you of a quote that I heard one time. It said, In any time period, the church is only one generation away from paganism.

Think about that. One generation away from paganism. In other words, if we don't pass on the faith and be used by God to see younger people get saved. There are parts in the world and there have been times in history where Christianity kind of died off.

And may God grant that that is not the case here in the United States. Garrett, I want to thank you for your time and talking with us. And before the break, you were talking about like going to schools and sporting events and just being there, being visible. And the passion to reach young people has got to be present in the hearts of the leaders. Now, when you say get into the schools, quote unquote, what does that mean?

Really, it's just about like you were talking about being visible, being present. I know a lot of students these days, people crave genuineness. They really want people to be genuine.

If you're not genuine, you're not going to receive the respect and you're not going to get their time of day. And so really what it is is just getting into the schools is simply going to the sporting events, whether you have a student playing or not. Volunteering here at Durham Public Schools, you can actually go online and register to volunteer at certain events.

You don't have to be a parent. You don't have to be a teacher or anything like that. You can volunteer and they will send you emails and ask you to volunteer at these certain events. Public schools.

Public schools. So I'm on the list and Herb is on the list and they'll send us emails and ask us to go and serve at these public events for students or help do this or help do that. And so it's really just about being a help, being there and having your face known at the schools. I know Pastor Herb, a lot of the community students, a lot of the public school students know him. They've come to our ministry just because Herb has gone and eaten lunch with them. And Herb was talking to me and it really starts with building relationships with the staff at the school. You may know a teacher at the school. You may know the principal.

You may know somebody there. But really just building relationships with the staff to where they feel comfortable letting you in and bringing you in and down the road helping you reach students. So Herb has built a lot of relationships and I've even had the chance to go and visit with some of the principals at the schools around here and been able just to build relationships and they've let us hang up posters for our basketball ministry that we do. They've let us come in and serve lunches for the staff there. So the schools have really, for the most part, welcomed us just because of making a simple relationship with the staff there. Darrell Bock God bless you. And you know, folks, this is inspiring.

This takes creativity. But isn't it rewarding? I mean, when we even get out of our comfort zone a little bit and go into some new territory, I have found many public school administrators to be very friendly, to be – and I've got to say this. I've told many a principal, many a teacher, many a school administrator, hey, I am praying for you. Schools have huge influence in the lives of young people. And we've made some friends of public school leaders that seem genuinely touched that ministers and the church folk care about them.

Greg Love Right. And I think a lot of times you may have the feeling or hear that the schools don't want anything from the church. They don't want the church to be involved in the school. Separation of church and state, school is a secular thing and church is a sacred thing and they don't want us in. But if you really talk to the people, they really want people to come in and help their students. The people that are working in these schools that have a heart for the students really want others outside of the school to come in and help. So you may hear that they don't want – that the schools don't want the churches in. But in reality, they want people there to come in and help that actually care about the students and want to help see the students grow and develop as individuals.

Darrell Bock And you know what? I'll tell you two things a little bit off topic because I want to talk about the gospel. But two things, morals and character development, but also tutoring and things like math and even English skills and writing. I mean isn't there a great opportunity to get your church on the radar screen of people through tutoring?

Greg Love Absolutely. So my home church, my dad is a youth pastor, and that church actually partnered with a local elementary school. And a couple of days a week, they will actually bus students from the elementary school to our church for tutoring.

And so it's been a great, great experience. And I used to go over there and help, and we had a lot of people in the church go over there and help, and just to see the students grow. And there's a couple students that started in first or second grade that are now in the youth ministry just because they started coming for tutoring. Darrell Bock Wow, that's amazing. For those just tuning in, TNG Radio here, Alex McFarland.

We're talking about one of my all-time favorite subjects that I think about literally every day of the year, and that's reaching young people. Garrett Pope is with me from Greystone Church in Durham doing a phenomenal job. And hey, by the way, what is the website for this church here? Greg Love There is greystonechurch.com is for our church, and rulethebull.com is for our student ministry. Darrell Bock Rule the Bull, because Durham is the Bull City. Greg Love City.

Darrell Bock Exactly. So let me ask you this. The God of Christianity says there's one way to the Father, Jesus, John 14.6. No one comes to the Father but through Jesus. John 8.24, Jesus said, If you do not believe that I am he, the Son of God, you will perish. How do students react to the fact that the Gospel is narrow, that Jesus is the one and only doorway to heaven? How do the 21st century students react to that exclusivity of Jesus?

Greg Love I think in today's age, the one thing that you don't want to be labeled as is a closed-minded individual. That seems to be like the final death blow to any student, to any individual is to be considered closed-minded. But as Christians, as those who are to be a witness, to be salt and light, that is a stand that you're going to have to make as a student, and it's difficult. It's difficult to tell a student to go in there, and if they're having a conversation, to make a stand for the Gospel and say, No, Jesus is the only way, because they may be labeled as closed-minded, intolerant, and that's one thing these days that you don't want to be labeled. But if you can get your students to that point to make a stand, it really starts with capturing their hearts and capturing their minds. Dr. Darrell Bock And building trust.

Greg Love Absolutely. You have to build trust with them and show them that, Hey, these things may happen to you. You may make a stand and somebody may say something, but it's not the end of the world. They're ultimately not rejecting you.

They're rejecting God. And so you really have to get your students to live boldly, and that starts by them seeing you live boldly and them seeing you get out there and share the Gospel. And the students will see that genuineness, and hopefully it will capture their minds and capture their hearts to where they will be able to do the same and be able to go in school and make the stand for the Gospel. Dr. Darrell Bock That's a wonderful word.

Hey, we've got to pull away for a break. Stay tuned. We're going to talk more about reaching this generation, younger people, millennials younger, over 100 million, one-third of the U.S. population essentially 30 and younger. They must be reached with the Gospel, and God can use you to help accomplish that.

Stay tuned. Dr. Darrell Bock Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government, abortion and war. Too often we manage these disagreements by ignoring them. Yet we're called to engage the world for the sake of Christ.

How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions? In 10 Issues That Divide Christians, Alex McFarland challenges us to drill down to the biblical core of 10 current issues, such as social justice, evil and suffering, pornography and environmentalism, as he echoes the biblical invitation, Come, let us reason together. Only by engaging the Scriptures deeply, thinking clearly and speaking truthfully, can we and God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 Issues That Divide Christians.

Find this book and many others at alexmcfarland.com. If you're a Christian parent, you of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children. If you're a pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum, The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity. Why do bad things happen? I interviewed hundreds of children, ages 5 to 12, and we address actual questions from actual children, the spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids.

Did Jesus ever sin? The book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask, the book, study guide, and video series. You'll find it at AFASTORE.net.

That's AFASTORE.net. In the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism, Alex McFarland is a voice you can trust. To speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way, you're listening to Truth for a New Generation Radio.

Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here, Truth for a New Generation Radio. I do want to make you aware that March 8 and 9, just a few weeks away, March 8 and 9, our ministry has a special briefing on reaching millennials for Christ. It's going to be at Ridgecrest, the LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center in western North Carolina. We would love for you to come. We want to meet you. We'll pray together. We'll talk. We'll brainstorm together. We're going to be talking about revival and the gospel for America. We're going to be talking about some things that you can do, your church can do, to accomplish what a lot of people say is impossible. March 8 and 9 at Ridgecrest.

There is time, folks. There is time for you to register, and I want to give a number and some info. The number of my assistant, Carla McGlynn, if you've been around Truth for a New Generation for a while, you know about Carla.

She's amazing. Her number, 336-253-5102. 336-253-5102, or you can call us toll free at 877-YES-GOD1. That's 877-YES-GOD1.

Or you can email us info at alexmcfarland.com. The other thing I want to tell you about is we've got a great youth camp, the TNG Apologetics Camp, and we will go over 15 sessions on things like how do we know God exists, how do we know the Bible is true, why is there pain and suffering in the world, what about other religions? Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? And yes, we're going to be talking about the moral issues of our day, transgenderism, homosexuality, and yes, we're going to be talking about social, cultural, political issues. Socialism. Why is socialism and communism wrong?

Why is socialism incompatible with America? Now, our goal, obviously, is to win people to Christ and to help young people know Jesus as their Savior, to develop as a disciple and to become everything God intended them to be. But let me tell you, folks, I love God and country, and we've got to talk to young people not only about the Christian message, but about America.

What makes America unique? Professed Christians can support candidates that are pro-abortion, pro-homosexuality, pro-transgender, anti-Israel, pro-terrorism, Palestinian, Islamic terrorist groups. It's amazing how professed Christians can often embrace candidates that are wildly unbiblical.

Why? Because years ago, the pulpits began to be more and more silent on worldview and the things that matter. And the thing about ideas and philosophies as they impact the culture, very often it takes years, maybe even decades, for these things to take root. But let me just throw three things out there. Universalism, relativism, and hedonism.

These are definitely things that relate to reaching youth, as Garrett was talking about, how we've got to build relationship and kind of earn the right to be heard. But universalism is the belief that if there is a heaven, we all go there. And that's false. That's not in the Bible.

According to the Word of God, we have to be born again through a relationship with Jesus. Universalism is false, but very prominent and common. Relativism, the idea that there are no moral absolutes and everybody just does as they feel best in their own eyes and in their heart.

Relativism is false. There are objective moral truths. There are things right.

There are things wrong. And then hedonism, the idea that the highest goal in life is just to have fun or do whatever I want to do, make it all about me. It's all about me after all.

No. These things are false. And back to our opening scripture of 2 Timothy 2, Paul says to Timothy, Therefore my son, son in the faith and son in the ministry, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me, and also echoed and corroborated by many witnesses, commit these to others. Here's the gospel that we get saved, we grow, and we influence others. And as much as I believe in events and broadcasting, I know that so much of the gospel nowadays is passed on one-on-one, what we might call life-on-life transference. And so I want to encourage you, and the thing that I'm going to teach you to do if you come to the March 8th and 9th retreat, we're going to teach you to have small groups that definitely do arouse the interest of young people, and they will come.

And we're going to teach you how to do it. And you'll be able to pass truth on, as we say, life-on-life transference in the context of trust, openness, security, a safe environment, and we call these groups relational, conversational, and transformational. And we want to show you how to do this because if we're going to rise to the challenge of 2 Timothy 2 and the things we've known and heard and learned and experienced, if we're going to pass these on to others, then we're going to have to be prepared.

One last thought, and I do hope you personally and your church has the challenge and the commitment and the conviction to evangelize and disciple all people, but especially young people. 2 Timothy 2.6, the hardworking farmer must be the first to partake of the crops. Consider what I say and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Okay, if we're going to see a crop, there has to be a seed planted, but to plant seeds there has to be the turning of the soil. Well, for the seed of the Gospel to bear fruit in the lives of people, very often the heart has to be impacted, and the mind and the heart opened. And 2 Timothy 2.6, it's not automatic. Just like a farmer grows crops, those of us that are in the Kingdom of God and serving the Lord, we've got to invest in the harvest of changed lives, and 2 Timothy 2.6, it can be hard work. I'm not saying all this is easy. I'm just saying it's what we're called to do.

I'm not saying it's always going to be convenient, but it is right. So for God and country, know what you believe, why you believe it, and be willing to invest your life in passing this on to others, especially to young people. In Truth For A New Generation, Alex McFarland Ministries, we're here to help you do it. For more, and to stay in touch with us, let us hear from you in any way we can help and encourage and coach and help empower you to fulfill the Great Commission and save America, we're here to do that. Visit our website, alexmcfarland.com.

TNG Radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Call us at 877-Yes-God-1.

That's 877-Yes-God and the number 1. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com. While you're there, listen to Program Archives, read Alex's blog, invite Alex to speak at your event, or contact Alex with a question or comment. alexmcfarland.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG Radio.