Interview with Dustin Whittington

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland.

Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together, bringing you truth. For a new generation, this is TNG Radio. I recently read a statistic that in secular schools, 54% of high schoolers say that it is not possible to know whether or not God exists. Welcome to TNG Radio. Hi, Alex McFarland here, and we're going to talk today about young people, reaching young people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That stat really stopped me in my tracks. Always there have been lost people, and there's always in any generation a huge segment of the population that needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. But I think about also Campus Crusade for Christ.

This goes back 50 years with Bill Bright and Vonette Bright, the founders of Campus Crusade. But Bill Bright many, many years ago said, if a person has not come to Christ by their mid-20s, the odds go down that they ever will. And then they said about age 21, if a person has not made a salvation decision by age 21, with every passing year the odds go down that they ever will.

And now it's estimated that it's around age 18. If a person has not made a decision to follow Christ, to put their faith in Jesus, by around age 18, the odds go down that they ever will. Now of course we know of stories of people getting saved at all sorts of ages. In fact, a dear friend of ours that does nursing home ministry has led many people to Christ in assisted living and nursing homes, and praise God for that.

But my point is that it's best to reach people for Christ the younger they are. And somebody that I've met that is being used by God to do that, and he's become just a very close friend and colleague over the years, and just one of those people that really, really impresses you is, his name is Dustin Whittington, and he's on staff at one of America's great churches, Rockfish Church, which is in Rayford, North Carolina, which is near Fayetteville. But Dustin is our guest today, and he's a minister to students at Rockfish, and I wanted to have him on because like few people I know, God is using him to do it.

They are reaching and growing disciples, and they've got an incredible ministry, and I would encourage you if you're looking to jumpstart your church's outreach to all ages, and especially young people, check out Rockfish Church. But Dustin, thanks for taking some time to be with me, and God bless you. Welcome to TNG Radio. Yeah, Alex, thanks so much. I love being a part of this, and all that you've brought to me. You're more of a friend to me than I ever could be to you.

I really appreciate that. Well, you know, I first met you, if my memory serves me correctly, it was probably in 2012. I came here to speak and have been back since then, and I know you didn't grow up and find yourself on the staff of a major church, just on day one.

What is your background, and how did God bring you to the point where you are, Dustin? Yeah, I have a really unique story in that. I started coming to Rockfish when I was in the sixth grade. I walked into this church and was just really, really turned off. The lights weren't on, you know, it was a weird environment. The music was loud, the lights weren't on, but it was attractive.

It just wasn't something that I was used to. Fast forward just a little bit, I'm in the sixth grade, and I meet Courtney, who is now my wife. We met here at Rockfish Church when I was in the sixth grade, and I told her in the seventh grade, I said some snarky remark, and she looked at me and she said, Dustin, I feel bad for your future wife. So fast forward some years. Were you guys in the sixth grade? So like 12 or 13 years old, attending the youth group here at Rockfish. And so I've been a part of the organization for a while.

This is what I know. This is who I grew up in. But beyond that, I came on the staff when I was a freshman or sophomore in high school. I was doing the custodial work here around the church. And really in that time, Pastor Dan Stanley, he took what I say a chance on me. He really believed in me. He believed that God had a call on my life, and I'm forever grateful for that. But him, along with several others here at Rockfish Church, have poured so much into me over the years and just given me opportunity after opportunity to just test the waters that I felt like God was calling me to. So I'm in that. I'm doing those things. And over the years, I became more and more involved in the student ministry here at Rockfish Church. And today, that's what I'm doing. I'm the director of Rockfish Students. And that's my job here.

I love it. That's got to be pretty special that you often probably meet sixth graders. And does it ever cause you to think back when you were that sixth grader entering the doors of Rockfish Church?

Certainly. And I love connecting with the parents. And my first comment all the time was like, yeah, I met my wife here in the sixth grade. And they look at me with these big old eyes like, oh my goodness, get my kid out of there. And you've got a beautiful family.

They are awesome. In your office here, these two big pictures of your girls up here, and what are their ages now? Edie is three, and Piper, she's one years old.

She'll be two in November. Amen. Amen. And you personify, and this church really does personify, the two things that God will use to save this nation, and he's done it throughout history. Great families, great churches.

Let's talk for a minute, and we'll have to pick this up after the first break. The state of student ministry in the 21st century. In my opinion, and I'm not saying this to flatter you, but you guys are really the flagship of what churches can be to evangelize young people. What is your assessment of the state of youth ministry in America, 2019? For us, it has been just this huge shining light on this one area, which is connection. And for us, it's not being connected to the youth group. It's not being connected to the youth pastor. We have put a huge emphasis on connection to Jesus and connection to Jesus' mission. Reaching the next generation. That's our theme on today's edition of TNG Radio.

Alex McFarland here, talking with Dustin Whittington, TNG Radio will be back. From I Am a Watchman Ministries, here's today's I Am a Watchman Minute. This side of heaven, you may likely never see the full impact of your good work. Consider Moses. He did many great things, but likely never knew about one of the greatest things he did. You see, one of the people Moses led out of Egypt was a man named Nahshon. Nahshon had a son named Salmon. In those millions of people, it's doubtful Moses even knew Salmon. But because Moses was faithful, Salmon was born. And later he married Rahab, and they had a son, Boaz, who married Ruth, and they were the grandparents to King David. Jesus was not a descendant of Moses.

Jesus was a descendant of Salmon, whose new life in the Promised Land was made possible by what God did through Moses. So do not grow weary in doing good. The seeds we plant will blossom in God's way and in God's perfect time. Be bold. Be faithful. Be a watchman.

I am a watchman dot 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. You know Romans 1.16, it says, For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. That's what your kids need before they go to college. That's the theme for the 2019 TNG Christian Apologetics Youth Camp, July 29th through August 2nd at Camp Cale, North Carolina. Questions include, of course, Alex McFarland, along with Daniel Ritchie, Andy Lorentzen, and Miki Addison. Exciting worship every night and rock-solid teaching every day, and yes, it's a summer camp with all the summer camp activities your kids would expect. The TNG Christian Apologetics Youth Camp, July 29th through August 2nd at Camp Cale. To learn more and to register, call 800-YES-GOD-1, 800-YES-GOD and the number one, or email info at truthforanewgeneration.com. Welcome back to TNG Radio.

Alex McFarland. I do want to remind you about the newly redesigned Truth For A New Generation website and app. You can find it at truthforanewgeneration.com, and that's truth, F-O-R, truthforanewgeneration.com. Also we've got this app that works on all mobile devices.

It's a free download, and my schedule is on there where I'm speaking, where the Truth For A New Generation apologetics tour is going and is. But also this, we've got an archive, a searchable database of questions, questions from folks like you, and questions from all ages, and they're on the website, they're on the app. Things like, how do we know the Bible is the Word of God, and what about the resurrection of Jesus?

Can we be sure it really happened? There are, I don't know, 80-some questions we've just posted. We're adding one or two a week.

We've probably got an archive of over 500 questions and answers that we're in the process of uploading. But check out the website, check out the app, and let's together be equipped to stand strong for the faith. Well, my guest on today's program who is helping the next generation do that, Dustin Whittington at Rockfish Church down here in the greater Fayetteville area, you know, talking about families, let me ask you this, because you all are quite literally on the doorstep of Fort Bragg, the largest military base in our nation. What are the dynamics of ministry to the families that come to Fort Bragg? Are there some unique dynamics about ministry in a military town, Dustin? Yeah, there are several. There are several different unique, just different challenges that we face that can stretch everything from students who are really just used to not seeing mom and dad on a regular basis, whether it be work or deployments and that kind of thing.

But even more than that, I would narrow it down to one that I think we could speak to. And that would be the dynamic of students that come in, they're here, and as a rule, they're only here for a short time because they're going to end up, you know, we know the military Bragg terminology, where's home, well home is wherever the military sends us. And so these students, they come to Rockfish Church, and as a rule, we have them for about two years. They connect and then they leave. And so one of those things that, you know, one of the barriers that we face is sometimes you have these students who come in and, you know, connecting with people is not a top priority for them because they know the pain that's involved with leaving.

And so they get used to saying these goodbyes, and they're here, and then they're gone. And so that would be, I'd say, one of the challenges that we face is really just trying to take those two years and capitalize on them as best we can. How do you build relationships in that kind of a context?

And as you're saying this, I'm thinking about the world itself, you know, everybody's so busy, everybody's on their devices, you know, in a way technology has divided us. How do you build relationships? How do you train your people to build relationships in this Wi-Fi, hurry up, busy, busy world that we're in? Yeah, so it goes back to the very first thing that we kind of are saying to our volunteers, the people who serve in ministry here in Rockfish Students. We say this, we say Rockfish Students exist to make, equip, and release fully committed followers of Jesus. So in that, our number one goal, everything that we do, is to equip and empower students to do the work that Jesus has called them to do. So connecting with them in this culture, I think sometimes we capitalize on it, you know.

We utilize social media in a way that we can, you know, bring home deliverables of truth, you know, and that kind of thing. What do you say to the churches? Because you know, as you and I were talking about, Dustin, 85 percent of America's churches are 150 people or less.

Right. You know, there are some very large churches, praise God. There's some incredibly wonderful, smaller churches, praise God. But what do you say to the church who says, look, we don't have a lot of resources, you know, we're not in a big city like Fayetteville. Can any church today build a youth group regardless of where they are? Absolutely they can. Absolutely.

I believe it wholeheartedly. If you have students, you have the opportunity to really just kind of, you know, minister to them, no matter the context, where you're at or anything in that regard. How do we do it? I'd say the number one emphasis is not on how many students can we put in a room. The absolute number one emphasis is how many students can we connect to the mission. So when we talk about churches all over the world, 150 or less, whatever that looks like, if the emphasis is on how can we connect these students to the gospel, how can we connect them to the local church, I think all too often youth groups focus on – and not even intentionally, but sometimes as a byproduct, here's what happens. We build the youth group and all of a sudden we look and guess what we have? We have a church plant. We have a whole church inside of a church that's completely separated. They have their own pastor. They have their own worship team and that kind of thing. For us, it's been about creating a bridge, a conduit, to get students from student ministry connected to the church.

Thank you. I applaud you saying that, that it's not just a church within the church. But even though youth do some things on their own, but I've always wondered when I was a youth pastor for 11 years, we wanted the young people to understand that they are part of the body of Christ, and they are a part of the local church. It's not just us down in the fellowship hall. They're a part of the church. How do you communicate that? We take that verse right out of Corinthians.

It says, the hand can't say to the foot, I don't need you. And for us, we have here at Rockfish Church, we have sixth through twelfth graders who God has given gifts and abilities to them. They are God-given gifts and abilities that they can utilize for the glory of God. And so for us, it's been a very intentional goal of creating opportunities for those students to take these gifts and abilities and first figure out what they are. We talk about identity.

Students don't know where they fit. So one of the main goals that we have is just helping them figure out what their shape is, where they fit. And then after they have that figured out, at least an idea of what that looks like, we start showing them opportunities within the context of Rockfish Church and ministry in and around the area that they can take these gifts and abilities that they have and they can use them, whatever that looks like. If the Lord's calling them to ministry, we create opportunities for them to utilize those things. And you know, I think about Ephesians 4-12 that talks about the saints doing the work of the ministry.

We've got a break. We're talking with Dustin Whittington and youth ministry in the twenty-first century from Rockfish Church in the Fayetteville, North Carolina area. Stay tuned.

TNG radio is back after this. 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 six hundred degree options from an associate to a PhD and study one hundred percent 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. As we take a break, let me tell you about three tens, three books that will answer questions that come your way from others or even yourself about the Christian faith. Book number one, Ten Answers for Skeptics. Today skeptics are looking for authenticity, integrity and straightforward faith. And in this book, you'll learn how to answer intimidating questions, identify the root issue behind those questions and dismantle the spiritual bombshells dropped by non-believers.

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So the three tens once again, Ten Answers for Skeptics, Ten Answers for Atheists, and the ten most common objections to Christianity and how to answer them. Find them wherever Christian books are sold or at alexmcfarland.com. Ephesians 4, 11 and 12 says that God gave pastors, teachers and evangelists for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry. And it's an exciting thing to know Christ. It's a privilege to serve Christ, and we hope that you're doing that.

We're talking with Dustin Whittington, who is doing that. And by the way, I want to say that Truth for New Generation Ministries exists for a lot of reasons to evangelize the lost and equip the saved, but especially young people. And I believe the future of the country hinges on great churches and great families. And I do want to remind you, listen very carefully, every summer we do an apologetics youth camp. The summer of 2019, that's going to be July 29th through August 2nd. We'll be at Camp Kale in eastern North Carolina. And Camp Kale is a beautiful, beautiful camp, world class, and there are all the camp things – zip lines, ropes, courses, kayaking and volleyball and all that stuff. But we'll be doing 15 sessions on apologetics, Christian worldview. My dear friend Andy Lawrence will be there. In my opinion, one of the preeminent youth leaders in America. And Miki Addison from the American Family Radio Network, just an amazing thinker and speaker.

Will Addison. Great food, great friends, great memories, but the most important thing of all – the biblical worldview. So if you've got middle school through high schoolers, and yes, adult leaders are welcome to come, please go to the website truthforanewgeneration.com. There is still time. It is May, but there is absolutely time to sign up. Last year we had teens from nine states, so the camp is coming up.

Don't miss out on a week that will count for a lifetime. Truth for a New Generation Camp, July 29th through August 2nd. You know, before the break, we were talking about getting students engaged. And I applaud what you're doing, because here's one thing that is kind of a core value of ours – ministry that is multi-generational.

Sometimes I get worried when young people are sequestered away, and they never interact with anybody but their own peer group. And talk to me about making sure the body of Christ – you know, guys, girls, young, old, toddlers, youth, seniors – how do you get young people to minister in all levels of the church? So for us, it's – one, we have the opportunities. You build a church, there's going to be opportunities to serve no matter what.

There are so many things that happen, even all throughout the week, but just on a Sunday morning. You know, here at Rockfish, you know, we have about 2,000 people that are going to come through the doors on Sunday. And for us, it's about an opportunity of creating opportunities for these students to serve. We just point at them. We say, guys, there are spots within the context of guest services.

Okay, what does that mean? Well, we have these outlined values right here within guest services – welcome center, greeting people, all these different things, making guests feel welcome. And for us, it's just been about lowering those barriers and saying, you know, the only barrier that we have is you've got to be at least in the sixth grade to serve. And so we have – I'll just tell you, our tech team, our guest services team, our photography team, I could go on and on through the list, our worship team. These teams are full of students who have God-given gifts and abilities, and we've just pointed at the opportunity and said, yeah, you can do that. You know, just a yes culture.

That for us has been what it is, a yes culture – hey, can I serve in this? Well, yeah, you can. And we're going to show you how to do it, and we're going to empower you to do it. And for us, it's just been so fruitful, you know, showing these guys these are what your gifts and abilities are, and they're saying, oh, can I use them here?

Absolutely you can. One thing I love about Rockfish, there's just such an atmosphere of grace and just a good heart here. I know there are churches where some people do a thing and they grasp it, and they wouldn't let anybody else get involved, because this is my little turf.

This is my place. How have you guys helped people understand that it's all God's ministry? It's not my ministry, it's Christ's ministry. That is – you're spot on, and I'm not going to say we haven't seen those things even throughout our ministry here. There's always that.

And part of that, you can appreciate an element of that. When somebody takes ownership of something, you know, those are the kind of people that you want on your team, but not ownership to the detriment of the ministry. For us, you know, guarding that has always been about having a culture where we want to train other people to do what we're doing.

How can you replicate yourself? Just the way that the church here at Rockfish has been built is it's not built around one person you know. If you come on one Sunday and listen to the teaching, there's going to be somebody completely different teaching next week. It's not a personality-driven church, it's not a superstar-driven church, and for us, you know, that starts on the stage. That starts in the pulpit. And people see that. People who serve in ministry see that. And so, you know, we want people to take an element of ownership in their ministry, but not to the detriment of the ministry. And so for us, it has been one of those things that we've infused consistently in our culture that it's not about me, it's not about this person, it's not about this pastor, it's not about the senior pastor, it's about Jesus. And it's flowed. It has continuously been something that we can every day try to infuse in the culture, and we've seen the fruit of it.

But it comes with consistently pushing back, saying, I don't own this. This is Jesus'. Dr. Darrell Bock We don't have a whole lot of time left, but Dustin, are there any one or two resources that you would make people aware of, maybe any authors that you've read or websites, to build a great outreach to students, anything you'd recommend?

Dr. Dustin Jones Right. You know, and this will be like pushing your book, but I'll just tell you, Abandoned in Faith, I will tell you, Alex, has really been for me an eye-opener. That book and the research that you did throughout that was really good for me. And I'll just tell you, the other one, John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. I think if somebody could read John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership before going into student ministry, I think it would help. You put your focus on building that lead team, that leadership team, and make it really – you see the fruit of it. And you know, one of the things I appreciate about you and the staff here and Dr. Stanley, you guys are lifelong learners. And I want to say, if you're in ministry, if you're a pastor or a support staff or a volunteer or just every Christian, don't ever let your mind and your skill set get stagnant. Be a leader, be a reader, go to seminars, always be growing and learning, because as you alluded to, John Maxwell, we all have some degree of leadership entrusted to us. And it behooves us to be the best that we can for our Savior. Dr. Darrell Bock Yeah, absolutely. Good stewards. Dr. Darrell Bock So folks, thanks for listening to TNG Radio.

Again, check out the website, check out the app. But our call to every one of you to present, explain, defend the Gospel, make your life an investment in Christ's Great Commission, because knowing Christ and serving Christ, bringing others to Christ, that's what counts for eternity. Truth for a New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical worldview through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1. That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG Radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. That's P.O. Box 10231, Greensboro, North Carolina 27404. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG Radio.