Millennial/Gen Z Minister Rally provides pastors with community, encourages kingdom mindset

“We’re doing this to remind pastors how much their ministry matters and how important having fellowships, friendships, accountability and encouragement is. Ministry isn’t easy, but it’s not meant to be done alone; it’s meant to be done in community. And that’s what we want to be,” David Miranda, former director of Millennial/Gen Z Ministers Network, said at the Millennial/Gen Z Ministers Network (The Pastor’s Common) Rally.

The rally was held on Sunday, Nov. 10, in conjunction with the 2024 Texas Baptists Annual Meeting. Approximately 200 young adults serving in ministry came together for a time of worship and fellowship. 

Miranda opened the event with a word of encouragement to the ministers and pastors in attendance. 

“Ministry is not easy… This is the beauty of being a part of the Convention, of being a part of a network. You can find friends in ministry who are going through the same things as you,” he said.

Following Miranda’s remarks, Michael Glenn, minister of Contemporary Worship at First Baptist Arlington, led the group in a time of worship. Then, David Foster, groups and connection pastor at Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church in Dallas, introduced the evening’s speaker, Steve Bezner, senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church. 

Bezner spoke about shepherding a congregation with a kingdom of God mindset, not a worldly one. Many Christians are shaping their worldview based on media consumption, he said, and it is the Church’s job to remind them of where Jesus’ message diverges from the voices of the media. Furthermore, he reminded attendees that it is Christians’ job to bring the kingdom of God to places of brokenness.

“We need a gospel message that we can proclaim, but we also need a kingdom reality that we embody,” he said. 

Bezner said that the Church will not be transformed solely by preaching better sermons but also by finding places of brokenness and bringing the hope of the kingdom of God to them. He encouraged those in attendance to share the gospel as they serve broken people and to care about the world with a kingdom perspective. 

“If we set aside an ‘American’ Christianity and we pick up a kingdom vision of Christianity, we can actually end up making a far greater difference in our community and in our church than we ever anticipated,” he said. 

Joseph Adams, pastor of FBC Hughes Springs, closed the event with a time of prayer. Attendees gathered in small groups to pray for Texas Baptists and the spreading of the gospel to all Texans. 

The Pastor’s Common is a space for millennial and Gen Z ministry leaders to be heard, be resourced and find community. Learn more at thepastorscommon.com.