The Head of Ministerial Formation at the Pentecost School of Theology and Mission (PSTM), Apostle Dr Christian Tsekpoe, has made a passionate appeal to the Church to refocus its missional priorities towards future generations. He warned that neglecting this crucial area could jeopardise the continuity of God’s mission in the years to come.
Delivering a message titled, ‘Sustaining God’s Mission Through the Generations’ based on Judges 2:7–12 at the 2025 Missions Orientation at the Pentecost Convention Centre (PCC), Gomoa-Fetteh, Apostle Dr Tsekpoe reflected on the sobering truth that even a faithful generation can fail to pass on the knowledge of God to their children.
‘The problem is not with the generation that doesn’t know God,’ he stated, ‘but with the previous generation that failed to transmit the gospel to them.’
He noted that the remarkable growth and spiritual depth currently witnessed in The Church of Pentecost is the fruit of the faithfulness of earlier generations. However, he cautioned that this legacy is not self-sustaining and must be intentionally preserved by engaging the youth with contextualised expressions of faith.
‘Just because we are serving God faithfully today does not guarantee that the next generation will do the same,’ he stated. ‘We must view our children and young people as a mission field and approach them with a missiological mindset.’
Referencing Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8, the respected theologian acknowledged the Church’s commendable commitment to global missions but pointed out a critical oversight—the need to sustain the mission across generations.
‘The Church has rightly focused on cross-cultural missions,’ he explained, ‘but we must not forget to engage the next generation right in our homes, churches, and schools. Missions is not only geographical; it is also generational.’
Drawing parallels between global missions and youth ministry, he stressed that just as missionaries undergo rigorous training to understand foreign cultures and worldviews, the Church must apply the same diligence in reaching emerging generations within its own context.
‘Early missionaries in Africa sometimes failed because they imposed European culture on the people. Today, we are better at contextualising the gospel for other nations, yet we often fail to do the same for our own children.’
He criticised the tendency of mission orientation programmes to overlook younger demographics entirely.
‘We must treat youth and children’s ministry as critical mission work. Acts 2 reminds us that the gospel is for all generations, and we must be attentive to how each one hears and responds.’
Using Luke 5 as an illustration, he pointed out that God works uniquely in every generation, warning that outdated methods may hinder the reception of new spiritual movements.
‘You cannot put new wine into old wineskins,’ he said. ‘God is doing something new in every generation, and we need fresh strategies that are fit for purpose. Otherwise, we risk losing both the method and the message.’
Apostle Dr Tsekpoe concluded with a call for an intergenerational mission approach—one that fosters intentional interaction between older and younger believers to cultivate faith expressions that are both culturally relevant and spiritually grounded.
‘We must stop assuming the next generation will automatically inherit our faith. It must be deliberately and lovingly handed over—not merely taught, but translated.’
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