Over the last few weeks I have shared with you a little bit of who the New E.R.A. Leaders are, and why I believe they are so vital in building our churches. Not only are Young adults key for building churches and ministries but Buisnesses as well. I know in most of my blogs alot of the things I write about are very spiritual, just the same this one will be too; but at the same time many of the principles and ideas are very practical and can be used for many things and can be applied to all walks of life.
So whether you are Pastor,Youth Pastor, Buisnessman or Non-profit program manager, you will see that many of the characteristics that I am going to talk about are things that you want to look for in selecting your team in order to be successful in this New Era!
Now when talking about a New Era You can’t help but to see it all around you. I believe that we are now living in the beginning stages of this New Era!
Things are no longer the way that they used to be. When you look at the world today it’s not the same world that it used to be. Things have changed! The environment has changed. The weather has changed. The people have changed. Everything has changed. Even the peoples beliefs have changed. Their Mentalities, Outlooks and Perspectives have changed.
Especially when it comes to religion and Christianity! We are in a world that is forever changing. And why is that? Well the reason why is because we are in a New Day, A New Time, A New Era!
With a New Era Comes :
- A New Culture – I remember back in the day, when you looked at the inner-city it was just a gang culture and drug culture. Now today there’s a pop culture and a hip-hop culture. Also with a new culture there’s a new style and a new way of doing things. Everything is High-Tech with visuals and media. Another thing is with a new culture comes a new language.
- A New Strategy – I believe that in this New Era, the enemy has come with a new strategy! Before his strategy was Gang Violence an Drug Addiction, and these things are still there, but they have now taken a back seat to Sexual Immorality and Greed.
- A New Generation – This generation is a liberal generation, where they except anything and anything goes. It is also a selfish generation. It’s all about them, they don’t care about anyone else except themselves. It is also a self gratification generation. It doesn’t matter how they make anyone else feel as long as they feel good and it gratifies them. Another thing, (And I feel that this is the worst one)Is that this generation is a self exaltation generation. It’s all about self. It’s the Me and I generation.
There are so many other things but these are just a few that stand out to me, And I believe that if we are going to make a difference and an impact in this new era than we are going to have to develop a new culture and strategy of our own. We are going to have to develop and train a new generation that is unashamed of the Gospel and who is not afraid to stand up for their convictions as well. A generation that understands that they have a calling upon their lives, and that they have been handpicked and chosen by God! Seperated and consecrated for this very time, for this day and for this Era!
I believe that this generation has and is going to experience an attack that no generation has ever experienced, But at the same time they are going to experience the power and anointing and Spirit of God like no other generation has experienced before. They are going to experience a New E-levated R-evolutionary A-nointing!
This is where the New E.R.A. Leaders come in. Now I shared a little bit about who we are but now I want to share a little bit about what we are.
In this New Era, we don’t just want to develop leaders, but New E.R.A. Leaders.
A New E.R.A. Leader is one who understands the times that we are in. One who knows and understands the cultures and sub-cultures of this generation.
A New E.R.A. Leader is one that has experienced this new strategy of the enemy, and not just experienced it, but understands it, knows how to last through it, fight through it, and Conquer it!
He or she also understands and knows this generation. They understands what they go through and how they feel.They know how they think, work and play. They know their mindsets, mentalities, outlooks and perspectives on life, family, God and religion.
They also have an E-levated mentality with R-evolutionary methods filled with the Power and A-nointing of the holy Spirit!
It is this E-levated mentality that we need in order to understand this generation. A mentality of maturity. Not that we think that we are above them, but we are conscious of their beliefs, lifestyles and mentalities so that we can bring the gospel and understanding of the gospel, not to condemn them but to enlighten them.
Our job is not condemn their beliefs and lifestyles but to bring the word of God and understanding of the word of God with R-evolutionary methods. To create an atmosphere where they can experience the life changing power and A-nointing of the Holy Spirit and Revolutionize their way of thinking. And that is the goal, that we would be able to bring about a Spiritual Revolution in the way’s of their thinking. To change their mentalities, ideas and undrstanding of Christianity and the Church. So they too can have a genuine experience and relationship with God, just like you and I.
Check back in a Few days for Pt.4 of
“Building New E.R.A. Leaders For A New Era”
Rick Alanis Jr.
Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to work with and oversee our Young Adult ministry here at Victory Outreach San Bernerdino. It has been a such a joy and a privilege to work with this group! To be able to see where we were as a group and as individuals just a few years ago, and to see where we are at today, and the process that God has taken us through, is so amazing! 
For those of you who read Pt.1 I hope it was able to get you to start thinking about your Faith and your Vision! These are two very importatant subjects that are vital to your walk with God! You see we have all been given a vision. Especially those of us that are from Victory Outreach. In Victory Outreach we all know that we have a Global Vision, a Local Vision, and then we have our Personal Vision. Now in order for those Visions to come to pass, it’s going to take Faith!
