Prologue

GPS and map apps are so convenient! Today, they enable us to travel to just about any place with clear and specific directions. If you happen to take a wrong turn or miss an exit, you don’t have to worry too much, as the app will reroute you to the next best option so that you still arrive at your destination. It makes you wonder how in the world we managed to navigate the maze of streets, avenues, and highways before these handy little apps. Well, we had roadmaps.

The grandpa to your Google or Apple maps was the paper map that your dad kept in the glove compartment of his car. Like the the digital GPS, the roadmap provided guidance and direction to help people navigate to their desired destination. Unlike today’s navigation tools, these maps required greater attention. One had to study the map and keep track of where you were and what the next turn was. In fact, it worked best when you had a co-pilot; indeed, these maps encouraged teamwork and collaboration. With enough patience, attention, and perseverance, the traveler would arrive at where she was going.

Messengers of Peace, I ask you: Do you know where you are going? Do you know how to get there?

Our national leaders have presented our national vision: Building Together – a call to work across generations and regions to build up God’s Kingdom, not our own. Indeed, the work that one can do, many can do greater. Building together, that’s the destination. But how are we getting there? What roadmap exists to guide us to that destination?

We are excited to present you with the next issue of The Messenger titled “Roadmap: Visionary Strategies for Kingdom-minded Growth.” This issue aims to give voice to district leaders nationwide to hear how they are “Building Together.” Through this issue, we provide all young people a sense of direction to become active participants in their churches, districts, and beyond. We have invited district youth leaders to share their “roadmaps” with us. How are they organizing the Messengers of Peace in their respective regions to carry forward the vision and mission of the Church?

Each article offers unique yet interconnected visions, projects, objects, and activities. If you are a leader in any capacity, we pray that the contents of this issue inspire you and provide you ideas to grow in your own ministry. If you are not a leader, this issue is still for you. Each article offers insights about personal growth that every Messenger of Peace can learn from and apply to grow in the walk with the Lord.

We are also excited to share our newest feature: Dwell & Develop. This new section in each article invites you to deeply reflect and meditate on the ideas and themes presented in the article. We encourage you to work through the issue slowly. Read an article and spend the week reflecting on it with the five Dwell & Develop questions. You can also use these as conversation starters in small groups, bible studies, Sunday School classes, or conversation.

Join us in this issue as we learn and reflect on how we can be intentional about this journey. Together we can arrive at the destination!

Hector Caudillo,
Editor-in-Chief, The Messenger

Upon entering this season of leadership, we found ourselves in need of a district core team to assist us in event planning, behind the scenes, and even in our financial responsibilities. With this need in mind, we stepped into this leadership role to build upon the foundation that all the honorable administrations before us had laid and built. The vision behind creating this core team is not only to delegate our assignments but to raise leaders and disciple them using this strategy.

In this season of our leadership, the Lord is uniting us to come together as the body of Christ to edify and build on the foundation that has already been laid. It’s a great task with a heavy burden that God has given us to lead his people, but what a glorious truth it is to know that together we are building the kingdom of God.

The iPhone 15. The Nike Dunk Lows that no matter how careful you are, you end up getting creased. And the old, faithful Honda Accord that eventually sputters out after 300,000 miles.

Some will say, “They don’t make things the way they used to,” when the inevitable demise meets the material things of this world. Is anything truly built to last? If there is anything that is built to last, it is the church of the one true living God who has been built upon the hope of Jesus Christ.

When you stop and look at a building, a person rarely takes time to ponder on how its existence came to be. No one bothers to think about the integrity of its structure or how it would serve people. Fewer people pause to perceive the motion, energy, and work that is taking place inside of the building. Yet, every building started with a vision. Indeed, without that vision, the building and all that happens within would never exist.

Imagine being in a district where you travel across multiple states to attend a service! Mid-America District comprises five states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and a part of Iowa. Many of our churches are located in rural areas, and the distance between them can be hours. For our youth, attending a district event might entail a trip of eight hours one way. It goes without saying that serving a district that covers such a large geographical area can be challenging, but we have created innovative events that allow us to reach youth in all of our states, even in the most remote regions.