Presence First. Then Boldness.

As I’ve been thinking and praying about the next generation in Elim Fellowship, there’s a simple phrase that has really been stirring in my heart: Presence first. Then boldness.

Acts 4:31 says, “After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” I love the order of that. They experienced the presence and power of God, and then boldness followed. They weren’t simply given a better strategy for being courageous. They encountered God, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and something changed in them.

I believe one of the greatest things we can do for the next generation is create opportunities for them to genuinely experience the presence of God. We want our young people to know more than the stories of what God has done in someone else’s life. We want them to have their own stories. We want them to discover that the same Holy Spirit who moved in Acts is moving today, and He wants to work in them and through them right now.

We saw a glimpse of this at NYSUM this past year in New York City. Seventy people from three churches came together to serve the homeless, prepare meals, share their testimonies, and bring the love of Jesus throughout the city. We watched students who had barely said a word all year begin praying for strangers. Students preached on the subway, shared their faith, and stepped outside of what was comfortable. Nobody had to manufacture those moments. They experienced God for themselves, and boldness followed.

That same heart is behind Saturate 2026, happening November 12–14. We want great worship, great speakers, new friendships, plenty of fun, and a room full of young people from across our Fellowship. But ultimately, the conference itself isn’t the goal. Our prayer is that students encounter Jesus, experience His presence, hear His voice, and leave believing that God can use them right now. If your church has students, I hope you’ll encourage your youth leaders to bring them. Whether it’s a large youth ministry or three students in a van, we want them in the room with us.

We need to go even further than our time together in November and we are starting to think outside of the box for that. The new Saturate App, and our vision for it goes beyond. Yes, it will help groups register, access schedules, receive updates, and stay connected during the conference, but we hope it becomes much more than that. We want to help youth pastors, leaders, and groups across Elim Fellowship find one another, build relationships, share what God is doing, and stay connected long after everyone goes home.

Because this isn’t just a youth ministry vision. This is an Elim Fellowship vision. Pastors, missionaries, leaders, parents, grandparents, and churches all have a part to play. We can pray, encourage, make room, provide opportunities, and believe in this generation.

I don’t want our young people thinking that following Jesus and doing ministry are things they are preparing to do someday. The Holy Spirit isn’t reserved for the adults in the room. They can pray for people, share the Gospel, serve their communities, hear God’s voice, and participate in His mission right now.

My prayer is that Saturate is one more place where that begins, but certainly not where it ends.

Presence first. Then boldness. Let’s make room for both.