How Churches Can Prepare the Next Generation of Leaders
Carrie Williams is executive director of Exponential NEXT, helping shape and advance the future of the church by equipping leaders to multiply disciples and develop emerging leaders. She brings over 30 years of ministry leadership experience across global missions, churches and nonprofits, including CEO of Leadership Network during its integration into Exponential, and serving on the founding church-planting team of The Church of Eleven22 in Jacksonville, Florida.
We’re not approaching a future moment for the church. We’re already there.
As Isaiah says, “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:19). The reality is, the shift has happened, and we’re living inside of it.
Today, cultural trust has eroded. Affiliation with the church is changing. Leadership pipelines are thinning. And yet, in the middle of all of that, God still is moving. Jesus’ words ring true today as they did when he spoke them: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37). At the same time, a generation is rising up with a deep hunger for purpose, for justice, for authenticity, and for Jesus. But many of them don’t see themselves reflected in the systems and structures we’ve built.
So, it’s not a question of whether the church will change because it already has. The real question is whether we intentionally are building a church the next generation can lead, not just inherit. The future of the church won’t be secured by simply refining what worked in the past.
We need to take seriously Paul’s instruction to Timothy: “What you have heard from me… entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). That’s not just leadership development—it’s generational stewardship. It calls for clarity, courage and a willingness to rethink how we lead, disciple and multiply in a world that is fundamentally different than the one many of us grew up in.
Joel’s promise also speaks into this moment: “Your sons and daughters will prophesy” (Joel 2:28). In other words, the future isn’t just something we prepare for; it’s something God is already releasing through the next generation.
If we’re serious about the future of the church, we have to be serious about the people who will lead it. That means we don’t just talk about the next generation. Instead, we actually form them, empower them and release them into real responsibility now. That way we’re not stumbling into the future of the church—we’re actively shaping it. And even more than that, we’re helping develop the people who will carry it forward long after we’re gone.
That’s why the following resources matter—not because they name problems we don’t already see, but because they help us respond well. They stretch our thinking, ground us in what is biblically essential, and give us practical pathways for forming leaders, reimagining the church, and stepping into what’s next with wisdom and intention.
Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders by Daniel Yang, Adelle M. Banks and Warren Bird (Zondervan Reflective) challenges leaders to rethink generational handoff, rebuild trust, and create belonging for the next generation. It offers eight moves to help churches faithfully adapt to major cultural and leadership changes.
Hitting the Ball You Cannot See: Accelerating Jesus-Following Into the Future by Jurie Kriel and the NXT Move Community (Nxt Move) is a prophetic and practical guide for leaders navigating rapid global change. It offers a starting point for conversations, collaboration and the formation of what comes next in ministry and mission.
Future-Focused Church: Leading through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow by Kara Powell, Raymond Chang and Jake Mulder
is a research-based guide for church leaders. It helps readers navigate rapid change, engage younger generations, embrace diversity, and lead practical, faithful steps toward revitalizing and shaping a more hopeful future for the church.
The Atlas: Your Call. His Kingdom by Carrie Williams and Bill Couchenour (Exponential) is a collaborative resource that explores seven expressions of the church and disciple-making movements across the U.S. This guide describes each expression and illustrates them through real-life examples of communities living out faith in their unique contexts.
Who’s The Next You?: A Call for 1,000 More Churches to Invest in Gen Z Through Residency by Dave Miller and Kristin Miller (independently published) challenges leaders to invest in emerging leaders. It discusses how to build healthy leadership pipelines through mentorship, stewardship and intentional development so the next generation is ready to carry the mission forward.
Hero Maker: Five Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders by Dave Ferguson and Warren Bird (Zondervan Reflective) equips leaders to multiply impact by developing others, activating gifts, and building Jesus-shaped apprenticeship practices that shift churches from leadership addition to reproduction and multiplication.
