Catching up with Brock Morgan
Brock Morgan is a long-time friend of Marko and I. He's a Cartel OG and our first presenter at The Summit to make a return visit this Fall. Brock has published two books with us (Youth Ministry in a Post-Christian World & The Amazing Next) which are both top sellers.Recently, I caught up with Brock to hear how is summer has been going. Here's our interview.TYC: What's summer look like in your ministry?Brock: Well this is a crazy summer and you've caught me at a very interesting time. We are in the middle of transitioning and beginning a new ministry called Generation514. Its all about raising up next generation leaders to instigate and influence change for the common good. We are super pumped about it and you can find out all about it at www.generation514.comBut other than that, I will be doing some camp speaking, which I absolutely love! There's nothing like getting students away from the noise of life and creating an environment where they can experience God's warmth and vision for them.TYC: Got vacation plans? What are you up to that isn't work? Ministry is great and all but summer is a great time to recharge the batteries, especially while you're in new ministry launch mode.Brock: Our family loves the beach! So we are heading to North Carolina to spend two weeks playing on the beach and in the water - but please pray that none of us gets attacked by Jaws! Have you seen the news recently?!TYC: OK, one thing I know about you from following you on Instagram is that you guys go hard on vacation. What's your dream summer vacation?Brock: Italy. We are planning a vacation there next summer - hoping to spend at least a month in that amazing place. But that has been our dream for many years and one that we've been trying to do for a very long time!TYC: I'm not calling you old, but you've been in the game for a while, what's your favorite summer youth ministry story.Brock: One of my favorites was last summer at camp. My cabin was heading to the first evenings service of the week and a student stopped me about half way there. He looked at me and said, "Brock, I've been ignoring God for so long." (And he had been, his parents had gotten a divorce about three years earlier and he just went the complete and opposite direction. Crossed many lines and partied very hard and eventually he was hardly even recognizable). But he continued, "I've been watching my friends grow in their faith and experiencing God in life changing ways. I've watched them and I want what they have, and I'm just tired of where my life has been heading. I feel absolutely dead inside!" At any rate, I watched him all week pursue God with his everything - and God absolutely changed his life! I love those kind of stories. But of course there is the one where we took a bunch of inner city kids from LA to Huntington Beach for the day and one kid got rescued by the same lifeguard 5 different times. Eventually the lifeguard ran up to me exhausted and told me that he was done. That this kid was on his own. If he got into trouble one more time we'd need to call an ambulance. Hilarious! Of course he kept going back in but I strapped a boogie board on him.TYC: What's your least favorite part about summer in youth ministry?Brock: My least favorite part is after camp. Knowing that the world we go back to has systemic patterns - patterns of families, culture, and even our youth ministries and churches that are killing kids souls and keeping them from actually living the faith. I always wish I could keep students for more than a week at camp - like we are just scratching the surface. I guess that's why we are starting Generation514 - we want to dive into the deep end of that whole thing. It's why I wrote, The Amazing Next - just hoping to help students realize that the most amazing life they can have is one with Jesus. But coming home I watch students head back to the noise of their lives... it's heart wrenching. I am longing for a movement!