Regional Convocation Challenges Church to Reach Next Generation

The 49th Regional Convocation issued a specific call for African American churches in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to embrace, empower and engage the next generation in their Pentecost 2025 evangelism efforts.

“You want Pentecost? Then remember Eutychus,” challenged Garth Dottin, keynote speaker from Tabernacle Adventist Church in Florida, in his opening remarks. Dottin previously served as Sharon Adventist Church pastor in Portland and as the first Oregon Conference regional ministry coordinator. “How is it that Eutychus is missing and over on the sideline by the window?”

Dottin focused both of his messages on Acts 20, where the young man Eutychus fell asleep and tumbled from a third-story window during one of Paul’s long sermons.

Dottin connected the biblical story to present-day reality.

“We complain that young people are missing from the church,” he said, “but we know exactly where they are. Tired. Discouraged. Disengaged. Waiting for someone to notice.”

He challenged leaders to not dismiss the reasons young people have distanced themselves.

The harsh reality, in many cases, Dottin noted, is, “The sermon was too long. The church too dull. The tone too judgmental. And they can’t wait until they are old enough to say, ‘I’m done.’”

But instead of blaming or shaming, Dottin pointed to the example of Paul. When Eutychus fell, Paul didn’t criticize. He didn’t send someone else. He left his post, went down three flights, embraced the broken young man and said, “He’s going to be all right.”

“That’s the recipe,” Dottin said. “Leave your office. Open your heart. Don’t host another program — go meet them where they are. Love them. Tell them they can live again.”

He didn’t mince words when it came to the church’s responsibility: “We say we want growth. We say we want Pentecost. But then we sit on the sidelines and criticize. You want to reach young people? Shut your mouth. Care for them. Pray for them.”

Referencing the post-pandemic struggles, Dottin reminded listeners of the resilience the church has already shown.

“Covid was tough,” he said. “Even when we didn’t know how to pivot, God still provided.”

But now, he said, the challenge is different: spiritual attentiveness.

Dottin continued the lessons from Eutychus in his second presentation, where he turned the spotlight on two ways churches continue to push young people away: stifling their creativity and starving their ministries.

“We always put evangelism in a box — our box,” he said. “We don’t give them resources. We don’t give them space to dream. Then we wonder why they leave.”

He encouraged churches to make room at the table, literally. “Put young people on your church board. Give them the keys. Let them lead.”

Quoting Judges 2:7–10, Dottin reminded and warned that it only takes one generation to forget God. “And when our youth start to grow, they begin to notice the holes — the hypocrisy, the feuds, the inconsistencies — and they start asking if it’s even worth trying.”

“The church needs to be a judgment-free zone,” he said. “We don't need to know their why to then gossip to other people.”

He called on churches to invest in fellowship, food and music. “Fellowship allows for people to feel like part of the family and music paves the way for the Word,” he said.

Throughout his messages, Dottin emphasized the need for consecrated leadership, not just pastors, but every member who claims the name of Christ.

“You are the church,” he declared. “Don’t just point to your pastor. God has given you a message. What are you doing with the gifts God has given you?

Dottin’s messages at Regional Convocation served both as a wake-up call and a commissioning. Be brief. Be bold. Be willing to change. Be the church that embraces its youth, that feeds its people and that teaches how to pray through tough times.

Dottin urged listeners to invest in the next generation, to remain grounded in prayer and to go where God leads — even if it’s uncomfortable.

“Believe that Jesus will bring the next generation to life,” Dottin said. “Be prayerful. Watch the change that will come over your church. Change is about to happen, and it starts with you. God needs you for His service. God needs you to stand up for change.”

“The church needs consecrated people who will go where God leads them to go,” Dottin said in his appeal. “Your call is not common, regular or typical. We need leaders who depend on the presence of the Holy Spirit. You want to catch the fire of the Holy Spirit? Expect to do things you’ve never done before. You can’t go wrong when you help bring people to Jesus.”

The 49th convocation was held at Mount Tahoma Church in Tacoma, Washington. Already, plans are underway for the 50th celebration of Regional Convocation.