Jonathan “JP” Pokluda is the Dallas Campus Pastor of Watermark Community Church and leader of The Porch, an influential young adult gathering of more than 3,500 in Dallas, Texas. At The Porch, thousands of young adults come hear the gospel, get equipped and are unleashed for kingdom purposes. JP’s passion is to share the gospel with anyone who will listen and equip others to do the same. He also feels called to challenge Christians to multiply their faith by discipling others. He and his wife, Monica, have three children.
Key Questions for Jonathan Pokluda:
– Tell us about your ministry to millennials.
– What do young people need to know about authority and the church?
– What do you think churches get wrong when they’re trying to reach younger generations?
[SUBSCRIBE] For more ChurchLeaders podcasts click here!Key Quotes from Jonathan Pokluda:
“If you’re not reaching the future of your church, your church has no future.”
“Growth happens when we’re uncomfortable. When we sit under an authority, knowing that all authority is in some way corrupt; all authority is imperfect. But when we learn to coexist with that authority, serve under the authority, we really grow like Christ.”
“Where I think pastors miss it with millennials is they lower the bar…and they try to keep them under their control. I think what [millennials] want is they want to respond to a big ask…and then they want you to deploy them.”
“[Millennials] don’t want to follow a replica of their favorite celebrity pastor. They don’t want to hear how righteous and perfect you are. They want to know that you have struggled just like they do and they want to know that you’re not pretending.”
“[Millennials] are people that corporate America is exploiting their gifts for profitability.”
“The bigger we get, the smaller we must become.”
“The church will change tremendously over the next two decades, but there will be no supplement; there will be no replacement for the depth of relationships that God calls us to in Christ.”
“We’re not going to be able to replace [true fellowship]. I think as we do try to replace that, we’re going to experience death, the highest levels of depression that we’ve ever seen, deep, deep despair in a culture.”
“I think one mistake the church makes is over-promises and under-delivers. We do everything we can to get people there, and then once they’re there they’re like ‘that was kind of lame.’”
“What you see in the news today are young people who have been created in the image of God; he knitted them together in their mother’s womb, he knows how many hairs are on their head. And they’re just missing out on their purpose because they’re living for themselves. And they just need some help.”
“I think we all go from being the younger brother to the older brother in the prodigal son story.”
“Every generation thinks that every generation behind them is the most narcissistic, entitled, laziest generation.”
Links Mentioned in the Show:
Welcome to Adulting: Navigating Faith, Friendship, Finances, and the Future
Awaken Conference
theporch@watermark.org
