Carrying the Torch of Faith for Generation Z
A MOVEMENT IS BORN
HowToLife Movement is a global Gen-Z (people born between 1997 – 2012 whose age range is between 11 and 26 years old) led missions and evangelism ministry that reaches, disciples, and mobilizes teens for Jesus. Jordan started the organization as a junior in high school. “I realized I had a year and a half left of high school, and I wanted to make it count for Jesus.”
In 2015, Jordan began to plan/organize with his peers a student-led outreach to share the Gospel. The first HowToLife event was successful with over 700 students in attendance. Students in other area high schools quickly wanted in. Over the next few years, the movement exploded, with students mobilizing and hosting their own HowToLife outreach events.
After being on The 700 Club in 2017, a man in England saw Pat’s interview with Jordan about the HowToLife movement. The man shared the information with his son who began to pursue having an event in their community. As a result, in the fall of 2018, the first International HowToLife event took place in central England. Since HowToLife began, student events have been held in over 25 states from coast to coast and six countries. Thousands of young people have attended, and many have made commitments to Christ.
HOPE FOR GEN Z
According to a new study from George Barna, “Generation Z is the least Christian generation in American history.” Some startling statistics about this generation include:
• 35% of Generation Z teens consider themselves to be atheist, agnostic, or not affiliated with any religion.
• Only one out of three agree with the statement, “Lying is morally wrong.”
• Only 4% of today’s teenagers hold a biblical worldview.
Jordan wants to see a spiritual awakening for this generation. He believes the HowToLife Movement has been an effective strategy to deliver the Gospel to Gen Z. Each event features worship, drama, hope stories, and a clear Gospel presentation. The process typically includes a student contacting HowToLife Movement (often through Instagram: @howtolifemovement), who then gets customized coaching and encouragement from an experienced HowToLife regional or national student coordinator.
Student leaders are instructed to develop a plan, build their teams, and pray for God to move powerfully through their event. The training for leading every part of a HowToLife Movement event is available through training videos. A location is determined, and a budget is set – to cover costs of facility rental, promotional materials, event insurance, and more. Each student group is responsible for raising all the local expenses for their event.
Student leaders are encouraged to mobilize area students from multiple schools and churches, resulting in an area-wide outreach. Finally, young people are equipped to boldly share the Gospel, and lead their friends to Christ.
ABOUT JORDAN
Jordan comes from a legacy of evangelism. His grandfather, Ron Hutchcraft is the founder of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries (RHM) and is a lifelong evangelist. His father, Rick Whitmer, serves as the Senior Director of Mobilization for RHM. One of the outreaches that his grandfather was involved with through the years was the On Eagles Wings summer evangelistic ministry. They would take First Nation people who were Christians to reservations to share their story with other youth. The inspiration came from watching the power of people from a tribe being the ones to reach that tribe. For Jordan, his tribe is Gen Z and who better to reach them than other teens.
He is a frequent speaker at churches and conferences. Jordan has also been the subject of numerous local and national media appearances for radio, television, and print. He hosts the podcast, Gen Z Today which helps teens discover practical ways to bravely live and lead for Christ. During the podcast, Jordan has weekly conversations with influential Gen Z voices from around the world. He is passionate about mobilizing student leaders to make a difference in their generation for Christ. He travels frequently, mentoring and encouraging young people to boldly live and lead for Jesus.
