Causes: Children / Sunday School
Daniel and Marla Watts, Founders
We first met Daniel and Marla Watts over 30 years ago when Daniel was serving as the Children’s Pastor at our church. We will never forget when Daniel shared that God had called him to move his family to Poland to begin a ministry providing resources and education to Sunday School teachers.
We have visited Daniel and the ministry in Poland, Belarus, Romania, Chile and India. We have been blessed to experience first-hand and support the amazing work they do with Sunday School teachers.
Over time, the ministry has progressed to be governed and operated by an indigenous team in each country. This has made a huge impact on the impact and longevity of each ministry center. In addition, they have a game plan for each country to be fully self-sustainable.
The ministry has grown a great deal over the last 25 years and we know you will enjoy reading more about it below.

Mission
“Transforming Children in Christ through His Church”
Every Generation Ministries (EGM) mission is to establish locally-led ministries in the 38 countries where 75% of the world's children live by 2027.
EGM believes that every child should experience the transformed life Jesus intends for him or her. EGM helps churches around the world disciple children using five principles found in Deuteronomy 6. EGM establishes locally-led ministries that are directed, staffed and funded by Christians from within each country. These work to equip every church with leadership development and Bible teaching resources to help children experience the transformed life that Jesus intends for them.
So many children around the world are living in difficult situations. Most of them have never experienced unconditional love. So many have a real lack of peace in their lives and experience extreme feelings of hopelessness. These children are looking for solutions to the problems they face; they are looking for answers to questions about their real lives. EGM has found that in every country, there are people who love children and want to help them respond to God's word in a tangible, transformational way.
In response to God’s love for children and for His Church, EGM was founded in Poland. Over the last 25 years, the ministry has expanded to form ministry teams in 15 countries on five continents. Today, EGM is equipping and empowering churches across these regions, with ministry impact reaching into over 25 countries. Over 40,000 children’s workers have been involved in EGM training programs and/or using our Bible teaching materials.
EGM:NOW – A Transformed Ministry Approach
In this season of global transformation, as God’s people are challenged to make disciples in the midst of a pandemic, EGM believes the Lord has provided an opportunity to reshape ministry work with a fresh approach relevant to the new global reality, which includes:

Multiplying effective, culturally relevant ministry to children within a regional, collaborative context
Expanding ministry impact across national borders based on regional relationships and shared language and culture
Implementing new digital technologies to develop children’s workers and distribute Bible teaching resources
New doors have opened to reach boys and girls and impact more lives for Christ than ever before. In response, EGM is partnering with national ministry teams to develop a long-term outreach strategy that reaches beyond borders and advances the Kingdom of God across the globe.
Core Values
Inherent in the ministry of EGM are five core values taken from Scripture: children, the local church, transformational ministry, national leadership and excellence in stewardship.
Children
Several incidents within the New Testament offer insight into the priority that Jesus gives to ministering to children (Luke 18:15-17; Matthew 18:1-9; Matthew 21:15).

Although this list of Bible references is certainly not exhaustive, it highlights the importance the LORD attributed to children in His ministry. We share the LORD’s love for children and give them central importance in our ministry.
Church

Matthew 28:18-20 is the central passage to our understanding of our role in proclaiming the gospel. In this watershed passage, Christ commissions the “community of faith” to go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all that He has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). We believe that the particular reference made to baptism in verse 19, the teaching of Paul on baptism and the large body of New Testament teaching on the church indicate that the Great Commission is primarily a commissioning of the local church (Matthew 28:19-20; Ephesians 3:8-10; 2 Corinthians 6:16 ). Therefore, the focus of our ministry is through the local church.
Transformational Ministry
EGM believes that the goal of all ministry is transformation, which is lived out specifically in two contexts:
Leadership Development
Leaders are developed when they learn Bible-based teaching in a relational environment with experiential methods, connect it to their ministry context, and respond by transforming the way they minister to children.
Ministry to Children
Children are transformed in Christ when, in a relational context, they are led to experience and understand the Word of God, connect it to real life, and respond to its truth.
National Leadership
We are committed to developing National Ministry Teams that are led by local Christian leaders. We believe that local Christian leaders are best suited to develop a ministry that will equip churches in their countries for effective ministry to children and their families. Our commitment to establish National Ministry Teams flows out of our understanding of incarnational ministry and the stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.

Incarnational Ministry – In Colossians 1:15-29, we see the very heart of incarnational ministry. Minimizing the barrier separating God and humanity, Jesus Christ chose to identify with humanity (Hebrews 4:15) by taking on the form of a man, becoming one of us. He effected his purpose for the world from within it. Affirming incarnational ministry, EGM believes the local church is best served from within, with the fewest cultural and linguistic barriers possible.
Stewardship of Resources
God has entrusted us with resources and we are accountable to Him for the stewardship of those resources. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25) makes it clear that God expects us to maximize His resources. Within many cultures there are mature Christian leaders whom God has called to minister to children. Working with these leaders maximizes the financial resources of the ministry.
For these two reasons, EGM seeks out local Christian leaders who share the vision that God has given. We partner with those leaders to develop national ministries that will transform children in Christ through His Church.
Excellence in Stewardship
We believe that our ministry should pursue excellence in the wise stewardship of the resources that God has entrusted us. In all that we do we are committed to excellence in how we reflect Jesus Christ in our ministry and within our organization.
To learn more about this ministry or to provide financial support, please visit their website below.
Comments