Explore the Call is the result of a collaborative effort between Pastor Gene Roncone and Zion Bible College. Pastor Roncone has spent years studying the call of God and meeting with high school students exploring the call in weekly small group settings. He shared the idea of a free interactive web site that helps teens identify, explore and nurture the call of God with Zion’s president, Charles Crabtree. The two felt that the fusion of Roncone’s experience and Zion’s passion for preparing students for Spirit-filled ministry could be a significant contribution to the Spirit-filled community.  They began outlining a strategy and building a development team in the fall of 2008 to launch  explorethecall.com in the summer of 2009. The site now offers a weekly podcast hosted by Pastor Roncone, helpful resources, a chat room, blog and online mentoring provided by Zion’s staff. Explore the Call is the only known resource of its kind and seeks to help hundreds of teens explore the call of God to full-time ministry.

Pastor Gene Roncone has a passion to help young people explore and develop their call to full-time ministry. For years he has coached and led small groups of students who are exploring God’s call to ministry. Gene presently serves as the Lead Pastor of Highpoint Church in Aurora, Colorado. Prior to his current pastorate, Gene served his denomination’s Northern California and Nevada region as the Director of Church Development and Ministry Enrichment. Gene lives in Aurora, Colorado, with his wife, Rhonda, and their teenage children. He enjoys spending time with his family, as well as group motorcycle rides through the Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. You can contact Pastor Gene on Facebook or through generoncone.com.

Explorethecall.com is a free interactive web site that helps teens identify, explore and nurture the call of God.

Gearing up: A weekly podcast to help teens explore the possibility of God’s call upon their life.

Equipment Room: Cool downloads, resources and helpful web links.

Meeting Place: A chat room and blog where teens can interact with other students around the nation who are also exploring God’s call.

Online Mentoring: A forum for students to email questions, prayer requests and interact with seasoned ministers.

Explore the Call Blog: is the place to read the Blog postings and provide your comments and insights.

Moses had Jethro and Samuel had Eli.  Elisha had Elijah and Timothy had Paul.  Now you have Explore the Call!  Check it out at www.explorethecall.com

NEW WEBSITE AND PODCAST FOR TEENS EXPLORING THE CALL:  A new website and podcast called Explore the Call has been created to help teens identify, explore and nurture the call of God.  Pastors can use this resource as a platform to mentor those exploring the call of God to ministry. The site features a weekly podcast to help teens explore God’s call, cool downloads, resources and helpful web links, a chat room and blog to interact with other students exploring God’s call, as well as access to online mentors. You can access the site at www.explorethecall.com.

Examples of some of the podcast topics…

What Is the Ministry?  

What Is A Call to Ministry?  

How Does God Call People?  

Misconceptions About the Call  

Things that Confirm Your Call  

Running From God  

Red Flags and Warning Signs  

Can Women Be Ministers?

The Importance of Formal Training  

What Can I Do in High School?  

Dating While Preparing for Ministry  

Here Am I, Send Me

Nurturing the Call: A Powerful New Resource

*The following article appeared in the Winter 2010 printed edition of the Enrichment Journal (www.enrichmentjournal.ag.org).

A student approached his pastor explaining that he felt he might be called to ministry, but wasn’t sure. The pastor tried to be helpful, but did not have time to meet one-on-one with the teen to answer his questions. The student walked away, still wondering if what he felt was from God, or if it was even real.

“When this teen told me his story it made me wonder: What would happen if we nurtured this call in youth?” says Gene Roncone, lead pastor, Highpoint Church, Aurora, Colorado, and founder of Explore the Call.
Roncone discovered there are few books or resources that met this need. Resources that are available assume the student already understands the basics. Roncone could find nothing for teens in the beginning stages when they felt they wanted to do something for Christ, but were not even sure of what they were feeling.

“When I was a student, I had a spiritual mentor who was a pastor. He invested time and answers and it gave me focus as I took steps forward,” says Roncone. “It made a difference in every way, spiritually, and even financially, because I knew where I was going."

Roncone’s burden for the church and a desire to foster the call in youth led to the creation of an interactive, one-of-a-kind, online platform: Explore the Call (http://explorethecall.com). Explore the Call is a comprehensive site that invites teens to partner with seasoned ministers and professors as they identify, investigate, and nurture a youth’s desire to minister.

As a senior pastor, Roncone understands the challenge of mentoring students who are pulled in many different directions. “We have already invested hundreds of hours in Explore the Call, and we hope it will be a dynamic tool in the hands of pastors, teachers, mentors, and for individual students.”

Though new in its inception, interns at churches like Mars Hill and in programs such as Teen Challenge are already putting it to use. Over 200 pastors and youth pastors have reviewed the site and the response is enthusiastic.

The site is user friendly and offers assistance in three stages. The first is a live 24/7 interactive chat that allows a student to dialogue with other students, as well as ask questions. Explore the Call schedules regular live talks with seasoned pastors, Bible professors, and diverse men and women in full-time ministry.

Stage Two is a weekly blog that coordinates with a weekly podcast such as “When Your Family Isn’t On Board” or “Dating While Preparing for Ministry.” The site features archived podcasts, but users can also download PDF files for supportive print materials.

Stage Three provides community. Zion Bible College has partnered with Explore the Call to assist in online mentoring. Teens can communicate with mentors who are seasoned professors who teach theology and ministry classes. They can e-mail questions for these professors to answer in future blog posts, podcasts, or in a one-to-one return e-mail.

The site also offers links and helpful downloads that help a student tune in to related books and links to Bible colleges. Students can further connect on Twitter and Facebook to receive announcements for live chats and podcasts.

Most important, this platform enables the church to be a powerful relational force with youth. A mentor can plug a student into the site and the teen can then meet with the pastor or mentor, or in small groups, and dialogue about what he or she has learned.

It’s a biblical concept using modern technology. Moses had Jethro and Samuel had Eli. Now the church has Explore the Call.

T. SUZANNE ELLER is an author and youth sponsor at First Assembly of God, Muskogee, Oklahoma. Contact her at http://realteenfaith.com.

Available resources:  Presently, teenagers do not have readily available resources to help them discern, identify and nurture the call of God upon their lives.  Although there are books on the subject, they require knowledge and finances to acquire them.

Post-Christian era:  Many teens in today’s culture grow up in non-churched homes and do not know what the ministry is, how it is engaged or what pastors do, for that matter.

Post-modern relevance:  We live in a world where 15-18 year olds tend to ignore mailings, brochures and books.  Today’s youth subconsciously screen information through the filter of personal value and prefer electronic applications such as websites and Mp3 players.

Value and visibility in the local church:  This resource empowers Lead Pastors and Youth ministers to help young people explore the call of God on their lives and discover God’s will regarding the future.

Safe exploration:  Allows students to “Explore the Possibilities” in a safe community without fear that they will be embarrassed if the journey reveals they are not called.

Progression in the divine call:  Students exploring the divine call need to feel like they are moving towards something and making progress toward God’s plan for their life.

Pre-graduate advantage:  Helps students have an edge on college preparedness because they have engaged in the journey process for two years prior to their senior year.

Parental assistance:  Gives parents tools to talk with their children about and navigate through the call

Over 200 pastors from around the country were asked to help evaluate the explorethecall.com site and email their comments.  Here are just a few.

 “Great site, great resource. Thank you for engaging and empowering a new generation of spiritual leaders.” 

Colorado State Representative, Ken Summers

“This website is absolutely amazing!!  What a great way to reach out to teens of this generation and help them discover who they really are in Christ.” 

Kelly Weinberg, Chicago, Illinois

 “I will most definitely recommend this website to my college and high school interns.”

Josh Bueno, Sacramento, California

"Great website.  Maybe if there had been something like this 50 years ago I wouldn't have wasted ten years." 

Ted Britain, Delta, Colorado

 “I will be sending my teens to this sight for sure."

Shawn Johnston, Canon City, Colorado

 “I have already shared it with my teen son that feels a call to China as a missionary."

Scott T. Bottoms, Strasburg, Colorado

 “What a great tool to connect with students that feel a call to ministry. I remember times feeling all alone when it came to my call to ministry when I was in High School. To have a place to connect and grow is a great concept.” 

Justin Lathrop, Red Oak, Texas

At a recent youth convention over 1100 students walked forward to respond to an invitation to explore the call of God to ministry.  Listen to this 18 minute podcast and learn how a District DYD and a local pastor partnered with Explore the Call to make it happen. Click here to listen to testimony.

If you are a District Superintendent, Youth Director or Youth Pastor, here are some helpful promotional tools to inform students about explorethecall.com in printed, electronic and web-based applications.  

	Colored full page Download
	Colored half page Download
	Black/white half page Download
	District Office Postcard Invitation Download
	Business card invitation Download
	XTC logo for linking to your website Download
	XTC iphone wallpaper Download

All printable documents are provided with a .125" full bleed.