26_Summer_OUTLOOK

Love

Live

Lead

Launch

Oklahoma OUTLOOK SUMMER 2026

CAMPUS MINISTRY

The Birthplace of Revival

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Table of

CONTENTS Upcoming Events 4 From Our Pastor 6 Who We Are 8 Authenticity vs. Relatability 10 Standing at the Gate 15 On Campus, On Mission 20

Oklahoma Outlook

The Oklahoma Outlook is published by the Oklahoma Assemblies of God Network.

Publisher: Dr. Darryl Wootton Editor: Phil Taylor Designers: Jayson Evans, Chris Ainsworth Contributors: Dr. Darryl Wootton, Candice Gibbons, Jayson Evans Advertising: For advertising inquiries, email outlook@okag.org. www.okag.org ©2026 Oklahoma Assemblies of God Network AI Disclosure: AI-assisted tools were used in research, adaptation, and creation of certain content in this publication.

Back to Campus 26 Mission Focus 32

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UPCOMING EVENTS All Dates, Locations, and announced speakers are subject to change.

For a complete list of upcoming events, visit okag.org/events.

AUGUST

Mission Ready Conference OKAG Girls Celebration New People Party Hispanic Pastoral Leadership Retreat

August 13 August 15 August 20 August 21-22

SEPTEMBER

OSOM – Locations Combined September 5 Hispanic School of Ministry September 5 PK Retreat September 5-7 Daughter’s Conference September 11-12 Sacred Assembly September 13 Foster Family Camp September 18-20 Called Rally September 19 Century Leadership x CMN One Day September 24 Thrive Men’s Conference September 25–26

OCTOBER

Pastor Appreciation Month OSOM – Locations 1,2,3 Hispanic School of Ministry Renew Network Retreat OSOM – Locations 4,5 Youth Fest

October 1-31 October 3 October 3 October 5-7 October 10 October 16-17

NOVEMBER

Global Workers Appreciation Month November 1-30 Light for the Lost Night November 1 Generosity Accelerator November 5 Kidz on a Mission Parade November 7 OSOM – Locations 1,2,3 November 7 Hispanic School of Ministry November 7 Made for This: One Day November 14 OSOM – Locations 4,5 November 14 OKAG Foster Care Summit November 21

DECEMBER

Evangelist Appreciation Month OSOM – Locations 1,2,3 Hispanic School of Ministry Fiesta De Navidad Senior Ministries Heritage Christmas OSOM – Locations 4,5 OKAG Faith Promises Due Ministerial Credentials Renewal Deadline 4 | OKAG Network

December 1-31 December 5 December 5 December 5 December 5 December 12 December 15 December 31

“spiritual oneness” Impressions is honored to be a devout partner of such a praiseworthy organization!

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From Our Pastor

THE TIME IS NOW

Why Campus Ministry Matters More Than Ever Walk onto a public campus today, whether it is a middle school hallway, a high school football field, or a university quad, and one thing becomes immediately clear: you have just stepped into a mission field.

The conversations students are having, the pressures they are carrying, and the voices shaping their worldview are not what they were even a decade ago, much less 50 years ago. Something has shifted. And if we are paying attention, we know this is not a moment to retreat.

Today, I want to take a step back and look at the broader picture. We will look at how campus culture has changed over the past 50 years, how those changes are showing up from middle school all the way to the university, the rich legacy of campus ministry within the Assemblies of God, and ultimately, why the call to reach students is more urgent now than it has ever been.

A Personal Connection to the Campus

For me, campus ministry is part of my story. My parents met at Chi Alpha on the campus of Northeastern State University. That ministry did not just impact a season of their life; it helped shape their future. They went on to 6 | OKAG Network

become public school teachers, faithfully serving for decades and living out their faith in environments that, over time, became increasingly resistant to Biblical values.

I also spent a decade as a youth pastor. I made it a priority to be on campuses every single week. I listened to students’ questions, their fears, and their hunger for something real. As a Lead Pastor, I became close friends with our Superintendent of Schools and a prayer partner.

When I assumed my current role, I felt led that the OKAG should have campus ministry on all our nearly 500 public school high schools and on our more than 25 public college campuses.

A Culture That Has Dramatically Shifted

Over the past 50 years, the spiritual climate on campuses has changed in undeniable ways. There was a time when you could assume that most students had some kind of church background, a basic understanding of Scripture, or at least an awareness of Biblical values. Today, that assumption no longer holds.

We are ministering in a culture shaped by increasing secularization, a growing mix of competing worldviews, digital influences shaping belief systems at younger ages, and rising anxiety and mental health struggles.

Historically, many universities were founded on Christian principles, with spiritual formation seen as part of edu-

cation. Today, faith is often pushed to the margins. And yet, spiritual hunger has not gone away. Students are still asking the big questions: who am I, why am I here, what is truth? The difference is that many of them are asking those questions without ever having heard a clear presentation of the gospel.

One of the biggest changes we are seeing with students is when worldview formation begins. Middle school students are navigating identity and pressure far earlier than previous generations ever did. High school students are forming core beliefs about truth and morality. College students are arriving on campus with deeply held worldviews and, in many cases, little to no meaningful exposure to faith. That means campus ministry is no longer just about strengthening faith; it is often about introducing it for the first time.

A Rich Heritage: Campus Ministry in the Assemblies of God

The Assemblies of God has long understood the importance of reaching students where they are. In the 1940s, leaders began recognizing the need to intentionally reach students attending secular universities. That vision took shape in 1953 when J. Calvin Holsinger launched what we now know as Chi Alpha Campus Ministries.

His conviction was simple but powerful. Student movements have often been the birthplace of revival. From the Reformation to the Wesleyan movement to early Pentecostal outpourings, God has consistently used young people in academic environments to spark spiritual awakening. Chi Alpha was built on that same foundation, reaching students, discipling them deeply, and sending them out.

Alongside Chi Alpha, ministries like Youth Alive have focused on middle and high school campuses, equipping students to live out their faith where they already are. The strategy has never been complicated: empower students to reach their peers.

Why Campus Ministry Matters More Than Ever

In today’s world, campus ministry is not just important; it is essential. Students today will shape culture tomorrow, so if we want to impact the future, we must reach students now. The mission field has come to us. Campuses are more diverse than ever. Nations, cultures, and worldviews are gathered in one place. Students are the best missionaries. When they are equipped, they can reach their campus in ways no one else can.

A Season of Transition: Chi Alpha Moving Forward As we talk about campus ministry in this issue of the Outlook, it’s important to acknowledge a transition underway within our own Chi Alpha. Chi Alpha is currently being

restructured and will move from being an embedded ministry within the national office of the Assemblies of God to becoming an affiliated ministry with the Assemblies of God. This means that Chi Alpha will no longer be under U.S. Missions, and the Oklahoma Assemblies of God Network will no longer have authority over Chi Alpha directors or ministries. Chi Alpha will now have its own national board.

The OKAG will continue to work closely together through a relationship and a shared mission.

Both the national leadership for Chi Alpha and the Assemblies of God are very positive about this transition.

While they may not yet have every detail fully defined, one thing is clear: our partnership in reaching students is not ending; it is continuing with intentionality. We remain committed, together, to bringing the message of Jesus to every campus in Oklahoma.

Youth Alive: A Vision for What’s Next

The old “Youth Pastor” part of me never fades away. From the day I stepped into this role, I have had a vision to relaunch Youth Alive in Oklahoma. If you are not familiar with Youth Alive, just consider it our “Chi Alpha” for public middle and high schools. This ministry has already made a lasting impact in Oklahoma. Pastor and Presbyter Dave Mewbourne planted and led this ministry so well that, so many years later, we now have the opportunity to build on that legacy.

I am grateful to share that the Presbytery unanimously approved the relaunch, and we are stepping forward with faith and expectation. This fall, we will be sharing exciting details about how OKAG Youth Alive will equip and train students across Oklahoma to be missionaries on their campuses, raising up a generation that does not just attend school but transforms it.

The culture has changed. The campus has changed. Our mission has not changed. If our network did not exist and we were strategizing about how to fulfill the Great Commission in Oklahoma, campus ministries would be a top priority. Let us all make it a top priority. Let us believe that students will be empowered, called to ministry, and sent out to be world changers. Let’s believe for a Great Awakening.

Dr. D.E. Wootton

Superintendent/Network Pastor Oklahoma Assemblies of God

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OUR MISSION

Networking together to better share the love of Jesus with the least, last and lost.

OUR VISION A healthy Church in every Community

OUR VALUES LOVE God together LIVE healthy lives together LEAD healthy churches together LAUNCH healthy ministries together

8 | OKAG Network

Executive Leadership Team Dr. Darryl Wootton Craig Dacus Dr. Jamie Austin Bruce McCarty Darren Pilcher

Superintendent/Network Pastor Assistant Superintendent General Presbyter Executive Presbyter – East Executive Presbyter –West

Sectional Presbyters

Jackie Crafton Section 1 Tim Painter Section 2 Lyn Gaskey Section 3 Robert Yandell Section 4 Dave Mewbourne Section 5E Jason Byers Section 5W Jeromye Jackson Section 6 Jimmy Keith Section 7 Brett Nation Section 8 Kevin Fouts Section 9N Steve Lance Section 9S Chad Allred Section 10 Charlie Newman Section 11 Kevin Akins Section 12 Beki Barbee Female Presbyter Joel Garcia Ethnic Presbyter Austin Epperson Under 40 Presbyter

OKAG Lead Team

Kevin Conner Finance & Operations Gary Davidson Mission Heath Corrales NextGen Jamel Crawford Compassion Jayson Evans Communications

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AUTHENTICITY VS. RELATABILITY Connecting with the Next Generation

by Candice Gibbons 10 | OKAG Network

Gen Z is considered those born between 1997 and 2012. They have lived their entire lives connected to a digital world.

Connecting with Gen Z can feel like learning a new language: intimidating, complicated, and frustrating.

How do we engage with the generation set to be the wealthiest, most diverse, and digitally loudest generation in history? Do we join TikTok and learn their slang? Or do we boycott trends and wait for them to come to us?

Authenticity and relatability shouldn’t be a tug-of-war Used together, they create the most effective reach to this generation, and it’s easier than you think.

As a Gen Zer, I speak for a generation thirsty for your wisdom and presence. We are hungry for your authenticity, and we also hope you’re relatable, because we’d hate to find out you’re perfect. Instead of simply ignoring us or becoming like us, here are three ways to be you, with us— because that’s exactly what we need.

1. Connect emotionally.

Human emotions are universal. Whether you were raised in church or found faith as an adult, you can relate to feeling a spiritual void that is only filled by Christ. We, as Gen Z, might try to fill it by Doomscrolling on Instagram or binge-watching Netflix. See past Gen Z pop culture coping mechanisms that may seem foreign to you and go deep with us. The high from an Olivia Rodrigo playlist can be noise to block out childhood trauma, dark thoughts, and deep insecurity. Did you grow up without a father figure? Were you bullied in school? Is it okay to consider suicide—why or why not? Give us a space to ask scary questions.

Consistent faces within a church setting can sometimes be the only safe people that a student feels like they can approach. If we really believe that Jesus is the Hope for humanity, we, as spiritual leaders, need to be intentional about maintaining emotional availability. Teenagers will eventually find someone who will listen to them. It may be an influencer, an AI chatbot, an immoral teacher, or an unstable family member.

Some young people aren’t plugged into a godly community because spiritual leaders have neglected how this

generation is being reached through a digital study of God’s Word and a unique style of worship. Many teenagers have grown deep spiritual roots by following social media influencers who post daily Bible verse reels, while some adults still deem reels not a “real study of the Bible.”

And yet the generation before them is appalled when the King James Version isn’t used on Sundays. The presentation of the Gospel changes over time. The message is the same. Our goal should be to celebrate when God’s Word is being shared around the world, connecting with this generation in the way they receive information best. “Digilect” (digital communication)is the language of today. Be humble in your learning about Generation Z and pray for spiritual eyes to see moments for connection.

When I was clinically depressed at 16, it was a middle-aged woman at a camp altar that changed my life.

She opened her arms and let me cry as I let go of hurt and unforgiveness. That moment changed everything. She could have stood to the side or waited for me to come to her, but her eyes found me in the crowd. She didn’t wait for me to hear her life story and applaud her for who she was. She saw beyond herself and connected emotionally to a struggling teenager she did not know. Ask God for emotional wisdom to handle complex topics and foreign situations that Gen Z faces. After all, their root emotions are the same as yours.

2. Connect intellectually.

Gen Z is tired of the right answer. We are the most religiously unaffiliated generation that is simultaneously seeking religion at a whole new level. We like the structure of tradition, yet we demand to know the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. Unfortunately, some leaders frown upon doubt, creating an expectation of intellectual avoidance, not to question God. When we make flippant comments about science, marriage, theism, and eternity, it’s not coming from a PhD brain. Even if it is said dogmatically, it is often a test for reaction. We most likely learned our views from an influencer. The great thing about Gen Z is that we are the most “evolved and empathetic generation”, according to youth initiative Young Social Innovators. If you have the boldness to counter our current viewpoint with strong answers, your voice becomes gold. We like challenges, arguments, and diverse viewpoints. Just be open in the exchange. okag.org | 11

In the Bible, Job found favor with God by living in open honesty and humility before Him. It was his friends who insisted on explanations of the Almighty that were found guilty, and that’s what can happen to us as leaders if we’re not careful. Like Job, we should remind students that God is not intimidated by their questions; He is more disappointed by intellectual dishonesty (Job 42:7). Instead of giving “church answers” for every theological question, invite them to explore their faith for themselves. Guide them to topical passages, devotionals, and offer your own story. In a world of vlogs and viral daily routines, personal experience far outweighs a degree or credential. The great news is, we all have personal experiences!

Many Gen Z students are specifically curious about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It’s exciting to invite them to seek more of God’s power without the labels that previous generations applied to sensationalism or the lack thereof. Instead of leaving them to the instability of YouTube videos and distorted viewpoints on reels, tell them about your own experience encountering the Holy Spirit and how it changed your life. Identify common misconceptions and give practical answers, guiding them to the right sources when you aren’t sure how to respond.

Some leaders shy away from topics like atheism, pornography, and gender questions because they aren’t sure they have the knowledge or the training for the right answers. Personal experience backed by scriptural authority is a firm foundation for leading students to truth.

For guidance on leading through cultural hot topics with teens, consider Dealing with Hot Topics devotional guides on MyHealthyChurch.com or Meet Generation Z by James Emery White. Stay updated on cultural issues so you are prepared to intellectually engage with questions from Gen Z. They are asking!

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3. Connect strategically.

Jesus became like any other man (Hebrews 2:17, Isaiah 53:2). But that didn’t change his convictions. When the disciples and brothers James and John argued, Jesus didn’t argue with his brothers for relatability, nor did He pull away. Multiple times, Jesus pulled His disciples close and asked questions (Luke 22:24-27, Matthew 6:13-15).

Effective mentors don’t join in confusion; they counter it. This can be very practical and strategic. When we, as Gen Z, frustrate you with our “situationships”, don’t ask us to ditch our boyfriend; ask us to coffee. Instead of statements like, “Your parents don’t like him, and I don’t either.”

Ask, “Does this situationship feel life-giving or draining?

Why or why not? How can I be a friend/mentor to you as you navigate this?” When you see a questionably-worded post on social media, don’t comment, “I didn’t know this side of you existed.” Try DMing (private messaging): “Was it a fun night? How do you feel today?”

Things aren’t always as they seem. There’s a reason an explicit song was used and profanity is in the post description. An outward sign of rebellion is often a sign of inner heartache. Is there anger or abuse in the home? Are they forced to attend church, making it unappealing? Is their primary role model of a Christian positive or negative?

Who are their friends—and what are they posting?

Reacting starts where you are; responding recognizes where they are. Your instinctive reaction could cut off circulation from your role as someone who could influence a post down the road. Reacting to how your parents or leaders would react can also be ineffective. Connecting with Generation Z means rewiring your brain.

There’s a joke among Gen Z about how adults text, and it’s not endearing. Gen Z sees it as very reactive with lots of punctuation, capital letters, and verbalized emotion and emojis. Sadly, this serves as a visual of how some adults talk aloud to Gen Z in reaction to inappropriate behavior. It’s reactive, not responsive. Respond to their text in the style of punctuation, length of the text, and capitalization. Match their texting abbreviations and study how frequently they use them. You might be surprised by just how many positive answers it produces.

Why is any of this important? Because this generation is about to take your place.

Right now is an unbelievable time to be a teenager. We’re looking at thirteen-year-old Alyssa Carson giving TEDx talks in Europe; sixteen-year-old Coco Yoshizawa winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics; sixteenyear-old Defne Özcan piloting a single-engine aircraft alone, and seventeen-year-old Kornelia Wieczorek on the brink of creating an app to detect and diagnose skin changes.

And yet, what a terrible time for teenagers. 1 million girls under 18 will get pregnant this year. 30% of teen girls are thinking about suicide. Nearly 3 in 5 high school girls feel hopeless. “Teens Are the Loneliest People in the World” reads a report by the World Health Organization.

When you look at the lives of people who have made a difference in the world, it is often credited to the mentors of their day who pulled greatness out of them. Dr. John Minder is one of these people. He saw a young boy who struggled with the fear of public speaking and gave him the pulpit of a church. It was a bold connection that paid off.

Dr. Minder could have waited until the boy asked him for a speaking opportunity. He could have said, “I don’t want him to feel uncomfortable, so I just won’t put pressure on him.” But he just laughed and said he would pray for his nerves. The boy’s name was Billy Graham.

There are Billy Grahams right beside you.

school and support missions in third-world countries. Girls are reciting Bible verses to 1 million followers on social media, and teens all over the world are giving up Christmases to sponsor children around the world.

This isn’t the next generation; this is the now generation.

In a world full of leaders who stand by and wait for Gen Z to reach their style, or who doubt their own influence, be connected to Gen Z through authenticity and relatability.

We need you more than you know.

Candice Gibbons has written three books for teen girls: A Time to Trust, A Time to Stand, and A Time to Learn. She graduated from the University of Oxford with a Diploma in Creative Writing.

Candice is passionate about reaching the Next Generation as a journalist and speaker, and she divides her time between People’s Church in Oklahoma City and Oxford, England.

This generation? The one who spends hours on social media?

Right now, teen boys are actively booking one-way plane tickets to religiously hostile countries to share the gospel. While some teenagers spend all their money on G Shop, others, like a girl named Ellie, regularly skip lunch at okag.org | 13

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It is because of His greatness that we are poised to create the future by developing the next generation of called men and women to take the Gospel into every sphere of influence in our culture, the local church, the mission field, and the marketplace.

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14 | OKAG Network

STANDING AT THE GATE An Interview with 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Rachel Keith

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Rachel Keith has spent 21 years believing a public school classroom is one of the most strategic places a Christian can stand. The 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year sat down with the OUTLOOK to make the case that Christian educators belong in public schools now more than ever.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and consistency.

You served as the 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.

What did that role involve?

Oklahoma is one of only five or six states that still offer a sabbatical year for its Teacher of the Year. Rather than staying in the classroom, I spent the year as the Ambassador of Teaching across the state, working out of the Office of Teacher Certification, Retention, Recruitment, and Recognition at the State Department of Education. I traveled to small and large schools and to nearly every college of education across Oklahoma — from OU to Southeastern to Tahlequah (NSU) — promoting the teaching profession and supporting educator preparation programs. It was a year and a half of service, including the National State Teacher of the Year program.

What was it like to win?

Honestly, it was overwhelming — and very humbling. I just felt like the Lord had set another path before me for that season. It was quite an honor.

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You’ve now been teaching for 21 years. How has your faith shaped the way you approach your classroom?

The very first thing I tell every Christian teacher I mentor — including my four children, who are all in education — is to get to school five or ten minutes early, before contract time, close your door, and pray over your classroom. I would pray over every seat, every life that was going to walk through that door. I’ve had students tell me, “Ms. Keith, your room is just so peaceful.” One student told my husband, Jimmy (also an educator), “Mr. Keith, your room smells like church.” We don’t fight in the flesh — the battle is in the spirit. You have to cover your room in prayer every single day before you can do anything else.

You and your husband also pastor a church (Ada First Assembly). How do ministry and teaching overlap?

The people skills are the same. Whether it’s students, teacher peers, or church members — you’re recognizing hurt, pain, depression, unspoken needs. Jimmy and I have both had coworkers hem and haw around a topic and finally say, “I know you’re a woman of faith — would you pray for me?”

I always say, “Absolutely. Can we pray right now?” Sometimes they look at me funny, but after that first moment, if they ever need prayer again, they come straight in. You meet people where their need is — they may never come to your church, but they’ll come to your room.

Public schools get a mixed reception in Oklahoma right now. Why do you believe Christian teachers still need to be there?

Years ago I heard a message about the city gates of Israel — every city had them, and each gate served a purpose. It struck me that one of the city gates in every community, large or small, is the school system. It is a place of power and position. If Christians walk away from that gate, someone else will step in. And are they going to be praying — or preying? We can’t walk away. We have to walk in. I can’t lead a Bible study during class, but I can open my room at lunch for a student-led one. I keep my Bible visible on my desk. When a student asks me a faith question on their own time, I have the legal right to answer it. If they ask, it’s because they genuinely want to know.

Are students today more open — or more closed off — to spiritual conversations?

Both exist. Some are in a deconstruction season and carry real church hurt. But what I’ve found is if you listen without glossing over their questions and without immediately passing judgment, they are hungry. My daughter Kayla is a science teacher at Ada Junior High, and her students constantly ask, “You’re a Christian and a scientist — how?”

She tells them, “Because the science proves my God is so real.” This past spring, students begged her to sing at the school talent show. She chose to sing ‘Call on Jesus.’ The room went quiet. Afterward, a student came up to her in tears and said, “Ms. Blaine, I feel like that song — I feel so

lost sometimes. What does it mean to call on Jesus?” That door opened because Kayla was there and said yes. Two staff members also approached her — one said, “I think I’ve forgotten I should be calling on Jesus.” Something so simple. But that moment would’ve been lost if she hadn’t been there.

You’re now serving as an instructional coach. What are you seeing on the ground with teacher shortages?

When I started this position last August, Ada had 23 emergency-certified teachers out of only 185 total. That’s a significant percentage — from preschool through 12th grade. An emergency certificate means the person may have a degree but hasn’t yet passed their certification tests. We’ve worked hard to move them along the path to provisional and full certification. We’ve gone from 23 to 7 this year, and I’m working with those 7 over the summer.

The shortage is extremely real, and it creates an urgent need — not just for qualified teachers, but for Christian teachers specifically.

What would you say to a pastor or ministry leader considering a teaching role?

I’d say, think about it seriously. We’re going to see more bi-vocational pastors in the years ahead. If you’re pursuing any kind of degree — through Bible school, Global University, or a traditional university — consider adding a minor in a core subject, kinesiology, or early childhood education. You can teach in your rural community, serve your neighbors, ease the financial burden on a small congregation, and carry the presence of God into a school that desperately needs it.

And for Christian retirees who still have five or ten years left — we would fill the teacher shortage in this state very quickly if you would walk into a classroom. I would personally walk anyone through the alternative certification process.

Reach out to me. Now is the time.

To connect with Rachel Keith about the alternative certification process, contact her at keithr1315@gmail.com.

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Supporting Missions, Youth & Children's Ministries The Assemblies of God of Oklahoma Foundation (AGOKF) has been established to provide a sustainable financial foundation, allowing OKAG Ministries to continue focusing on reaching future generations through missions, children, and youth ministries.

18 | OKAG Network

agokfoundation.org

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ON CAMPUS ON MISSION Baxter Stewart’s Vision for Oklahoma Chi Alpha

by Jayson Evans 20 | OKAG Network

The summer throws Baxter Stewart off his rhythm. That’s how he describes it— not as a complaint, but as a confession from someone who thrives on relationships, community, and presence. As Director of Chi Alpha Campus Ministries for the OKAG Network, Stewart is rarely sitting still.

He’s evaluating chapters across the state, helping raise support for missionaries-in-training, and driving international students to airports to return home. But in the summer, the rhythms go quiet—and for a man whose ministry is built on showing up to the same place, with the same people, over and over again, that is genuinely difficult.

It’s a small detail, but it tells you something important about Baxter Stewart: consistency is his theology.

Stewart grew up in Chester, Oklahoma—a small community in the northwestern part of the state—attending high school in Fairview and church at Elm Grove Assembly of God. His dad wasn’t a Christian when he was growing up. His mom, an accountant, fought to keep the family connected to church. Sports filled the rest: basketball, football, baseball. But the person who shaped him most spiritually wasn’t a parent or a coach. It was his youth pastor, Sherri Smith. Stewart recounts, “She was there in ways that my family couldn’t be. She came to all our games, was the same person all the time, whether there were three people at youth group or fifty.”

Stewart remembers her tears, her prayer life, her constancy. He talks about her the way people talk about someone who changed the direction of their life without ever trying to make it dramatic. “There’s just a passion and a difference in how she did that. She was always present for us.

She taught us how to follow the Lord.”

He also credits the senior pastor, Orville White—a preacher who, Stewart says, walked with wisdom. White’s approach matched the same steady, ministry Stewart had already learned to value.

A Stranger with a Chi Alpha Shirt

Stewart enrolled at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, intending to study mass communications and public relations. He had no idea Chi Alpha existed. That changed on move-in day. “Some people came up to my car and carried my stuff up the stairs in one trip. They were wearing shirts that said, ‘You look like you need some help.’”

One of them, Jason Barr, sat on Stewart’s bed and talked with him for thirty minutes. “He made me feel like I was the most important person in the world.” At the end of the conversation, Barr, who was the campus’s Chi Alpha Director, mentioned the ministry. Stewart was curious but cautious. He tried other campus ministries as well as Chi Alpha. The Baptist Campus Ministry lasted until a leader told him he had to choose. “You made the decision for me,” Stewart recalls with a laugh. “That was easy.”

What kept him in Chi Alpha wasn’t the programming.

It was the people on his dorm floor—guys who weren’t Christians, who played intramural sports and stayed up too late and did “a bunch of stupid stuff.” Chi Alpha became the place where Stewart could bring their names and pray over them. It was less a church club and more a mission post embedded in ordinary college life.

By the end of his college career, several of those dorm friends were sitting alongside him in Bible studies he and a roommate had started on their own. Nobody gave them a curriculum. They just started meeting and invited people. “We didn’t know anything about anything,” he says.

“But we just did it.”

Some of Stewart’s most formative moments came not in a Chi Alpha service or organized retreats, but in ordinary campus spaces where the Holy Spirit showed up anyway.

A student gets filled with the Holy Spirit at midnight on the track. His brother-in-law encounters God while Stewart plays music on an iPod and reads a few scriptures. His apartment seems to shake when a friend, who didn’t grow up Pentecostal, starts speaking in tongues after thirty minutes of quiet prayer. “Whatever was (written) in the Bible felt real,” Stewart says simply. “It wasn’t churchy or stuffy. It felt like we were actually living this thing.” For Stewart, the pattern was clear: faith had to show up where students already lived.

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Stewart graduated in 2011 with a double major in communication and accounting. He took a financial aid job at Connors State College in Warner, eventually becoming the financial aid director, and moved to Tahlequah after marrying his wife, Shayla.

He didn’t intend to lead Chi Alpha at Northeastern State University. He showed up to offer help when the leader quit on the first night he visited. He started volunteering anyway. When the next leader stepped aside two semesters later, Stewart took over—while still working 45 to 50 hours a week at Connors.

What followed was a stretch of what Stewart calls “crazy stuff, after crazy stuff”—a football player’s leg healed at the state’s annual retreat, Breakaway. Thirty of his teammates showed up the next week, ushering in a season of genuine, organic revival.

Then the crowd thinned. Drama followed. The ministry shrank.

And Stewart learned something equally important about faithfulness in the ordinary. “You go from running 80, 90, 100 people and dreaming about taking over this thing—to ‘we’re the frozen chosen, there’s 20 of us, and we don’t all like each other.’ That was a different kind of formational thing.”

Stewart stepped away from his job at Connors State in 2019 to do the Chi Alpha Leadership internship at Oklahoma State University—a decision that humbled him in all the right ways. He got to be a learner again, surrounded by what he calls “the greatest intern class that came through that door.” He returned to NSU afterward, more grounded, and eventually began seminary.

When the OKAG Chi Alpha State Director position opened, Stewart was reluctant to accept it. He kept waiting for a different outcome. But every mentor he consulted said some version of the same thing: “We think higher of you than you do.” He was named director roughly a year ago.

“I never desired this position. I never thought this would happen,” he admits. What he did know was the people who led Chi Alpha campuses in Oklahoma. “Where else would you get to work with people who are committed, in the right ways? There’s really good personnel. They may 22 | OKAG Network

not have all the resources they need, but they’ve given their whole lives toward seeing this happen. They suffer for it. That’s a pretty unique opportunity.”

The first year has been slower and harder than he expected. Staff transitions, organizational changes, and the unglamorous work of asking big structural questions have occupied far more of his time than he would have chosen.

“Real change happens slowly. Most of the things people ask me about aren’t stuff you can do right away. It’s really important that we lay the right foundation.”

The Church and the Campus: One Mission

If there is a throughline in Stewart’s vision for Chi Alpha’s future in Oklahoma, it’s this: the church and Chi Alpha are not partners. They’re part of the same thing. “We are the church, extended,” he says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, man, we’ve got to work with the church.’ No, we are the church.” That reframe— from parachurch organization to missional arm of the local body—shapes everything about how he thinks Chi Alpha should operate. He describes sitting down with a local church to discuss combining young adult networks with Chi Alpha’s annual Breakaway conference.

“The church and Chi Alpha coming together—that’s what has to happen.”

He’s also frank about what churches sometimes miss. People, he says, often imagine Chi Alpha as a safe space for their Christian kids to land when they leave home. That’s not wrong—but it’s incomplete.

What Chi Alpha is actually trying to produce is missionaries.“ There are 180,000 college students in Oklahoma. I would say somewhere around 100,000 of those are people we’re really trying to reach. And we are not touching it. This isn’t a Chi Alpha problem. It’s an us problem.”

His pitch to pastors is straightforward: “Who are the students that leave college on fire for God? It’s the ones that are engaged in the mission.” He draws on his grandfather’s wisdom—a truck driver who told a teenage Baxter he could “go learn how to love people (at Bible College), or you could go do it now.” That’s still the offer Chi Alpha makes, he says. Come and be a missionary right now, and let the mission shape you.

The results are measurable. Nationally, 40 percent of all Assemblies of God world missionary candidates come from Chi Alpha. In Stewart’s NSU group alone, three recent graduates entered campus ministry, and another couple is preparing to move to Northern Ireland.

Reaching a Different Generation

The campus has changed since Stewart first walked into Jefferson Hall at SWOSU in 2007. Students are either absent from their dorms or buried in their devices. The spontaneous conversations that used to happen over coffee or in common areas have dried up. The old model—show up with a table and a flyer, pull people in—no longer works. “Everybody walking on campus has been over-marketed,” Stewart says. “You can’t just hand out a flyer and expect somebody to come. You have to pay the price.”

Paying the price now means being embedded in shared spaces that aren’t explicitly Christian—such as intramural sports, student government, and residence life programs.

It means supporting organizations that have nothing to do with faith, just to be present with people who are searching. One student recently mused about starting a club around a favorite TV show. Stewart’s immediate response: “You should do that.”

The hardest part isn’t strategy. It’s people. Fifty percent of full-time Chi Alpha staff across the state live on less than $2,000 a month in missionary support. They are doing the same invisible, unglamorous, slow work that Stewart watched Sherri Smith do for the youth group at Elm Grove—showing up, being consistent, believing that something is happening even when they can’t see it yet.

“I don’t have a finished vision of what Chi Alpha is going to look like,” Stewart says, “because I need the church to be part of answering what it’s supposed to be. The finishing of that vision is going to come in a hundred conversations over a hundred and fifty cups of coffee.”

That’s the rhythm Baxter Stewart is trying to build—slow, steady, rooted in relationship, always leaning toward the person in front of him. Even in the scatterbrained summer.

Even when the crowd goes quiet. He’s been doing this long enough to know: that’s usually when God shows up.

Chi Alpha Campus Ministry is active on 15 university campuses in Oklahoma. To learn how your church can partner with Chi Alpha, contact the OKAG Mission office.

He talks about the people who show up on the margins of the community—a young man who is a self-described Satanist who started showing up at the ministry house, and now texts Stewart every few weeks to say he wishes more Christians were like the Chi Alpha community. Stewart doesn’t paper over the complexity of those relationships, but he refuses to build a community where people have to decide their whole identity before they’re allowed in the door. “I’m not looking for Christians who want to be safe. I’m looking for Christians who want to be missionaries. That’s a different thing.”

He points to a book called The Celtic Way of Evangelism, which contrasts Patrick’s method of welcoming people into community before they’ve committed to belief with the Roman church’s demand for doctrinal conformity up front. “People are having to make a decision before they walk in. That really kills how big our audience is.” Chi Alpha, at its best, creates a community where people can belong before they fully believe—in part because the campus gives everyone a shared reason to be there.

A Vision Still Being Built

Chi Alpha is currently active on 15 campuses in Oklahoma. Stewart estimates there are 10 to 12 more that they should be on. He’s especially interested in junior colleges—Connors, Carl Albert, Eastern, NEO, NOC—places with lower barriers to entry, strong nearby churches, and students who are often the first in their families to pursue higher education. okag.org | 23

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How OKAG NextGen Is Pioneering a Youth Alive Revival

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There is something happening in the hallways of Oklahoma’s public schools.

In lunchrooms and at lockers, in small circles before the first bell rings, students who call themselves campus missionaries are beginning to take their faith public.

It’s a movement that was once vibrant in this state, then went silent for over 20 years — and now, the OKAG NextGen Department is working to bring it back as a new effort centered on student-led campus mission.

Youth Alive, the Assemblies of God’s campus ministry initiative, equips students to share the gospel on their school campuses through a tiered approach. At the most grassroots level, a Youth Alive Convo involves a student meeting with a friend near their locker to pray. A step up from that, a Youth Alive Circle is a more organized gathering — perhaps a lunch table Bible study. At the highest level, a Youth Alive Club is a formal group with administrator backing, functioning like a student-led church service within the school building. The entire model is built on a single, radical premise: that the students sitting in Oklahoma’s pews every Sunday are also the state’s most strategically positioned missionaries.

“At its core, Youth Alive is a ministry that trains students to share the gospel on their school campuses,” said Heath Corrales, the OKAG’s NextGen Director. “And what makes it so unique compared to other campus ministries is that it puts everything on the student. It is student-led.”

A Ministry Born for the Classroom

To understand why Youth Alive’s return matters, it helps to see what it once was — and who helped build it here in Oklahoma.

Dave Mewbourne served as the Oklahoma Youth Alive Director from 1995 to 2002, during a period when campus ministry was still finding its footing in Assemblies of God culture. Before his official appointment, he had been doing Youth Alive work under the radar as a youth pastor at Woodlake Assembly of God, leading clubs and conducting school assemblies at the direction of then-District Youth Director, Tom Greene. When the role became

official — eventually becoming a nationally appointed missionary position under the US Missions Department, complete with a required support-raising process — Mewbourne poured himself into the work.

“The basics of Youth Alive were to equip our young people in our churches to have an active strategy to reach their campus for Christ,” Mewbourne explained. “The focus was to take the discipleship youth were receiving in their church’s Sunday schools, youth groups, and church services and take it to the campus.”

The three pillars of his ministry were prayer, witnessing, and club formation. He traveled across the state, bringing in speakers like Reggie Dabbs, Eric Johnson, and Rick Enloe for school assemblies, followed by community night rallies where the gospel could be presented openly.

His team also launched creative initiatives, such as “Prayer Zone Partners,” encouraging churches to pray for their local schools every time they drove through a school zone.

“To me, the most encouraging thing about Youth Alive was to see students take personal responsibility for reaching their campus,” Mewbourne said. “Creating Youth Alive Clubs where students from every church — not just Assembly of God churches — were meeting to fellowship, be encouraged, pray, and reach others for Christ on their campus.”

The impact was real. But by 2002, that chapter closed.

Mewbourne moved on to become the lead pastor at Claremore First Assembly of God, and without a dedicated missionary to sustain the infrastructure, Youth Alive in Oklahoma quietly faded. What remained was a ministry concept that older youth pastors recognized by name but that a new generation of leaders had never encountered.

24 Years Later: Why Now?

Corrales recognizes that after a 24-year gap, it is time to bring Youth Alive back into focus in Oklahoma. “Here’s the thing,” Corrales said, “you look at the school campuses, there are different variations of Christian clubs, from Young Life to FCA. But the one thing that makes Youth Alive so unique is that it puts everything on the student.”

That distinction matters. In a ministry landscape crowded with adult-led campus organizations, Youth Alive carves out a lane that others don’t occupy. It doesn’t rely on a parachurch staff member to show up at school. It doesn’t okag.org | 27

require an outside organization to fund the program. It needs a student — equipped, trained, and sent — and it invests deeply in building that student up.

For Corrales, the vision is also deeply personal. He and his wife, Alisha, spent years as youth pastors before stepping into their current role. School campuses were central to their ministry heartbeat.

“When Alisha and I were youth pastors, we lived on the school campuses. We would always do everything we could to empower our students to share their faith on school campuses. And once we came into this role, we realized there was a lack of that — not in a bad way, it’s just we had kind of gotten away from it. This has been an eight-year prayer.”

That eight-year prayer is now finding its answer.

How the Relaunch Is Happening

The strategy Corrales and the NextGen team are deploying is methodical. It began with a Youth Alive Roundtable — a gathering of Oklahoma youth pastors designed to reintroduce the concept to a new generation of leaders who had never encountered it.

“Youth Alive, to an extent over the last 24 years, has just kind of been a little bit of a foreign concept,” Corrales said of the gathering. “We have such a new wave of youth pastors. There were guys in the room who were very familiar and understood what Youth Alive was, but I feel like with reinstituting it, we have to do a re-teaching. The roundtable was more than just a teaching moment — it was a moment to really rally them and get excited about getting their students rallied behind winning the school campuses.”

The next phase took place at OKAG Youth Camp. Partnering with the North Texas District’s Youth Alive Missionary — a seasoned leader who consulted on the Oklahoma relaunch from the beginning — the NextGen team built a dedicated Youth Alive activation service into the camp’s programming. The goal was to go beyond inspiring youth pastors and spark something in the students themselves, because this is where the relaunch begins to take hold.

28 | OKAG Network

The results were amazing. “We’ve had 1,868 students commit to be campus missionaries this fall,” Corrales said.

That number now gives the relaunch immediate momentum. Those students are being connected to training videos, one-on-one coaching access with the North Texas missionary, and a growing library of resources designed to walk them through launching a circle, a convo, or a full club at their school (agyouth.org/youth-alive).

A New Kind of Pioneering

Mewbourne believes the timing is critical. The world students inhabit today is more fractured than the one he worked in during the late 1990s and early 2000s. “I believe the public school campus is ripe for revival,” Mewbourne said. “Our schools are looking for support. Our public school students are struggling to survive broken homes, sexual pressure, identity problems, social media, and much more. Many of our local church students are facing the same things — only they have the reassurance of knowing Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Jesus is the answer to all their problems; the same can be true for their friends on campus.”

The landscape of Youth Alive itself has evolved at the national level, and the way it’s being deployed in Oklahoma today reflects that same student-led focus. “It’s so exciting to see even with the way Youth Alive has changed over the years and the way it’s taken on a new form,” Corrales said.

Something that makes this version of Youth Alive unique is the growing connection between Youth Alive and another OKAG NextGen Program: the Called Initiative, which identifies and develops students who sense a call to ministry. Corrales sees the two as naturally linked.

“When a student feels called to ministry, this is a natural way for them to work that gift God has given them,” he said. “Youth Alive is basically the resource that’s going to help train them up into ministry. You could start right now.

So if you’re called at 14, developing that call on your life is starting Youth Alive. Because ultimately, when you’re

The Road Ahead: A Missionary for Oklahoma

The next milestone the OKAG NextGen Department is working toward is the appointment of a full-time, career Youth Alive Missionary for the state — a role modeled after what Mewbourne held, appointed by AGUS Missions.

Mewbourne, for his part, would add one more thing: don’t underestimate the students. “Never underestimate what a student with a vision and a plan can do on the local campus with the support and training of the local church.

Every day during the school year, we send our local church students to the one place where the community’s youth go for approximately six to eight hours. Instead of just getting our church kids to invite their friends to our church — let’s equip our church kids to take the church to the school.”

The goal is to have that person named and in place within the coming months, giving them time to build on this fall’s momentum and begin establishing Youth Alive as a permanent fixture of Oklahoma’s Assemblies of God student ministry landscape.

1,868 students said yes at summer camp. Hundreds more will say yes before the first bell rings in August. And if Heath Corrales and the OKAG NextGen Department have anything to say about it, Oklahoma’s school campuses will never look the same.

called to ministry, it doesn’t matter what area it is — we’re all called to lead people to Jesus.”

In the meantime, Corrales is asking the broader church to do what the church does best. “I think if our churches just begin to pray and support and believe that God’s going to do big things this fall, that’s one of the main ways that they can help us,” he said. “There are over 1,500 public schools in the state of Oklahoma. That’s a lot of ground to cover. So the support of prayer and just believing for big things — that would be the biggest thing our churches can do right now.”

For more information about Youth Alive in Oklahoma or to connect your youth ministry with available resources, contact the OKAG NextGen Department or visit agyouth.org/youthalive

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OKAG World Missionaries Meredith Bagby – South Africa Aaron and Krista B – Eurasia Darrin and Sarah B – Eurasia Nathan and Emily Blackmore – England Garrett Boren – Thailand Michael and Debbie Caldwell – Uruguay Jordan and Shea Campbell – Germany Michelle C – Eurasia Sam and Kailee U – Eurasia Darin and Diana Clements – Philippines Gary and Wilma Davidson – OKAG Mission Directors Blake and Katy Edgmon – Ireland / Zoe Community Kirk and Karla Ford – England Steven and Tiffany G – Eurasia Chris and Amy Hales – England Tim and Lynley Hatcher – Wycliffe Bible Translators Ted and Carolyn Heaston – Global University Bethany H – LAC Cory and Angela Hogan – Mexico AJ Jenkins – Mozambique, Africa Josh and Lindy J – Eurasia Tim and Jennifer Land – Cameroon Jimmy and Cynthia Lemons – Togo Danny and Faith Lund – Latin America Caribbean Matt and Randi M – Eurasia Quentin and Elizabeth McGhee – Latin America Caribbean Stephen and Kristen McKnight – Philippines Joni Middleton – Europe Project Rescue Bill and Reita Moore – Africa Tabernacle Evangelism Lauren Morgan – Indonesia Trent and Tina Morrow – Uruguay Ryan and Lauren Plute – International Ministries Adam and Sarah Quinn – Costa Rica Fari Rider – Taiwan Matt and Rhea R – Eurasia Dave and Patti Schatzman – Pohnpei David and Carol Schmidt – Cameroon Josh and Lisa Sears – Brazilian Amazon Tim and Liz S – Eurasia Jared and Kaila Shoultz – Mozambique Grady and Janet Smalling – Europe Audra S – N. Asia Isiah Smith – Netherlands Larry and Sharon S – Eurasia

Jim and Jody Smith – Spain Todd and Leslie Stamps – Portugal Charles and Linda Stewart – Latin America Caribbean David and Shirley Swafford – Latin America Caribbean Adam and Bethany Weatherly – Spain Loretta Wideman – Kenya Aaron and Ashley Withington – Japan

OKAG U.S. Missionaries Brian and Mariah Abraham – Chi Alpha, Langston Shane and Treva Adams – Chi Alpha, USA Finlea Baxter – Chi Alpha, OSU Mattie Bright – Chi Alpha, NSU Charlie and Dona Bunn – Central Chi Alpha Karen Coon – LIFT Prison Ministries Cynthia and Destry Dobbs – Regional Chi Alpha Director Madison Dunn – Chi Alpha NW OSU Ryan and Zoe Evans – Central Chi Alpha Nancy Fitzgerald – Intercultural, Hispanic Ministries Marisa Ford – Chi Alpha, OSU Brandon and Stacy Garrett – Chi Alpha, OSU Wayne and Mischa Gray – Teen Challenge Terence and Laurel Harris – Intercultural Ministries Scott and Rebecca Howell – Chaplaincy, Backyard Orphans Greg and Darlene Hurta – Church Multiplication, RV Maps David Kayembe – Chi Alpha, TU DuWayne and Cara Lee – Chi Alpha TU Jeff and Alesa Miller – Church Mobilization,RV Ministries JoLeta Nash – Chaplaincy Ministries, Widow Link Shemaiah Oatman – Chi Alpha, TU Dacia and Tim Perkins – Chi Alpha, OSU Steve and Kimberly Snow – Intercultural Ministries Michael and JayLynn Sperry – Central Chi Alpha Baxter and Shayla Stewart – OKAG Chi Alpha Director, NSU Vanessa Taylor – Chi Alpha, TU Melliza and Colby Taylor – SaveONE Shawn and Brenna Tayon – Intercultural Ministries Greg and Susan Tiffany – Chi Alpha, OCCC and Rose State Jasen and Alyssa Waterson – Chi Alpha, OSU

Pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you 2 Thessalonians 3:1 (NASB)

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ITINERATING MISSIONARIES Thank you for praying for our Oklahoma Missionaries!

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Meredith Bagby Meredithbagby@gmail.com South Africa, Africa Blake & Katy Edgmon blakedge@gmail.com Ireland, Europe Stephen & Tiffany G

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Scott & Rebekah Howell

rhowell@backyardorphans.org

Chaplaincy – Orphan Care

AJ Jenkins aj.jenkins@agwmafrica.org Mozambique, Africa Tim & Jennifer Land tim.land@agwmafrica.org South Africa, Africa Matt & Randi M

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Trent & Tina Morrow trent.morrow@lacagwm.org Uruguay, Latin America Joleta Nash chaplainjnash@gmail.com Chaplaincy – Widow Care Dave & Patricia Schatzmann

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Audra S

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Adam & Bethany Weatherly

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Spain, Europe

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FULL-SERVICE OUTSOURCED CHURCH BOOKKEEPING

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