Host churches welcome student teams and equip them for mission.

Host Church Expectations

Host churches play an extremely important role of receiving student teams and investing in them.  How God moves and works in students of the summer is strongly influenced by our host churches, and we want to support you in the process.

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What is GenSEND?

It is a Missionary Development experience for college and seminary students age 19-25.  It is a Church Planting & Compassion Immersion training for 8 weeks in San Diego to teach Gospel Intentionality.  We have a goal or raising up laborers by giving them a vision for engaging San Diego with the Gospel.

Visit the GenSEND Summer page

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38, ESV

What GenSEND is NOT...

GenSEND San Diego is not an intern program.  Intern Programs can, at times, emphasize folding papers, stapling, and working 80+ hours.  While Intern Programs you have experienced or lead may not fit that mold, for some, that has been the experience. Our expectation is to send your church to have amazing missionaries come serve, we do expect you to invest in these students and build them up for future missional living and service. 

GenSEND San Diego is not free labor/summer staff.  We are happy to invest to send missionaries to come serve alongside your church!  At the same time, we expect you to invest in them intentionally.  We hope that you will want to recruit or perhaps even hire a summer missionary one day.  We choose you as a host church because of your heart to develop missional leaders and deploy them, and we just expect you to lean into that.

GenSEND San DIego is not mission tourism.  Students coming to your church are expected to love and honor Christ and bring their "A" game to serve each day.  If a student wants to soak up SD sun and attend church once a week, they can come to the city, just not with GenSEND SD.

Student Selection Criteria

We select students based on their walk with Jesus and their Gospel fluency.  We want students who practice and pursue spiritual and emotional maturity.  We want team players who are gracious and kind to others with different personalities.  We prioritize students who are pursuing a life of making disciples and have a vibrant passion for following Jesus and being on mission with Him.  We expect students to express their maturity in commitment to GenSEND for the summer before the deadline.

DEADLINES & EXPECTATIONS

As a church planter/pastor in San Diego receiving and leading a GenSend team this summer, we ask that you commit to the following expectations:

To be shared with GenSEND SD by the November 30th before the summer of service…

  • Weekly and Summer Schedule – Provide your weekly needs and plans for your assigned students.  We also ask that you work around the schedule of availability that students have (a sample is included below).  We know things may change in that time, but give us the most specific info as possible.
  • Provide an 8 Week Missional Engagement Project (Prospectus) – Students will work on an 8 week missional engagement project that is beneficial to your church and allows them to share Jesus.  At the end of the summer, participants will share about what they learned through their experience.
  • Assign a qualified staff member or volunteer to serve as a Cohort Coach for your team – Cohort Coaches provide leadership and serve alongside the GenSEND team assigned to your church.  The best examples of Cohort Coaches are trusted staff members or adults who have been a part of GenSEND or a similar experience and moved to or served in San Diego for an extended period.  We would recommend having a Cohort Coach in addition to the lead pastor/church planter.  Please discuss with GenSEND SD Leadership before choosing your Cohort Coach.

To be completed during the summer of service…

  •  Weekly Discipleship Time with Students – Provide biblical discipleship throughout the summer. This can include discussing or reading a book of your own or one they are already assigned to read, involving them in a community group, and helping students discern their future steps in ministry involvement.
  • Staff Meeting Participation – Allow students to attend staff/team/DNA meetings you have throughout the summer.
  • Develop Missionaries & Build Relationships – Remember that this is not an internship but a missionary development program. We consider this an immersion experience for these students to learn to live their lives on mission. Build relationships with them, you are their family for the entirety of the project. Help them see what it would look like to move to San Diego, get a job, and serve with your church after or close to completing college.
  • Support Students to follow all components of the Missionary Covenant – The GenSEND Missionary Covenant is an important part of the summer experience for students.  It helps them stay focused on being missional, encourages relational team health, and works to keep students safe.  We understand that the Missionary Covenant can create limitations, but it is a FULL requirement during the 8 week GenSEND experience.
  • Share Relevant Feedback – Have open communication with the GenSend coaches and students throughout the summer, providing honest but encouraging feedback.
  • Stoke a Passion for Your Area of SD – Provide an info packet for your church and city area. This can be something that you already have, such as online video about your church, flyers or prospectus.  Help your students get a passion for your area of SD!
  • End of Summer Banquet – Attend the end of the summer banquet to hear the student’s presentations concerning their city prospectus’ to aid our ministry here in SD.
  • Aid with Pick Up and Departure of Students – Please attempt to be at the airport when students arrive in SD or have at least one representative from your church there.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE & SUMMER CALENDAR

GenSEND Weekly Schedule

This is an estimate of schedule with GenSEND, and it may differ slightly during the summer.  Some host churches may move around elements, but these elements will be present in some capacity.

GenSEND Summer Calendar

5/30 Students fly in to San Diego (arrive in SD before 3 pm)
5/31 – 6/2 Orientation Week (Send San Diego Gathering on 6/1 @ Anthem Church) 
6/4 First Sunday with Churches
6/5 3p | First Training Day  
6/12 3p | DGroup Family Meal with regional teams (NO Training) 
6/17 All Day | BroAm @ Moonlight Beach 
6/19 3p | Training Day 
6/26 North County Training @ Anthem, perhaps Cameron
7/3 3p | Training Day? 
7/4 Happy 4th 
7/8 Padres Game 
7/10 3p | Training Day 
7/17 Final Training Session + Project Presentation
7/24 Students fly home (leave SD before 12 pm)