As Africa quickly becomes the epicenter of global Christianity, is the Church prepared to empower its next generation? In this episode of The Missional Leader, Rob is joined by Pastor Julius Rwotlonyo, Team Leader of Watoto Church, one of Africa’s most vibrant and influential churches. Together, they explore why Africa’s youthful energy and spiritual vibrancy represent both an incredible opportunity and pressing challenge for the worldwide Church.

This conversation dives deep into the story of Watoto Church—a movement in Uganda transforming lives by rescuing vulnerable children, equipping women, and planting churches in some of the continent’s most underserved regions. Pastor Rwotlonyo, who came to faith as a child in Watoto and now leads the church through explosive growth and social innovation, shares his vision for empowering young Africans—not just as future leaders, but as change-makers today.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

OneHope Africa Matching Challenge: https://onehope.net/donate

Watoto Church: https://watotochurch.com/.

Miscio: https://www.miscio.io/

OneHope’s God’s Big Story & Unstoppable Programs: https://onehope.net/programs/.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Africa as the Rising Epicenter of Christianity
02:39 The Watoto Church Story and Julius’s Journey
05:02 Blending Social Outreach and Spiritual Discipleship
06:14 Transforming Orphan Care: The Family Model
08:03 Empowering Vulnerable Women Beyond Charity
09:03 Uganda’s Shift from Poverty Through Church-Led Development
10:56 Africa’s Youth: Unmatched Potential and Challenges
11:35 Disconnect Between Faith and Daily Life in Africa
13:50 Research Reveals Uganda’s Actual Spiritual Resiliency
15:15 One Hope’s Impact: Reaching 78 Million Children
18:03 Church Planting Among Unreached Muslim and Animistic Groups
20:04 Gen Z’s Questions: Discipleship in a Digital Age
21:03 Mental Health Struggles and Church Responses
25:26 Empowering African Girls: Esther’s Unstoppable Journey
27:08 Gen Z Movements, Social Unrest, and Church Engagement
29:27 Rethinking Christian Higher Education for Societal Change
32:10 Equipping the Now Generation: Empowering African Youth
34:05 Redefining Youth Ministry: Children as Church Leaders
38:05 $1M Matching Gift: Reaching 6 Million African Youth
39:53 Malik’s Story: From Muslim Street Child to Hope-Filled Leader

In this special episode of The Missional Leader, Rob sits down with Bobby Gruenewald, founder and CEO of YouVersion and the visionary behind the Bible App, to unpack one of the most remarkable digital movements of our time.

Join Rob as he and Bobby celebrate a historic and timely milestone for the Bible App: one billion installs. With November marking Global Bible Month and the official crossing of this historicthreshold, Bobby shares what it means for the future of Bible engagement and how everyone can join in this global celebration.

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

YouVersion Beyond a Billion Celebration & Global Bible Month:
https://www.life.church/billion

OneHope 30 Day Reading Plans for Children, Youth, and Parents:
https://www.bible.com/organizations/d6634491-2d45-4e2f-81b3-f8ade04f4494

YouVersion Bible app:
https://www.youversion.com/

Bible App for Kids:
https://www.bible.com/kids.

Kids Bible Experience:
https://www.bible.com/organizations/09d8dc67-6b79-4db8-95fb-b9055258b85b

YouVersion Instagram - Times Square Footage:
https://www.instagram.com/youversion/?hl=en

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Timely Episode: The Billion Bible App Milestone
01:41 Surpassing Expectations: Billion Installs Arrive Early
02:59 Digital Bible Growth Sparks Print Sales Surge
05:21 Global Bible Month: Uniting Apps and Partners
06:51 Lighting Up Times Square with the Bible
08:30 Amazon Prime Celebrates Global Bible Month
09:54 Arena Event: Worship Night for a Billion Installs
10:40 Who Uses YouVersion? A Global, Multigenerational Audience
12:58 Expanding Features: Gamification and Video Content
14:22 Bible App for Kids: Reaching 170 Million Young Users
15:41 Engagement Metrics: How Depth of Use Is Measured
17:24 The Power of Four: Bible Engagement Changes Lives
18:33 The Generosity Model: 58,000 Donors Power Free Access
20:27 Next Milestones: Reaching Two and Three Billion Installs
21:30 30-Day Bible Reading Plans for All Ages

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Can young people truly build a world-class church—in the heart of one of the world’s most expensive, influential, and diverse cities?

On today’s episode of The Missional Leader, Rob talks with Pastor Tan Seow How, co-founder of Heart of God Church (HOGC) in Singapore—a thriving young adult church known for flipping the script on what church can be for the next generation.

Globally recognized for its “by youth, for youth, to reach youth” approach, HOGC is breaking boundaries in a city famed for finance, fun, and cultural pluralism. Pastor How shares the remarkable story of how he and his wife, Pastor Lia, followed a bold calling to build a ministry where belonging comes first—empowering thousands of young people, many from non-church backgrounds, to discover faith and purpose. Plus, Pastor How shares strategies for building community across Singapore’s church population and how collaboration among young pastors and leaders is paving the way for a new era of mission-driven unity.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Heart of God Church: https://heartofgodchurch.org/

Rob’s Outreach article on HOGC: https://outreachmagazine.com/features/82687-the-greatest-youth-church-in-the-world.html

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Flipping the Church Belonging Model for Gen Z
05:52 Heart of God Church: A Youth-Led Experiment
09:18 Building a Church by Youth, for Youth: The Miracle Story
11:23 Church as Home: Kids from Broken Families Find Belonging
15:53 Empowering Youth as Immediate Leaders and Servants
19:56 Behind the Scenes: Young Teens Run the Church Operations
23:01 Balancing Success and Purpose in Affluent Singapore
32:28 Discipling Gen Z: Navigating Truth in a Digital Age
36:05 Relational Equity: The Key to Teaching Biblical Values
40:02 High Touch vs High Tech: Why Youth Choose Physical Church
43:34 Youth Unity: Singapore's Next Generation Churches Collaborate
45:24 Mission-Driven Unity: Gen Z’s Collaborative Spirit
46:54 Closing Blessing: Building Models for the Next Generation