About Us
MG Team
Ben Jones
Founder
I’m married to Hannah and have lived in Leeds for many years. We have two primary aged children and enjoy being part of the local Church. I have been a youth worker for over 15 years and have developed immersive digital technology resources as a tool to engage with Gen Z in discussions to explore faith, mission and evangelism.
Ollie Greenfield
Team Leader and MG Worker
I have spent my whole life in Yorkshire, apart from my time away at uni where I trained as a primary school teacher. I have always loved working with children and young people and have been a youth worker for the past 3 years. Alongside this I have been studying a mission, ministry and theology course at St Hild’s College. I am truly passionate about spreading the good news of the gospel to young people and seeing those seeds of faith being planted.
Elliemae Hebden
Team Leader and MG Worker
Hi, my name’s Elliemae and I am the content creator at Missional Generation and a Youth Worker in Leeds city centre. I’m from Essex but married a Yorkshire lad called Dan so I now consider myself a Northerner (I haven’t quite managed to shake the Essex accent yet). We’re joined by our cat called Samson who unfortunately lives up to his name. When I’m not being mauled by my cat, I enjoy sewing and making delicious meals with friends.
Mary Swain
Bookkeeper
Hi, I’m Mary and I’m an enthusiastic dancer and writer. I moved to Leeds as a student, and having made my home here, I’m passionate about seeing city transformation for the kingdom of God through raising up and encouraging the next generation. Aside from working with MG, I’m part of the team at Dayspring Church, Garforth and I’m doing an MA in choreography.
Josh Falcon
Digital Innovator
I have lived in Leeds most of my life apart from studying computer science in Hull and also spending a year abroad in Anaheim. Some of my other hobbies include video games and playing ice hockey.
Benny Seeds
MG Worker
Hi! I’m Benny.
Originally from Leicester but have been in Leeds since 2017. I am married to Mary and we both attend a church in Leeds. I love making music and listening to music, but some other hobbies I have are cooking, eating and anything related to football. I am the music man on the team making sounds effects and backing music for most of our content. But my passion is being alongside young people and encouraging them to live for Jesus!
Maria O’Hagan
MG Worker
My name’s Maria and I grew up in Kingston, just outside of London and I came to Leeds in 2019 to study maths and music at university. I loved Leeds so much that in September 2022 I began an internship in Children and Youth work at my church in Leeds. I have thoroughly enjoyed growing in my gifts and passion for discipling children and young people. Aside from this, I love music and playing the piano and enjoy spending time with friends! I am so excited to be joining the MG team and growing deeper in my faith.
Governance
Derek Jones
Trustee
Hi, I’m Derek, I’m a husband, father of two and Church leader in inner city Bradford, before which I was a youth worker in the city for a project which still partners with MG. I’ve always had a longing to see people grab hold of the fact that God loves and wants the best for us all, offering us Jesus as God’s way of showing us what that truly means and looks like, and helping us to come close and understand. It’s a privilege to keep seeing new ways to help young people come to see that, and support MG getting on with doing so.
Kim Lawrence
Trustee
I am a youth worker and I work in schools all across Leeds. I moved to Leeds at the beginning of 2021 and I have loved getting to know this city, the young people who live in it and those who serve them. I am so passionate about young people hearing the gospel and learning just how much God loves them.
Sophie-Joy Péchèr
Trustee
I love Jesus, my family, friends, travelling (to see family and friends), being a physiotherapist, sharing home-baked goodies after getting muddy. I love helping everyone and anyone which is why I am so excited to have joined the Missional Generation Board of Trustees. Lastly, I am too chatty to describe myself in two sentences.
About Missional Generation
Our Desire Is:
To draw together a multitude of resources, especially key people and investors from every arena of life to help inspire and guide young people. We draw on these individual’s own experiences of living out their faith and hear how they are having an influence across society. We hope that from these stories a generation will learn and work together to create their own expressions of sharing their faith and influencing their arenas of life.
Our Belief Is:
To see a united front of individuals, churches, charities and movements come together to equip, train, empower and release a generation into the intimate knowledge of Christ as well as to share His wonders to their peers in school, neighbourhood, friendship groups and other areas of life – all with a missional focus. To disciple a generation to develop a sacrificial mindset through participating in missional learning and practice.
Our Intentions Are:
To help young people develop as individuals who become an active resource, both sharing Jesus and knowing how He wants to use them: for example standing as agents against injustice both locally and globally. To teach them to see, learn and feel the way Christ feels and to declare in prayer the things that God is revealing and wanting to awaken across the UK.
The focus of MG is to help young people realise that mission does not just happen at specific organised events or gap year programmes, but that through their faith in God they can live a missional lifestyle every day. We hope to teach, coach and resource churches to share with young people how the 7 characteristics of mission we have within our theory can give a generation a positive start to help deepen their understanding for living intentionally missional.
Our Connections
Evangelical Alliance
Member
We are pleased to have been a member of the Evangelical Alliance since July 2016. Being a member gives us the chance to draw upon a greater level of investment and allows us to connect with other members of the Evangelical Alliance family. If you would like to know more please visit their membership page here.
Our Theory
The Trinitarian Gospel for Missional Living
Formed
God Formed You
Accepted
Christ Accepts You
Appointed
The Holy Spirit Appoints You
These are the three foundational truths for missional living that underpin all our faith-based teaching. This is explored in depth within our Live & Share resource.
We Teach: 7 Characteristics Of Mission
Our teaching materials support young people to develop a rhythm of living that is missional. Our unique approach that: “It is not a race but a way of living that creates transformation” helps young people reflect on seven characteristics of missional living and how they apply them within the eight different spheres of life they inhabit.
Our vision is to see young people understand these characteristics of mission, growing by using different forms of experiential learning and by accessing our Live & Share Resources and Devotional Materials. We have already seen how young people have grown in their understanding of these 7 Characteristics Of Mission using these methods and we are now looking to create further ways of helping youth leaders, alongside their young people, to apply all that they have learnt to the 8 popular arenas of life.
Young People's 8 Arenas of life
These are the places and spaces where young people spend their time. Missional Generation equips them to see these as their current mission fields for God.
Missional Generation draws on well-established principles of learning and teaching where people gain considerably more understanding as they reflect on their learning with others and have the chance to apply it. We aim to see a radical step-change in learning and application, strengthened as they are given the chance to become involved in delivering and teaching material to others. Missional Generation feels this is a vital process.
It is more important than ever...
For the Church to address the ways that people learn and to foster the skills they need to live missionally in all walks of life. As Missional Generation partners with the Church to facilitate new ways for young people to learn life-based skills by actively addressing local needs, the Church will see a spiritual awakening amongst a generation as young people:
We place a high importance on unity, sharing resources and joint working. We see these as the driving force to see Christian charities and churches investing heavily into a generation. Missional Generation is committed to building a strong network of honest relationships and communication with organisations and individuals across the M62 Corridor.