CALLED and Sent

In recent years, the Georgia Assemblies of God district has been cultivating a movement that is taking shape among high school students who sense God calling them into ministry. Through Georgia AG Youth’s CALLED program, led by District Youth Director Johnny Mendoza, juniors and seniors are being equipped for ministry and connected to those who are intentionally helping shape their futures. This initiative is already influencing the future of ministry leadership across the district and beyond.

Launched in the beginning years of CALLED’s national roll out, led by John Zick, the Georgia-specific program is the result of early adoption of the Fellowship’s ministry on-ramp emphasis. While many districts now host retreats or conferences, Georgia has developed a 10-month discipleship experience designed specifically for students exploring vocational ministry.

Each year, approximately 40 students from across the state participate in the program, which includes monthly virtual conference calls, a CALLED retreat, ministry serve days, and structured curriculum. Students who complete the program for two years also receive special benefits for district events and have the option of completing courses that count towards AG minister credentialing.

While there is a cost associated with the program, many churches sponsor students or contribute to scholarship funds so that the program is accessible to all students who feel God leading them into a ministry role.

“Churches recognize the value of investing in the next generation,” says Mendoza. “We’re not just running an event, we’re building a discipleship community of future pastors, missionaries, and AG leaders who will serve alongside each other one day.”

The first year of the program emphasizes evangelism and reaching the “one” through initiatives such as Youth Alive. The second year is focused on specific ministry tracks, helping students discern unique ministry pathways, including pastoral roles, chaplaincy, and missions.

Nationally, 56 AG districts host some form of a CALLED experience for their youth, and Georgia has had the privilege of coaching several of these districts through their start-up phase.

One of the clearest examples of the Georgia program’s impact is 21-year-old AGWM missionary Hannah Heilman who is currently serving in Micronesia. Today, Heilman is recognized as the youngest AGWM missionary currently on the field.

During her senior year of high school, Heilman joined Georgia’s CALLED program after hearing about it at youth camp. Having grown up on the mission field as an AG missionary kid, Heilman assumed that her own path into ministry was centered on leading worship. “I knew I was called into ministry, but I didn’t know what that looked like,” she recalls. “I enrolled in CALLED seeking some clarity and it helped me open my heart to where God was leading me.”

Through her involvement, Heilman was exposed to missionary speakers and ministry conversations that stirred something in her spirit – a call back to the mission field. With clear direction, she attended Southeastern University where she earned her degree in just two and a half years. She also connected with AG leaders from the Pacific Oceania region where she learned about the need for ministry to younger generations in Micronesia. “About 65% of the population is under the age of 25, and the area directors really helped me understand about the need in this area” she says. “I met with a missionary from Micronesia about a week later and it seemed like it was going to be a perfect fit.”

Heilman was approved as a missionary associate through the AG in October of 2024 and began itineration immediately. Churches responded enthusiastically to her heart and her vision and were excited to support her. She became fully funded well ahead of schedule, thanks to the overwhelming support of district churches – many of whom had watched her go through the CALLED program.

“This is the culture being built in Georgia,” says Zick. “Churches are rallying behind students with a call to ministry and then get behind them and help them launch into that calling.”

Today, Heilman partners with local churches in Micronesia, assists with outreaches to youth and young adults, and supports church planting efforts. She is also able to use her experience in worship ministry to help lead songs during services and teach children’s lessons for newer congregations.

Mendoza and Zick say that stories like Heilman’s demonstrates the long-term value of helping youth discover and pursue God’s call on their lives.

“When you invest in the next generation, you create a culture that is missions and ministry minded,” says Zick. “It’s been powerful to watch a district cultivate environments where students are discovering God’s call, have the encouragement of their local church to rally around them, and then they have the support of those churches to help launch them.”

Heilman says that the impact CALLED had on her life has been lasting.

“Being part of CALLED gave me a community of people who were pursuing ministry at the same time I was, and we were discovering our calls together,” she says. “It helped me stay encouraged and open to what God wanted, ultimately recognizing where He was leading me.”

Georgia Youth Ministries continues to develop cohorts of CALLED students each year, believing that the impact is greater than simply preparing students for a vocation – they believe it is shaping a generation of ministers of the gospel who already see themselves as the future of the Church.