More than 50 years after the Rev. Billy Graham held weeks of life-changing Crusades in Australia, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is back to reach young people through its Dare to Be a Daniel program.

By Cicely Gosier

Aussies packed the West Melbourne Stadium by the thousands on February 15, 1959, to hear the Rev. Billy Graham preach the first sermon of what would become one of Australia’s most historic moments.

The meeting was running late, so he decided to get right to the message he wanted them to hear that evening – the very first Bible verse he learned as a child.

“I couldn’t have been more than 4, maybe 5 years of age, and this is the passage [my mother] taught me,” Graham said, pointing the audience to John 3:16.

For the next three months, Mr. Graham took the message of how “God so loved the world” across Australia.

In one crowd stood 15-year-old Peter Jensen, now the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney. And that simple lesson he learned from Mr. Graham as a teen has fueled the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s latest effort to reach young people down under. 

Fast forward 54 years later to February 2013 and you'll find the BGEA has just completed 12 days of Dare to Be a Daniel seminars in 10 cities across Australia. The goal is to eventually distribute Bible study materials to 10,000 “tweens” in this nation.

Dare to Be a Daniel is a BGEA training program meant to help kids ages 9 to 14 share their faith with others by finding the biblical role model in the prophet Daniel. 

After the recent Australia tour, at least 240 church leaders agreed to use the curriculum with their youth.

“We have the opportunity to impact a nation by equipping kids,” explained Chad Miller, Director of BGEA Children and Youth Evangelism Training.

But to get Dare to Be a Daniel in Australia’s churches, there were hills to climb.

Although Mr. Graham had introduced hundreds of thousands of Aussies to Christ in 1959 and his son and grandson had returned later delivering the Gospel message, BGEA is not widely known in Australia.

Australian churches also aren’t accustomed to using Bible studies and systematic curriculum like Dare to Be a Daniel.  This, coupled with the lack of resources in the nation, made getting the word out about Dare to Be a Daniel no easy feat.

So Rodney Trinidad, BGEA’s School and Youth Relations Manager in Australia and New Zealand, and Jorge Rodrigues, Executive Director of BGEA Australia and New Zealand, dropped to their knees in prayer.

Soon after, the pair felt God nudging them to not only distribute the training materials to 10,000 kids — but to do it for free.

“They thought, 'If this is God’s idea then He’s going to fund it,’” Miller said.

And He did.

Thanks largely to Bible League International, an Australian ministry that distributes Bible materials, the Dare to Be a Daniel student manuals will be provided free of charge. U.S. supporters of BGEA also chipped in to provide funding for the leader’s guides.

“[This was] the body of Christ working together to do great things,” Miller said.

More than 100 churches were represented at the trainings and based on commitments from leaders so far, more than 2,200 children will be introduced to Dare to Be a Daniel in the next few months.

“We need to equip our young people to be doers, to be disciples,” said Mariette Hanekom, who represented Cootamundra Baptist Church at one training.

“Sometimes I think we complicate the message and therefore it is lost [among] tweens,” added Rylee McLean of Junee Baptist Church.  “[Dare to Be a Daniel] is a simple but informative message that will engage them and give them confidence to go out into the world and share the Gospel.”

Miller sees the recent seminars as just the beginning of BGEA’s efforts to reach young people across the globe through Dare to Be a Daniel.

“The legacy of Dr. Graham enables us to unite the church in that way,” he said.  “What a privilege.”

To learn more about BGEA’s evangelism tools for young people, “like” Children & Youth Evangelism Training on Facebook or visit www.daretobeadaniel.com.

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The impressionable stage of adolescence is the driving force behind Dare to Be a Daniel. To date, the program has offered evangelism training to more than 29,000 teens and tweens.

By Cicely Gosier

“Learning that God is with us everywhere we go is a blessing.”

Those are words not from a pastor, a theologian, or even a quote from the Rev. Billy Graham. 

This came from Damon, a normal 11-year-old, who probably enjoys video games, sports and cartoons like most boys.

But what makes Damon different is that he’s now committed to something those even quadruple his age often find to be a daunting task — confidently sharing his faith every chance he gets.

Studies by the Barna Group show that Americans are five times more likely to come to Christ between the ages of 5 and 12 than after age 19.

That means for many, “What you believe at age 13 is what you will die believing,” says Chad Miller, Director of Children's and Youth Evangelism Training at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

This impressionable stage of adolescence is the driving force behind BGEA’s Dare to Be a Daniel program. The initiative offers evangelism training kits for kids ages 9-14 and curriculum guidance for church leaders and teachers. 

Miller notes that, “More than half of teen Christians don’t know how to share their faith.” 

“Picture the significance of children coming to Christ, growing in Him, and sharing their faith on their own with their friends,” he adds.

To date, at least 29,038 young people have completed the Dare to Be a Daniel training. 

Damon is among the 11,000 teens and tweens who became trained “Daniels” at Dare to Be a Daniel camps.  

“We see Dare to Be a Daniel visibly used and a viable part of camp ministry for the next 2-3 years, and we’re excited about that,” says Miller.

And although many of the kids who participate are already Christian, stories of salvation continue to pour in.

Miller says, “It’s not uncommon for every teacher that sends us a comment to say that someone came to Christ within the classroom while they were going through this.”

“They are confronted with the beauty and the simplicity of the Gospel,” he adds.  “There is power, Holy Spirit power, in the Gospel.”

Be encouraged by these actual testimonies written by Dare to Be a Daniel camp participants:

• “One thing I did at Beechpoint (camp) is learn how to cherish God and what He’s done for me so far.  Another thing I did that I would never forget is that I got saved.  I also must admit that being at this camp is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  It kept me out of a lot of trouble that I could have been in back at home.  I learned how to read the Bible and memory verses.  Something I did was rode on the horses, and that was a hug fear against me, and I can’t believe I faced it all because of YOU!” –  Tiesha, age 15

• “Three girls from my cabin are now sisters in Christ.  That would of never happened if you guys weren’t here… I can say my life really changed at camp.” – Mia, age 11

• “This week I learned how to be a light in the darkness and how to separate myself from the rest of the world.  So I want to thank you for blessing me with the chance to come here and learn for the fifth time.  The Bible says in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”  This is my new favorite scripture.  I’ve learned to step out in the world and be different.” – Brandon, age 13

Check out Dare to be a Daniel on Facebook here.

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Five years ago, Southpoint Community Church in Jacksonville, Fla., rolled out the Dare to Be a Daniel curriculum, which proved to be "a pivotal point" in developing Christ followers in its student ministry.

By Trevor Freeze

Time, some have said, is the great teacher.

Looking out the rearview mirror, one church in Jacksonville, Fla., will tell you they've learned quite a bit about their student ministries over the last five years and would like to pass along this knowledge. Free of charge, of course.

 Kim Bogart is the children's education director at Southpoint Community Church on the south side of Jacksonville, and five years ago she was first introduced to the Dare to Be a Daniel curriculum at a conference in Georgia.

"We had a great group of kids," she said. "But they had not really developed relationships and they seemed disconnected with the message we were speaking at church."

That's when Bogart turned to the Dare to Be a Daniel materials and noticed how the videos and other materials resonated with the tweens and young teens in her congregation.

"Daniel was actually someone they could relate to," she said. "Daniel was their age and it gave the kids something they could really connect to, because (the lessons) were so well done. All the videos were so relevant to where they were at the time.

"It seemed to really launch us into a new season where the kids developed lasting relationships."

Relationships with each other. With God. With the Scriptures.

"Since we used it five years ago, I've seen a radical change in our kids," Bogart said. "In their relationship with the Word and how they handle themselves in their everyday lives, both at school and with their friends."

Like Southpoint in Jacksonville, churches all over the U.S. have used the Dare to Be a Daniel curriculum since its launch in May of 2006. And in its first six years, more than 26,000 students have graduated from the "Daniel" program.

Many of these Daniels are now graduating from high school and moving on to their next stage of life, but armed with a foundation of how to share their faith with their friends.

"One has just graduated high school this year and now is going into college," Bogart said of the original group of "Daniels." "I feel like this was a pivotal point in his life."

Bogart feels Dare to Be a Daniel worked so well with her students because of the application and discussion that the materials and videos inspired.

"We broke the kids up into small groups and they were able to experience an authentic discussion," she said. "They could open up a discussion and talk about the reality of taking God to school.

"It gave them such a confidence and they found they were on the same page with other kids."

She saw a marked impact on students who went to both school and church together.

"I don't think they really had connected on how to share their faith while they're at school," she said. "Like when you're at your locker or at the park. I really saw several of those kids continue to walk with Christ and with each other. Kind of form an accountability group that has lasted."

Bogart has also used the Dare to Be a Daniel five-day curriculum for summer camps. This year she is using it in July third- through fifth-graders graders. A 13-day curriculum is also available.

"What was so great about the lessons is as a leader they were so easy to implement," she said. "We had a boot camp for Dare to Be a Daniel and it really worked."

For more information about how to engage in the Dare to Be a Daniel training experience, click here. To get a taste of the online resources available for students, visit DaretoBeaDaniel.com 

Attend a Summer Camp with the D2BD Difference »

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The Dare to Be a Daniel Experience could be the very tool you need to help your campers impact the Kingdom of God, long after the end of camp.

With summer right around the corner, you might be contemplating vacation options or looking into a camp experience for your kids. If your child is between the ages of 9 and 14, you might want to consider a camp that will be using the Dare to Be a Daniel Experience.

Reaching teens and tweens for Christ involves equipping young Christians to share the Gospel effectively and appropriately with their peers. We know that camp is a great place for that to happen. The Dare to Be a Daniel Experience could be the very tool you need to help your campers impact the Kingdom of God, long after the end of camp.

Dare to Be a Daniel is innovative evangelism training from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) targeted toward this next generation. It is comprised of resources by youth pastors, Sunday school teachers, and vacation Bible school instructors.

Just six years after its launch, more than 26,000 have completed the youth evangelism curriculum and are now “Team Daniel” members.

“As we are living in what some would call a post-Christian era, the influence of these young people shining a light for Christ among their friends and classmates cannot be overstated,” says Preston Parrish, executive vice president of the BGEA.

“Recent studies have shown that up to 88 percent of high school students who were raised in evangelical homes leave the church by the age of 18 and never return. It’s our prayer that these 26,000 teens and young adults – as well as those who go through the Daniel program in the months and years to come – will have a major impact on that number as they purpose in their hearts to live a godly life and reach those around them with the hope of Christ,” Parrish adds.

Campers who follow the five-session adaptable training adventure will multiply their reach with the Good News. Based in Scripture, the Dare to Be a Daniel Experience will help kids know what they believe and live a lifestyle of sharing Christ with their peers.

"Dare to Be a Daniel is the perfect curriculum for your week-long camp,” says Hugh Wright, former CEO of Camp Cedar Cliff in Asheville, N.C. “We have done three camps using D2BD at Camp Cedar Cliff and were blown away by the results. Our 9- to 14-year-old campers left camp excited and equipped, ready to share their faith in Christ with their friends and family."

Another camp leader, Karen Isaac of the Upper Palmetto YMCA in Fort Mill, S.C., says, "After going through the material in preparation for camp, I see the excellent effort that has gone into making it a study of quality. It is very applicable to today's youth, and I believe it will be enjoyed by each camp participant. It really connects with this generation."

FIND A CAMP NEAR YOU

The following camps will be using the D2BD program in 2012.  You can get more information about registration on each camp’s website.  Keep in mind that the Dare to Be a Daniel ministry does not endorse any particular camp. Once you click, you will be redirected to a site away from billygraham.org.

ALACCA Bible Conference: Stites, Idaho
www.alacca.org

Village Creek: Lansing, Iowa
villagecreek.net

Fair Haven Camp: Brooks, Maine
fairhavencamps.org

iRock Ministries: Smithsburg, Maryland
irockministries.com

Camp Beechpoint: Allegan, Michigan
beechpoint.com

Camp Berachah: Dowagiac, Michigan
campberachah.org

Crystal Springs Camp: Dowagiac, Michigan
www.crystalspringscamp.com

Camp Michawana: Hastings, Michigan
michawanacamp.org

Maranatha Bible Camp: Maxwell, Nebraska
www.maranathacamp.org

Screamin' Eagle Outfitters:  Flat Rock, North Carolina
http://screamineagleoutfitters.com/

Pleasant Garden Baptist Church: Pleasant Garden, North Carolina
VBS – July 15 to 19
http://www.pgbc.com/

Twin Pines Camp & Conference Center: Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania  
www.twinpines.org

Camp Thurman: Arlington, Texas
www.campthurman.org

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Stories from tweens have begun to pour in to Dare to Be Daniel and we thought you might want to read a few that demonstrate the power of Jesus to move in a young person’s life.

Probably one of the strongest witnesses for a tween in those awkward years between nine and 14 is the example of their peers. That’s why Dare to Be a Daniel, the youth evangelism training ministry of the BGEA, is encouraging kids to share their stories with one another.
 
The ministry sent letters to Team D2BD Members and asked fans of the Dare to be a Daniel Facebook page to send in their testimonies and explained three steps to use.  (Adults: you too can follow these principles when sharing your own story.)

1. What was your life like before you became a Christian?

2. Why did you decide to accept Christ as your Savior, and how did you do that? (Helpful hint: How did you hear about Christ? What did you hear about Christ? How did you respond?)

3. In what ways has your life changed since you made that decision, and what difference does Jesus continue to make in your life?

The stories have begun to pour in and we thought you might want to read a few that demonstrate the power of Jesus to move in a young person’s life.

D2BD testimonies (In Their Own Words)

Caitlin’s Story:

My life was going alright from when I was born up to middle school. I was raised in a Christian house and hung around my Christian family. When middle school started, life got harder for me at the end of sixth grade when all the friends I met moved away.

I was angry and in seventh grade, I lost friends including my best friend. In eighth grade I didn’t feel like anyone liked me, so I wanted to kill myself. I got help but it wasn’t enough help. In ninth grade I wanted to kill myself again and that is when everything around me started going down. I met Jesus in the middle of ninth grade and got baptized. I realized that my parents’ lives were working out and saw how God saved my mother from dying. God also protected my grandparents in a car accident.

God is still protecting my family and I am still in ninth grade. I joined volleyball and met new people I can trust. I helped get my friend saved and I am still talking about what God has done in my life. My life is filled with joy knowing that God cares and He is watching over me.

Lindsey’s Story:

Before I became a Christian, I was selfish and only cared about me. To me, everyone was here to adore me and tell me how cute I was. I felt guilty when I disobeyed my parents, but mostly I was concerned about my reputation. My goal in life was to have fun and be loved. Utterly, I hated being punished for doing wrong. Then I realized punishment was what I deserved.

I grew up in a Christian home, going to church as many Sundays as possible. When The Jesus Movie for Kids came out in theaters, we went to see it. I was blown away. I realized how great God’s love must be for me that he would die to pay my eternal punishment. Behind that sweet little 6-year-old girl, there was a girl who wanted forgiveness for all the wrong she knew she had done. I cut a bigger picture, one that lived beyond me. I knew there was no greater love I would find with such hope of a life in heaven with my Lord and Savior.

Ever since I made the choice to receive Christ as my Redeemer and Master of my life, I have found purpose for my life. To love as God loved. To reflect His peace. To lead others to Christ. I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. By grace I have been set free. I continue to learn and grow in my relationship with Christ.

Matthew’s Story:

I grew up in a Christian home and attended Sunday School, worship and AWANA weekly. My parents tried to incorporate Christian teachings in my everyday life.  At the age of 7, I asked Jesus to come into my life.  At the time I didn’t really know all that much about having a personal relationship with Christ.  I knew that God loved me and died for me and that if I asked Him to come into my life, when I died I would go to heaven and not hell.

Since that time, as I grew older and continued to learn more about God and His Word, I learned more about what it meant to have a personal walk with Him. I wanted that for myself, so I rededicated my life to Him and have grown in my faith. I know that I am a Christian because the Bible says that all who believe in Him will be saved. I know that this means not just believing that He exists, but actually having a living growing relationship with Him.

I read my Bible and pray daily and am trying to serve God and live for Him in all that I do. I especially want to not only trust Him for my life and the circumstances I find myself in, but also I want to share what He has done for me with other people. 

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More than 4,400 students were trained at 2011 summer camps with the Dare to Be a Daniel 5-session resource, and 2012 looks to be another big year with the ministry deploying in Australia, Haiti, Canada and the U.K.

By Trevor Freeze

On the surface, 2011 may possibly be the most impactful year ever for Dare to Be a Daniel. The sixth year of ministry for tweens and young teens at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association witnessed 6,982 students trained as Daniels equipped to spread the Gospel to their peers.

A big chunk of those (4,416) came from 19 camps throughout the country using the 5-session resource.

Without hesitation, Chad Miller, director for Dare to Be a Daniel, calls 2011, “the biggest year,” in the ministry’s relative infancy. “For the first time we felt like we were impacting these kids’ homes and communities.”

But there’s one thing that will likely keep 2011 from being a true watershed year.

The year 2012.

Dare to Be a Daniel materials will be deployed in four different countries in four different languages in the coming year.

Australia, Haiti, the United Kingdom and Canada are all 2012 targets for some form of Dare to Be a Daniel to be implemented, using English, Creole, French and a Spanish version geared for Spanish-speaking churches in the United States.

“We’re seeing the borders expand,” said Miller, who reported the current number of Daniel graduates to date at more than 24,000. “I’m very much excited and humbled by the doors that are opening.”

And for Miller, this year’s camp response has fueled the ministry as he starts to see his vision of “getting the Gospel beyond the campfire,” become a reality thanks to conversations on daretobeadaniel.com as well as the Facebook page.

The 5-week Dare to Be a Daniel session has penetrated the hearts of many campers this summer. “Camps really want to see real discipleship happen but they only have them for five days,” Miller said. “This is a way for camps to be a training ground, equipping them to do the work of the ministry. Just like Paul said to Timothy.”

Tweens and young teens are also finding training and community resources online resource at daretobeadaniel.com, which currently has more than 21,000 users.

The end result is a movement that is starting to take place in middle and high schools around the country where students are sharing Christ with their peers.

“We know from studies and research that the best way to reach young teens and tweens is through their friends,” said Miller, who is passionate about the possibility of reaching students through camp ministry.

“We know that things happen at camps that don’t happen anywhere else,” he said. “Kids come to Christ at camps. What if it didn’t have to end there?”

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International doors have opened up for Dare to Be a Daniel to be launched in other countries and soon the evangelism training program for tweens (age 9-14) will be prevalent in Australia, the UK, Haiti and Quebec.

By Trevor Freeze

Dare to Be a Daniel is about to expand its borders, mate.

The evangelism training program for tweens (age 9-14) has already graduated over 18,500 students in the United States and Canada since its launch with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association in May of 2006.

By the end of 2012, it will be launched in the United Kingdom, in Haiti with a Creole translation, as well as in Quebec with an International French version.

And that's not all.

There's a Spanish version being translated for domestic use by the end of this year with the possibility of expanding to Latin America.

And there's developmental work going on right now for an Australian launch of D2BD.

You could say it's a G'day to be a Daniel.

"We've just been testing it here for a bit and already the church has been lit up," D2BD Director Chad Miller said via telephone from Sydney, Australia. "And there are requests for materials that don't even exist yet.

"To God be the glory for the doors that He's opened."

Miller has been meeting with key leaders in both children/youth ministry as well as camp ministry across Australia to cast the D2BD vision, which has been well-received. One large church camp wants to implement D2BD in three locations for multiple weeks.

"September is a great time for camps in this part of Australia," Miller said. "And thousands upon thousands of kids go to camp in Australia all throughout the year."

The target demographic for D2BD circles around the middle school years, with the 5-week session bleeding into early high school age students and the 13-week option often picking up late elementary-age children.

"They both work very well in Sunday school, small groups, bible schools…," Miller said.  "Both do the same thing, they train and equip Christian students to engage their friends with the Gospel."

This has worked especially well in middle school.

"There are some things that happen physiologically, mentally, emotionally and with the student's sense of community in those formidable young teen years that don't ever happen again," he said.  "We see this as a great harvest field."

Also available is a self-guided study guide on daretobeadaniel.com. But a majority of D2BD's impact is seen through group settings with the curriculum.  This year, church camps have been a major training ground, where 20 have adopted the curriculum this summer alone, yielding an estimated 5,000 Daniels to be trained by year's end.

"We know kids have meaningful encounters with Christ at Christian camps, but how do we release these kids to do the work of ministry in their own peer groups?" Miller said. "Early this year we engaged camp directors and program directors across the country about how to get the Gospel beyond the campfire."

And whether that's in the United States, the UK or Australia, the evangelism training resonates the same and can even utilize the same materials.  Five or six years ago, language would have had to be tweaked from U.S. English to the UK's or Australia's version, but with the increased use of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter and globalization, that's no longer the case.

Ultimately, Miller said, all the material is geared to point youth toward one goal: sharing their faith with their friends and family.

"Students reach other students," he said. "I am challenging youth and children's leaders to make time for this essential component of making disciples of all nations.  Train your students to reach their friends with the life-saving gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no greater message.

"School's starting back up; kids are making new friends. Your inner circle needs to be your godly friends, but you need to be friendly and in the lives of the people who don't know Jesus," Miller added. "You need to live out 1 Peter 3:15 in a way where people want to know more — 'But in your heart, set apart Christ as Lord; always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.'"

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Dare To Be A Daniel has given two young sisters a better understanding of the Scriptures and the life of Daniel, helping them share Christ and stand up for God.

By Trevor Freeze

Audrey Havenor may only be 10 years old, but after completing just three lessons of the Dare To Be A Daniel curriculum, she can already tell a difference in reading her Bible.

It's as if the words jump off the pages of Scripture.

"Before I would just read my Bible and I would think, 'OK, I've got my Bible study over,'" Audrey said. "But since I'm going through the (D2BD) training, I read the Word and think through it and what it means.

"That helps me to study God's Word truly without just reading it and being done with my Bible study."

Audrey and her older sister, Olivia, 14, are two of today's youth who are finding D2BD training materials to be a powerful tool that strengthens their faith. It also deepens their understanding of the Bible, while encouraging them to share Christ with their friends.

"It's not just about believing in God," said Audrey, who is going through the online training at Daretobeadaniel.com. "It's about standing firm in your faith and praying and telling others about God."

Olivia first went through the D2BD materials at age 10 when her mom brought home a training kit. Both her Sunday school teacher and her mom then coached Olivia through the lessons, holding her accountable to learn the memory verses.

Now, several years later, she's going back through D2BD's online course as a refresher.

"I thought it was pretty cool," Olivia recalled the first time she went through the program. "I didn't think it was extremely difficult, but it helped me read the Bible, like the book of Daniel … I had never thought about it in that way."

Impacting Olivia to this day were the lessons she learned about Daniel himself.

"It made me think about how Daniel, who was sometimes dealing with peer pressure, stood firm despite what other people were saying," Olivia said. "There were a lot of ways I've had to stand up for stuff in front of other people."

For Olivia, the D2BD course "helped me see things differently."

"It helped me want to pray more," she continued, "to ask God for help in situations like when I wanted to try to witness to people. Instead of trying to think of ways to do it myself, it made me think more of how I could ask God to give me the words for it."

Since its launch in May of 2006, D2BD has graduated over 18,500 students in the United States and Canada. The training materials consist of the online, 5-week and 13-week versions and has been implemented in small groups, Sunday schools, Bible studies and many church camps across North America.

The target group for D2BD is tweens (ages 9-14) and students like Olivia and Audrey are a testimony that when properly implemented, the material can have a profound impact in one's ability to share Christ.

"I think it's a tough challenge," Audrey said, "but it feels great to tell others about Christ and help them with their walk."

For more information, click on Daretobeadaniel.com (students) or BillyGraham.org (adults).

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Meet one of more than 39,000 “followers” who regularly log on to the Dare to Be a Daniel Facebook page, a shining star in ministry’s efforts to raise up the next generation of evangelists.

by Jimmie Wilkerson-Chaplin

On a snowy Tuesday afternoon last month, 12-year-old Jennifer raced home from school, threw her books on her bed, and powered on her MacBook. Although the Illinois native enjoys checking out what her classmates are doing on their personal Facebook pages, on this particular afternoon, she headed straight to the Dare to Be a Daniel page.

"Dear God, I am grateful for Your unchanging holiness, righteousness and love,” she wrote in her post. “Thank You for loving me. Give me Your love for the people that You bring into my life.” Within moments more than 86 people who were plugged in to Facebook agreed. One person responded, “Really needed this reminder. Thank you God.”

Lorrie writes, "I dare to be a Daniel. My desire is to win souls for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I desire to follow God, no matter where He takes me, and have decided, I will not serve any other gods but, the one Living God.

Jennifer and Lorrie are among the 39,000-plus “followers” who regularly log on to the Dare to Be a Daniel Facebook page, a shining star in ministry’s efforts to raise up the next generation of evangelists.

According to Chad Miller, director of Dare to Be a Daniel, “The social network provides an outlet for devotional thoughts and updates and brings more users to daretobeadaniel.com, which was re-launched in 2010 with added functionality on the back end, and a better user interface on the front end." Within a month, almost 8000 active users were added over the previous number of users. As the new site is continually developed to better deliver content, students can more effectively interact and know they are not alone in their commitment to God.

Both the website and the social network were designed to have a positive influence on kids and constantly hold up the authority of God’s Word. “We want to encourage those in the work of the ministry that someone who is lost might catch a glimpse of the Gospel through Facebook,” Miller explains. It is an opportunity for the Dare to be a Daniel ministry to have a voice in the social networking world with real-time results.

Kids who commit to be Daniels are Miller’s heroes because they care about their friends, want to do something to share the Gospel with them, and ultimately introduce them to God. Miller says, “The kids believe that Jesus is worth doing a little bit of hard work for… Jesus is worth risking something relationally.”

After the kids complete the training sessions that involve reciting key scripture from memory and sharing the Gospel, they fill out a completion card, which is submitted to BGEA. As members of the D2BD team, the Daniels receive a personalized membership card that identifies them as a certified Junior Evangelist of the BGEA and dog tags inscribed with key scripture, which they learned throughout the year, to use as a witnessing tool.

Miller says that 65 percent of kids who have successfully completed training respond: “Dare to be A Daniel has equipped me to share my faith and I am sharing my faith with others as a result of going through the training.” Kids are accepting the challenge and reaching out to others.

In 2010, 2,939 new Daniel team members utilized the training resources, joined and made a stand for Christ which brought the total to more than 17,000 team members across the United States and Canada.

The D2BD ministry will continue to expand throughout 2011. Plans included looking at home school programs to determine if there is a need and provide information about the D2BD ministry. D2BD also will expand training internationally in Australia, the United Kingdom, Haiti, and Quebec (French). A Spanish version for U.S. residents is being created. The D2BD ministry will determine the appropriate avenues and resources to translate the training material, which includes the online site and the five and 13-session training.

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At the 2010 National Conference on Christian Apologetics, the theme was Defending the Faith and the Family. One of the biggest concerns facing the family today is raising up the next generation. Chad Miller, Director of BGEA’s Dare to be a Daniel, was a speaker at this year’s conference. Read below as he shares his passion about getting the church community involved and training youth in biblical literacy.

Chad Miller is interested in more than just investing in the lives of our youth. He wants to get others to come alongside him.

“Titus 2 is an interesting passage that is a charge for older men to train younger men, and for older women to encourage younger women. We are to teach sound doctrine, get the whole community involved, and raise up the next generation,” said Miller.

Miller said his session at the conference is about more than raising new leaders. It’s about preserving the spiritual health of the next generation. “Our lives are a display window for the word of God. The Gospel will either be held up or reviled based on the way we engage them.”

Ultimately, Miller’s goal is to point to the Bible as the lifeblood of our lives. “With our actions and the way we engage the next generation, we can either build up or destroy – in others’ eyes – the very foundation by which we stand. We can witness, but do we care about anybody?”

There’s also the importance of raising a biblically literate generation. Miller explained that many young believers no longer want to read the Bible; they just want a summary of it. “Sometimes they just want a couple of paragraphs, or maybe even less, like 140 characters in a tweet. This young generation doesn’t seem care much about the whole narrative, they’d rather have a sound bite or two – but you can’t really understand God’s love without the text of God’s written Word.”

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