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
