Decision Point Annual Report 2023-2024

proclaim the
gospel to the next
generation
till every student
has heard!
ANNUAL
REPORT
23
24

Who We Are
We exist to proclaim the gospel to the next
generation till every student has heard.
When Warren Willis founded the California School Project in
2002, the mission was to help every high school in California
put on one evangelistic event. And for those first couple of
years, we worked at a handful of schools around the Los
Angeles area.
Twenty years later, the national outreach of Decision Point
brings the message of Jesus Christ through regular student-led
outreach in 17 states across our nation, as well as communities
around the world. Thank you for joining us in proclaiming the
timeless truths of the gospel to the next generation.
1

What’s Inside
Greetings from Decision Point
Letter from the President ...................................................
Decision Point Pledge ........................................................
5 Gospel Challenges .........................................................
Campaign Progress
Mission Expansion ..............................................................
Online Training & Partnership ............................................
California ...........................................................................
Arizona ...............................................................................
Midwest ..............................................................................
Dallas-Fort Worth ...............................................................
Colorado ............................................................................
Student Leader Conference ...............................................
Culture Transforming Content ............................................
Online Outreach ................................................................
International .......................................................................
3
7
8
10
12
13
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
30
Finances & Leadership
Advancement & Mobilization ..............................................
Letter from the Board ..........................................................
Leadership ...........................................................................
31
33
34
2

A Letter
From the
President
Dear friends,
MARK HOPSON
God worked powerfully this school year. We’re
praising God for over 1,800 students indicating
decisions for Christ on campus this year!
Again and again this year our team was reminded
that students are hungry for the Word of God.
Recently I was invited to be the outreach speaker at a
school in Tucson, AZ. To help students feel the weight
of sin, I hit on issues like pornography, abortion, LGBT,
and more. Having spoken out against the idols of our
day, I expected at least some students to complain or
be offended, but student after student thanked me for
coming and for all that I shared!
What grabbed me even more than students saying
thank you was the look in their eyes as they asked me
for the free Bibles I had promised in my talk. In fact, so
many students came forward to get their free Bible that
we ran out while many students were still in line to get
one.
“What do you mean you’re out of Bibles?!?” This
young lady had the look of someone who had been
betrayed. “I’m so sorry, we just ran out, but you can
have one of these Gospels of John,” I explained. She
was not buying it. “But I wanted the full Bible!” she
insisted. Our team took down her address
3

and mailed her a Bible immediately after.
Many of our staff have had similar
experiences this year. Students understand if
we run out of food but are not happy if we
run out of Bibles!
Later that day, I heard about a student
outreach on the other side of town. The
students had a fabulous outreach where
many students heard the gospel and were
saved. Yet our team couldn’t help noticing
posters in the hallways inviting students
to a drag show on campus!
This reminds us of another truth we saw
on display this year. There is a great
spiritual battle for this generation. The
devil is sowing confusion in the hearts and
minds of young people. As Christian students
stand for Christ today, they stand in the
crosshairs of this spiritual battle.
Earlier this year, a young man shared a
comment about his school that haunts me to
this day. “There’s no more girls at our
school. They’ve all started their gender
transition.” I don’t know how much
hyperbole is involved in his description, but I
know that I have never heard a student
describe his school that way until this year.
What a privilege to stand with this young
man to bring the light of Christ into such
darkness.
At a school in Chicago, students led their
outreach on campus the same week
teachers were promoting “Transgender
Awareness Week.” These teachers
protested the Christian club’s outreach
adamantly enough that the principal
canceled their event. Knowing the gospelimpact
that was at stake, our students drove
to the school district office and personally
appealed to the superintendent who
reinstated their outreach at 10 pm that night!
When their outreach finally happened, 25+
students came forward to give their lives
to Christ!
The club leaders had to continue
standing strong after the outreach when
they were called to a meeting with the
Gender and Sexuality Club to give an
account for their beliefs. After being grilled
by their fellow students and by teachers
about their beliefs, Manny and Diego
testified boldly of their commitment to God
and His Word.
While some progressive teachers are
busy grilling our student leaders, others
can’t help but notice the incredible
impact they are making. The teacher
sponsor for the Gay Straight Alliance at a
school in Chicago is also the school social
worker. She recently told the Christian club
sponsor at her school, “I’ve had so many
students set up appointments to talk through
hardship in their lives. So many of them
recently have started canceling their
appointments because they are coming to
your Bible Club. Whatever those students are
doing in club is having an incredible impact
on these students’ lives, and I just want to
thank you so much for what you do!”
Not only are teachers noticing the impact
of our students, some are even coming to
them with their questions about God.
One day this spring, Juliana walked into
her government class to see her teacher -
a Satanist - wearing a shirt that read,
“Satan Respects Pronouns.” Julianna
boldly spoke up for the truth and even went
through entire chapters of Scripture with her
teacher! Throughout the semester, this
teacher asked her more questions about
Christianity and the Bible.
4

As Christian students stand
for Christ today, they
stand in the crosshairs of
this spiritual battle.
5

He even came to a special Q&A week
Juliana hosted so that students and teachers
could come ask questions about God!
At another school, students were able to
share the gospel with their principal and
with their dean of students. They were
even able to post recordings of these
conversations on social media - with
permission of course! At still another
school, a school board member was the
first to stand in response to the gospel at
a student outreach.
The impact students are making is going
beyond their campus and rippling into their
churches, homes, and communities.
Lilli is one of our first student leaders in
Colorado. After seeing the impact of
mobilizing her Christian club for evangelism,
Lilli asked her pastor if she could challenge
her whole church for evangelism too! Her
pastor thought that was a fantastic idea. Lilli
went up on stage and challenged each of
the 5,000 people in their church to pray for 5
friends to be saved and for the opportunity
to share the gospel with them. I don’t know
the response, but imagine the impact if all
the grown-ups that day had the good sense
to take Lilli’s challenge! 25,000 people in
her community could be reached with
the hope of Jesus Christ!
Kevin is a young man who recently got
saved through an outreach at Bell High
School in Los Angeles.
After a few months, Kevin helped bring his
mom to faith in Jesus. It’s such an incredible
story of God’s faithfulness, and it doesn’t
stop there so be sure to check out the full
story on page 13.
Praise God for the lives he is changing!
As I see what God is doing, it strengthens my
commitment to proclaiming the gospel to the
next generation till every student has heard.
It makes me all the more grateful for partners
like you who are standing with us in this
mission. And it makes me wonder what God
might do if we could see this mission spread
throughout the nation and around the world.
I trust you’ll be encouraged by the following
report from this year. Thank you for your
partnership in rescuing students out of our
culture of confusion! Thank you for standing
with our staff and students who are standing
boldly for Christ amidst great hostility!
Grateful for you!
Mark Hopson
President & CEO
6

The
Decision
Point
Pledge
As a Decision Point Leader,
I pledge myself to the
mission of proclaiming the
gospel to the next generation
till every student has heard
and will work to raise up
others for this mission.
By God’s grace…
I will live for Christ focused on His
purposes, not my own. I will be a
leader who is daily fed by His Word,
fueled by prayer, and filled by His Holy
Spirit. I will live a life of faith, boldness,
and faithfulness with all the Lord has
entrusted to me.
I will stand for Christ as one
committed to the truth of God’s
Word. I will not be ashamed of His
testimony or bow down to the idols of
today.
I will witness for Christ. Because the
love of Christ compels me, I will pray for
the lost, give God’s Word to those
around me, and regularly share the
good news of Jesus who alone can
save and set them free.
I will endure hardship for Christ. I will
not quit or back down when things are
hard or painful, but will count it all joy
when I meet trials of various kinds. I will
look to Jesus for strength, knowing He
endured the cross and its shame, and
will trust Him to use all things for my
good and His glory.
I pledge all of this for Christ
because He is worth it.
7

5 Gospel
Challenges
The Mission - to give every student the opportunity to
hear the gospel before they graduate.
PRAY5
Pray faithfully for five unbelievers every day for five weeks! Pray specifically that
God would open their hearts to come to know Christ. And pray for boldness, that
when God opens a door, you will courageously share the hope that you have.
Go witness
Initiate conversations until you get to share the gospel with five people. Be
friendly, ask them their thoughts about God, be a good listener, ask if you can
share the gospel with them, and invite them to respond!
give god’s word
Give a Bible, New Testament, or one of the Gospels to five of your friends
and to as many students as possible.
Teach god’s word
Teach an evangelistic series where every lesson clearly shares the gospel with
unbelievers and also helps believers grow in their faith.
lead an outreach week
Give your peers a unique way to hear the gospel by leading a week-long
outreach on campus consisting of prayer, promo, gospel events, and followup.
8

Strategic
Priorities
MISSION EXPANSION
Ministry numbers
LA Area
bay area
Tucson
midwest
dallas-fort worth
colorado springs
student leader conference
Culture Transforming Content
Online Outreach
International OUTREACH
09
11
13
15
17
18
21
23
25
27
29
30
9

Mission Expansion
I’m amazed at the students witnessing for
Christ at the 306 schools we got to equip
this year. My heart exploded with joy when I
witnessed young leaders testifying to the
power of God at work through their personal
witnessing. One particular moment from a
Zoom call sticks out to me when I had
gathered with a few Student Leaders for
prayer. Elli, a 7th grader from Colorado, was
overflowing with joy as she shared about
recently leading her friend to Christ at
school! The other girls from LA, Chicago, and
The Bay were praising Jesus and incredibly
encouraged! Moments like these, seeing
Student Leaders with eyes wide in
amazement at our great God set my heart
ablaze for this mission. When a young person
personally witnesses God saving and
redeeming a lost soul…there is no stopping
their zeal for evangelism!
Looking across the country, God has
given us personnel on the ground serving
in 12 cities in 8 states this past year. It’s an
absolute joy to be a part of this team that is
whole heartedly devoted to Christ and
believes God can use students in a bigger,
deeper way than they can imagine! What do
campus ministry staff do? They build and
lead a coalition of like-minded believers and
churches rallying together for a student-led,
gospel movement on school campuses
across different areas. I’m so encouraged to
see our staff serve shoulder to shoulder with
like-minded pastors and adults from local
churches…all for the sake of the gospel. We
believe in the church. We believe we are
better together. And we are seeing a
continual strengthening of that relationship
with pastors and churches across the
country.
I was so encouraged to see 55 new
Christian clubs started this year! That’s
ground that previously didn’t have the light of
Christ piercing through the darkness. But
God, great in mercy, has raised up young
men and women to proclaim Christ and offer
the best news ever to their peers - salvation
and new life in Him!
God is continuing to work through our Online
Training Center. Our online training team
equipped students to reach their school
using the 5 Gospel Challenges in 12 states
where we do not yet have personnel. The
Lord is at work across the country!
As I look back on this year, I’m in awe of our
great God! He truly has moved in power
through courageous students standing for
Christ, pastors and adults stepping up to
coach and support, staff serving…and
financial and prayer supporters making it all
possible. All by His Spirit and for His glory!
Enjoy hearing from our incredible staff
leading across the country in the pages
ahead.
Heather Barnes
Operations
Manager
10

Ministry
Numbers
MAP KEY
Current Areas
Online Training
New Hubs
Ministry Hubs
School and
Outreach Impact
Bible
Distribution
Witnessing
Impact
306
Schools Equipped
13,077
Bibles/Gospels of John
97
Personal Witnessing Outings
449
277
Students Coached
Outreach Events
12,172
Gospel tracts shared
2,053
774
People Approached For
Conversation
Personal Gospel Presentations
23,610
1,834
1,418
Outreach Attendance
Indicated 1st Time decisions for
Christ
Indicated Recommitment
decisions for Christ
44
Indicated Decisions for
Christ While Witnessing
11

Online Training
Seeing the impactful ministry come
out of our Online Training Center this
year has been a blessing.
We’ve seen fruit from the long-term
investment with students like Landon in
Georgia, who spent two years fighting an
uphill battle to start a Christian club and host
an outreach week at his school - to then
finally see that dream become a reality in his
third year of receiving coaching as he hosted
two outreach weeks, preaching the gospel to
hundreds of his peers!
Other students like Mia in Florida were able
to take hold of our resources and plan a
campus-wide outreach with minimal help
from our team.
This year, we’ve been able to provide training
for 24 students to reach their 20 campuses
across 12 states. We’re looking forward to the
growth ahead for our Online Training Center,
as we continue to offer training and
resources to students all over the country!”
2,644
Devin Long
Online Coaching Director
Partnership
“This year we have been privileged
to link arms with Travis Deans from
9 Month Mission Trip.
We share the same heart to equip students
to reach their peers and to see their schools
as their mission field. 9 Month Mission Trip
helps to connect students and various
ministries working with students and schools
together across the country to make the most
impact on their campuses. Travis is sharing
with all of the students in the 30 clubs he is
working with in Pittsburgh about Decision
Point resources and has also extended the
invitation to clubs in the DC area,
encouraging all of them to sign up as
Student Leaders to join the movement to
lead “I Have Decided” gospel events at their
schools.
We are so excited to have this connection
and to partner with another ministry to reach
even more students and schools across the
nation!”
students equipped
in witnessing
Kathy Craig
Church & Ministry Partnerships
12

LA Area
Orange County | San Gabriel Valley |
Riverside County
Bell High School, in the southeast Los Angeles
area, is a school where God has been at work at
for many years now and that impact has had a
profound effect on the local community. Josh, a
local youth pastor, has been coaching his own
youth students to lead the mission at this school
over the past couple years. Josh has been faithful
to disciple his own youth students. One aspect of
this discipleship has been equipping his students
to take the gospel to their local campus in the
same city his church resides. Josh has also been
available to preach and teach in the Christian
club, and even help students with outreaches in
the park adjacent to the school. By the grace of
God, Josh has seen a dozen students who have
gotten saved at this high school get baptized at
his church! When I asked Josh, “How many new
people have you seen come to the church,
regularly and consistently, as a result of the
outreach at this one school over the past two
years?” Josh said, “Thirty.” That’s thirty brand new
people, whether that be students, their parents,
siblings, and even significant others. Josh told me
that there is a particular family that fills up 1
entire pew and two additional stead behind that
pew each Sunday! Wow, praise God!
One of the thirty new people is a young man
named Kevin. Josh said that Kevin, a recent
graduate from this school, had 1,000 questions
about the Lord. “Every time I’d see him, he
wouldn’t even say hi, he would just start asking
me more questions!” Josh exclaimed. Finally,
Kevin felt ready to get baptized.
That’s when trouble started. Kevin’s mom was a
Jehovah’s Witness, and she was not happy about
Kevin’s new faith. Still, she reluctantly agreed to
attend Kevin’s baptism. After a couple months,
she too got saved! At their Thanksgiving service
this past fall, Kevin’s mom shared her testimony
saying, “I used to see in gray, but now I see in
color.”
In January 2024, Kevin’s mom was also baptized,
and that’s not all.
Since then, Kevin has brought his brother and
sister to church too. One of his sister’s children is
a fifth-grade boy named Jacob who has had
leukemia. He was not doing well, but he’s in a
better state and began going to church. Jacob
went to a Christmas event with his family, and on
Sunday Dec. 10th, 2023, while pastor Josh was
preaching, his mom came up to say that Jacob
wanted to get baptized. When Jacob was
interviewed, he expressed his desire to put his
faith in Christ. Praise God for what He is doing
through the witness of the body of Christ, the
proclamation of the good news, and the love of
the saints!
Praise God for what He is doing through His local
church body to reach this next generation right
within their own local city. Josh is just one
example of several youth pastors in the LA Area
that have been faithfully coaching their own
students to take the gospel to their local
campuses. As we continue to see more pastors
coaching the students in their local youth groups,
we are excited to see what long-term impact this
will have on entire families and entire
communities because of the witness of bold and
courageous students.
Doug Goulding
Los Angeles Director
13

LA AREA
Schools Coached
Church Partners
Kevin with two
thumbs up for
gospel
outreach day
that saw over
80 students
attend with
nearly 14 first
time indicated
decisions to
receive Christ.
Bell Sr. HS Outreach Day - May 3, 2024
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
65
82
Schools
57
60
Church Partnerships
43
25
Registered Coaches
33
32
14

Bay Area
San Francisco | Sacramento
15
God has been faithful to the Bay Area. Over
the past six years, we’ve seen God grown the
ministry in big ways!
He has been calling students from across the Bay
to be bold witnesses for His name. Every year, we
are seeing a growing fervor amongst students to
bring Jesus into their schools. Let me tell you
about one such student.
Jin, a sophomore at Homestead High, accepted
Christ his freshman year, but never shared his
new-found faith. At a youth retreat, however, he
was convicted that if he truly believed what Jesus
had done for him was good news, he should
share it. He signed up to be a Decision Point
Student Leader to reach his entire school with
the gospel, but his eagerness was met by push
back. The officers of his Christian Club were
hesitant about partnering with Decision Point,
because they had never done anything like that
before. However, Jin didn’t let this stop him. After
talking with his pastor, he gathered some friends
to witness weekly during lunch. He saw on social
media that people were more open to talking
when on camera, so he started interviewing
students live on his Instagram account:
@H0peDelivery with the vision to deliver to others
the hope of Jesus that was delivered to him. With
H0peDelivery as the mechanism, Jin and his
friends not only reached their principal and
fellow students with the gospel, but also inspired
other students to do the same!
Because of Jin’s perseverance, God moved the
hearts of the Christian club leaders who were
initially hesitant to eventually partner with
Decision Point to hold outreach events. Over 200
students heard the gospel!
This year, thanks to the efforts of students like Jin,
we have seen more student-led witnessing
initiatives and events than ever before. Student
Leaders are stepping out of their comfort zone
and taking personal ownership to give every
student the opportunity to hear the gospel
before they graduate. And they’re not doing it
alone - they’re mobilizing other Christian
students to join them. Their zeal and enthusiasm
to share the gospel is so contagious, it is
prompting other students to step out in faith to
experience the joy of sharing the best news in
the world.
As you can tell, God has been raising mighty
leaders here in the Bay. We are praying that, by
His grace, these students will be bold witnesses
for Christ for the rest of their lives!
Grace Kim
Bay Area Director
S
s
S
r

Schools Coached
Church Partners
tudent leader (pink sweater) sharing the gospel with a fellow
tudent during lunch!
tudents gathered at a local mall to go witnessing. 16 churches and 17 schools were
epresented among those who came out!
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
Schools
Church Partnerships
Registered Coaches
49
44
34
19
58
38
33
14
Jin sharing the
gospel with his
principal
through
@H0pedelivery.
16

Tucson
Tucson | Phoenix
We have seen God move in big
ways in Tucson during the 2023-
2024 school year!
God has blessed us with some dedicated and
faith-filled Student Leaders who have made an
impact for Christ on their campuses. Let me tell
you about a few of them. Julia, Abigail, and
Isabella are three awesome students from
Walden Grove High School who were not only
leading their Decision Point club on campus but
were also leading their FCA club at the same
time! Julia shared with me that at the beginning
of the year, their FCA coach stepped aside and
the responsibility of keeping the club running fell
on the students. Instead of feeling discouraged,
Julia saw this as an awesome opportunity to
create a culture of outreach by breaking down
barriers and combining the Christian clubs that
were both active on their campus. Their mission
was to encourage all the Christians students to
work together to reach the lost in their school.
Julia’s motto became, “If God puts something on
your mind to share with someone, then share it,
because God will move in those situations.” Julia,
Abigail, and Isabella are living a life on mission
on their campus, and they, along with other
members of their club and Christian community,
were able to host an outreach week that
enabled them to reach hundreds of their fellow
students with the message of the gospel! Their
dream is to see God moving through every
Christian on campus choosing to be obedient
when God calls them to share the gospel.
This story is just one of many examples of how
God is moving in Tucson through the bold witness
of young people. We are so excited to see the
culture of Tucson become a culture of outreach
as churches, youth pastors, and other Christians
in the community come alongside students who
truly have the heart of Jesus for their peers, to
help them reach their schools with the message
of Jesus! Praise God!
Bobby Meredith
Tucson Director
17

Julia standing
up to speak in
front of her
peers during
the Walden
Grove High
School
outreach.
TUCSON AREA
Walden Grove HS Outreach
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
54
26
Schools
22
16
Church Partnerships
17
20
Registered Coaches
20
14
Schools Coached
Church Partners
18

Midwest
Illinois | Ohio | Indiana | Minnesota | Iowa
By God’s grace this year we have seen
schools across the Midwest saturated with
the gospel!
Check out Manny &
Diego on the Decision
Point Podcast!
19
Many students stepped up for the first time
launching new clubs, leading outreach events,
and going witnessing for the first time! We aim to
reach every student with the gospel, and we are
committed to working toward lasting
transformation in the lives of Student Leaders.
One such leader is Manny Lopez, a graduating
senior this year, who started leading the club at
Elgin High School as a Sophomore in 2021. After
the Lord led him to start the Christian club at the
school, he invited his friend Diego to come. The
club began with just a small group, and in
January 2022, when Diego first came, Manny
explicitly shared the gospel. Coming out of a
gang, Diego had participated in things that he
felt could not be forgiven.
“But when the kindness and love of God our
Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of
righteous things we had done, but because of his
mercy.”
(Titus 3:4-5).
Diego said, “I knew that even though I was not
able to forgive myself, it was through Christ that I
could be forgiven!” So Diego gave his life to
Christ!
Following his salvation, Diego began growing,
and God has used him to preach the gospel
boldly. Despite experiencing opposition from the
district office, principal, and even teachers,
Diego and Manny hosted an outreach event in
their auditorium where Diego preached to
hundreds of his peers about Christ’s love,
including the known school atheist and members
of the LGBTQ+ club. Praise the Lord for His work
through Diego and Manny and pray for the next
generation of Student Leaders to whom they
have passed the torch!
Not only is God at work in Illinois through
students like Manny and Diego, but this year
dozens of students committed and recommitted
their lives to Christ in Iowa, Ohio, and across the
Midwest because of the faithfulness of bold
Christian students to declare the gospel! Glory to
God!
Jon Cox
Midwest Director

ILLINOIS
INDIANA
IOWA
Schools Coached
Church Partners
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
117
157
Schools
Church Partnerships
84
63
101
43
MINNESOTA
Registered Coaches
58
70
OHIO
20

Dallas-Fort Worth
Texas
Alek and Zach have been Student Leaders at
Cleburne High School for 3 years. When they
began as freshmen, it took them nearly a whole
semester to launch their club through many
challenges and roadblocks. Staying faithful and
persistent, they started their Christian club with
an eagerness to reach their school with the hope
of Christ - especially since there were no other
Christian clubs on campus. They began the club
with just a few students and a deep desire to
grow and connect with their peers. Alek and
Zach led their club and outreaches faithfully for
2 years as the only leaders, along with the
support of their church and youth pastor.
They prayed that God would provide more
leaders for their team while actively talking to
and recruiting Christian students. This year, God
answered their prayers! He brought in more
believing students to be part of their club and
leadership team. These new leaders not only
participated in weekly club meetings, but played
a pivotal role in their outreach event. In addition
to having new leaders as part of their club, they
also linked arms with the FCA club on campus,
and together they hosted a SET FREE outreach.
They took a bold step and hosted their event
during all 4 lunch periods back to back, 100%
student-led. They divided up the responsibilities
and took initiative to come up with nearly 150
boxes of pizza, and the entire content for the
event, including dynamic student testimonies.
Praise God that we saw over 400 students show
up during those lunch periods and hear a clear
gospel message!
This is just ONE example of what it looks like
when students are faithful and consistent in
completing what God put in their hearts to do,
and we are seeing this across the Dallas-Fort
Worth area. Praise God! As Alek and Zach enter
into their senior year next year, pray that the Lord
would raise up more leaders like them to take
their place after they graduate, and that the
DFW area would be reached by a generation of
young people consumed by a passion for
His Name.
Jonathan & Katie Medina
Dallas-Forth Worth Directors
21

DALLAS-FORT WORTH AREA
Schools Coached
Church Partners
Cleburne High School
SET FREE outreach April 2024
Cleburne High School student leader team
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
Schools
Church Partnerships
Registered Coaches
54
22
17
20
26
16
20
14
22

Colorado Springs
Middle school students are
leading the charge.
Prayer works, and we are seeing it on display. As
we set out to launch Colorado Springs as
Decision Point’s newest area in the fall of 2023,
we spent a lot of time praying. We prayed for
God’s wisdom and guidance, for His mighty
power to save lost teenagers, and for
discernment and direction on how to serve this
community well. But, above all, we prayed that
God would expand His Kingdom and push back
the darkness as we sought to bring the bright
and illuminating light of His gospel to the dark
spaces in our public schools. The verse the Lord
put on my heart which has become the vision for
this city, is Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18:
“I WILL build my church and the gates
of hell SHALL NOT prevail against it.”
Jesus tells us that HE will be the one to build up
His church. In partnership with local youth pastors
to train, equip, empower, and deploy young
teenagers to storm the gates of hell with the
gospel, we have witnessed Jesus be true to His
word - the gates of hell cannot withstand the
onslaught of the gospel. What’s so amazing
about this is that it is the youngest, the middle
schoolers, who are leading the charge! Their
boldness in sharing their faith, their relentless
passion for the gospel, and their deep and
abiding love for their lost friends coupled with
their unwavering commitment to bring Jesus to
their schools has served as a glaring testimony of
this next generation setting an example for those
of us who are older.
One such example is the story of Elli, a 7th
grader, who started a Christian Club at Holmes
Middle School on the west side of Colorado
Springs. This young lady had been devoted in her
commitment to the Pray5 Challenge, praying
faithfully for five (it was actually more like 12) of
her unsaved friends every day. The first name on
her PRAY5 card was a girl named Aspen who,
after incessant invitations from Elli, started
attending the Christian Club at Holmes. By the
grace of God, Aspen surrendered her life to
Jesus and a few weeks later was baptized by Elli
and their youth pastor, Dustin. Soon after that,
Aspen stood in front of over 200 of her peers
during their Outreach Week and boldly shared
her testimony about how God has saved her and
is changing her life. She invited all her
schoolmates to place their faith and trust in
Jesus, and that week 53 students at Holmes
responded to Aspen’s invitation and committed
their lives to Christ. Praise God! This student-led
mission is pushing back darkness. Prayer works.
Andi Custer
Colorado Director
23

Aspen Sharing her testimony at Holmes Middle School.
Schools Coached
Church Partners
Area Stats PREVIOUS CURRENT
Students Coached
Schools
Church Partnerships
Registered Coaches
7
5
1
4
27
13
8
15
Elli and Aspen the day she accepted Jesus!
22
Aspen (in white) and Elli (in green) out
witnessing in Garden of the Gods.
24

Student Leader
Conference 2024
Colorado Christian University | Denver, CO
25
This summer, students from all over the
country joined together in Denver, Colorado
on the campus of Colorado Christian
University for Decision Point’s third Student
Leader Conference. This conference is not
just about having fun with other students
from across the nation, but it is also a time to
worship and pray, to be built up spiritually,
and to be encouraged as a leader and
witness for Christ.
“Every time I come to SLC, my
flame gets fanned. I leave here
a stronger Christian.”
-Landon (Georgia)
With the theme of Even If, from Daniel 3:18,
over 100 students and their youth pastors and
leaders were poured into by Decision Point
staff and guest speakers as they joined with
other students to grow in their faith and to
be equipped to bring the gospel onto their
campuses.
Even if the call is costly, we will walk by faith.
Even if people speak evil against us, we will
give a gracious defense of the hope we have.
Even if the call is difficult, we will trust the
God who sent us.
Even if I don’t think I have what it takes, we
won’t make excuses.
Students were challenged in informative
sessions and breakout groups on a range of
relevant topics from leadership and resolving
conflict to gender and identity in Christ. By
the end of the week, students had already
begun planning their club meetings and
outreaches for the school year. They went
home charged and ready to follow Jesus and
walk by faith, even when the call is costly!
We can’t wait to see what God will do at
next year’s Student Leader Conference!
CHRISTO
YUA

JACK PHILLIPS
MONIQUE
DUSON
N
PHER
26

Culture Transforming
Content
27
This year, we have worked tirelessly to revamp
and dramatically improve a number of our
training materials as well as release new ones to
build up our Student Leaders in such a way that
they might be equipped for every good work that
the Lord has for them as they proclaim the gospel
during their middle and high school years!
We are so excited to be able to offer them
training such as our brand new student podcast
that will help them understand how to articulate
their faith and hold fast to Jesus in the face of
adversity and hardship. The Reach Your School
Guidebook and Starter Kit contain all the
leadership and gospel materials they will need to
give their whole campus the gospel, and our new
Bible study series will ensure that seekers and
new believers do not just encounter the gospel
but have an opportunity to grow in their
newfound faith. Perhaps most importantly, we
are pumped to be able to release a mobile app
to our students this year, complete with a digital
gospel tract and the ability to start the Pray5
Challenge, one of our most popular Gospel
Challenges, on their own or with a group.
As I think about the potential impact of these
tools and resources, I am grateful and humbled
to be a part of this great work, and filled with
excitement for what the Lord will do as Christian
students around the nation and even around the
world engage with training materials that equip
them in every way to be teen evangelists.
Through these materials, we truly have the
opportunity before us to shape and rewrite the
narrative of the upcoming generation and to help
them see that Jesus is just as present and
relevant to their lives as He always has been. He
is the only one who can save and set them free,
and this gospel content will help them see
just that!
Lisa Cohen
Training Specialist
“Jesus is the only one who can
save and set them free, and this
gospel content will help them see
just that!”

REACH YOUR SCHOOL
GUIDEBOOK
This Guidebook has everything a student needs to reach their school with
the 5 Gospel Challenges. It is a one stop shop of all the best practices of
campus outreach we have learned over the past 20 years as a ministry. It is
written for a student to pick up and start on their own, and also for a youth
pastor to pick up and start coaching their students. The majority of the
Gospel Challenges can be taken by any student, whether they go to public
school, private school, or are home schooled!
BIBLE STUDY SERIES
As students step out to teach God’s Word to the most Biblically illiterate generation
America has ever seen, we are equipping them with Bible-based series that share
the clear gospel message to students who do not yet to know Jesus, and also
challenges Christian students to continue building the foundation of their lives on
Christ.
STARTER KIT
This gives just the right boost of confidence to a student who has set
out to proclaim the gospel to their peers. It contains the Guidebook,
some of the materials they will use on their campus, and some fun stuff
just for them as they’ve made the brave decision to be a leader for
Christ amongst their generation.
THE GOSPEL APP
It’s no secret that we live in an increasingly digital world. While there are so many
apps that can distract Christians from prioritizing their faith, what if there was one
that daily put Christ and His Great Commission at the center of their attention?
And what if that app made sharing the gospel feel so simple and accessible? And
what if that app had all the training and materials you needed to step out in bold,
gospel proclamation? Well guess what… The Gospel App by Decision Point is here
and ready to empower students to be on mission every day of the week!
PODCAST
With so much content out there pushing agendas that are contrary to God’s
purposes, Decision Point is seeking to shape and rewrite the narrative of the
upcoming generation. One way we focused on that this past year was by
launching the Decision Point Podcast. This podcast seeks to empower young
believers to live, stand, and witness for Christ, and to endure hardship for His
name because He is worth it.
Download the
Gospel App!
28

Online Outreach
The two places where students spend the most
time are on their school campus and online—on
their phones. Our whole ministry is already built
around reaching students on-campus, but we
wanted to do more. We also wanted to help
reach students online, in the places where no one
was watching, and almost no one was keeping
them accountable. Moreover, we wanted to be
able to reach households that no else could: the
Muslim family that would never allow their
students to go to a Christian church, but perhaps
would not know any better if their son started
looking at apologetics articles online.
And the results have been astounding. We’ve
seen thousands of people commit to a
relationship with Jesus over the past few years.
With the launch of Set Free Stories in the
upcoming year, we are poised to grow
enormously in in our online outreach efforts, and I
cannot wait to see how the Lord will continue to
transform the lives of young people through
something as innocent as a simple gospel “ad.”
Phoebe Ng
Marketing Director
To do this, we crafted an evangelistic website at
MeantforMore.us, where people of all ages, but
especially young people, could have their
questions about faith, Jesus, suffering, mental
health and so much more, answered in full-length
video testimonials, apologetics content, and in a
24/7 live chat.
Filming with Jeanne Pernia, July 2024
MISSION STRATEGY:
Every day students are using their phones to find
answers and seek connection. In fact, over the
past year, we have seen more than 10,000 visits
to our evangelistic website from people looking for
someone to talk to online. What can we conclude
from that? People are longing for connection and
want a place where someone will answer their
questions and answer them in real-time, i.e. our
24/7 live chat. We also discovered that there are
a ton of people out there that want to know how
to read the Bible and what the Bible says about
anxiety and how to have peace. What a huge
opportunity for the gospel!
29
Our film crew interviewed Jeanne Pernia from Passion Life who shared her story as someone who was saved and SET FREE after
not only running a lucrative abortion clinic but also having an abortion herself. Jesus saved her and set her free to minister to
others who have had or considered abortion to introduce them to life in Christ! Jeanne’s story is just one of seven stories that is
part of our Set Free Stories initiative. Find out more at decisionpoint.org/setfreenight

International
El Salvador | Honduras
Jon Cox and Ryan Smith headed to El Salvador
and Honduras with the President of the
Crossroads Kids Club this past January. Praying
for open doors and good connections, they met
with pastors and youth leaders to talk about
getting Christian Clubs started in schools in those
countries. They had 19 people sign up to join via
zoom for a follow-up meeting, and one student
was already on board to talk to her principal to
start a club in her school! At the first zoom call
meeting following Jon and Ryan’s return home, 15
people signed up to do the Pray5 Challenge.
Since then, they have had monthly zoom prayer
times and training, and the Pray5 and GoWitness
challenges are continuing through the summer.
God is starting a new thing in El Salvador!
Canada
Decision Point had the privilege of forging new
and exciting strategic Gospel partnerships with
Reach Canada, an equipping mission agency, to
see young people raised up for the work of the
ministry across all of Canada. In May, 2024, Andi
Custer engaged in a first-fruits effort of
launching student evangelism training and
witnessing outings in the city of Regina,
Saskatchewan. In a co-labor with gospeladvancing
youth pastors from across the region,
he equipped students with evangelists tools and
strategies, trained them on how to use them
effectively, empowered them through
commissioning and prayer and then deployed
them to reach their communities for Jesus Christ.
One of our Middle School student leaders, Elli
from Colorado Springs, shared from her
experience on how to start and lead a Christian
club in their schools and challenged them to take
the next steps in boldness, faith and in love to
see the darkness pushed back as they advance
the Kingdom of God in their own schools. She
also extended a warm and personal invitation to
join her and many other students in her home
state of Colorado for our Student Leader
Conference in July, 2024. This is the first of what
we hope to be many, many such training events
to take place across all of Canada in the next
few years. We want to raise up teenagers
everywhere to tell their peers about Jesus!
30

Advancement
& Mobilization
We are praising the Lord, and thanking our
financial partners, for the faithful support of our
ministry during the last year, June 1, 2023 to May
31, 2024.
Praise the Lord that $4,810,545 was given in
support of our ministry last year. The generosity of
our partners is humbling and I am so grateful for
every single gift we receive. Thank you does not
seem to be sufficient - but Thank You!
I do want to thank everyone who is a monthly
financial partner with our ministry. Monthly giving
does so much to help our organization better
plan our ministry initiatives. Thank you for this
ongoing, consistent support of the bold students
who are sharing their faith with their peers – at
school and beyond.
I also want to thank the 420 partners who gave a
special gift for the first time this year, totaling
over 215,000 from first time givers. It’s a blessing
to have gained your partnership in this mission.
I continue to be in awe of the students we coach
as they stand for truth with courage, faithfulness,
and a commitment to reach their friends and
fellow students with the love of Christ. The stories
you read about in this annual report are just a
small sample of the students who are sharing the
gospel throughout the country. Your support of
our ministry provides these students with the
coaching and resources they need to reach their
schools. I often think about the impact these
students will have on the Kingdom over many
years if the Lord does not come back before!
Thank you again for your prayers and financial
support. It is a privilege to serve in this ministry.
Reaching young people with the truth of the
gospel is so important as they are faced with
cultural lies and challenges.
We give all the glory to God and are very excited
to see Him work this year through our ministry and
the bold students showing courage, boldness and
faith.
Don Sivesind
VP of Advancement
31
New Staff
This year God once again provided laborers for
the harvest and is growing our team with people
of skill and conviction to carry out the mission He’s
given us. All told this year, we’re celebrating nine
new long-term staff members on the team since
July of 2023, bringing us to 45 staff in May 2024.
Ben Flemming
VP of Mobilization & Administration
Grace Kim, Bay Area Director
Michelle Rao, IT Coordinator
Lexi Waldner, Content Development Project Manager
Eryn Bee, Communications Specialist
Sydney Salomon, Social Media Coordinator
Ariel Triebull, Tuscson Field Staff
Suzi Savov, Campus Ministry Admin Specialist
Joey Martinez, Sacramento Field Staff
Mary Willis, Staff Care Coordinator

* Due to changes in our Chart of Accounts, these categories do not directly line up between FY23 and FY24
These are complete financials at the end of our fiscal year on May 31, 2024. Fully audited statements will be completed in mid-fall
2024. As always, our 990 federal tax filings and audited financial statements are available upon request.
32

Letter from
the Board
You never know what direction a relationship
will take you as events happen in your life. I
met Warren Willis in 1982 in Mongolia on a
mission trip he initiated. After spending 10
days with Warren, I could have never
imagined spending the next 30 years
partnering, assisting, coaching, and
mentoring with him as he built an
international “witnessing machine” to win
students to Christ.
Warren and I sat at my backyard picnic table
in 1992 and discussed how he might
approach the high schools of America to
proclaim the gospel to students and teach
them how to do the same. From that day he
grew this ministry.
I started out as an advisor, then became a
consultant, then a coach and mentor, and
then next thing I knew, a board member. I
have enjoyed and loved every step along this
journey and have committed wholeheartedly
to the great call and commission to go and
make disciples with this mission as the
vehicles of enablement.
We were all saddened this past year with
Warren’s passing. We all felt that familiar
“emptiness” that comes when one you hold in
high regard passes. There always seems to
be this hole/space within you that does not
get filled. However, we rejoice in having a
vision and mission that stands the test and
challenges of time and spiritual assaults that
Warren so eagerly enjoyed while fighting the
good fight.
Because of Warren, we have an extra dose of
courage and single-mindedness to stay the
course and focus on the right priorities with
an undying intensity.
The bedrock of courage comes from our fear
and reverence of God. Paul wrote in
Philippians 1:20 that he eagerly expected
and hoped to have sufficient courage in his
ministering and that Christ would be exalted
in his body.
Where did David get such courage? As a
young shepherd he certainly carried with him
the knowledge of the heroes of his heritage-
Joshua, Caleb, Gideon, Deborah, Samson. It
must have been in those days of meditation
and prayer while tending the flocks that he
strengthened his fear, reverence, and
relationship with God just like Joshua. His
heroes all had great reverence for God and
an urgency in purpose. We are raising our
levels of reverence of God as we pursue our
mission, capturing the whole vision of “Until
every student has heard.”
“Be strong and of good courage, …. “Only be
strong and very courageous, … you shall
meditate … day and night, … observe to do
according to all that is written in it. For then
you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:6-9)
I am proud of our teams and their leadership.
Urgency is the battle cry for just such a time
as this. We are receiving profound reports,
stories, and updates of the gospel going
33

orward and students receiving Christ in our
schools that encourage us and excite us. At
the same time, we are confronted by evil
imposters, counterfeits, false role models,
and spirits of delusion and confusion. We
must continually battle restricted access,
censorship, and unlawful denials.
As you review this annual report, keep our
teams and leaders in prayer and join us in
continually seeking the Lord’s directions in all
we do.
Richard Sherwood, Chairman of the Board
Leadership
Governing Board
CHAIRMAN
Richard W. Sherwood, PMP
Trophy Club, Texas
President, The Martis Group, Inc.
Michael Winter D.D.S.
Whittier, California
Owner, Michael Winter D.D.S.
Greg Thompson
Eagle, Idaho
President, Thompson Media Company, Inc.
Philip Nussbaum
Wheaton, Illinois
Co-founder of Performance Trust Capital
Partners
Heinrich Johnsen
Wheaton, IL
Owner, Christian Art Gifts
Mark Hopson
Wheaton, Illinois
President & CEO, Decision Point
Executive Team & Senior Staff
PRESIDENT & CEO
Mark Hopson, M.A.
Wheaton, Illinois
VP OF MOBILIZATION & ADMINISTRATION
Ben Flemming
Whittier, California
VP OF ADVANCEMENT
Don Sivesind
Grapevine, Texas
DECISION POINT AMBASSADOR
Kellee Popp
Long Beach, California
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Heather Barnes
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Phoebe Ng
La Puente, California
CHURCH & MINISTRY PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR
Kathy Craig
Wheaton, Illinois
34

PO Box 1118
Wheaton, IL 60187
decisionpoint.org
Change service requested
TILL
EVERY
STUDENT
HAS
HEARD
Decision Point
is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization
(Tax ID: 20-3226605)