The Need For Young Adults in The Church
A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of
Covenant Bible Seminary
Lakewood, Washington
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirement for the Degree
Master of Divinity
by
Richard Charles Pollen III
November 30, 2010
Approved by: _______________________________
Advisor
___________________________________
Reader
____________________________________
Date
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Forward…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………i
Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….ii
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….iii
Chapter I. Why Many Young Adults Have Left the Church……………………………………………………..1
Chapter II. What Has Been Done to Keep or Bring Young Adults in the Church……….……………18
Chapter III. The Gifts That Young Adults Bring to the Church……………………………………………… 43
Chapter IV. The Conclusion of the Matter for the Church…………………………………………………….46
Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..49
Forward
A Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to convince the reader of the great need in the church for young adults. I believe there is an epidemic in the Church of a lack of young adults, and there is a reason for that. This paper is a personal mission for me. I hope from this paper that you the reader, and also the author, will have benefited greatly from it. We are going to embark on a journey in this paper to a black hole—and they are called young adults.
i
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Lawson in giving me advice with the thesis. I am thankful to do a revised and updated version on this thesis. I would like to thank my parents for their support for me. Thank you to Greg and Starlene Martin, my uncle and aunt, who taught me so much about ministry at Inspiration Bible Church. I am thankful for Sound Life Church, which I am currently attending, and the young adult ministry they have there. I am thankful for the extensive research that co-authors Thom S. Rainer and Sam S. Rainer III have done in Essential Church?:reclaiming a generation of dropouts, as well as the books In Real Time: Authentic Young Adult Ministry as it Happens by Mike Glenn, and College Ministry 101 by Chuck Bomar. I am most of all thankful to God, Who gives me the reason to write this paper, which is to see more young adults come to know Christ, and to see them discipled in our churches. God has been so good to me! Thank you to the faculty of Covenant Bible Seminary, and the things that I have learned from them. I am thankful for all the things in my life that have led me to this paper.
ii
Introduction
We have a major problem on our hands. This problem really concerns me. It bothers me. Young adults are leaving in a mass exodus from the churches of America, and not many churches are doing much about it. This is upsetting. It is hard for me to understand. Therefore, I want to do something about this, which is why I am writing this paper. I want to convince the reader of the great need for young adults in the church. In this paper, I am going to explore three sub-topics that pertain to the need for young adults in the church: (1) Why many young adults have left the church, (2) what has been done by some churches to help bring young adults back to the church or keep them staying there, and (3) the specific gifts that young adults can bring to the church.
When numbers are down at sports stadiums, the management usually tries to do whatever it can to bring those numbers back up: They might get a new player, do a promotional offer by throwing in a hot dog and pop in with the ticket, do more television advertising, or something. However, in the church, most churches don’t even blink an eye when their college age congregants start leaving their churches. I am hoping by the time you are done reading this paper, that maybe your eyes will start blinking, and maybe you will do your part to help with this epidemic.
iii
Chapter I
Why Many Young Adults Have Left the Church
In this first chapter, we will explore some of the reasons why many young adults have left the church. We will examine six of them: (1) There was a lack of vision in their former church, (2) their social needs were not being met in the church, (3) there was a poor transition from youth group to church, (4) they saw too much hypocrisy in their church, (5) they wanted a “break” from church, and (6) they saw a lack of church leadership.
“Good morning, church! If you will turn to your bulletins, you will see that there is a youth
Bible study at the church on Tuesday nights at 7, another youth Bible study at the Jones’s on
Thursday nights at 7, youth group on Wednesdays at 7, youth fellowship Saturday night at 6,
youth Sunday school at 10:30, Senior’s potluck on Monday at 5, a ‘Mid Life Moments’ small
group this Friday at 6:30, a ‘Mid Life Live’ service at 11 today, and a Seniors Sunday School at
10:30.”
That is what many churches sound like on a typical Sunday morning. Many churches have a
lot of programs, but most of those programs are focused on people inside the church, and lack
functionality. The purpose of the church is lost in all of this. If a young adult walked in during an announcement like that, they may feel like their mind is spinning. Many churches seem to be confused about what they are about. Their vision is confusing and complicated; it is a vision that wanders around, like the Israelites did in the desert for forty years, instead of being a vision that takes people to the Promised Land. There is of course nothing wrong with the types of events and ministries mentioned in the previous paragraph, but when they drown out what the church wants to accomplish, then there is a problem. These churches would be wise if they spent time to refocus on what they are all about. Many young adults simply do not get it. They think that church is all about how many activities can be squeezed into a week. Their church has multiple Bible studies, events, and services, but there is no interconnecting purpose to it all, and they lose sight of what the church should be all about.
Young adults do not want to be at a church that lacks direction. They need a church that knows where it is going. If a certain church’s purpose does not make sense to young adults, they will probably see no reason to attend there; in that case, they will most likely see more purpose in going to college then they will in going to church.
Therefore, the first reason that many young adults are exiting the church is because of an unclear vision. A senior pastor might talk about vision, but in reality, the vision is being carried out with distortion: “It is not enough to unveil a vision for the how and then bury it among other things. It is insufficient to preach a series on the discipleship process and then file the messages. Consistent discussion is a must.” The vision needs to be refreshed on a regular basis. The vision should also be acted out as much as it is being said, and should not be just a bunch of clichés.
If the pastor is unsure of how the vision should be handled, then chances are the congregation of the church is very confused about what its vision is all about. It is like parents telling their kids they are going on vacation, but if they never actually go on the vacation, then it sends confusing messages. If a pastor wants to have a discipling, evangelistic church, then he needs to do specific things that will help his church to nurture discipleship and evangelism.
With discipleship, the senior pastor needs to preach from the Word of God, and encourage people to dig in to the Bible. With evangelism, the senior pastor needs to show a heart for the community, build bridges with people in the community, and preach the gospel boldly. Young adults like a senior pastor that is excited about seeing people get saved and discipled.
A pastor needs to make the vision clear enough, so that the congregation can effectively carry out the vision. Young adults love to be in a church where the vision makes sense, and is also acted out. They want to be in a church that puts faith into action—a faith that goes outside the four walls of the church. If that means mission trips and feeding the homeless, then they want to be signed up.
Mission trips in particular are not only something that young adults generally enjoy, but it is also very good for them. Mike Glenn writes, “A mission trip is where they learn that they can and do have influence. It’s where they discover a reason to get out of debt, to be freer to give, to be available to go.” Mission trips can help young adults to see that they have an important part to play in the Body of Christ.
Young adults do not want to be sitting on the sidelines; they want to be in the game! Young adults want to be in on the action. If a pastor wants to see young adults excited about church, all that needs to be done is to get the young adults plugged into the church. A church that engages young adults in their walk with God, and also engages them with home and foreign missions is most likely going to see positive things come out in the spiritual lives of their young adults.
A second reason that many young adults leave the church is because they do not feel connected to the church. In other words, many young adults are not getting their relational needs met in the church. They might see everyone else in the church having a good time talking to each other, but they are being excluded. If young adults do not get those needs met in the church, then it is most likely that they will start looking elsewhere. They want to be a part of something that includes them. If they feel that the church would rather have them leave, then that is probably what they will do. A church that has them on the outside looking in is not going to appeal to them.
Most churches mainly target families, and not young adults. Mike Glenn writes about this, “Suburban churches primarily focus on the ministries that engage families. Our strongest programs are aimed at preschool, children, students, and their parents.” It is many times perceived that families are what keep the church going, for the parents are typically the ones who are giving to the church. Children’s and youth ministries are also typically much easier for the church to market, for they go right along with the family style of ministry.
Young adult ministry is something that is in a whole different category. Many churches think that young adults are not going to be much of a financial help in regards to giving, and that they are not going to bring in a large group of people like a family does, which may be partially true. However, a young adult may be able to give more when they get into a good career, and may be able to invite friends to church.
Churches need to think beyond raw numbers and dollars. Salvation is what is most important. Would a church rather have one hundred tithing, believing families in a church, or see one young adult come to Christ? One can presume that many pastors would answer to the latter, but the way they conduct their churches may show much differently.
The Rainer’s found in their surveying that twenty percent of young adult dropouts did not feel they were connecting to people in the churches they used to be attending, and that seventeen percent were getting their social needs met in social groups, which for them replaced fellowshipping at church. I find that statistic rather alarming. The church should be the most social place on earth. However, many times churches ignore young adults when it comes to socializing. Adults and seniors might think they do not have much in common with a young adult. They might not think much about connecting to a young adult, but they should be, if they want to continue the generational legacy in the church.
The reality is that most of the churched young adults want to connect with older people in the church: “According to LifeWay research, 68 percent of churched young adults identified the opportunity to receive advice from people with similar life experience as very important.” They want to learn from the successes and failures of those in the church that have been there and done that. This can help young adults as they go through the crucial decision-making years of their lives.
A third reason that many young adults are leaving the church is because there was a big disconnect from the youth group to the church. They did everything in youth group. The youth pastor put them on leadership. They got to play in the youth worship team. They were leading Bible studies for their peers. Then all of a sudden, something called “graduation” happened. They are now too old to be in the youth group, and the youth pastor has done little to show them a connection to the main church. He has indirectly taught them to just focus on their little age group. He did not show them that they needed to shift their thinking from a “youth group” mindset to an “all church” mindset. Young adults need to be able to relate to other people in the church, but since they were so closely tied to their youth group, and so disconnected from the main church, they do not know how to relate to everyone else.
Youth pastors and senior pastors need to re-think what they are doing: “Churches are not spiritual bastions for a select age group. Churches are not segregated entities between young and old. Rather, churches consist of a diverse body of believers at differing life stages, all working together in unity for the same purpose and goal of fulfilling the Great Commission.” Nowhere in the Bible does it say anything about segregated ministries in the church. Age-appropriate ministries of course have their place, but there needs to be a sense of unity in all of this. The church should be a cohesive unit that is unified, not disjointed and divided. After all, we are the Body of Christ, which means we should be one in Christ. I am not saying that youth groups should be abolished, but I am saying that there does need to be a connection from the youth group to the main church.
Many young adults liked being in youth group, but now that they have graduated from youth group, they do not see the main church as being something that would pertain to them: “Why transfer from a ministry that was directly relevant to them to another ministry that is geared for people decades older….So they take a break. They depart. And perhaps they think on their way out that they will return when they get a little older.” The youth pastor did not show them the importance of the main church, which can lead young adults to think that the main church is not meant for them. The thought of being with adults and seniors does not excite them, so they leave.
If the youth pastor’s graduates have already gone away to a college that is far away, the youth pastor can at least contact the young adult, or a church in the young adult’s area, and see how they are doing. Chuck Bomar writes, “If you’re not able to go to the campus, set up phone appointments with the student or with college-ministry pastors at churches in the area. Talk to them about their philosophy of ministry, how they see incoming freshmen fitting into their church, and so on. Building this type of relationship lays the groundwork for your student.” When a youth pastor does this, they are showing they care for the spiritual welfare of the newly christened young adult.
Long before the youth ever graduate, the youth pastor should be encouraging youth to go to the main church, and also doing whatever means possible to try to get the youth integrated into the church. Youth are not going to stay in that age bracket their entire lives, so they need to start thinking outside of their little “youth group” box. If they do not grab a hold of what it means to be part of the whole church when they are youths, then when they are young adults they will most likely feel out of place, and drop out of the church.
The fourth reason many young adults leave the church is because they saw a lot of hypocrisy; there are three different kinds of hypocrisy they might see. They may have seen their parents as not viewing the church as being very significant. They may have gone off and on to church, or maybe they went to church regularly, but the importance of church did not really shine through their parents: “The problem is that teens saw their parents doing church but saying little about the faith for which their church stands.” Children and teens need to see their parents praying and reading the Bible, and talking about God as part of their everyday lives. If that is not being shown to them, then children will grow up thinking that church is just a ritual, and not really important or relevant to their lives.
Young adults that have left the church may have also seen their parents with a poor marriage that ended in divorce. Their parents set a bad example for them; these young adults are more likely to leave the church. They are more likely to stay in church if their parents have a good marriage: “Young adults are more likely to feel a commitment to church and faith if their parents were still together when they were 17 and the whole family attended church together.” Young adults want to see their parents being a good example of what Christians should be.
When young adults do not have a father or mother in their lives, it usually messes up how they go about their lives. They are mostly on their own to figure out life. Mike Glenn writes concerning this,
“I see young men trying to be husbands who’ve never seen a husband modeled in their homes. They’re trying to be fathers, and they had no father. Young women are trying to be wives and mothers, and they have no pattern to follow. Most of our education in how to function as adults does not come from formal training but from the informal observations of watching our parents live their lives.”
Young adults need parents who show them what it means to be a Christian husband or wife, and a Christian father or mother.
Young adults may also see a lot of hypocrisy in people who attended their former churches. They do not see much difference that Jesus makes in the lives of congregants. They think about Bill, who is working on his third divorce, and they think about Joe, who has liver cancer from his heavy drinking. Then there is Sue, who has had a live-in boyfriend for two years, but no one in the church has said anything to her, for fear of “offending” her. In the minds of these young adults, they see “Christians” who are living the same as those in the world.
Of course, not every congregant is going to be like the hypothetical persons of Bill, Joe, and Sue that I just mentioned, but there can be enough for a young adult to think that the church might as well be the bar next door, for the standards of some of the people they are seeing in the church are about the same as those that go to the bar next door: “Six out of ten believers ages twenty-three to forty one now state that cohabitation is morally acceptable. Four out of ten believe sex outside of marriage is morally acceptable. Three out of ten believe pornography is morally acceptable.” Christians have got to stop living like the world, and start living for Christ. I am afraid the term “Christian” has gotten so polluted in America, because so many have worn the name of Christ so poorly, if they are even Christians at all.
Young adults need to see some holy living in the church. Many young adults are struggling spiritually. They need to see some people who are truly “walking the walk.” They see a lot of immoral people in the world, and do not want to see “more of the same” in the church. They need to see people who are on-fire for God , who are not ashamed to proclaim forth His name, and are daily living in the Fruit of the Spirit. Wishy-washy “Christians” are not going to attract them to the church. Maybe those statistics I last cited would be different, if people just started praying and reading the Bible more, to see what God thinks about sin.
If a believer invites an unchurched young adult to church, I believe the unchurched person is more likely to come if they see a difference in that believer’s life. If young adults see a Christian that is genuine, they are going to see that perhaps that Christian’s church is genuine too. However, if they see you as another example of “church as usual,” they are not going to want any part with it.
The truth is, we are all hypocrites, for we are all sinners. Young adults that say there are hypocrites in the church are right, but they are using it as an excuse to not go to church. If they were reading the Bible, they would see the error of their thinking: “Biblically grounded Christians recognize that all believers are hypocrites in the sense that we have not attained sinless perfection. And they thus recognize that they need the church even more. The excuse of hypocrisy can be a clear statement of one’s own biblical illiteracy.” If young adults could get past the hypocrisy they may see in the church, they could glean so much from being with other believers in the church.
The last kind of hypocrisy a young adult might see in the church is that of ministerial hypocrisy, which means that the pastor is doing ministry in a way that is counterintuitive to what it should be. The pastor is doing “me ministry” in the church, and is not focusing on the Great Commission. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Jesus is commissioning us to make disciples of all the nations. This means that we have a lot of work to do. We are not called to have more church activities; we are called to make disciples. The church needs to be active, and not passive, towards evangelism and discipleship.
What Jesus said in the Great Commission is not optional; it is a command to the church. If we are not evangelizing, we are not doing what God wants us to do. We have Jesus, the Light of the World, in us, and we should not try to hide our Light. Churches should be desiring to see more people come to Christ, and to see people draw closer to God. If churches are not focused on those two things, then they have lost sight of what the church is all about. A young adult can see right through a church that is “me”-centered, and do not want to be in a church that is completely consumed with itself.
There are many churches that are inwardly and legalistically focused, when they should be outwardly focused; therefore, some pastors are being hypocrites in the way they are focusing their churches: “The outside world looks at legalism as hypocrisy. They know that we are supposed to reach out. Yet we build walls instead. We remain inward, driven by our selfish desires to focus on spiritual boot camp.” A church should not be a spiritual boot camp; it should be a spiritual hospital. It should be a place where people come to know Jesus, where people are healed of emotional and spiritual wounds, and where people are commissioned to go forth to be the salt and light unto this dark world that they were called to be.
The truth is, an inward church is not really a church, but rather, more like a club. It is essentially focused on, “Us four, no more.” It becomes more centered on how they can spend more time with their three church friends, then on reaching people with the gospel. There are too many people that are living without Christ for churches to act like this. No unsaved person in the community would want to go to a church like that, much less a young adult. No one wants to come to a church where they will be ignored and snubbed. With that kind of focus, a church will eventually implode on itself.
Young adults need to see a church that is doing outward ministry. Real ministry is hands-on and aggressive in reaching people with the gospel. An outward church also wants to see people having a thriving walk with God. The doors of the church should be wide open, ready to welcome whoever walks into the church.
The thing is, when a church becomes inwardly focused, they are pretty much just thinking about their own needs. A lot of young adults have left the church because their church became so inwardly focused that the young adults began to become inwardly focused themselves; in other words, the very thing young adults are criticizing is the very thing they have become. It all becomes about me. “How can a church meet my needs?” In reality, going to church is not about getting my needs met: “The church is not all about my needs; it’s about how I can glorify God as I meet the needs of others.”
Unfortunately, many pastors have fostered an environment of trying to have everyone’s needs met in the church. These pastors want everyone in the church to be happy. However, promoting that kind of environment in the church produces selfishness in the congregation. Pastors need to demonstrate to the church an attitude that desires to serve God, and also to tell others about Him. They need to have churches that are an extension of God’s love to the community.
There needs to be a paradigm shift in the church: Instead of a church being transfixed on needs for me, it should be transfixed on God, and out of that springing forth deeds for others. Instead of focusing on everyone enjoying the service, there should be an emphasis on reaching out to the community, and being the light and salt to this world that the church should be.
The fifth reason that many young adults leave the church is because they want a “break” from church. This has actually been the number one reason cited for young adults that are exiting the church. They simply did not see the church as being that important, so they gave themselves a “break.” Scott McConnell, associate director at LifeWay Research says, ‘“It seems the teen years are like a free trial on a product. By 18, when it’s their choice whether to buy in to church life, many don’t feel engaged and welcome.”’ Essentially speaking, many young adults feel that their time for the church “free trial” has expired, once they reach the age where they are an adult.
Many young adults see the church as being practically useless: “The churches of the dropouts were not a place where they wanted to spend free time. It was just the opposite. Church was just another time waster for them.” Church, in the minds of these young adults, has been demoted to the status of something akin to a chess club; they think they can nonchalantly drop the church, just like they could with any other extraneous activity in their lives.
Many young adults, with this “optional” view of the church, are thinking very little about the consequences that are the result of leaving the church. They are grossly underestimating the role that church plays in an individual’s life. They think that cutting church out of their lives is a step towards building their future: “For many twentysomethings, allegiance to Christian churches is a casualty of their efforts to ‘create their own version of fulfillment.’” What they think is helping them is actually harming them; they are hurting their own relationship with God, and are separating themselves from a body of believers during some of the most critical years of their lives.
The Bible makes it clear that one cannot just “separate” from the church: “For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” If we are members of Christ’s body, then we cannot just take a “break” from the church. One can be still be a Christian, and not go to church, but there are harmful consequences in doing that. Young adults think that it is “no big deal,” but in fact it is a very big deal:“Christ and the church are bonded like the joining of a husband and wife in one flesh. Breaking this bond is serious. Yet droves of students are divorcing the church, and they do not cite irreconcilable differences.”
Divorcing the church hurts the young adult that has left the church, and it also hurts the church that was left behind. Young adults are shrugging off their divorce from the church, and are living as if the church did not exist. They think that the church will do just fine without them. Many of them do not realize how dangerous the unchurched life is for them.
The church in general has been pretty ho-hum on this issue. Young adults are typically not very high on their priority list. They think, “We lost some young adults. No big deal.” I would beg to differ. Young adults are treading on dangerous ground when they leave the church. They may think they are making a decision that is making their lives better, but they could not be more wrong. They are making a decision that is spiritually putting them in harm’s way. The church should be more proactive in reaching out to young adults that are thinking of leaving.
There are many negative consequences to leaving the church, just like a divorce has many negative consequences: Young adults are open to more temptations when they leave the church, for they usually have no one to hold them accountable anymore. Their prayer time and Bible studying will most likely suffer. They will have less Christian friends, or perhaps none at all. They are more likely to fall into depression. “Solitary confinement Christianity” simply does not work out very well. It is much harder for young adults to go through this life when they are without an army of believers to support them. Young adults need to be in a good, loving church that truly cares about what is going on in their lives.
The Bible says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” The church is important for believers, for it is a place where believers can be encouraged and held accountable. The world cannot replicate that. Only the church can fill those deeply desired needs. However, neither of those are happening if young adults are not going to church.
My sixth and final reason why many young adults leave the church is because of a lack of church leadership. Part of church leadership comes from what the senior pastor says at the pulpit: “Leadership is critical. And the most visible aspect of leadership for the pastor takes place in the pulpit. For better or worse, the people in the church are watching and listening.” People in the church, and especially young adults, are waiting in expectation for what the pastor will say, and the pastor must demonstrate leadership from the pulpit, for the church is looking for the metaphorical “ball” to “run with.”
The pastors of a church, particularly the senior pastor, need to show the importance of young adults in the church. If the senior pastor is mostly focusing on the seniors in the church, or is just focused on middle-aged couples, young adults are not going to feel very valued in that church. They will feel uncomfortable and unwelcome. They do not want to be at a church that makes them feel like they do not even exist. It will make them think that church is just meant for “older” people, and they will not want to come to church.
A good pastor will lead the church into including young adults as part of the whole of the church. A young adult is a person that needs to be ministered to just as much as a middle-aged adult or a senior. They want to be treated like a whole person at church. They are not in the youth age bracket anymore, and they want to be treated like adults. Young adults do not want to feel like a small and unimportant minority in the church: They want to belong to the church, just like anyone else.
How the senior pastor leads affects the whole church: “If the pastor spends little or no time focusing on the youth of the church, then the church has no reason to believe that it is a worthwhile endeavor to engage that group. It is critical that the senior pastor steps up to the plate, and becomes relevant to young adults. How the senior pastor treats young adults is how the church will treat young adults.
Pastors should be natural in their approach of reaching out to young adults: “These pastors create an informal culture within the church that reaches out to the next generation without being phony or appearing to try too hard.” Young adults want to feel that their senior pastor genuinely cares about the needs of their generation. They want to feel loved by their pastor.
The pastor should definitely preach the Word, but he also should be relating the Word to all people, including young adults: “While they may be fascinated by some esoteric doctrine, they ultimately want to know how God would have them apply His truths to their lives.” Going in-depth on an obscure doctrine may be theologically correct, but it is not very relevant for the typical congregation. People want to hear about how the Word of God is applied to their lives. If the sermon is too complicated for anyone to understand, then the pastor is missing the point of preaching. If the pastor needs to spend a little extra time on sermon prep to help make it relevant to everyone, including young adults, then that little extra work should be done; it would be well worth the work. The pastor should do whatever is possible to make the church a place where all people from all walks of life can come. A church should be a place where all people feel welcomed, and not just certain groups of people.
About two-thirds of young adults that were churched have left the church, but it is not beyond hope. We have seen in this chapter that many of the young adults that have dropped out of church have experienced one or more of the six things we have discussed: (1) they saw misdirected church vision, (2) they experienced a lack of social fulfillment, (3) they had a poor youth group to “main church” transition, (4) they saw a lot of hypocrites, (5) they wanted a church “break,” and (6) they saw a lack of leadership in the church. However, there are some things that can be done to help bring young adults back to church. In the next chapter, we will discuss how they can be brought back, and also how they can be kept in the church.
Chapter II
What Has Been Done to Keep or Bring Young Adults in the Church
In this second chapter, we will look at why some young adults stay in the church, and what some churches are doing to keep or bring young adults into the church. The fight for young adults may not be easy, but if we do not “fight” for young adults, they will turn to other places than the church.
The worst thing that a church can do is not do anything to try to bring young adults back. A. Allan Martin writes, “We’re horrified when we hear stories of the ‘bystander effect’ when someone is being murdered. Yet, what are we doing when we stand by and do nothing when young people, perhaps right in front of our eyes, are leaving us and, as so often is the case, leaving the Lord who died for them?” Rather than seeing a problem, churches should be doing what they can to be part of the solution.
It is important in young adult ministry that they have a pastoral leader. A young adult pastor can help be a good spiritual influence on young adults. The young adult pastor can help keep them accountable. Without a leader, they will be much more likely to shrivel up spiritually.
It is also important in young adult ministry that the young adult pastor or pastoral leader does not put too much emphasis on numbers. A young adult wants to be remembered as a name, not a number. Chuck Bomar writes concerning this,
“If we’re going to engage and assimilate college-age people into the life of our churches, we must focus on them as individuals. They aren’t numbers or potential ‘giving units’: they’re our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we spend time guiding college-age people toward spiritually mature conclusions on issues such as identity, intimacy, meaning, pleasure, and truth, then we’ve done our job.”
The young adult pastor has to remember that personally discipling young adults is a critical component of young adult ministry. It is not about how many young adults are in the seats, but about individual young adult lives that are coming to Christ and growing in Christ.
The young adult pastor needs to emphasis personal holiness to the young adults. John Piper, in a video, said that in the “next generation” there is a “disconnect” between “the majesty of God” and daily living, which could be “the Achilles’ heel” for “the next generation,” or young adults. Young adult pastors must point out to young adults that they cannot say that they love God, and then go out and live like the world. There needs to be a consistent walk with God in which church life and personal life meet. The world desperately needs to see Christians that are living radically different from the world.
Young adult pastors should not be afraid to cooperate with campus ministries. Campus ministries are not competing with the church. Church and campus ministries should be united in reaching young adults. The young adult pastor should have the door wide open to campus ministries. Bomar suggests,
“Let them know they’re welcome to use your church spaces—free of charge—for anything they need or want to do. Providing services to them will help break down any walls they may have. Yes, this suggestion also exposes college-age people to what’s going on in your church, but that exposure can’t be your motivation. This invitation is about serving the campus ministry, not building yours.
The young adult pastor must look past any agenda, and put the spiritual needs of young adults first in utilizing campus ministries.
I am currently attending Sound Life Church, and at the church they have a new program there called “Sound Life School of Ministry” . Other churches have done similar programs, but what is great about it is that it gets young adults really involved in the church. Some may have already been involved, but it takes their involvement to a whole new level.
Sound Life also has a young adult small group, which I attend. It is on Wednesday nights, and it is called “The Underground.” There is discussion on a book of the Bible, or a particular non-fiction Christian book. “The Underground” is described this way on the church’s website: “The Underground is a Bible study environment designed for post-high school adults ages 18-29. It features an in-depth, no-holds barred, discussion driven study of the Bible.” Pastor Jason Standfield leads the discussion.
What is being discussed in “The Underground” in the Fall of 2010 is a book of the Bible called Ephesians. Author Chuck Bomar finds that Ephesians is a great book of the Bible for “college-age people” : “Ephesians provides a perfect framework for understanding identity from God’s perspective (chapters 1 through 3) and how we should live that out in our lives (chapter 4 through 6).” Young adults need to realize who they are in Christ, and how they need to live as being followers of Christ. What can partially help them in living out the Christian life is being in church.
I sent Pastor Jason interview questions via Facebook, and he e-mailed me his responses. He had insightful things to say.
The first question for Pastor Jason was, “How long have you been in young adults ministry?” The answer was, “I have been involved with the young adult ministry since 2007. The Underground was started a year beforehand by Pastor Brian. I took over the full time leading duties in the fall of 2008.”
The second question was, “What do you think the first thing a young adult would notice when they walk into the Underground?” The answer was, “The energy of the people and the friendly environment. I hope that the Underground is a place where young adults can connect with each other and God in a safe, judgment free environment.”
The third question was, “When a person graduates from high school, what do you think is a good transition for them into the young adults ministry?” The answer was,
“As students become old enough (18) I make sure that I personally invite them to the Underground. In the spring, I also invite those that have not turned 18, but are about to graduate from high school. We usually have a social night in the spring where we don’t do anything but hang out with each other, so that people can get to know us.”
The fourth question was, “Do you encourage young adults to be a part of the main church?” The answer was, “Absolutely. I stress that what we do on Wednesday nights is not Sunday church. We have an excellent church with many opportunities for involvement and spiritual growth. The Underground is only one of those places, and is not a substitute for Sunday morning.”
The fifth question was, “What is your vision for the Underground?” The answer was,
“My vision for the Underground is that it would be a safe place for young adults to connect with God, each other, and grow in Christ. I genuinely want the Underground to be a place where they can ask the hard questions, and feel that we can work through the answers together. Challenging them to think outside of the box and articulate their beliefs is a part of the process in the Underground.”
The sixth question was, “What are some positive things that you have noticed about this generation?” The answer was,
“First, they are not afraid to challenge the traditional and established church culture. They are curious about Christ, and want to discuss who [H]e is and what [H]e can do in their lives. Second, they are not afraid to ask the hard questions about faith and culture. They live in a world that is vastly different from my generation, and is constantly shifting and changing. The immutability of God is hard to understand in a culture that changes with the wind. I have found, however, that the relevancy of Christ does not change with the generations, and the young adults that attend the Underground are striving to help see the culture see Christ in a new light.”
The seventh question was, “What excites you the most about young adult ministry?” The answer was,
“The energy! These students have big ideas, big dreams, and big visions for what God can and will do in their lives. I simply want to challenge and encourage them to hold fast to their faith in times of uncertainty and struggle. The simple fact that most of them are immersed in a culture that wants to tear them from the hand of God is so exciting to me. I simply want to help them navigate the culture while having maximum impact on the lives around them.”
The eighth question was, “Do you get to visit college campuses?” The answer was, “Not yet. We have done a lot of talking about this recently, but nothing yet. I hope that in the next year we will be able to do some campus visiting.”
The ninth, and final, question was, “Do you have some young adults that were ‘unchurched,’ but now are ‘churched,’ and what brought them back into the church?” The answer was, “We have had a few that were either unchurched, or had fallen away from their faith. To be honest, most people come back in times of crisis, or because a friend had invited them to church (because they were in crisis!).”
Studies have shown that young adults are more likely to stay in the church if they feel they are in something that is bigger than themselves: “More than four out of ten of the churchgoers (42 percent)…remain at church because they are committed to the purpose and the work of the church.” These young adults feel that their churches are heading somewhere, and they want to be involved, for they feel that their churches are filled with purpose.
Young adults that stay in the church usually see the importance of church in their lives: “Those who remain active in the church have two overarching reasons for staying: (1) they have a personal commitment to the church, and (2) they see the benefits of remaining in church.” They see the church as being something they could not live without. They do not go to church because they have to, but because they want to. Church becomes like breathing air for them. Church is not optional for these young adults, for church has become so much a part of their lives.
Many young adults just need a nudge to come back to church. Statistically speaking, one half of young adults have come back to church, due to the encouragement of a friend or family member. Inviting a young adult to church can be a big stepping stone to their return to the church. They begin to feel that someone actually cares about them being in church.
Caring and loving young adults is a very important part of young adult ministry. Pastor Mike Glenn, after speaking to young adults one night had this happen:
“I was sitting at my table in the back. Person after person came by and talked to me about what we had said during the night, about their relationships with parents, ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends, about betrayal by friends, abuse by bad bosses, and where to find Jesus in all of this. I remember feeling I might drown in the river of pain that had broken through their dams of pretense and washed over all of us there.”
When believers desire for Jesus to give them His heart for young adults, He will give it. Young adults will pour out their hearts, concerning the pain in their lives, and Jesus will give believers a special love for young adults.
Life events can also have a way of waking young adults to the fact that they need to be back in church. Some of these life events are: “‘I had children and felt it was time for them to start attending’(24 percent). ‘I got married and wanted to attend with my spouse’(20 percent). ‘I had a crisis in my life (death in the family, etc.)’(11 percent).” These kinds of events can have a way of re-awakening young adults to the church. Once young adults find a good church that fits them, they will not want to leave.
Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee, has a very large Tuesday night young adult ministry, with a pastor named Mike Glenn who wrote the book, In Real Time: Authentic Young Adult Ministry As It Happens. Mike Glenn is the senior pastor of Brentwood, and also preaches for the Kairos young adult ministry at the church. He tries to conduct the young adult ministry in a very authentic way.
From the description of Kairos ministry on Brentwood’s website in 2009, one got the sense that it is a church for young adults who are serious about studying God’s Word: “Each week Mike Glenn and worship leader Mike Boggs take more than 700 young adults on an expedition into the word of God….You will learn how to uniquely supply the scriptures to your life through worship, bible study and service—as you get to know others in the family of God.” In 2010, the Kairos website says that there are over 1000 that attend Kairos. There is nothing watered-down about this young adults ministry, and yet, it is very popular, for Mike Glenn is preaching the truth in love. It is essentially the spiritual equivalent of a four-course meal. Young adults want to be challenged in their walk with God, and this church appears to be doing precisely just that.
Ministry done authentically is very important to young adults. Chuck Bomar, author of College Ministry 101: A Guide to Working with 18-25 Year Olds, writes,
“If there’s one thing college-age people appreciate, it’s honesty and bluntness. When they know we love them, they have great respect for us when we speak the hard truth to them with grace and understanding. They want to know what we’re thinking, and they know instinctively when we’re not being straight with them.”
Anything less than complete authenticity in ministry can be metaphorically “smelled” by young adults.
The Potter’s House, in Dallas, Texas, has a young adult ministry: “The Brick House is built on one thing…people stuck, to the Word of God. The exciting ministry takes bible study to the next level as Bricks (helpful, reliable people) from all walks of life come together to be encouraged, challenged, uplifted, and catapulted in to their purpose in life.” They want young adults to have spiritual depth.
City Church in Kirkland, Washington, has a ministry for junior high to college age at three different locations called Generation Church. Many young adults attend their mid-week services. They really encourage that one does more than just go to one of their “GC” services. They recommend that one goes to a “Sunday class,” and also gets plugged-in to a “Cadre”(small group). The “Sunday classes” are designed for discipleship, and the cadres are geared for fellowship, as well as discipleship.
A church called Chapelwood has a young adult ministry. They are trying to foster a spiritual community:
“The young adult ministry at Chapelwood wants to create an environment where all who come can find their place around the table, and especially where they can hear about the love of Jesus, about God’s grace, and about the place already prepared for them in their Father’s house.
From this beautiful picture of the 1st century church in Acts comes the practices of ‘The Table’[:] Worship, community, growth, and outreach.”
This ministry is stressing the unity that young adults can find in Christ.
Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, has a young adult ministry:
“The Young Adult Ministry’s mission is to provide a young adult-focused outreach, enabling them to apply the principles of good Christian living to everyday living. It is the ministry’s desire to bring young adults together in an effort to increase knowledge and understanding of the word of God through fellowship, mentorship, Sunday school, Bible study, missionary outreach, professional development, and other activities; to achieve oneness with God.”
The Rock Church and World Outreach Center has a weekly young adult ministry with a purpose: “Shift is a service that reaches young adults, gives them a positive environment to grow in their relationships with God and others, and transitions them into active membership in The Rock Church.” They are providing a ministry that young adults can call their own, while also transitioning them into the main church.
Spotslvania Church of God in Fredricksburg, Virginia, has a young adult ministry:
“Remnant is a group of young adult believers seeking after the Truth and how it applies to our lives. We exist to worship and share the love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Through Him our lives have been made complete and transformed. We are so much more than a young adult group that meets weekly. Whether we are river tubing, ministering through human videos on an outdoor stage, horseback riding, on a mission’s trip to the mountains of Appalachia or simply handing out blankets to the homeless on the streets of Fredricksburg, our goal is to LOVE God first then LOVE people because we believe you can’t do one without the other.”
They want young adults to grab a hold of what it means to live out our faith in Jesus.
Bethesda Christian Church has a young adult ministry: “OUR GOAL is to take young adults to the next level in their relationship with Jesus Christ. CrossCurrent is comprised of young adults age 18-20 something. CrossCurrent makes the Bible relevant in daily living and gives opportunities to live it out through small groups, activities, and outreach events.”
New Hope Presbyterian Church appears to believe in young adults:
“A great blessing at New Hope is an active and committed group of Young Adults. This group has made a dedicated and active effort to support all the missions and ministries of New Hope. They lead our youth, teach our children, and participate in our worship; they are God’s blessing to New Hope. The energy, the talent, the passion and the faith of the young adults inspire all of New Hope to renew their own personal walk with God with renewed vigor and purpose.”
They see that young adults are a valuable part of the church community.
New Song in Irvine, California, has a young adult ministry: “Newsong’s Young Adult Ministry exists to transform the world by empowering young adults in their 20’s-30’s to be radical in their love for God and for people.” They want to see young adults be world-changers for Christ.
Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, has a young adult ministry:
“Wedgwood Young Adults is a missional community of Christ-followers committed to the glory and fame of the Ultimate One, Jesus! We are disciple-makers comprised of collegians, seminarians, and professionals ranging from high school graduates , to early 20’s and mid 20’s that are part of the larger body of Wedgwood. As Christ-Followers we strive to live by the inspired words in Scripture, ‘whatever you do, do all for the glory of God’ (1 Cor. 10:31).”
Times Square Church in New York has a young adult ministry. They are trying to identify with what young adults are going through:
“We know the struggles that young adults can face to lead a godly and uncompromised life when everything around speaks to have them let down their guards. Peer pressure on campus, drive for success on the job, temptations in relationships and more. In this ministry, we share in the lives of young adults as we stand beside them to strengthen them in their walk with the Lord and pray with them as they seek guidance from the Scriptures in all they undertake.”
Victory World Church in Atlanta, Georgia, has a young adult ministry called “Fusion”: “Wednesdays at 7:30pm we meet together in the auditorium of Victory World Church, V2 building, and the other six days of the week there are various expressions of who we are in houses, offices, coffee shops and just about everywhere else you can imagine in the metro-Atlanta area.” This church is showing that the service for young adults is important, but is extending beyond that, and going out to the various places in the community in which the young adults are.
In the past, Cedar Park, an Assemblies of God church in Bothell, Washington, had a young adult ministry called The Late Show that met on Sunday nights at eight o’clock in the church’s chapel. They tried to do topics that were relevant to young adults. Read this about a series of messages they did at The Late Show: “We will spend a couple of weeks talking about destiny, calling and life. They seem to be important questions that can cause each of us heartache, heartbreak, headache, stomach ache, confusion, dizziness, and just a lot of pains all around.” Having a message series on that kind of topic really hits the bulls eye of what many young adults feel in this stage of life. Young adults want the things they are going through in life to be addressed head-on in a young adult ministry.
Bellefield Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has an interdenominational ministry for college students on Wednesday nights at 8:40 called “Cornerstone.” Bellefield also has a “young adult and graduate student ministry” that has small groups and events.
Phoenix First Assembly in Arizona has a young adult ministry called Threesixty. From the way it is described, this ministry seems pretty focused: “Come and enjoy a casual environment with intimate worship, creative messages, and lively discussion as we break into small groups and discuss the topic of the night and how it applies to our lives. Threesixty is designed to fulfill the very definition of our name—To Instruct—To Strengthen—To Uplift—and to Build!” They appear to be pretty focused on discipleship. They want young adults to be comfortable in church, but also to draw closer to God.
In 2010, Threesixty, or “Threesixty: Redefined,” states this, in part, on the internet: “Threesixty: Redefined provides an environment where young adults can grow in their relationship with Christ and align themselves with other Christians for support and accountability. Presenting real life issues in creative ways, we are passionate about helping young adults to have a life of victory and fulfill their destiny in Christ Jesus.” They are wanting young adults to not just spiritually survive, but to thrive.
Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C., says in a video on young adult ministry that if a young adult pastor makes a difference to those that are in their twenty-somethings now, it can have “compound interest” for the rest of their lives. Young adults are making decisions that will affect the rest of their lives, and young adult pastors can help steer young adults in the right direction.
Scott Kramer, a young adult pastor at North Park Community Church in Reading, Pennsylvania, talks about “authenticity” with young adults; he says to “be yourself.” If one tries to be like another young adult pastor, it is not going to work. The young adult pastor needs to find what their individual style of doing young adult ministry is for his or herself, and then act on it.
North Park’s young adult ministry has a very specific focus, when it comes to its mission statement, which is “to connect young adults together for the purpose of collective and individual spiritual growth.” Many of the young adults at that church go to a five o’ clock adult service that is led by young adults, and also attend a small group that deals with the specific stage of life that they are going through.
The Nazarene denomination recognizes the needs of young adults, and is actively trying to meet those needs. Their website in the past said: “To achieve these goals, the consortium will develop a presence on Facebook; place resources on the Adult Ministries website; indentify and network with churches effectively ministering to single and young and single adults; and present workshops during the Sunday School and Discipleship International Convention in Orlando.” The Nazarenes were trying to use any technological means possible to reach young adults. They realized that even if it required some more effort, it was worth it to get more young adults into the church.
The Nazarene website now has information on young adults that involves a great strategy for reaching young adults: “CSI—conversation, service, and intergenerational—important elements for ministry to young adults and everyone too.” They are trying to have helpful resources to help people properly minister to young adults.
The Episcopal denominational is also trying to reach out to young adults. Their website says, in part, “As young adults, we lead hectic lives…For many of us, the Church is one of the places we go to explore our aspirations and needs. It can also be a place for us to stop thinking about ourselves and let in God. Although we’re grouped together, young adults (18 and 30) are often at different life stages.” The Episcopal Church is trying to do what they can to meet the young adults where they are at.
I visited an adult service with a preaching class at West Angeles Church of God in Christ in Los Angeles, California, in 2007. It is an African-American church. Their “mission statement” for young adult ministry on their website says, “To inspire young adults to pursue a life of sanctification and holiness through stimulating church ministries and resources; yet nurturing a personal spiritual relationship with God in Christ.” They do a young adult Bible study on Tuesday nights. This church sees the importance of helping young adults grow into a deeper relationship with Christ.
The Catholic Church is trying to get young adults involved. They write, “Young adults will participate when they perceive that the invitation is authentic and their participation is constructive. Once the invitation is extended, it is important to match skills and talents with the needs of the community and to have a plan for follow-up.” The Catholic Church sees that young adults can tell if someone is less than authentic in inviting them to be involved, so the invitation must be genuine.
Saddleback Church, a Southern Baptist church in Lake Forest, California, that is led by Pastor Rick Warren, has a college-age ministry called “Crave.” Their website appears to really stress a sense of community. It says, “From our weekly worship experiences and annual retreats, to trips that take you halfway around the world, the Crave community is all about doing life together. Whether you grew up in church or aren’t sure you even like church, we invite you to come and see for yourself.” They are not compromising what they believe, but they are trying to be warm to the “unchurched” that walk into the doors of their church.
The vision of “Crave” revolves around four areas: “relationships”, “passion”, “truth”, and “authenticity” . Their philosophy of college ministry at Saddleback stems from these areas.
I have not been to “Crave,” but I have been to Saddleback’s church service in their main auditorium a couple times. I can say with confidence that they are a church that is Bible-believing, but they are also trying to be relevant to what is going on in today’s world. They are doing whatever they can to bring people to Jesus, including young adults.
The Red Oaks congregation of The Oaks Fellowship in North Texas (an Assemblies of God church) has a college age ministry for 18 to 30 year olds called “The Gathering.” They appear to be open to all young adults from all walks of life: “We are single, dating, married, divorced, with kids and without. We are in college and we are happy to never go to school again. We are employed professionals and we are people looking for a job. We are content and we’re searching. We’re a whole lot of things, and we like it that way.” They apparently want to not focus on just “college age” young adults or “young professionals,” but rather, young adults in general.
I like The Oaks “core value” of including young adults in the “next generation”: “We are committed to reach and equip children, students, and young adults through creative and relevant ministries. We believe that God wants to empower the next generation to expand the Kingdom of God in greater ways and with greater power.” They really have grabbed a hold of this: Young adults should not be ignored in the church, but rather, trained. The older generation should be a “bridge” to the younger generation, so that when the older generation dies, the younger generation will be better equipped to be light and salt to the world.
Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, California, has a college-age ministry that really seeks to get young adults involved. They say: “We are a group of college-aged students who believe in a movement where we dream together, serve together, and discover together. We invite diversity because what really unites us are these three quests.” I went to one of the Mosaic locations in 2007, and I can say with certainty that they have gotten young adults plugged-in. They take the passions of young adults and utilize them.
Cornerstone Church, led by Pastor Francis Chan in Simi Valley, California, has a designated Sunday service (7 P.M.) where college-age students gather. They encourage students to “go from there,” and “hang out.” It is apparent that they know that young adults strongly desire fellowship in the church, and are trying to help foster that kind of environment.
North Point Community Church of the Atlanta, Georgia area is led by Pastor Andy Stanley. In the past, they had a college ministry called “The Living Room.” Their website said: “…The Living Room is a weekly gathering for Atlanta-area college students focused around worship and teaching. We believe the college campuses of Atlanta will be impacted when students are committed to growing in their relationship with Jesus Christ and leading other students to do the same.” One can tell that North Point wanted to see college students thriving, and not just surviving, in their walk with God. They saw that it is a domino effect: If a young adult is passionate about God and the church they are involved with, other young adults are going to be drawn to church like magnets.
Rock Harbor, a non-denominational church in Los Angeles, California, which I went to in 2007 for a preaching class field trip, has a lot of college-age young adults that attend there. Over half of their church consists of college-age young adults. On their website, they mention that once a month they have students talk about what God is doing. I believe this helps students to realize that church is a place where they can feel commissioned to show the light of Jesus to the campuses in which they are attending; they feel that church is actually connecting to their life on-campus; they see that there is no disconnect between the two.
They also have “college life groups,” that consist of “campus life groups” and “blended life groups.” The former are typically more connected to campuses, and the latter meet in a variety of different places.
Rock Harbor even has, according to their website, a place to hang out: “There are areas where people can play games (wii, ping pong, pool, board games and more), food is available for people who want to sit and eat together, and there are occasional follow up conversations and Q&A’s coming out of that weekend’s message and service.” This helps them to process what they learned from the service, as well as developing good Christian friendships.
The website for the Young Adults Ministry of the Assemblies of God says it wants to be “Real,” “Relevant,” “Relational,” and “Revolutionary.” Young adults want to be in churches that are doing these kinds of things, and are in churches that are not sitting around doing nothing, in terms of practical ministry. Young adults want the full, well-balanced “meal” of ministry, and not the “leftovers.”
Puyallup Foursquare has a thriving young adult ministry. Their young adult pastor is Andrew Gard. He joined the Puyallup Foursquare staff in 2007. I had an insightful phone interview with him in 2009. He oversees a Friday night college-age service for 18 to 24 year olds called the “U,” and a Wednesday night “young professionals” service that meets once a month at Liberty Theatre for 25 to 32 to year olds. Their college-age service is meant to be more for the “unchurched,” so it is more geared towards evangelism. Only about 25% of the students who attend that service go to the church’s weekend services. They do barbeques after the college-age service to try to give it a more laid-back atmosphere.
For the high school seniors, Puyallup Foursquare has the seniors go on a $10 “rite of passage” camping trip. Last time they did it they had 92 seniors go, so it is definitely a big deal for them. Also, Pastor Gard tries to make some connections with the high schoolers by going to their service about every five weeks.
Pastor Gard sees that getting involved on college campuses is very important. Pierce College is one that they really try to focus on. Pastor Gard says, “Our whole philosophy is if the U stopped happening, would Pierce even care?” They also reach out to campuses like University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) and Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). UW Tacoma has been really good to them. PLU is a school that they have moderately focused on.
When trying to do messages for young adults, he first prays a lot about the messages. Pastor Gard usually starts with a Bible series for about the first couple months of the year. Then he does sermons on “virtues.” He says that there is a difference between virtues and values. Virtues are more something that everybody agrees on, and values are something that vary from person to person. He tries to start with a virtue first in a message, then gradually works his way towards values.
In getting “unchurched” students into the church, Pastor Gard sees that relationships are important. His leaders are told to connect to at least two students a week in some form (texting, meeting for coffee, and such). It does not matter how “cool” or “relevant” a church is trying to be, if young adults do not feel that there is a sense of belonging in the church.
Also, Pastor Gard sees that young adults like a church that has confrontational preaching. He feels that he can speak on anything, and it will not bother the young adults. They want issues to be addressed head-on.
The vision that Andrew Gard has for the young adult ministry is, “To really put them in an environment where they can find God.” He really wants to see young adults discipled. Discipleship classes and groups are strongly encouraged.
Just like many times junior higher and high schoolers are separated in youth groups, so also Pastor Gard think that college age students and young professionals need to have separate ministries. A college student may be single, while a young professional may be married, which puts them in a whole different phase in life. This separation is more for life change than it is for ages: Pastor Gard figures that a college student who is married might relate more to the young professionals group.
Pastor Gard tries to make sure that the phrase, “bring your friends,” is never used from the platform. The reason for this is that it can make those that regularly attend think that their friends are more what the church is after. It can make the regular attenders feel less valued by the church. Pastor Gard wants to see that the regulars are being looked after, so that they will want to bring their friends to church.
It is important that there is a continuity from youth ministry to young adult ministry, according to Pastor Gard. He thinks that the same things that were valued by the high school ministry should be valued by the college ministry. He notices that many times people will stop going to a church “when there is no continuity.” If the youth group does not have much in common in vision and purpose with the young adult group, young adults are not going to see much of a connection there, and are not going to want to be in church anymore. The youth group and young adult group need to be in agreement about what they are all about.
On Friday, March 27, 2009, I visited “The U” at Puyallup Foursquare. The young adults there were very friendly. During the worship, many of them were very passionate in their praise to God; many of them had arms outstretched, intensely seeking God’s face. The technology being employed was first-rate, with three widescreen video screens showing live shots from the service. The worship band was led by young adults. It was clear that most of the young adults there wanted to be there.
When Pastor Gard spoke, the young adults seemed to be on-board with what he was talking about. He was humorous, but also to the point. He spoke about communion in a series he was doing on “Sacraments.” At the end of his message, we were encouraged to come up front and take the cup (grape juice), and have communion wherever and whenever we wanted. He had people come front if they needed healing, and many students were praying for them.
Many of the young adults hung out after the service; they were eating food and talking. They would stand around and talk, or sit in chairs; it was a very sociable environment. There really seems to be a sense of community there, in which young adults can be ministered to, and also have fellowship. I felt very welcomed there; there were many friendly young adults who were interested in talking to me.
In the past, Pastor David Miles was the Young Adult Pastor at New Life Church in Renton, Washington. I had a phone interview with him in 2009. At that time, He had been the young adult pastor there for seven months, and before that, he was a children’s pastor. Their young adult ministry was called “The Crossing.”
Pastor Miles said that they try to have a quality service. There were signs that would help a person who was at the church for the first time. There was music playing. They then kicked off the service with a “secular” song.
The young adult ministry at New Life Church was new. They were offering a transition for high school students to the young adult ministry for the first time in what was at that time the upcoming school year. Pastor Miles wanted upcoming high school seniors to be exposed to “The Crossing.”
The vision that Pastor Miles had for “The Crossing” was twofold: First, he wanted to see young adults come to know Christ. Also, he liked “to see young adults process life.” He enjoyed seeing young adults including Christ in their decisions.
The three things Pastor Miles saw as important in doing young adult ministry were being real, being straightforward, and “looking to connect with each other and with Christ.”
The topics for the sermons that Pastor Miles preached varied, for they were only doing it once a month at that time. He taught on subjects like prayer and submitting to authority.
A lot of the college students that attended “The Crossing” were at community colleges or a four year university. The closest four year school is Northwest University, a university of the Assemblies of God, with which the New Life Church is affiliated with. However, Northwest University is not very close to New Life Renton, so the lack of proximity to Northwest affected the number of students that came from there.
In 2009, Pastor Miles wanted to see some changes in the young adults by the end of the year. He wanted to see more serving, and to see them more involved in small groups. He wanted the service to feel less scheduled. Pastor Miles desired to see them develop more spiritual disciplines, like attending church and tithing.
In 2009, “The Crossing” was once a month, but Pastor Miles wanted to have it go to twice a month in April of that year. There was a desire in the young adults that attended there to see an increase in the number of services, so they wanted to try and meet that demand. The plan was to get “The Crossing” to once a week.
In 2010, the young adult ministry at New Life Renton had changed to a small groups format. These groups, which they call “New Life Young Adult Growth Groups” are divided into three main areas: “practical Bible discussion”, “providential relationships”, and “personal disciplines” . They see the importance of a young adult’s relationship with God, and also a young adult’s relationships with others.
Christian Faith Center, a non-denominational church in Federal Way, Washington, had a young adults ministry in 2009 that was called “The Alternative.” It was on Sunday nights in the church’s main sanctuary. The church’s website said about this ministry, “Hundreds of young adults gathered in the presence of an almighty God. This movement of young adults is led with inspiring praise and worship, powerful teaching from Pastor Casey, and some great guest speakers that we will be bringing in from time to time.” It is interesting that it was referred to as a “movement”; they seemed to view it as being more than “just a service.” It is a place where lives are changed.
The young adult ministry at Christian Faith Center now has a different name. The website says, “The VO is a brand new young adult centered and driven ministry. The VO isn’t just a new young adult service; we didn’t just move the Alternative to Friday nights and change the name. God has called us to BE the church[, and] not just attend services. Let[’]s make our Voice heard.” They must have found that some change was good and healthy for that ministry.
Champions Centre, a non-denominational church in Tacoma, Washington, has a young adult ministry called “Anthem,” that is on Wednesday nights at eight o’clock; it is part of their “252 Culture,” for youth and young adults. They put the youth and young adults together on the first Wednesday of every month in something they call “united one.” They seem to view junior high, high school, and the college or young adult age as being separate, yet united.
In conclusion, we have seen in this chapter why some young adults have stayed in church, and also what some churches across this nation are doing to bring young adults back or keep them staying in our churches. Young adults want to be in churches like the ones that were aforementioned: Churches that make them feel valued, that they can belong to, and where they can hear the truth spoken in love in a pastor’s message. There indeed is hope for young adults to be brought back into the care of a church, and for them to be spiritually nurtured and satisfied.
Chapter III
The Gifts That Young Adults Bring to the Church
Churches can minister to the needs of young adults, and young adults can minister to the needs of churches. Many churches are not utilizing young adults in volunteering: “Just 4 percent of young adults currently serve as a lay leader in their church. The age group with the greatest number of church leaders is those in their 50s.” Young adults can help bring in a fresh wave of a new generation of volunteers in the church. The young adults can help lead the way. There are many places in churches that need more volunteers, and young adults can help meet some of those needs. We will examine specific areas where young adults can make significant ministry contributions to the church.
Young adults can make great ushers. If a young adult walks in for the first time into the doors of a church and is greeted by a young adult, most likely they are going to think, “There are people just like me here.” Seeing that young adult usher there can give them an immediate first impression that this is a church that is relevant to young adults. That young adult usher can help the young adult visitor be at ease, just by their presence at the doors of the church. The young adult visitor will probably they be more likely to come back to that church, if they made a positive connection with the young adult usher. The older generation would most likely like this too, for they would feel that “the next generation” of leaders are being raised up.
Many young adults make great children’s workers. They can help make a fun, fast-paced children’s church that meets the high-energy needs of children. Many times children really look up to young adults, so young adults can be a like a big brother or big sister to them. The young adults can be Christian role models for the kids. Young adults can have a passionate love for God that can spread to the children. All it takes is one young adult to make an impact into children for the rest of their lives.
Some young adults may be good in the nursery, providing a fresh, youthful energy to the nursery. They could help fill-in for someone that has been doing the nursery frequently, and needs a break. They could literally be an answer to a nursery worker’s prayers.
There are young adults that are fantastic youth workers. Young adults can be great mentors and friends to youth. They can relate to what the youth in the small group or youth group are going through, for they are not too much older than them. Some youth might share things to young adults that they would not share to anyone else. Young adults that are strong believers can be a really positive Christian influence on youth.
Young adults are usually proficient when it comes to technology. Many of them use the computer on a daily basis. They can be a great asset to a church when it comes to media ministry. Young adults typically have a high learning curve when it comes to media; young adults can be easily trained to run sound, and they usually are very familiar with PowerPoint, in which they can make creative slides, and go through those slides for the church’s worship.
A young adult might create innovative videos for the church. If they have a gift for filmmaking, let them run with it; they may be making big Christian movies someday. Let their talents grow. They can have an adult in the church that trained them in media to thank for, from having that adult encourage them in that gifting.
Young adults may be able to help with the church’s website. They could figure out how to get the church more connected on Facebook, how to put in video podcasts on the website, how to improve the look of the church’s website, and many other things. If a church really wants to improve their website, it might be a good idea to talk to a young adult.
Young adults can fill almost any need in the church, but the senior pastor needs to discover where their gifting lies. The senior pastor needs to be personally committed in seeing young adults succeed in the church. They need to be plugged-into a ministry that they are passionate about. For some young adults, they might be able to understand junior high or high school students better, while others might connect better with children. Young adults, just like people of any other age group, have different ministries in which they are gifted; they are not all the same. If they were all the same, they would be all helping in one ministry, while the other ministries are neglected. It is a good thing that young adults are individually unique individuals. The pastor needs to look at the areas in which the young adults are most gifted, and then let them thrive in whatever it is they do best.
Chapter IV
The Conclusion of the Matter for the Church
We have seen in this thesis why many young adults have dropped out of the church, what some churches have done to bring back young adults to the church or keep them staying there, and have also looked at the gifts that young adults bring to the church. Now what do we do with this information? There are a couple different ways we could react:
We could choose to ignore it. We can choose to not do anything with what we have read. After all, doing anything about it is too much work. One might think that certain people are good at ministering to young adults, but that just is not something they could do themselves. It is too inconvenient to reach a friendly hand to a young adult, too difficult to keep a young adult from slipping out the back door of a church, and too tedious to train a young adult in a church ministry.
The answer I would give to this is—you are right. It is inconvenient, perhaps difficult, and maybe a little tedious to minister to a young adult. Then again, were we not these things before we came to Christ, or when were new in Christ? There has to be a conscious decision to go out of our way to minister to young adults. If one makes up their mind that they will not talk to young adults, then they will lose out on many ministry opportunities. One needs to be open, in order for God to use them with young adults.
The fact is, none of us deserve to be forgiven by Jesus. He could have considered going to the cross as being too hard. Saving people from their sins by dying an excruciating death on a cross does not sound like fun to me. However, He considered us worth it. His love for us was so great, that He died for us. If we are thinking about ignoring what we have learned, let us think about the cross for a moment, and examine our hearts. Are we showing the love of Christ to others? Is our heart in the right place? Do we really care about every person in our churches, including young adults?
The other decision we can make is to embrace what we have learned here. We can go out and be proactive in reaching young adults. We can make a difference. We can go the extra mile in showing a young adult that we care. Maybe by doing so we might reach the next Billy Graham. Reaching out to young adults could affect them for the rest of their lives.
When it comes right down to it, the best way to minister to young adults is to be relational. If there was one thing I would want one to remember from this thesis, it would be that. One might not remember all of the statistics or all of the church strategies, but one can remember to be a friend to a young adult. Young adults crave good friendships. Many young adults in today’s world come from broken families, and may need a father or mother figure in their lives. They need to know that a mature believer wants to be a true friend to them. If a young adult has been hurt by things that were said to them in the church, let them talk them through their hurts. Listen to what they may share with you. They may need a shoulder to cry on, and someone who will pray with them.
Young adults really like social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter, but they would really prefer to connect with a person face to face. They would like to know that you care about them; it is that simple. There is no complicated formula. If mature adults start to reach out to young adults, eventually it will become a habit for them. Let us be the Body of Christ, and minister to young adults right in the middle of whatever they are going through.
I hope that this thesis has opened your eyes to the ongoing epidemic that is plaguing our churches. We know that many young adults have exited the church, but there are churches that are doing something about it; we also know that young adults can be greatly utilized in the church. My hope is that this paper gets people to think, and then to act out on what they have read. Yes, I can say without question that we need young adults in the church. They are people who need Jesus, and need to be discipled, just like anyone else. Let us never forget that.
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