My plate was already full, so the idea of adding another ministry stressed me out, but not addressing the young adults in our community could no longer wait. This feeling started way before the Synod on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment and it even started before the release of Going, Going Gone. I was tired of wondering where all my former teens had gone. Even if ministry to young adults was your sole responsibility it’s not as simple as we’d like to make it. In fact, if you are going to make any progress the first thing you have to know is that:
IT’S GOING TO BE MESSY
And that’s because young adults are constantly in transition. When it comes to other areas of ministry there is usually common ground (e.g. youth ministry everyone is in school, family ministry everyone has kids) with young adults you get single, married, dating, working, student and so much more. When you meet someone in transition you can’t assume that they have a solid community, in fact, one of the reasons they enter your parish is because that’s what they are looking for and helping them identify the community that will best serve them is a challenge.
So, the young adult ministry is going to be messy, which can make things complicated, but before you start event planning and programming start with:
Before you develop a plan do as much research as possible. While there are plenty of books, podcasts and blog posts on the subject one of the best approaches is to invite them into a dialogue. You can do that on a large scale by hosting a listening session where you ask them questions like:
Make the listening session special, invest money into food, environment, and marketing. By investing in this experience you’ll let young adults know that you care. In addition, find young adults who are not currently connected to a church or don’t even have a faith. Try to expand your reach.
If you don’t think you can reach a critical mass, then meet one on one with as many young adults as possible. Try to ask them the same questions so that you can compile data and start to look at the common threads that could help you create a culture more engaging.
If you want young adults serving at a leadership level then you have to be intentional about the invitation. Don’t just assume that posting it in the bulletin or making a pulpit announcement will encourage someone to step up. Make a list of young adults in your community, reach out (phone call or in person) and discuss with them the opportunity. If they are reluctant to accept the invitation work with them through it. Even if they say, “No, I don’t think I can.” you’ve planted a seed and communicated to them that you believe they can contribute.
You need to make sure that you and the rest of your leadership are approachable. That means asking them individually to share insight on a particular project or plan that you have. It means listening to their feedback and thanking them when they share it. The more that young adults feel like they can sit at the table the more they’ll invest in what you are doing as a church.
It’s actually simple to create a basic young adult ministry, but to keep it going is another challenge. The temptation is to build a program and ask the young adults to lead it themselves, but if that point person is in transition or burn out the ministry will fall apart when that person leaves. To have a successful young adult ministry you need older adults in addition to younger adults to help lead. They can serve in roles as mentors, advisors or simply be the point person. Their main objective is to help you carry the burden so that while people transition in and out that there is still a solid foundation.
Look for people who are flexible and are willing to invest in others on an individual level. They don’t have to be young, in fact, some of the best leaders I’ve found have adult children of their own. Give them a vision of what you are trying to achieve and don’t hold back on the investment they want to make. The stronger the team the longer the ministry will last.
A young adult ministry is messy, but over time you can create systems and a culture that will enable it to grow. And as your young adult population grows so will the health of your church because they’ll help you bridge the gap between old and young. They will bring fresh ideas that have not been tarnished and they will help you reach a brighter future.