Monday, October 17, 2011

20Something/Young Adult Ministry Questions:

Questions concerning the local church and 20Somethings/Young Adults:
Please answer as you see fit- I'm not judging, just looking for your thoughts- especially if you fit this category.

1. How does today's Young Adult establish a meaningful faith via the Church? Can this happen in a young adult specific ministry?

2. How do we reach young adults who are:
a. In the church
b. Outside the church

3. Some churches don't have a young adult specific ministry- hoping they automatically connect in other ministries... is this the answer? Thoughts?

4. If a young adult group is specifically based on community it won't connect with people who have an established community in or outside of the Church. If not community, what is the connecting point?

5. Should college students be connected with Young Adults? My thoughts: college students have campus ministries ON campus- if included in Young Adult ministries relationships and transitions would be made across generational boundaries.

2 comments:

  1. I am no expert in this area for sure, but here is me thinking out loud:

    A young adult's relationship with the church can certainly happen through a young adult specific ministry, but I don't think that ministry should happen divorced from the body as a whole. In other words, yes to Young Adult ministries, but they should also serve in the ministries of the church, attend normal services and try to build cross-generational relationships for opportunities to grow and to disciple and be discipled. (All of those things can be incorporated into a young adult ministry, by the way.)

    I do think that young adults should connect with other ministries to serve the body, but I don't think that means that you can't or shouldn't have a young adult ministry. The question becomes, what does your young adult ministry accomplish? Does it isolate the young adults, compartmentalizing the body, or does it help to plug young adults into vital roles WITHIN the greater body? This doesn't mean that age specific events can't/shouldn't happen, but I think the goal should be toward the body as a whole. I don't like, in general, how compartmentalized the church is...

    I think one of the main reasons that the church exists is for community between believers, so we can encourage one another, teach one another, pray for one another, fellowship with one another, and function together as the body exhibiting each of our various gifts. So to an extent, the degree in which a young adult is willing to enter the community of a local church is the degree that they will be a vital part of the church. I don't know how to skirt the issue of community...

    I could definitely see benefits of including college students into young adult ministry...I don't know if I have much of an opinion on that...

    Nick Roen <><

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  2. Thanks Nick, I didn't mean that we need to skirt the issue of community- community is essential. But when community becomes the central point it naturally begins to alienate when one is not part of the community. I know that relevant and applicable teaching of the truths of scripture should be the essential; because it alienates everyone- and that alienation drives everyone to Christ (it's beautiful). Perhaps my question should be, what does THAT look like?

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