NASHVILLE,
Tenn.,– Young adults make up a new demographic
within churches, and ministry as usual will not cut it for a generation seeking
depth, authenticity and answers to the hard matters of faith.
So
said Jason Hayes, young adult specialist with Threads, the 3-year-old young
adult ministry initiative of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern
Baptist Convention.
Hayes
spoke during the Connect Conference held Aug. 25-26 in Nashville, Tenn. The
conference, geared for leaders of young adults, offered several sessions that
revealed recent statistics about young adults ages 18-34. The conference also
included main teaching sessions, breakout small-group discussions and a
question-and-answer panel forum.
The
statistics offer a challenge and an opportunity for ministry with young adults,
Hayes told the attendees.
“I
don’t view these statistics as a problem, but a chance for God’s name to be
great among a generation that is spiritual, but not religious,” he said.
Hayes
outlined four markers, or pillars, of things that matter most to young adults.
The markers were developed from an extensive eight-month survey of young adults
from varied geographic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
The
survey results helped the Threads team pinpoint the following needs of young
adults: community, depth, responsibility and connection.
Create
community
“What
we found is that young adults desire to do life together,” Hayes said.
“They desire relational equity and community that goes beyond casual
hellos. They want to pour their lives into each other.”
Hayes said community should
endorse a connection between a Christian’s actions and personal convictions.
Community also should minimize church jargon, provide an atmosphere where it’s
okay to not know all the answers, provide personal illustration, and encourage
life application.
“Above
all, community among young adults must be biblical,” Hayes said. “It
will be a failure if we raise a generation who are just friends. Growing in the
likeness of Christ is essential.”
Provide
depth
Hayes
also encouraged the young adult leaders to provide depth in their ministries.
“What
we found in our research is that young adults who are churched are saying, ‘If
we are going to stand for truth in a world that is not standing for truth, we
want to be equipped,’” Hayes said. “The unchurched are saying, ‘We
are not going to make a decision at face value. We want to make informed
decisions when it comes to matters of faith.’”
Young
adult leaders must engage in theology, apologetics and offer insight on
worldviews and other religions, he advised.
“Teach
the whole Bible, foster discussion and answer the difficult questions of
faith,” he said. “Offer quality, exegetical Bible teaching and sing
theologically sound music that accurately depicts the Word of God.”
Cultivate
responsibility
For
churched young adults, responsibility comes in the form of service, evangelism
and missions. For unchurched young adults, social action and global
responsibility are a huge priority.
“For
both church and unchurched young adults, we have found that both recognize that
their choices make a difference and they want to improve the world around
them,” Hayes said. “As a result of this heightened sense of
responsibility, we can help create a door for service and evangelism.”
Make
a connection
“As
we continue to understand younger adults and what they’re looking for, we must
recognize the heavy value they place on connecting with people who have more
life experience than they do,” Hayes said. “Some would call this
mentoring or cross-generational ministry. The bottom line is that they want to
learn from someone else’s experiences. They’re looking for a connection with
the church and a connection with people who are willing to walk alongside them
and give a little advice here and there.”
Hayes
encouraged the attendees to connect personal application to convictions.
“If an absence exists between what you say and what you do, young adults
will become quickly disinterested,” he said. “If you desire for your
church to be a healthy body that raises the banner of intergenerational
ministry, you need to personally invest in this generation as well.”
The
next Connect Conference will be held Sept. 4-5 in Charlotte, N.C. For more
information about the young adult ministry at LifeWay, visit www.threadsmedia.com.