1. The challenge of developing an integrated
ministry.
What happens when the young adults in your ministry enter a
certain stage in life or hit an age where your model of ministry no longer
meets their needs? Typically, people
outgrow their loyalty and move on. Having
a young adult ministry is a great start, but if there is no assimilation
strategy, then we are simply creating another ministry finish line. We often want
to grow our ministry, but we tend to lose sight on the importance of growing
the church. We must be intentional about integrating young adults into the life
of the church.
A couple things to consider when thinking about assimilation…
-
Develop
relationships with older people in the church
Young adults actually want and need relationship with older
people in your church. Titus chapter 2 describes older women speaking into the
lives of younger women and older men speaking into the lives of younger men.
Not only is building relationships good for assimilation, but it’s also a
healthy way to make disciples.
For more thoughts on developing relationships click here
-
Support other ministries in the church
Young adults are creative, passionate, and innovative. They
have ideas that can enhance other ministries in your church. Maybe they can
conduct an annual banquet for the senior adults or offer free baby sitting at
the church on a Friday night.
For other thoughts on assimilation click here
2. The challenge of developing a ministry that is
supported.
Let’s face it, children's ministry, youth ministry, music
ministry, and even ministry to senior adults often gets more attention and more
support than young adult ministry. It is important, however, to not allow
what you cannot do keep you from what you can do. Focus your attention
and your conversation around what you can do and around the support that you do
have. Try not to recruit support, but rather create a ministry that
people want to support. Is your ministry known for what it can't do, or
for what it can do?
You can offer volunteers for children’s ministry. You can
serve the youth ministry at their crazy event. You can greet people at their
car on a rainy day with an umbrella in hand. You can get 20-somethings involved
in the church mission trip. Instead of complaining that there is no room for
you to meet in, you can meet in a house or coffee shop.
Once people see how faithful your ministry is with the
little resources it has, people will want to support you.
3. The challenge of leading young adults
through the tension.
This generation is more culturally aware than any generation
to go before them. Access to information is literally at our fingertips. With
that in mind, 20-somethings are provoked by information and desire to be in the
center of it all. Young adults have no interest in staying away from hurt, sin,
chaos, and calamity. They feel the best way to restore, fix, and redeem the
world is from the inside out. Young adults want to engage in culture, feel the
effects of it, and then figure out a way to repair the parts of society that
are damaged.
This is a real challenge for many ministers. The reality is
that we are called to be the salt of the earth. Salt is best spread out and
scattered. Salt makes things better, leaves people thirsty, and keeps things
from going bad. It’s obvious that godly influence is needed the cultural
epicenters of our communities. It’s also apparent that this is a generation who’s
ready to collide with the negative effect head on. How do we encourage young
adults to engage in culture, but not be influenced by it?
We lead
The Corinthian church faced some similar challenges. Corinth
was an extremely pagan and pluralistic city. The church found themselves in the
tension of trying to live like Jesus while also being so consumed by the lust,
selfishness, and consumerism of their day. Someone had to lead them and help
them navigate through the challenges. In 1 Corinthians 4:15-16 Paul writes, Even though you have ten thousand guardians
in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your
father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me.
Similar to the people of Corinth, this generation has many
things influencing them, but they are looking for someone to lead them. You can
show them how to heal the hurting, restore the broken, love the sinner, and
truly engage the culture without compromise. Together as a community of young
adults, you can be salt by making things better, leaving people thirsty for more
of Jesus, and keeping things from going bad.
0 comments:
Post a Comment