Ministry with Young Ministry with Young AdultsAdults

William J. Cork, D.Min.William J. Cork, D.Min.

What Is a Young Adult?What Is a Young Adult?

YoungYoungAdultAdult18-3518-35

Young AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

Developmental Developmental PerspectivesPerspectives

Tasks of Young AdulthoodTasks of Young Adulthood

Developing Personal Developing Personal IdentityIdentity

Developing RelationshipsDeveloping RelationshipsDeveloping Meaning for Developing Meaning for

WorkWorkDeveloping a Spiritual LifeDeveloping a Spiritual Life

Owned Faith

Styles of FaithStyles of FaithJohn WesterhoffJohn Westerhoff

Searching Faith

Affiliative Faith

Experienced Faith

Young AdulthoodYoung Adulthood

Sociological Sociological PerspectivesPerspectives

Generational StudiesGenerational Studies

Baby Boomers (1945-1960)Baby Boomers (1945-1960)PostmodernsPostmoderns

– 1961 to 19811961 to 1981 Generation XGeneration X

– 1982 to …1982 to … Millennials Millennials Generation YGeneration Y iGenerationiGeneration Generation MEGeneration ME

Generational StudiesGenerational Studies

Generational StudiesGenerational Studies

VS

Question:Question:

Should we be focusing on generations? Should we be focusing on generations?

Or are we seeing a change of Or are we seeing a change of cultureculture, , that will impact all our ways of doing that will impact all our ways of doing

ministry? ministry?

Young Adults Today Young Adults Today

““I Am Special”I Am Special” Follow My DreamsFollow My Dreams

– MobileMobile Cultural Diversity AssumedCultural Diversity Assumed Technologically HardwiredTechnologically Hardwired PragmaticPragmatic MaterialisticMaterialistic

Young Adults TodayYoung Adults Today

Extended AdolescenceExtended Adolescence High Expectations High Expectations Sexual DisconnectionSexual Disconnection

– ““Hooking Up”Hooking Up”– STDsSTDs

Relationships MatterRelationships Matter– ““Soul Mate”Soul Mate”

Young Adults TodayYoung Adults Today

Spiritual HungerSpiritual Hunger– Biblically IlliterateBiblically Illiterate

Personal Experience CentralPersonal Experience Central– Moral RelativismMoral Relativism

Desire to ServeDesire to Serve Crime Statistics DownCrime Statistics Down Better Relationships with ParentsBetter Relationships with Parents

DemographicsDemographics

What YAs Seek from ChurchWhat YAs Seek from Church

Sense of belonging & communitySense of belonging & community– ““Will you be there for me?”Will you be there for me?”

Opportunities for involvement in church lifeOpportunities for involvement in church life Meaningful worship services with Meaningful worship services with

experience of the holy experience of the holy – Silence is OK!Silence is OK!

Spiritual growth and enrichmentSpiritual growth and enrichment– Incorporate old and newIncorporate old and new

Understanding the faithUnderstanding the faith Guidance and directionGuidance and direction

Return or Not?Return or Not?

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

People

Music

Sermon

Pastor

1999 Survey of 200 young adults by Bill Cork

Spiritual HungerSpiritual Hunger

Frank DeSiano,Frank DeSiano, Sowing New SeedSowing New Seed, p. 79ff, p. 79ff ““At worship, they don’t feel they have At worship, they don’t feel they have

contact with God.”contact with God.” ““They will do whatever to takes for them to They will do whatever to takes for them to

have have a sense of contact with God.a sense of contact with God.”” ““If liturgy could present people with an If liturgy could present people with an

experience of Christ, with contact with experience of Christ, with contact with Jesus, it would come closer to what people Jesus, it would come closer to what people are actually seeking today.”are actually seeking today.”

Other Suppliers …Other Suppliers … Willing to shopWilling to shop

– ““Twentysomethings were nearly 70% more Twentysomethings were nearly 70% more likely than older adults to strongly assert that if likely than older adults to strongly assert that if they ‘cannot find a local church that will help they ‘cannot find a local church that will help them become more like Christ, then they will them become more like Christ, then they will find people and groups that will, and connect find people and groups that will, and connect with them instead of a local church’” with them instead of a local church’” (Barna (Barna 2006).2006).

Other congregations (floaters)Other congregations (floaters) House churchesHouse churches Small groupsSmall groups IndividualsIndividuals WebpagesWebpages

ExodusExodus

Barna 2006

Basic Principles of YAMBasic Principles of YAM

Evangelize young adultsEvangelize young adultsNurture their spiritual lifeNurture their spiritual lifeConnect with communityConnect with communityInvolve in missionInvolve in missionPrepare for leadershipPrepare for leadership

Growing a Young Adult Growing a Young Adult MinistryMinistry

Small core team of committed peopleSmall core team of committed people Support of someone on staffSupport of someone on staff Initial social events (with food) to get Initial social events (with food) to get

acquainted and to generate ideas acquainted and to generate ideas Build around a regular, consistent eventBuild around a regular, consistent event SS33

– Spiritual Spiritual – SocialSocial– ServiceService

Occasional regional or city-wide eventsOccasional regional or city-wide events

Sabbath SchoolSabbath School

Making it Young Adult FriendlyMaking it Young Adult Friendly

PrinciplesPrinciples

Emphasis on dialogueEmphasis on dialogue Safe environment—all questions Safe environment—all questions

respectedrespected Sharing of experienceSharing of experience Teachers who areTeachers who are

– authentic authentic – knowledgeableknowledgeable– unflappableunflappable– and have a sense of humorand have a sense of humor

The QuarterlyThe Quarterly

““Folks, believe it or not I can resonate with Folks, believe it or not I can resonate with some of your concerns. The problem is some of your concerns. The problem is simple: we have one guide for a whole world simple: we have one guide for a whole world church, i.e., the folks who go to Chris Blake’s church, i.e., the folks who go to Chris Blake’s class, to the folks who congregate on class, to the folks who congregate on benches in some room with no electricity, to benches in some room with no electricity, to folks in Copenhagen, to folks in Patagonia, folks in Copenhagen, to folks in Patagonia, to folks who have been in the church for 40 to folks who have been in the church for 40 years, to those who have been in 40 days. years, to those who have been in 40 days. How do you meet all those needs? You can’t.How do you meet all those needs? You can’t.

The QuarterlyThe Quarterly

““The ABSG is a guide. Repeat ‘Guide,’ that’s The ABSG is a guide. Repeat ‘Guide,’ that’s all. It says the world church is studying this all. It says the world church is studying this topic today. Period. topic today. Period.

““Beyond that, it has to be up to the teachers Beyond that, it has to be up to the teachers to contextualize it, to make it as much as to contextualize it, to make it as much as possible meet the various needs all over the possible meet the various needs all over the world. … It’s a guide; I tell people follow it as world. … It’s a guide; I tell people follow it as closely or as loosely as you need.”closely or as loosely as you need.”

--Clifford Goldstein--Clifford Goldstein

Possible TopicsPossible Topics

Relationships, dating, sexRelationships, dating, sexFaith and fulfillment at workFaith and fulfillment at workSpiritualitySpiritualityMaking a differenceMaking a differenceUnderstanding Scripture and Understanding Scripture and

church teachingchurch teaching

Reaching OutReaching Out

In Mission to Young AdultsIn Mission to Young Adults

RetreatsRetreats

Time AwayTime Away Openness to ChangeOpenness to Change Focus on Relationship with ChristFocus on Relationship with Christ Worship and PrayerWorship and Prayer Building of CommunityBuilding of Community FunFun

Coffee HousesCoffee Houses

May meet in a church hall or in a May meet in a church hall or in a restaurantrestaurant

May include:May include:– Live musicLive music– FoodFood– Short talkShort talk– Q&AQ&A– Social periodSocial period

http://www.heartquest.info

ServiceService

Local service projects or mission tripsLocal service projects or mission trips Plan your own or go with established Plan your own or go with established

agencyagency Plan well!Plan well! Learn about project and context firstLearn about project and context first Pray without ceasingPray without ceasing Theological reflection during and Theological reflection during and

afterafter

College StudentsCollege Students

Stay in contact with those awayStay in contact with those away Develop student ministry on campusDevelop student ministry on campus

– Adventist Christian FellowshipAdventist Christian Fellowship Don’t forget about faculty and staffDon’t forget about faculty and staff TXAY: Texas Adventist Youth TXAY: Texas Adventist Youth

Leadership ConventionLeadership Convention– August 10-12, SMAU, Keene.August 10-12, SMAU, Keene.

CommunicationCommunication

It’s hard to get “pulpit time” for oral It’s hard to get “pulpit time” for oral announcementsannouncements

Young adults don’t tend to read the Young adults don’t tend to read the bulletin, even if you are able to get bulletin, even if you are able to get something in it.something in it.

Best practices:Best practices:– Personal invitationPersonal invitation– E-mail and Text listsE-mail and Text lists– Webpages / Facebook / MySpace Webpages / Facebook / MySpace