Space

We are about 60 days away from the 2012 Reclaim Gathering. As we finish up last minute preparations for this year’s conference, I have been reflecting on the reason for such a gathering to take place. There are so many reasons why Reclaim will happen again this year, although there is one reason that is burning strong on my heart these days. Put simply, we all need a space where we can discern again God’s call on our lives.

If your life is anything like mine, life’s demands and stresses do a good job of ripping the sense of vocation and purpose from my days. Even though I, like many other young adults, am deeply involved in the life of my local church, sometimes even the regular haul of being faithful on Sundays has a way of thinning out the passion I once had. Sometimes I wonder if something is wrong with me…if I lack enough faith to motivate a vibrant response to all God has done for me in Jesus Christ. After a while, it becomes crystal clear to my heart — I need space.

Reclaim is about space…particularly for young adults who are trying to figure out what God is asking of them in this life. It is a space for quietness, but also proclamation and reclamation. We will set aside a couple of days for further instruction and teaching. It will be a chance for many to rediscover that inner pull and drive that compelled us to lay down our lives for a greater cause. Reclaim is about re-affirming the commitment we have made to Jesus so that we can continue to joyfully bring transformation to the world, for the glory of Christ.

If you need space, I invite you to join us March 23-24 in Jacksonville, Florida for the Reclaim Gathering. Our prayer is that we would create a space where you can reignite your passion for the things that truly matter. Hope to see you in a few weeks.

- Derrick Scott III

Why young adult ministry matters?

I work with over 100 college aged students each summer, at the Warren W. Willis United Methodist Camp. As a former youth director, I have seen students come through youth ministry, college, and graduation. I have even seen students of mine get married, and have their own children. Youth ministry plays a huge role in preparing students for life after high school. Far too often, life after high school begins a void in a young adult’s Christian community. Some take the transition in stride getting involved with a positive Christian community or campus ministry, others don’t have access to a community where they live, or don’t take the initiative to seek out a Christian community.

Of the counselors I work with, the ones who are in involved in young adult ministry during the year, are more likely to take on leadership roles, strive for excellence, and seek ministry opportunities while at camp. Each year we interview our returning staff in February. At that interview, it is clearly visible who is thriving in their faith life and feeling fulfilled, and who is struggling to find direction. Those who are thriving are always involved in a young adult ministry—particularly one that encourages service and leadership opportunities and promotes Christian community.

Joel Pancoast – Program Manager – Warren Willis United Methodist Camp

Young adult ministry matters because it provides community, provides opportunities of service, and promotes leadership. Out of high school these students need to be challenged, they need to exercise their faith, and they need to be a part of a community where they learn to take initiative through leadership and exploration of ideas and concepts that help form their faith.

A Note for Young Adults…

There have been a lot of posts lately about how young adult ministry matters, and I agree with them!  The Church needs to be doing all it can to reach out and minister to young adults! But today, I want to spend a few minutes and address young adults specifically…

Young adults! It is so easy to be discouraged when you look around at so many churches and don’t see a single young person there.  I (as a young adult myself) know what it’s like to go to a church, thoroughly look through the bulletin (and/or website), and not find a single thing for post-college young people; and what it’s like to want to plug in and find a community of people who are your age and in a somewhat similar period of life as you, but there’s nothing like that around.  It can be very discouraging to go to church after church and feel like there’s nowhere for you to be.

But, even in all of that, there is another thing I know.  I know that whether or not your church has “a place” for you, God wants to use you.  As a young adult, you can and should be in ministry, even when there seems to be no ministry for you.  Stop waiting for someone to lead a Bible study for you, or to host an event for you, or to pour their time and resources into you before you begin leveraging your life for the Kingdom of God!

In Exodus 33, we see that Joshua, “a young man”, stayed in the tent of the Lord, seeking the face of God for himself, even after Moses had gone home.  He did this of his own initiative.  He didn’t wait for Moses to teach him how to talk to God, or for someone to give him five points on how to hear from God, or even for a community of people to come around him and encourage him… he simply desired to know the Lord more, and so that’s what he did!  Young adults, why don’t we do that?  Why don’t we take the initiative to seek God, and then do the work of His Kingdom?  Why do we feel like we have to wait to minister until we have been ministered to?  It seems that if the rest of the Church looked around and saw young adults doing ministry, in droves, then maybe they would be more inspired to join in that. We (young adults) should be setting an example for the believers in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity!

And yes, we do need to be encouraged, we need community, we need all of the things that a young adult ministry can offer (hence the reason Young Adult Ministry Matters!).  But we also need to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus to a dying and broken world.  And when I look at what I already have in Jesus, I think it’s more than enough to get started doing just that!

- Anna Frederick – Reclaim 2012 Coordinator

A Ministry that Matters

I am loving the guests posts from the last few weeks. There is strong agreement across the Church that young adult ministry truly matters if we are going to be all that God intends for us. In the coming months, you will hear more perspectives that will continue to bring awareness to the conversation of reaching young adults. But the question many are asking is simply, ‘what do we do first?’ The answer will always depend on the particulars of the local congregation, available resources, leadership, and specific need just to name a few. There is no “one size fits all” model for intentional young adult ministry. But a good starting place could be to have the courage to intentionally pursue young adults.

There are few congregations that do not want fresh faces in their worshiping community. In fact, the reason why young adult ministry is so important is that most of us are interested in doing it. We consume books, conferences, and podcasts hoping to find tools and tips. Knowledge, however, is not the thing that brings young adults through the door. The other option is to start some kind of event for young adults. Far too many local churches have started contemporary services thinking that young adults will be “attracted” to them by simply putting it on the sign out front. We argue for designated space in the building and better media equipment hoping that some extra lights and a few couches will be the key to engaging the next generation. All of these things are good and helpful, but they do not ensure a vibrant ministry to young adults. In fact, you can have lots of relevant knowledge of the demographic and the best show in town, and still have a problem of reaching and keeping young adults. So what might be a better strategy?

Years ago, Gee and Sandy Sprague, the pastors of CrossRoad Church, used to open their home on Tuesday nights for a college/young adult Bible Study. Every week, they would provide a meal for twenty-somethings which was followed by a Bible Study and conversation. When it first began, it had a handful of people. It was not odd for the 7pm Bible Study crowd to still be at the house as late as 1am. Within three years, you would have found over 50 young adults crammed into their house. Due to the large numbers, we eventually started a college/young adult worship service on Tuesday nights at the church. The important thing we need to see in this example though, is how it all started.

A couple from the local church opened up their home to a handful of young adults EVERY WEEK. During the rest of the week, you were sure to find young adults just hanging out at their house. Sandy would take girls to lunch. Gee would ask the guys to come help him with household chores. They were really intentional about reaching out on an individual level. And why did they do this? They were not in charge of young adult ministry and it was not their job, it was what they did. They believed that young adult ministry mattered, so they invested hours and square footage. It was one life reaching out to another. That is how the young adult ministry started, grew and expanded.

Again, the point of this example is not for you to go find a home and have a weekly Bible Study that lasts till the wee hours of the morning. The point is that no bulletin announcement or website can take the place of one person authentically and consistently reaching out to young adults. It is not enough to talk about wanting to reach young adults. If you really want twenty-thirty somethings to be a part of your local church, your foundational strategy must be to reach out to them and pursue them as individuals. This way is harder, more time consuming, and more rewarding in the long run.

- Derrick Scott III – Leader, Reclaim Planning Team

Does Young Adult Ministry Matter?

Brian Johnson serves as Associate Pastor at First United Methodist Church of Orlando. He feels a specific call within his ministry to help the local church reengage with young adults. Connect with him @JohnsonBrian

Most churches do a great job of nurturing children and youth. Even the smallest membership churches find a way to provide ministry for children and youth. We recognize these age groups are important. Then, when these kids reach 18, we set them free into the world and hope they will fly. Some will fly away to college. Others will fly away to work in the real world. We stop seeing them in church. In our subconscious, we know they are busy and hope we will see them again. Statically, they return to have their first child baptized. When young adults do come back to the church they are often emotionally weary, spiritually dry, and battered by the world. Even worse, some do not return.

I am convinced that young adulthood is the most difficult age group to minister to. They do not fit into neat categories. You cannot structure them by grades. Some go to college, others do not. Some are single, others are married. Still others have kids. Some of those will be married, and some will be single parents. To further complicate the issue, the spiritual and developmental needs of a 21 year old are much different than a 31 year old. Yet both are young adults.

Young Adult ministry is not neat and tidy precisely because young adulthood is not tidy. I sense that many churches and leaders shy away from engaging this demographic because it is complicated. However, it is because of the complication that we need to step up, in the boldness of the Spirit, and reclaim young adulthood. We have allowed the world to train and nurture our young adults, and it has left them shipwrecked.

The good news Mary heard from the angel, speaks good news to us today. “Do not be afraid, for nothing will be impossible with God.” Not even ministry to young adults!

The first step to reclaiming young adulthood is prayerful engagement. Our church is situated in the heart of downtown. Orlando is a city growing younger at a surprisingly quick pace. There is a large influx of young adults age 18-24. God’s call to us is to reflect the city. We do not need to pray about whether or not to open our doors to young adults. It is clear the body of Christ includes all life stages. Our prayer involves us connecting our current young adults while engaging the thousands who call Orlando home.

Young adult ministry matters because young adults matter to God. Young adult ministry is essential because we are not the complete body of Christ without them. Young adult ministry is possible because nothing is impossible with God.

A Word from Bryant Manning…

In January, I’ll be 25. Halfway through my twenties. Whoa.

I’ve finally reached the point in my life where I qualify as a ‘young adult’ though, in truth, I’ve always found this terminology puzzling. 

As a kid I always thought that adulthood was something you just achieved one day.  At first, I thought you reached it when you turned 16 and got your driver’s license. Then, when I had reached that mark, I realized that adulthood came at 18 when you became a legal ‘adult.’  As I went through college, though, I noticed a divide among students who were 21 and those that weren’t. 

In graduate school I realized that many who are 22 are not really ‘adults.’  And, for the first time, I realized that age had little to do with adult classification. 

What distinguishes ‘young’ adults from ‘real’ adults?  Real adults pay lots of bills. Real adults are often married and thinking about having children. Real adults often don’t have much financial help from their parents.  Real adults are not just beginning their careers; they’re so used to them, the careers rule them.

‘Real’ adults have met the world. 

And, I think, the term ‘young adult’ is often used to separate those who haven’t truly ‘met’ the world.  The term ‘young adult,’ as it is used by the general public, has little to do with age and more to do with perceived maturity. If you meet a 22-year-old who has truly experienced the world, you are unlikely to group them with the same ‘young adults’ group at your church.  Age is all they have in common.

Young adults are seemingly less ‘mature,’ yes. What most don’t see is that it is exactly this distinction that makes them so important. 

When the late Steve Jobs turned thirty, his employees made a video for him that quoted this old Hindu Proverb:

“For the first thirty years of your life, you make your habits. For the last thirty years of your life, your habits make you.”

This seems to be true.  Young adults are being formed through the making of habits throughout this point in their life more than any other.  They are figuring out what they believe. They’re ambitious and fearless. They’re creative. They’re often opinionated without knowing why. They are constantly changing.  

Young adulthood provides an opportunity to be shaped and formed.  

Because of that, the Church must be involved.  If the Church is going to shape its future, it must begin with young adults.

If the Church cares at all about the livelihood of Jesus’s message in his world then, one of salvation and holiness, an oversight of young adult ministry will surely ruin it. If, though, the Church would focus on young adult ministry, invest in young adults, and support their passions and creativities, the future of the Church would look brighter than ever before.

Events like Reclaim are doing just that. They’re investing in the young adults of the Church. They’re supporting and encouraging the future of Jesus’s Gospel. They’re shaping young adults into faithful disciples. 

You should be there.   

Why Young Adult Ministry Matters

Sean Gladding and his family live in Lexington, KY. Sean was a faculty member for the Reclaim 2011 Gathering. His first book, "The Story of God, the Story of Us" was published a year ago, and was one of Relevant Magazine's Top Ten books of 2010.

There is no question that for most Americans, “church as we know it” is financially unsustainable. The churches our parents helped build through the kind of generosity that disposable income makes possible will become a thing of the past: indeed, their children may struggle to pay the heating, cooling and maintenance costs of the buildings they sit in. Young adults graduating from college carry an increasing amount of debt that will make that kind of giving unlikely. So, even if a local church is not wrestling with what it means to be “missional” or “emergent,” at some point sheer practicality will require a serious rethinking of what it means to be the church. We have shaped our buildings, and now our buildings shape us. The question is: how faithfully does that shape express the mission of God we are called to participate in? The majority of our resources are poured into a structure that is primarily used for a few hours over the weekend, and into staff who facilitate what happens during those few hours. We drive across town to spend a couple of hours in these buildings, and then lament that we don’t really know anybody in them.

This is why I believe young adult ministry matters. But only if it is more than just one of a church’s “life stages” programming efforts.

Many young adults have assessed this way of being the church, and have left the building: some to explore other ways of being the church, most to simply leave. Young adulthood is a time of exploring vocation and career and to imagine what a life with purpose looks like, and increasingly it appears that “church” is not going to be part of that. Yet it is precisely because this is the time when we ask those kinds of questions that young adult ministry matters. Unfortunately – in my experience – much of what we call young adult ministry is geared towards engaging young adults in the existing church culture (thus perpetuating it) rather than being devoted to helping young adults wrestle with the questions they actually have, including what it means to be the church. Rather than being a source of renewal and ongoing reformation within the church, young adults too often are placed in a ‘holding pattern’ in the church while we wait for them to graduate to the ‘young marrieds’ and then ‘young families’ Sunday School classes.

Here’s the thing. Young adults tend to have two things in spades: time and energy. Young adult ministry can and should tap into those two realities, because once we start marrying each other and having children, those two things disappear and we tend to default to church as we know it. Or return to the church we left so that Sunday School teachers can disciple our kids, because the church failed to disciple us so we could do it ourselves. Instead, let’s encourage young adults to experiment, to dream and to help the church understand itself anew in our ever-changing cultural context.