The Faith Journey of Young Adults
A glimpse at the role of faith in the lives of young adults (ages 18-30)
Suggestions
Student
Ministry implications
Family Ministry implications
Young Adult Ministry implications
"Mind the gap"
In Great Britain there are train conductors who assist people in boarding trains and subways. One of the cautions they often voice is, "Mind the gap," meaning that people should pay attention as they step over the gap between the platform and train car. There seems to be a gap between high school and young adulthood and no one is "minding the gap."
Youth ministers feel their job is completed when teenagers successfully complete the high school years and move away into college, careers, or military life. They assume the previous youth ministry experiences and their home and family influences will simply propel the older adolescents into faithful life in young adulthood.
Parents sense their major task of parenting has drawn to a close as their teenage sons and daughters move out on their own. They pray that the eighteen or so years of guidance and nurture will carry the budding young adults into a continuing life of commitment and service to God, especially as it relates to participation in church life.
College and young adult ministers welcome those who appear in their fields and seek to provide nurturing environments and opportunities for continued growth. But, there is a major learning curve associated with forming new relationships with recent graduates and gaining their attention in the many new opportunities of college life. It becomes easy to blame parents and youth leaders for not preparing adolescents for young adult life. In return, parents and youth ministers blame each other along with young adult leaders for failing to keep young adults actively involved in church and religious life when they move across the gap from adolescence into young adulthood.
With this in mind, this research points toward some implications for youth ministers, parents, and young adult ministers.
Implications for student ministry
1. Scope of Student Ministry - We must consider the possibility of defining youth ministry (student ministry) as including grade 7 through about age 24. There appears to be a gap between high school graduation and young adulthood and no one is attending to the gap. Someone needs to be the lead voice in mobilizing the resources of churches and families for the purpose of nurturing adolescents as they step over the gap into young adulthood. We might start by asking youth ministers to be responsible for ministry graduating seniors for at least one year past high school graduation.
2. Discipleship - Both active and non-active young adults see the connection between discipleship and continued church attendance. Youth ministry must do a better job of discipleship - teaching the basic, biblical concepts of Christianity, instilling a love and appreciation for intergenerational church relationships, building a personal commitment of faith in the lives of teenagers and helping adolescents internalize their faith. Several comments in the qualitative interviews and findings in the quantitative surveys indicated a lack of faith or depth of commitment as contributing factors to church drop outs. Simply attending church or youth activities during the teenage years is not a clear indicator of faithful discipleship.
3. Relationships - Youth ministry must help adolescents in basic personal skills - how to meet and develop new friends, how to choose a church, how to make the transition to a new location, how to set priorities, and leading students to be influencers, not just responders.
4. Meaningful Involvement - Youth ministries need to spend some time in teaching youth how to select and get personally involved in a church that may be different from their home church. Provide opportunities for youth to lead in ministry.
5. Mentoring - Churches and youth ministries need to develop a mentoring program that matches spiritually strong adults (in addition to parents) with adolescents. An effective peer ministry program could also be helpful. These significant adults and peers can help in the transition to young adulthood.
Implications for Family Ministry
1. Moving teens toward adulthood - Parents must be equipped to understand the transition of their adolescent into young adulthood. Parents need help in blessing their adolescent and freeing them into the world of young adulthood.
2. Parenting style - Parents need help in adjusting their parenting style as their adolescent grows toward young adulthood. Parents need help in the transition of their role from "parent" to "adult friend" for their maturing adolescent.
3. Spiritual leaders in the home - This is a wake-up call for family ministry. The faithful attendance and perceived spiritual depth of parents is a major factor. We must give practical, in-depth guidance to parents in how to be spiritual leaders for their teens.
Implications for Young Adult Ministry
1. Acceptance - Pastors, youth ministers, collegiate ministries, and young adult ministries must work hard to develop a loving, supportive environment for young adults.
2. Meaningful Involvement - Young adults want to be needed, not just entertained. They seek out churches where they can do something significant.
3. Intergenerational Approach - Churches must find ways to enhance intergenerational activities for youth and young adults. College and young adult ministries that only cater to the age group miss the opportunity for young adults to have positive mentoring relationships with older adults.
Churches, youth ministers, college and young adult ministers should explore strategies for transition from adolescence to youth adulthood. Parents need to be involved in these discussions as they relate to the home and church working together to make the faith journey into young adulthood pleasing and glorifying to God.
Copyright © 2006 Student Leadership Training Network by Wesley Black. All rights reserved
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