Young Adult ministry ideas…
Ξ April 16th, 2008 | → | ∇ Cultural Architect Stuff, friends |
Here are my notes from a discussion Gary and I had with the clergy of the Louisville District here in the KY Conference of the UMC. I would love to know if yall have any reactions or would like to continue the discussion…
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• What have you done with Young Adult ministry?
• Where have you failed?
• What are your assumptions about young adults?
• What would you like to do with young adults?
YA’s are:
*passionate about community and relationships
* have an uncanny ability to see through “fake”, or “agendas”…and this is the reason that I find most “seeker services” not to be effective at true transformation. (sadly most churches think to reach YA’s that they just have to have a new worship service with “hipper”/”cooler” music.. but this is just not the case.
* passionate about social justice
* love talking about Jesus, but also about Buddha, Hinduism, etc…. live in idealism, but an intelligent reality.
*This is why we must allow messy conversation, and TIME!!!
* The Majority of this generation did not grow up in the church or even receive their fist understandings of faith inside the Christian church.
Potential is Unbelievable: They have a passion for living life in the here and now, like no generations in the past. They are HIGHLY sacrificial in their nature.. most generations take that as being lazy, but they see it as being content and passionate to live the way they feel passionate about. Put emphasis on art, community, and social justice, and Spirituality! They are willing to sell the suburb house to move on the wrong side of the tracks to live out a life that is authentic and bringing chance to poor neighborhoods, etc…
We have not been in conversation with the world! We talk AT people with bible studies, sermons, lessons. And thoses all have an assumption that we are right, and we believe we are right, but YA’s value relationships.. and in relationships the effective ones are not ones that people talk at each other, but WITH each other! It is fine to believe that you are right about beliving in Jesus, but do not assume that they think the same way. Invite them into discussion and wrestle with them in this thing called life.
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Agree? disagree? feel free to start/join the discussion.
Comments
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Hey from a neighbor up the road in Indianapolis.
Thanks for your words on these subjects. As a leader of urban church led by younger folks, I really think it is important that we become kingdom centered and not pastor centered.
I am a 30 year old lay leader of a church that is losing their pastor. we won’t be able to replace him with an equal position and the conversation about becoming kingdom centered and not pastor centered has been very hard for more traditional folks to understand. (and i thought it was going to be easy.)
thanks for all that you do.
Thanks Mike! and yall will be in our prayers! It know it is hard, but I would love to talk to you more about it. Thanls for reading the blog!
I am sure that it is quite a task to understanding between generations. I think much of what you said is really correct, but I do think everyone wants to work together–it is just a matter of how once the “insistence of one’s ownly correct way” is talked out and dealt with in a Christian loving and caring way. Continue good work!1
Mom:
I just want to clarify, that I never have said or thought that what I am saying is, “insistence of one’s own correct way”. I am not sure if you are talking in general of of something you thought I said, but of course, it is a matter of coming together and have discussion, and not talk AT each other, but WITH each other.