What We Learned On the Threads Road Trips

It began in Long Island, wound through Charlotte, through some small towns in Mississippi and finally back to Nashville. Our team went all over the country, from San Diego to Louisville, to Little Rock, to Jacksonville, to Birmingham and Phoenix. We didn’t miss many places in our search for what was working for churches desperate to reach people in the 18 to 34 age group.

We met some people who rocked our world. We met some passionate church leaders we will remember for a lifetime. We made new friends with members of the churches who longed to fill their churches with more people in this age group.

But it was the people outside the church whose words still play in my mind.

It was the software developer in Charlotte who likened churches to high pressure car lots. He went to a youth camp in high school and he was the only person who didn’t answer the altar call. He didn’t feel led to follow Christ that night and the only church he has been back into since is his grandfather’s church in Pennsylvania, where he feels safe. He knows the people there love him and only want what’s best for him. That’s why he goes there when he’s in town. He’s looking for that kind of church in Charlotte. He hasn’t found it yet. He hasn’t found a new life in Christ. It’s people like Nick that drove our research and that drive Threads today.

Do you want to reach people like Nick?

Here are the four vital pieces we found that you need to weave into your Young Adult Ministry:

1. Community — The No. 1 reason people in this age group would consider being a part of a church is to find great relationships.
2. Worship — It doesn’t have to be a techno-driven extravangza. It can be one person on an acoustic guitar leading a body of believers in genuine praise offered to God. But it has to be authentic, it has to be relational and it probably needs to be a different experience than many of the worship experiences you typically see on Sunday mornings in many churches. We’ll talk more about that later.
3. Service/Social Action — If your church isn’t making a difference in your community and your world, then there’s an excellent chance young adults won’t consider being a part of your church. They want to make a difference in the world and if they see a church making a difference in the world, they will be drawn to it.
4. Intergenerational Ministry — Young Adults are interested in learning from other generations, everything from how to cook to how to create a budget to how to recover from losing a job at 24. What your church needs is a group of seasoned Christians who are interested in building relationships with these people and investing in their lives. Churches that are reaching this age group have at their core people in their 50s, 60s and 70s who love young adults and are interesting in sharing their lives with them. Want to build a vibrant young adult ministry? Find some experienced, loving Christians who have a passion for this generation. They are out there because God has called them.

Does any of this ring true with you?