Lead a Weblog for Young Adult Leaders

What can we do to make sure the basics of the faith are firmly in the grasp of today’s young adult generation?

January is traditionally designated as the most depressing month of the year by psychologists, who cite cold weather, credit card bills, and a post-holiday emotional swoon as reasons you should just consider staying in bed. In fact, January 18, 2010, was designated “the Gloomiest Day of the Year.” So, how do you beat the blues in the dead of winter? One way we recommend is by getting a Bible study going with a group of your friends.

Maybe in discipleship as a whole, the problem isn’t that people are getting left behind; maybe it’s that we’re not expecting enough from them. Not expecting enough financially. Enough commitment. Enough intellectual output. Maybe Christ was onto something when he said that if anyone wants to follow Him, they should come and die.

Think about all that you’ve memorized over the years. I often catch myself amused by the wide variety of things that have somehow been captured in my mind. The problem is that I’ve short-changed my efforts to memorize that which is most edifying and that which draws me closer to God—Scripture.

We’ve been discussing discipleship quite a bit on our blog lately. If you missed it, check out THIS, THIS, and THIS.

Discipleship is one of those things that everyone wants but many struggle to pursue or even understand. And, yes, healthy discipleship is difficult as it takes intentionality, time, and effort. However, we often make it much more difficult than it really has to be. In fact, many analyze it to such an extent that they have trouble getting started. We don’t want to fall into this trap and we’d imagine that you don’t either. Thus, in an effort to help, we’ve recently surveyed some of the nation’s leading collegiate and young adult ministry leaders about their opinions on this topic. We’re seeing patterns and trends develop that we’ll use in articles like this and in future work.

Welcome back to our monthly video blog for leaders featuring Threads’ young adult ministry specialist Jason Hayes. Each month Jason will take a couple of minutes to share leadership advice that will help you take your ministry to the next level. This week’s video defines what we mean when we talk about striving for depth in ministering to young adults.

One of the key attributes of leaders is that they go out in front and show others the way. Leading in the church means maintaining a balance: be above reproach but also remain among the people. Leading young adults is no exception. However, leading the next generation requires an attitude of indebtedness to the followers—leaders don’t exist without followers. So let me share with you a few critical issues from the perspective of these young adult followers.

Craig Mintz experienced first-hand what an intensive discipleship experience can do in a person’s life while at the University of North Carolina. So, he took what he learned on the college campus and put it into practice at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tennessee.

We are living in an interesting time in history. For what is likely the first time in the history of the Christian church, generations aren’t worshiping together. It now appears normal to see older generations meeting together wearing suits and singing hymns, boomers wearing Hawaiian shirts and singing peppy songs about how Jesus changed their lives, and emerging generations meeting in dark rooms singing in minor keys. But, from an historical perspective, this is not normal. Beyond that, it is ultimately harmful to the church.