Lead a Weblog for Young Adult Leaders

In todays church, too many of us have become close friends of the mediocre. We get fatigued with the day-to-day pressures of doing ministry—everything from teaching, to helping someone in need, to discipling new believers, to planning a worship service or preparing for a mission trip. Then, we start settling. We stop preparing and start procrastinating. We stop looking and working toward the future and start living in the past. We start talking about the good old days, instead of thinking about the great future God has for us.

Relationship and conversation are spiritual cornerstones to this generation. Getting together with other Jesus followers, sharing life together, and sharing their own stories of Who God has revealed Himself to be in their lives is nothing short of a necessity.

For those of you planning and anticipating a mission trip this summer, whether it is in the U.S. or overseas, your world is about to change—radically. It will be an unbelievable blessing from God that will challenge everything you think you believe. My advice to you is simple: Let Him change you.

Some of my greatest and funniest memories in ministry are helping young adults walk through relationships—good ones and bad ones. Last year, heading back from a conference with a bus-load of college students, three of the guys were discussing some deeper theological issues. They called me over for clarification on a couple items, but as we were talking I noticed that no one else on the bus was paying attention to these important conversations. About 90 minutes into the discussion, a question was asked about relationships. Within minutes, there were 20 or more students crowded around us asking various questions about dating, breaking up, opposite sex friends, boundaries, and “the one.” In that moment I was reminded how important constantly providing healthy and safe environments for young adults to hear and ask about relationships is to their maturity and future relational success.

What does it take to get college/20-somethings engaged in church? I hear this question often from college pastors around the country. It doesn’t seem to matter if their ministry happens in a booming college town or a quiet suburb, this demographic seems to be AWOL in the Christian community.