Lead a Weblog for Young Adult Leaders

Here’s the truly funny thing—I wonder how many people look at the church in the same way they look at professional wrestling? The question with both is one of authenticity. Both make grand claims. Both have engaging personalities. Both are, in a sense, entertaining.

But is it real?

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is not length of life, but depth of life.” Interestingly enough, our research shows that young adults agree. As seen in the research, they show a high level of interest in theology, apologetics, worldview, and other religions. Many inaccurate stereotypes abound regarding this generation. Unfortunately one of them is related to the idea of depth.

Don’t you wish all of life operated on semesters? The natural break would provide great opportunities to get your oil changed, drop off the dry-cleaning, connect with friends, sleep until 8, and eat more than a little pie. Whether your life benefits from a semester break or not, the time between semesters provides a wonderful opportunity to intentionally connect with the college students from your church who are home for Christmas.

Most of the evangelical churches in our country are much like Mount Olivet. More than 27,000 churches in the Southern Baptist Convention have less than 150 members. They are the bedrock of the community where they minister. They are led by caring men and women. And they have the same problem most churches of any size in our country have. They have very few—if any—young adults in their 20s and 30s in their church.

If you’re going to do effective young adult ministry, you must be willing to help people fight through addictions and psychological issues head on. One in five young adults ages 19 to 25 suffers from a personality disorder that affects everyday life and an even higher number is struggling with some sort of addiction, according to an article released by the Associated Press on Monday.

Now I have always been a little bit intimidated by words like community and authenticity and still am to some degree. Granted I know they are good, meaningful words that represent very meaningful concepts, but they always seemed a little elusive and abstract. However it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really understood how valuable this can be, and I am so grateful that God has brought this to the forefront of my life again. When I was charged with the task of leading a community group at my church this year, I of course had similar concerns, hopes and expectations for the group that most of us have when leading a group.