Help for the Journey

For most of my adult life, I have been thinking about climbing Mount Everest.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an extra $65,000 laying around for the taking in my bank account, which is about what it costs to make that happen. Plus, there is this attribute of balance and lung capacity, which I am both lacking.

Even so, my interest in Everest remains, and part of that interest lies in Sherpas.

Sherpas are a native people of Nepal, and without these guys (lady Sherpas are called Sherpanis, in case you are interested) Mount Everest likely never would have been scaled successfully. Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa, was a vital partner to Sir Edmund Hilary on his first trip to the summit in 1953.

So, why are Sherpas so vital? They know the way to the top of Everest. They know where the danger zones are located. They know where the crevasses lie. They know the best way to the top. They know where to camp. They know how to live well and survive on the highest mountain on Earth.

My question for you as a leader in your church is, do you have Sherpas on hand to help guide the young adults in your church? You may not have natives of Nepal in your church, but you absolutely need to have mentors, Sherpas if you will, to help.

In our research into the Young Adult world, we received a clear reading that people in this generation were looking for mentors, people who have experience and could share experiences that can help them live life more effectively.

Since more than 50 percent of people in the Threads generation have been hit with the divorce of their parents, there is a good chance they may have missed some learning from their mom or dad. The other half of these people could have missed out on this kind of knowledge because their parents were too busy or too weighted down with life that they never got around to being a teacher.

These skills could be as simple as learning to change the oil in their cars, cooking, or fly-fishing. It could be as complex as discipling new believers, budgeting, building a resume, doing your taxes, or understanding how to recover from losing a job.

So, where could these people learn these skills? How about at your church?

The chances are your church is filled with seasoned people who know how to handle all of these skills because they have learned them through the experiences of their life. Your church probably has plenty of members who are accountants, accomplished cooks, mechanics, fisherman and just everyday people who have Christian wisdom, skills and knowledge the members of the Threads generation would love to borrow.

Here’s a tip: Ask the retired people in your church if they’re interested in being Sherpas for the next generation. I think they would stampede through your door to help!

Think people in the Threads generation aren’t interested in listening? Well, have you asked them? Based on our research, they are INCREDIBLY interested. All you have to do is start a conversation.

So, ask the best cook in your church to start a cooking class for Young Adults. She can do it at her home or at your church, if your church has a kitchen. Ask the sharpest accountant you know to start a budgeting group. Start a grow group for new believers who are Young Adults. You get the idea.

The fruit of all of these groups and conversations are relationships, relationships that will produce new believers in Christ.

Make your church the center of community, the center of intergenerational relationships and the center of mentoring.

Make your church Sherpa Central.