Student Ministry, Young Adult Ministry Must Run Together
Last year, one of the great opportunities I had to serve in ministry was teaching 10th grade guys in Bible study.
They haven’t forgotten me, and I haven’t forgotten them since I left to help start a new campus of my church. When they see me, they don’t just say hello. They come by and give me a hug. Normally it’s a rib-crushing embrace. These guys are strong!
Every time I get one of these hugs, it reminds me of a central truth: You can’t have an effective young adult ministry in your church without an effective student ministry. That’s one of the central truths of Thom and Sam Rainer’s new book, Essential Church?, which just hit bookstores.
The Rainers, one of whom is my boss at LifeWay, use this book to dig into one of the bigger issues in our churches today—the tendency for young adults ages 18 to 22 to completely drop out of church. In fact, two out of every three church attenders leave the church at some point in this time period. Some of them never come back.
The big question is, Why? The Rainers examine a variety of reasons, but two of the biggest issues are attributable to “people” reasons.
26 percent of dropouts say church members seem judgmental or hypocritical.
20 percent of dropouts say they didn’t feel connected to the people in their church.
In my estimation, these two reasons walk hand in hand. If you’re a young adult and you don’t know people in your church very well—meaning they haven’t invested in your life—there’s a chance you might not see them in a positive light.
If you know them, if you see their hearts and you understand their motives, you probably have a tendency to think the best of them.
This is why the link between student ministry and young adult ministry is critical. If a 13-year-old has strong adult leaders who care about him, talk to him, teach him, disciple him, and completely invest in his life all the way through his senior year of high school, there’s a great chance that young man will continue to see value in church attendance.
If those student leaders can connect the same young man to similarly committed young adult leaders once he graduates from high school, what do you think the chances are he stays involved in church? About 100 percent. It’s a little more complicated if that young man leaves to attend college or work in another city, but that’s why the connection of like-minded churches to each other is so important. If his student leaders can point him to a campus ministry at college and a church he can connect with in his new city, then the odds of him remaining in church are much greater.
So, where’s the disconnect? Most churches make student ministry a vital part of their church, but neglect young adult ministry. A high school student who is used to being taught, discipled and cared for walks into the great abyss of ministry emptiness once he steps into his 20s. It’s really not surprising these folks walk out of church.
Or perhaps it’s slightly different. Perhaps, no one steps forward to teach the 10th grade Bible study class at church. No one invests in the 15- or 16-year-olds. Guess what happens when they get a driver’s license. They’re gone, whether or not you have a great young adult ministry waiting for them. They’re still gone from church, perhaps never to return.
The Rainers suggest a plan of Simplify, Deepen, Expect, and Multiply as a way to solve this problem. It almost completely lines up with our Threads Young Adult Ministry message of Community, Depth, Responsibility and Connection. But I will let you read the book to get their full message.
One thing you will not be able to miss: Effective young adult ministry and student ministry must link together to prevent the church dropout phenomenon.
About the Author
Jim is the director of Young Adult Ministry at LifeWay Christian Resources. He has worked for the past 11 years in a variety of roles, ranging from marketing to publishing to Internet development. Before being called to full-time ministry, he worked as a reporter and editor at Alabama’s capital city daily newspaper, the Montgomery Advertiser, for 10 years. Prior to coming to LifeWay, he also worked as an adult-in-missions editor at the Brotherhood Commission in Memphis. Jim and his wife Tammy have been married for 23 years and have two sons, Spenser, 17, and Ethan, 10.
There have been 12 replies so far
You’ve really hit the nail on the head. I took over our young adults two years ago, and thought “No wonder they leave.” I helped in our youth for about 5 years and loved it. I think that transfer into “big-church” is so disheartening because of the mindset that somehow a HS diploma means you graduate into a different style or worship and spiritual thinking. Churches are all about youth, all about their children’s program, ‘cause they’re the church of tomorrow. What about the impending church of today? That’s the 20s and 30s. I love Threads. It’s so funny this summer at M-Fuge I met Jana Spooner and belly-ached about nothing available for young adults. Jana told me about Threads and I said “That’s what we use for SS material.” It was only after I started digging into what Threads is about that I said “Yes!!!” Thanks again! Gina P
1 | Gina
Thursday, October 2, 2008, at 1:05pm
Gina, I appreciate you taking a look at the Threads site and reading this article. You’ve got it. We’ve got to take our churches’ passion for student ministry and multiply it into young adult ministry as well.
Everyone is NOT getting married at 21 any more. The average ages for marriage are now closer to 30 than 20.
If we don’t step out and provide love, acceptance and guidance the young adults in our world, who will?
2 | Jim Johnston
Thursday, October 2, 2008, at 1:11pm
After working as a youth leader for 1 1/2 years and being closely involved in a young adult ministry for 3 years, I’m not at all convinced that the “ghetto-ization” of church is a good thing. Why separate the church based on age? Would it not be better for students to study the bible together with young adults and parents and more senior church members? The opportunities provided in a non-age-graded setting can provide longer lasting discipleship opportunities when someone may not want to be a youth leader, but does want to disciple a student one-on-one. Check out Capital Hill Baptist Church’s Core Seminar program for a great example of this
http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/we-equip/adults/core-seminars/
Even though the Core Seminars are listed under Adults, they are open, and encouraged, for High School students
“At an age when restlessness and the search for identity intensifies, high school students will find no better model for a satisfied heart than in a church of committed believers and a home where the gospel is lived out day by day. As we involve high school students in our Sunday and Wednesday services, we show them that they are part of something greater, that there are people beyond their family who love them, pray for them, and live out the worldview taught them by parent and church.
In place of an age-specific class for high schoolers, we encourage these students to come to CHBC’s Core Seminars to engage with Scriptural teaching. By authenticating in our church what parents teach at home, we show high school students a hope far greater than any this world can give.”
http://www.capitolhillbaptist.org/we-equip/students/high-school/
3 | Chris
Friday, October 3, 2008, at 11:50am
I have worked with students and been a youth pastor for over 25 years which included two terms in Spain.
Your (and our) search to the question why do students drop out after high school is one we need to be asking and I appreciate your article.
What bothers me in the search for answers is that I believe we have completely missed it. While serving in Spain I came to see that within the Catholic Church ones relationship with the “Church” was more important than ones relationship with God. We are doing something similar in our churches in the United States with students. We have become so intent on making sure students build a relationship with engaged adults that we have gotten away from building a relationship with God.
I believe we have not given students a correct and deep understanding of God and Christ and until we do students will continue to walk out of the church after high school. Over the years I have seen less than 10% of former high school students walk away from the church and the vast majority of the 90% not only continue to attend church but become active in serving in the church. It all begins and ends with a passionate love relationship with God.
Have we come to the place where we believe that just by attending church they will get to know God or do we strive to teach them to truly KNOW, LOVE, and SERVE God? (Matthew 22:37)
4 | Dennis Schwarm
Friday, October 3, 2008, at 1:26pm
Hi,
I work with University Students in the UK and I can’t encourage you enough to listen to “Fuller Youth Institute” Podcast. Go to iTunes and type in Fuller Youth Institute and a great podcast comes up.
The area that I work in is with young men and mentoring them on in Jesus. If we don’t get men, we don’t get society or the culture. Young men spend so much emotional energy trying to get affirmed by women, so they pursue habits and behaviors that just denigrate them. What they really need is for them to have men “CONFIRM” manhood on them. Only men can tell another man that He is a Man” Not a women!
Press on
Tim
5 | Timothy Wright
Sunday, October 5, 2008, at 2:51pm
Great resources!! I am just taking on our Young Adult / Career / College Sunday School group from scratch, and am seeking resources. This site will be of tremendous ministerial value. Thank you!!
6 | Jim Nielsen
Monday, October 6, 2008, at 5:10pm
These are all great comments, and the feedback from Chris is one I want to weigh in on.
We certainly need to teach people to develop a deep, love relationship with Jesus Christ. That should be a given.
I think the issue is that students/young adults/anyone needs to see the love of Christ in someone before they can desire the same kind of relationship with Jesus. Too often, we teach the Bible, but the people who teach have head knowledge have really never been transformed themselves.
I think that is a big part of the problem and a big reason why people see hypocrites and not followers of Christ in our churches.
Unchurched need to see the real thing in Christ-followers
7 | Jim Johnston
Monday, October 6, 2008, at 8:40pm
Great post, Jim. I wholheartedly agree that there is a serious disconnect during that summer between high school and starting college for young adults. Most of them are beginning to see true freedom for the first time and it can be a real challenge to keep kids, who are so used to being taught and nurtured, involved in a Young Adult ministry that generally lacks a solid leadership.
I think one possible solution (and one that the YA Ministry at Hermitage Hills is about to try) is to get the Young Adults more directly involved with the student ministry. It is great for adult members of the congregation to take a vested interest in the lives of the “future church,” but why limit it there? If the active members of the Young Adult ministry can begin to work closely with that of the students, it seems that it will facilitate an open dialogue between that “summer of disconnect.” The students will be able to see young adults, not much older than they, who are active in the church and passionate about their relationship with the Savior.
We shall see how it goes. Any thoughts about this approach?
8 | Eric Sherwood
Monday, October 6, 2008, at 9:55pm
I think it is a great approach, Eric. There are a great many young adults looking for some way to serve and I think they would like nothing better than to befriend, teach and disciple our students. I have seen this idea work in many places. I think it would work for HHBC.
9 | Jim Johnston
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, at 7:24am
Our church is small - average Sunday school attendance around 65 (enrollment; however, is around 120). I’m in my second year with the college and careers class. Attendance in this class has been low. About twenty are on the roll. At homecoming, Christmas and Easter I have a large class. Other than that, I’m surprised to have 3-4 in class. The trend has been just as some had mentioned, they begin to get slack in church attendance at about the time they get drivers licenses. I agree with some of the comments that have been made. This is a matter of spiritual growth. Some of these young people have been in homes where parents required church attendance - some were bus kids and came for whatever reason: to socialize or because of genine desire to be in church. Now, they are at a crossroads. It’s decision-making time. Do they choose not to forsake the gathering together as Paul called it or do they give in to the enticements of the world? And, how much responsibility is ours to make sure that church is more attractive to them than the world? I have a 23 year old daughter who is married and in college. I want to do everything I can not to lose her to the chaos and busyness of her life but knowing all that she has going on I realize what she is up against. Many of us have been there, too. We know that Satan will do anything to wear us out so that we just don’t have the energy for God.
What I’m saying essentially is that I’m seeing this from a teacher and a mother’s viewpoint. My pastor and I talk a lot. I’ve talked with the teacher of the teens. We’ve gotten some of the young people involved in AWANA. Still, they don’t come to Sunday school. I’ve begged someone else to teach! I have a volunteer to help me out to add some versatility. I have no problem with that. We continue to be hopeful and prayerful. There is much potential. We recognize it and we’re holding onto it. We know what God can do.
10 | baskingintheson
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, at 4:40pm
You’re definitely right! I just graduated from high school and am now attending a local community college. The student ministry at our church is amazing, and I grew so much in it. It’s been hard for me lately though, because there is really no young adult ministry at all at my church. There is a meeting on Sunday mornings- but all we do is talk and there are three or less who come. I find myself wanting to go to the student sunday school again, but I don’t want the young adult thing to fall apart completely. I still go to the senior high youth group, which is great, but I know that young adults in our church who haven’t been in it during high school would feel awkward coming. I’m not sure what to do…
11 | Carleigh
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at 7:24am
Carleigh, I am so sorry you are struggling with this.
I think you should jump into your church’s young adult ministry and help build it into something great, so the folks coming behind you in the youth group will have a place of ministry for them.
You might think about starting a community Bible study group at someone’s home or apartment. Invite some folks you know at the community college who don’t go to church anywhere. There are probably a great many people who are in the same boat as you.
Also, get some kind of missions project started to meet a need in your community. Do something so amazing that your church will take notice of what’s happening in your YA ministry, so they will take pride in it, like they do with your student ministry.
You can do it. God will show you the steps! If you need help, email me at jim.johnston@lifeway.com
12 | Jim Johnston
Tuesday, October 28, 2008, at 7:58am
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