The Tough Reality of Young Adult Ministry
My friend Jason Smith sent me a link to a story that confirms something I have been seeing first-hand for a while.
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. Alcoholism and drug abuse are running rampant in this generation. Obsessive compulsive disorder and bi-polar disorder are being diagnosed in increasingly large numbers within this generation.
If you serve in young adult ministry, this probably makes sense to you. You are running into this head on.
A large group of people are moving into their adult years without the benefit of being loved and effectively guided by their parents and their minds and hearts are falling apart. I am going to write more on this subject and its impact on the church next week, but I wanted to give everyone this information now.
This is the untold truth of young adult ministry. If you’re not willing to get messy with people and invest your lives in these folks who are hurting beyond belief, then you’re probably NOT going to be successful.The good news is, God can equip you for the tough ministry He has called you into.
About the Author
Jim Johnston has worked in a variety of roles, ranging from marketing to publishing to Internet development. Prior to coming to LifeWay, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Montgomery Advertiser and also 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 5 replies so far
Our singles small group leadership team has had many conversations lately about the seemingly high numbers of dysfunctional young adults in our 20-something ministry (especially among the men). While we agree that these are truly the ministry opportunities, if we’re completely honest, inside we wish we had well-adjusted young adults who want to grow in their relationships with Christ. Instead it seems like we get sucked into a vortex of dealing with the recurring issues mentioned in the linked article and fail to see much real personal growth. As a lay minister to single adults who has a full-time secular job and a large family, it seems like I’m in way over my head. Is it my imagination, or has this become alot harder over the past few years? I feel called to work with this age group, but where are the 20-something young men who desire God?
1 | steve
Friday, December 5, 2008, at 9:35am
Steve, It’s not your imagination.
I am dealing with almost the same set of issues in my ministry as you are. It’s overwhelming.
It’s just stark reality today. If a boy runs through his entire life without seeing what Christian manhood looks like, how he is going to be a highly functioning Christian man? We have tons of young men in our country who have grown up without Christian fathers influencing them for good. They are now growing into their 20s and they are completely lost.
There are many great Christian young men in their 20s. I work with quite a few here at LifeWay, but I know them from all over the country. The problem is, there are way fewer of them than there should be.
The only thing I know to do is to pair these guys with great, very patient male role models to disciple them and teach them how to live as Christian men.
Don’t try to do this yourself. You’re going to need lots of help. Find some older guys in your church who are willing to take this on.
I hope this helps some. Not much in the way of easy answers. I know first hand.
My prayers are with you.
2 | Jim Johnston
Friday, December 5, 2008, at 9:52am
Thank you for the article and thank you all for the comments. This gives me some understanding as to what is going on in my own class and ministry.
3 | Christopher Wegley
Monday, December 8, 2008, at 10:59am
I agree that many young men have much more “important” things going on in their lives than church. I am now being faced with young men who were brought up in a youth group and dropped after High School graduation. Many of them are discovering the real world and lose the support of peers that go away to college and the church due to a nonexistent young adult ministry. I really want these young men to see our now-growing young adult ministry as the next step in spiritual involvement. Do you have any advice on advertising in a non-pushy way to young men who are probably distracted and busy and uninterested in church as usual?
4 | Parke Bailey
Thursday, January 8, 2009, at 12:13pm
Parke, I have two thoughts. One, I might create groups that meet the real world needs these guys have — financial planning, resume building, job-finding. I would also create a group that is about real world issues for guys — porn, dating, substance abuse, lifestyle issues. Too many of these guys have no mentors, no one to look to to ask tough questions of. I would find a Christ-like man who could handle the rawness of a group like this and really bond with these guys. I would advertise these groups on bulletin boards in health clubs, gyms, mixed martial studios, Wal-Marts, coffee shops, computer stores, bike shops, etc. You are doing some of the most important ministry in the world today — reaching young men for Christ. May God bless you RICHLY!
5 | Jim Johnston
Thursday, January 8, 2009, at 12:28pm
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