Lead a Weblog for Young Adult Leaders

Discipleship is one of those things that everyone wants but many struggle to pursue or even understand. And, yes, healthy discipleship is difficult as it takes intentionality, time, and effort. However, we often make it much more difficult than it really has to be. In fact, many analyze it to such an extent that they have trouble getting started. We don’t want to fall into this trap and we’d imagine that you don’t either. Thus, in an effort to help, we’ve recently surveyed some of the nation’s leading collegiate and young adult ministry leaders about their opinions on this topic. We’re seeing patterns and trends develop that we’ll use in articles like this and in future work.

Welcome back to our monthly video blog for leaders featuring Threads’ young adult ministry specialist Jason Hayes. Each month Jason will take a couple of minutes to share leadership advice that will help you take your ministry to the next level. This week’s video defines what we mean when we talk about striving for depth in ministering to young adults.

One of the key attributes of leaders is that they go out in front and show others the way. Leading in the church means maintaining a balance: be above reproach but also remain among the people. Leading young adults is no exception. However, leading the next generation requires an attitude of indebtedness to the followers—leaders don’t exist without followers. So let me share with you a few critical issues from the perspective of these young adult followers.

Craig Mintz experienced first-hand what an intensive discipleship experience can do in a person’s life while at the University of North Carolina. So, he took what he learned on the college campus and put it into practice at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tennessee.

We are living in an interesting time in history. For what is likely the first time in the history of the Christian church, generations aren’t worshiping together. It now appears normal to see older generations meeting together wearing suits and singing hymns, boomers wearing Hawaiian shirts and singing peppy songs about how Jesus changed their lives, and emerging generations meeting in dark rooms singing in minor keys. But, from an historical perspective, this is not normal. Beyond that, it is ultimately harmful to the church.

Ministry leaders, this month’s leader tip by Jason Hayes deals with our responsibility as Christ-followers to share a complete gospel with the world. Participating in social action without sharing the message of the gospel just isn’t sufficient in terms of bringing people to Jesus. Take a minute to watch this month’s leader tip video blog.

Ahh, fall … It’s time to breathe in the crisp air, admire the beautifully changing leaves, and log way too many hours in front of the TV watching college football. But it’s also the perfect season to strengthen the friendships in your young adult community. Check out our staff picks for some fall-tastic ways to fellowship.

Welcome to the first installment of our new monthly video blog for leaders featuring Threads’ young adult ministry specialist Jason Hayes. Each month Jason will take a couple of minutes to share leadership advice that will help you take your ministry to the next level.

The air on a college campus just breathes better. There is life and energy, even on a rainy day. I’ve just returned from spending time on 4 campuses where 140,000 university students do life. Baptist Collegiate Ministry and local churches are engaged in reaching and developing students on these campuses.

The beginning of the fall semester is the most opportune time to reach students on a college campus. And boy do we put a lot of energy and resources into those first few weeks. But once the semester is in full swing, how do we continue to be a visible and welcome presence on campus?