Young Adult Ministries

Introduction

Young people form a precious, most important part of God’s church. They are not only the “church of the future,” but also the church of the present.

When Timothy was just a young adult in the church, Paul wrote him the following counsel: “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers…” (I Tim. 4:12).

Christ created the church to be a fellowship where people share in a common purpose and help one another grow in faith. The strength, vigor and fresh ideas of the young adults in our church family are needed to accomplish the great commission of Jesus to give the Gospel to all the world.

The church is a servant body. It was created for service or “ministry.” It serves the Lord in praise, serves one another in love, and serves the world in humility. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).

God calls every member of the church, young and old alike, into ministry. As a young adult leader, you are a minister called by God to a vital ministry within your congregation and in your community. God supplies each person in the church with the resources for ministry—scripture, spiritual power, God’s character, and spiritual gifts.

Duties of the Young Adult Coordinator

Your ministry as the young adult coordinator can be described in the following ways:

Young adult ministries committee. You will need to meet with those who nurture young adults in Sabbath School, the “Young Adult Club” and any other young adult ministries of the church. The agenda of this meeting will include the scheduling of all fund raisers and trips for the year and a discussion of the Bible learning curriculum planned for each. Together you can reduce overlap, look for gaps in programs, and coordinate efforts. Your leadership as chairperson can encourage a cooperative spirit in which all of the leaders of the various programs work together.
Planning and ideas. In consultation with individual leaders, teachers, and representatives of the young adults, you have a wonderful opportunity to spark new ideas. It is your responsibility to work with the program leaders to draw together an overall plan and budget for a comprehensive program of young adult ministries for the congregation.
Communication. You will represent the interests of young adult ministries to:
- The church board. As a participating member, you have an opportunity to keep the concerns and needs of young adults before the church leaders.
- The pastor. Keep the pastor informed of plans and problems. Listen to concerns and together look for ways to help make the church service interesting and meaningful for young adults.
- The church ministries council. You will join the leaders of the various minis- tries of the church in this council to plan a mix of nurture, witnessing, community service, stewardship, and family life activities for the whole church.
- The Sabbath School leader. You may want to sit down with your pastor, the adult Sabbath School superintendent and the young adult Sabbath School leader to discuss possible overlap of Together you can plan some great cross-generational programs for special Sabbath programs.
- Church treasurer. The treasurer can help you develop an overall budget for the young adult ministries.
Information: You are the primary source of information for the congregation about young adult ministries. You should put together a calendar listing all young adult activities and events for the local church and see that these events get advertised in the church bulletin and newsletter. Keep an up-to-date, permanent record of all the young adults in the church and those non-members who have attended outreach programs or visited on Sabbath. Also, provide information to your leaders about training events and new resources.
Clarify goals. You are responsible for conducting a needs assessment among the young adults in the congregation and the community, and helping the leaders of young adult activities understand these needs and set goals for ministry. You will need to support and encourage the young adult leaders in their programming and evaluate the effectiveness of their programs in meeting the needs. You will want to support the overall church leadership, while at the same time safeguarding the creativity of the young adults so that they may enjoy spiritual nurture in a comfortable, accepting environment.

Resource Centers

For a list of recommended resources, free downloads and websites visit MinistryKits.AdventSource.org

For a complete list of resources visit AdventSource.org, select the store tab and then your ministry.

You can call AdventSource at 402.486.8800 for additional information or if you have questions about ministry. For ministry-related articles, videos, and free downloads visit AdventSource.org.