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Interim Minister and President’s Message
Young adults offer best hope for new life in Christ
April 2001
By Erwin R. Bode
During these past weeks in our Conference Board of Director’s meetings we have been focusing on our Vision for Renewal and Growth initiative concerning ministry with our people under 35 years of age. We are having fascinating discussions about the new life they offer us in our congregations. In this month of Easter as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection and new life, it is fitting I write about the vitality of the youth and young adults who live among us.
I have a special interest in ministry with our young adults. My Uncle Paul’s youthful spirit was an inspiration to me. He was a youth minister for over 40 years, continuing into his early 70’s. Twenty years of my own ordained ministry journey were in campus ministry because I believe so passionately in ministry with young adults. We have three children, all in their 30’s. Ministry with persons under 35 is in my bones!
How do we include young adults in our church life? Questions abound and answers come slowly as we discuss this important matter. What we do know is that our world increasingly is taking its cue from these folks who are currently between the ages of 20 and 37. Our young people, born in the 1960’s and the 1970’s, are quickly taking center stage, and are the key to the future life of our congregations.
Unfortunately, due to the rising divorce rate in the second half of the twentieth century, many of our young people were raised in a broken home. There was often a lack of a stable home environment. Uncertainty abounded. As a result, many young people today yearn for community, and they look for that which they missed as young children. They search for roots, stability, order, and identity. They want a place to belong. They want a community where they can know and be known, but often they are hesitant because they have been burned by broken promises of earlier times.
How do we respond to young adults in our churches in the Conference? The first thing we do is acknowledge how critical it is that we listen to them. The second thing is to admit that we haven’t done that very well. If you are an older adult, take time to speak with a younger person and listen to their opinions. If you’re on a church committee without young adult members, invite a young adult or two to come and give you feedback. If you’re a young adult, speak up and let your voice be heard. And, by all means, don’t hesitate to seek after young adults in the community outside of your church who need to be listened to, want to be welcomed, and who are looking for spiritual nourishment.
Our churches need to develop worship services, alternate music forms, and small groups that provide the community expressions our young people are seeking. Some of our churches are doing quite well in this regard; others are not. Carl McDonald of our Conference staff is available to assist local churches in the area of young adult ministry. He can be contacted at (508) 875-5233, extension 235, or at mcdonaldc@macucc.org.
I pray that God gives us the vision to provide a more youthful community. We gain so much from our young adults. The 21st century church is the richer for their presence. That is why the Massachusetts Conference chose Youth and Young Adult ministry as one of our four main initiatives in our Vision for Renewal and Growth. Their creativity and commitment inspires the rest of us for “doing a new thing.” Our younger people are one of our best hopes for achieving new life in Christ that our Easter season offers us.