Reaching Young Adults
What We’ve Learned & What We’re Noticing
Pizza, popcorn, and Pepsi is great but without meaningful conversation - their time is better spent elsewhere.
We love Deep Meaningful Conversation cards and make sure to have start questions with our nametags each week to jumpstart connection.
Students crave events that invite deeper connection.
Learning how to pray, discovering scriptures that can guide everyday decisions, and having mentors make all the difference!
One of the best shifts we made in our ministry with the most noticeable spiritual impact was organizing to meet with our student leaders one on one each week to read and discuss scripture together. We don’t provide all the answers (we don’t have them!), but this intentional change has radically shifted our culture from one of programming to one of spiritual growth. Often times other students will want to crash these discussions and we end up talking about faith with more students than we planned.
Young adults are seeking discipleship!
According to the most recent Barna research, Gen Z now leads ALL generations in church attendance. Why not embrace their commitment through sharing leadership and decision making with them?
We get feedback from students regularly and one of the common responses is their desire to do MORE! Young adults want to be involved and are way more capable than you might think. As ministry leaders, we have to intentionally try to do less “in front” and “behind-the-scenes” work so that our efforts don’t take away opportunities for young people to live our their faith by serving.
Gen Z is leading the way.
Authentic followers of Jesus living out what they say they believe.
You don’t need the newest or the flashiest. Don’t follow the trends. The most important witness we can give to young people is living out the teachings of Jesus authentically - and being honest where we fall short and are trying to do better.
There will always be a bigger church doing more things with more people, but we have found and experienced the Holy Spirit in just tending to the basics. Before students graduate, we try to give them the basics they need to go forward in discipleship. Do they know who Jesus is? Can they speak about the difference Christ makes in their life? Do they know how to pray or where to go in Scripture when they need a word from God? Do they have a people to belong to? Do they have a heart for others? We try to keep the main thing the main thing.
You make Wesley a place students call home.
Young people are looking for belonging - and they find it at Wesley. Your monthly giving makes that possible as you open the door and make room for students.
This is The Home. And it’s hosted by you.
