The ministries we tend to see in churches across the board are youth, women’s, men’s, children’s, etc. The ministry that is not everywhere, however, is Young Adult ministry. Young adults are the people in the age range of 18-30. It is not always easy to get connected with other people in this group due to college, trying to find jobs, getting married, or even having kids. So much happens in these formative years that finding a group to do life with can be daunting.
While establishing this community may be challenging, it brings a deep sense of security when you have one. It is a group of people who are also going through major seasons of life change to talk with, do life with, and grow with.
This means that we have an incredible opportunity to create this community! So, here are 10 easy steps to start a young adult ministry at your church.
1. Cover the future ministry in prayer
One of our greatest privileges and joys is the ability to talk with the Lord. This is the perfect opportunity to, before anything really gets started, submit this ministry to Jesus and to pray for His will to be done over it all. Building a ministry fully submitted to the Lord sets you up with the most stable foundation you could ask for.
2. Food. Always start with food
As far as what the first action step should be in getting people interested in building a community, it’s easy! Feed them. The best way to begin a group is to take it somewhere. Go to your local college, a public park, etc., with food and games. A few pizzas and a game of volleyball create a stress-free environment for people to start chatting with each other.
3. Start adding elements of worship/prayer
From there, you can start a rhythm of worship, prayer, food, and games. You can do this by getting someone who plays an instrument like a guitar and sing 1-2 worship songs. Do this before jumping into the food, fun, and fellowship. This is the beginning of transitioning from a group of people who play games to a ministry.
4. Ask people you trust to be leaders
Not everyone you know is ready to lead, so make sure you ask people you trust to steer this ministry with you. You want not only to consider their natural talents, abilities, and affinities but also their heart and their relationship with Jesus. Appointing a worship leader with all the talent in the world is cool, but if they stir up strife and drama all the time, you may want to allow them the space to grow first before asking them to lead. You also want to build a team that is truly a team. Ministry is less effective if your leadership team moves in 10 different directions. This is not to justify surrounding yourself with “yes men,” though. It is not about having people on a team who never disagree; it’s about building a team around one vision. If you are all in agreement on a common mission, then when you disagree, you can point back to the vision and allow that to steer you rather than emotions.
5. Create a schedule
Continue meeting at the same location for games, food, and worship/prayer, but now is the time to start planning an evening where you can meet (maybe at someone’s house or your church) every week for a devotional, fellowship, and probably more food. Having a familiar schedule/place to meet will help the people in your community start to feel a sense of “home” and “belonging” in this ministry. This is when you can start to see people opening up more, going deeper in conversation, and the brotherly/sisterly bonds will form. (You can even set up a system where you partner with people in your church who are willing to host your groups in their homes. For example, pool parties!)
6. Get trusted mentors to advise you
Proverbs 15:22 (NIV) says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers, they succeed.” It is important to have trusted church leaders mentor you as you continue forward on this journey of establishing a young adult ministry. You not only want to have people who can advise you on the next steps, but you also want people in your corner to help you align the young adult ministry with the church’s overall ministry. Not only can you get advice from these mentors, but as you integrate as a ministry of your church, you can find safety and protection under your church’s umbrella.
7. Make sure to include fun events
It can be easy to look down on something like a dodgeball event. Still, there is something healing about being in an environment of other people in your stage of life and releasing stress through laughter and physical movement. In this space, you can form friendships and create strong bonds. You can even start to plan bigger events for the group. Trips to the beach, conferences to attend together, camping/hiking trips, retreats, etc. You form memories by having fun together, but these events also open up spaces where you can cry together, confess to one another, and find safety in your community.
8. Have a thick skin
You will have people disagree with your decisions, and that’s okay! Be willing to genuinely listen to the feedback, pray about it, talk with your mentors about it, and then you can choose to either implement it or shelf it from there. As stated previously, disagreements will happen, even within your own team. Not only will it happen, but it’s better when it does. It is better because you will have blind spots, and having a team that isn’t afraid to help you with those helps you grow and shows that your team is comfortable and safe enough to talk about hard things.
9. Be an active listener
This step goes hand-in-hand with step 8. Don’t just blindly “uh huh” the feedback people give you; genuinely listen. This reinforces to your community that not only are you a safe person to talk to, but you will also go the extra mile to genuinely understand from where they are coming. Don’t approach conversations with your community as tasks to get over with; constantly remind yourself that each person is unique and valuable. Remind yourself that it probably takes a lot of guts for them to talk with you about this difficult thing, or remind yourself that they have been wrestling with the things they are talking to you about for a while. Don’t just make them feel valued; value them.
10. Be prepared for change
Anytime you try to start a new Young Adult ministry, changes will occur all throughout the process as the ministry grows and leadership structures are established. Don’t be afraid to make adjustments along the way. There will be people who won’t agree with the changes, and you may even see people leave or step down from leadership roles, but continue to follow the guidance of the Lord and lean on the advice of trusted mentors.
Now, get out there! Start building a safe community today!
