Fact: There are places around our world that have no access to clean water, therefore thousands of children die every week because of disease caused by unclean drinking water. Fact: There are more slaves today than at any point in human history. Fact: Sex trafficking has become a multi-billion dollar industry around the world and endangers the lives of countless young women, young men, and children. Those are the facts. No doubt, some troubling issues are at hand in our world. Millennials are asking, "What are we going to do … [Read more...]
Why Young Adults Desire Spiritual Depth
The conversation about the absence of Millennials in churches has been front and center recently. The largest generation to ever be alive in our country is not connecting to our churches the way previous generations have. The question remains…why not? In a previous post, I started the conversation concerning four markers that are important to young adults and college students (read that post HERE). For young adult ministry leaders, these are components we must consider if we genuinely desire to connect with the young adults in our … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Foster Community with Young Adults
I've had countless conversations recently about what it looks like to do collegiate and young adult ministry in churches. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some amazing formula we could put into place and – PRESTO – young adults are showing up and involved ministry? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. There have been a number of studies pointing toward the decline of Millennials being involved in churches. There are questions about who they are, what motivates them, and how they interact with the church. My own recent conversations … [Read more...]
3 Ways Churches Can Reverse the Absence of Millennials
There’s been much buzz on the Internet recently about the absence of young adults in churches. Numerous blogs, research statistics, and denominational reports point toward this significant decline. There have been countless comments and conversations about the reasons Millennials are not connecting to church. But I’m not quite ready to say "the sky is falling" just yet. Why? Because I believe the Lord is going to use this generation significantly to proclaim the kingdom of God in a world that’s seeking for hope in something. There … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Sharing Is Good for Leaders
Mom and your kindergarten teacher said it best – It really is a good thing to share! Recently, I've had the opportunity to travel around the country and meet with some of my heroes – collegiate and young adult leaders in churches and on college campuses. The creativity and energy these leaders possess provides countless opportunities to connect with college students and young adults in our communities and on our campuses. But I have a confession to make: Some of my best ideas as a college minister were not my own. Many of those … [Read more...]
Why Should Leaders Proceed With Caution?
There's major road construction happening near my home. While driving along this obstacle course of a road recently, a sign caught my attention. It was flashing the warning, “Proceed with caution!” every few seconds. I thought to myself, Has that sign been there for the past few days or is it new? Had I completely looked past the sign and proceeded with no caution on this path that seems to change every day? For those of us leading college students and young adults, these "proceed with caution" warnings have several important … [Read more...]
3 Ways To Connect With College Students This Summer
If it hasn’t happened already, college students from your church and community are starting to roll back into town for a few months of summer jobs, reconnecting with high school buddies, and watching complete seasons of their favorite TV series they missed while off at college. So here are two questions for your church body to consider: What role will your church play in keeping students plugged in during the summer? Does your church have a plan for connecting with college students during the summer? Whether it’s … [Read more...]
Do Groups Really Matter?
Anytime I'm in the presence of collegiate or young adult ministry leaders, I’m always intrigued by the conversations that surface about our ministries. “What does your large group worship time look like?” “What are some of the issues you're tackling in your group gatherings?” “What type of missions opportunities does your group do?” Are those relevant and important questions to ask? Absolutely. They're all aspects of what draws young adults to our ministries and keeps them involved with the ministry as a whole. However, … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Overcome Disappointment in Ministry
We’ve all been there. We planned something for months and the day finally comes--and only 3 people show up. We had a significant conversation with someone in our collegiate or young adult ministry about a life decision--and a few days later, they're making choices as if that conversation never happened. Disappointment is a regular factor of ministry, but it's a topic we rarely discuss. We often treat it like a forbidden topic to talk about as leaders. So how do we deal with disappointment in ministry? I’ll be honest: … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Celebrate Heroes in Ministry
Everyone loves a hero. There’s just something that stirs within us when a hero shows up to save the day. As I recently sat with strangers in a sold out theatre, I observed (and participated in) the spontaneous applause when the hero did something that proved he was fighting for something bigger than himself – when he was fighting for something that mattered. For those of us who lead collegiate and young adult ministries, there are heroes in our midst every single time we gather. We could never do what we do without the … [Read more...]
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