The Role of Young Adults in the Local Church

Over the last few months, I have been thinking on what the role of a young adult in a local church looks like. Some of my friends believe that a young adult is not really needed in the traditional church setting because it is all liturgical and unlike the lifestyle of young people. We feel that the only churches that can accommodate us are the new and modern mega-churches with community-driven small groups where we can be ourselves and worship in a free-flowing manner.

I have been struggling with the idea because, as we know, many churches have reformatted their worship style or created a special service style for young adults and youth groups. As effective as it is to involve young people in the life of the church, I feel that these contemporary services and programs do not define the role of young adults in any church setting. I say this not to invalidate the authenticity of these initiatives that contribute to the growth of young people within the church. However, I do not think it is enough to keep uphold the church long-term. Having young people programs do not adequately prepare us to transition into seasoned, senior members in the church with the ability to effectively uphold our traditions. Therefore, this is my proposition on what I believe the role of a young adult in the church is.

I am a young single man and a member of the United Methodist Church, so my exposition is based off of the teachings and doctrines of my church/denomination. The United Methodist Church uses the term young adult to identify the status between the youth (12-18 years) and Women or Men Organization (30 years and above) for the laity. The laity refers to those who are not clergy or pastors.

In many Protestant and nondenominational churches today, I see a tendency to believe that the life and growth of the church is the responsibility of the Clergy and employees. This can be seen in a typical church setting where most people just show up on Sunday mornings and may be involved in Bible study group, but are not concerned with some form on evangelism service other days of the week. Many contemporary churches lack basic organizational structures including men or women organizations and a board of trustees. Typically, these contemporary churches just have a group of pastoral staff members. However, I believe this style stunts the long-term growth of the local church; having organizations within a church contributes to its growth and development. And people also get confused on the difference between being a youth and being a young adult. But this is due to the huge similarity between the two organizations. Cognizant of the fact that both youths and young adults in the church participate in activities and contribute to its growth and development through their services, gifts, and prayers. The participation of youths are limited, owing to the fact that youths full participation in church activities are subjected to full supervision or mentorship of a coordinator (as in the UMC), and youths are not income earners unlike young adults.

Roles for young people in the church today have not always existed, and we should accept participation with care. Here are suggested roles that young adults in any local church should be fulfilling:

+Recommend activities, program emphasis, and settings to the Church Council for Young People.

The young adult ministry of any church’s responsibilities should include suggesting new and innovative initiatives and approaches towards congregational care ministries like small groups, evangelism, and community outreach.

+ Be fully involved in the local church.

I view this as not just to being a regular Sunday worshiper, but also being involved in weekly activities of the church such as Bible studies, prayer meetings, tarry, and remaining an active member of the young adult ministry within the church.

+ Educate yourself about the issues facing our society.

As a young adult, one must make him/herself acquainted with activities in and out of the church. This includes being part of activities in the community and being a positive impact on the people around the church and community.

+ Reach out to the community.

As a young adult, one is a Christian, and as Christian one must reach out and be of help to those in need around us. A person could do such by helping out the needy and empower youths or young adult in the community.

+ Develop long-lasting relationships with those from older generations.

As a young adult myself, I know we have the tendency to look upon older people as the ones to blame for the ills we find in our society. We often say the young ones suffer because of the mistakes of our fathers. So there is a need to remember that one must live in mutual and cordial relations with older people and even younger ones, because in the future the young adult will grow to be a man or woman who will then take up the positions now being occupied by the older generation.

+ Take good opportunities as they come; embrace inspiration; and, most importantly, trust and listen to God daily.

A young adult must be aware of the opportunities passing and available to him/her and try to take advantage of them because discipline and success are marks of a good discipleship. And as a good Christian, a young adult must be prayerful and study God’s word.

To conclude, the main role of a young Christians is to strengthen the capacity of the church academically, intellectually, numerically, and morally despite its apparent diversity. We are capable because we are generally more energetic and proactive than any other demographics within the church. Since most young people are not yet married, we have more time to commit to various church activities, and our lack of responsibilities allows us to be a major contributing force to the life of the church.

Honing on our unique gifts and talents will impact the life of our churches. We are in our prime, and we should be using capabilities to the glory of God. These suggested roles do not just apply to young adults of a particular church, but they may serve as a source to reminder for all of us to keep up the fight to live a life worthy of God’s commendation. SHALOM