One prevalent problem in our churches is the disappearance of people from ages 18 to 30 years old. Even the most active youth group students seem to go away to college and virtually disappear off of the radar of many local churches. There are many possibilities as to why this occurs, but one of the biggest reasons is that when they return, their home church no longer feels like home.
When you are an authentic member of a household there are certain responsibilities and privileges that are thrust upon you that aren’t given to guests. For instance, there is a real space for you where you belong; family members do not crash on the couch or sleep on the floor. Secondly, chores or responsibilities are assigned to you; guests do not do dishes or mow the lawn, but family members do. Finally, as a member of the family you have some platform to speak and be heard by the other members, whereas a guest should be politely quiet. Our young adults–especially the single ones–are not finding these things in most of our churches. As a result, we tend to have very few young adults that faithfully attend worship or take part in the life of the church, and even fewer that have any real leadership responsibilities.
The Leadership Exchange is attempting to bridge this gap in two ways. First by equipping and encouraging young adults to take on the responsibilities of leadership by creating environments, opportunities, relationships, and experiences in which young adults can grow and develop to lead in the church and kingdom. And second, by working with all levels and agencies of the Christian Reformed Church to become a denomination in which young adults are equipped, encouraged, and empowered to use their gifts in the church and kingdom by serving God and loving others.
We must pursue young adults. They need what only belonging to the covenant community can offer, and our church needs them even more. As William Willimon says, “For all of us older people, young adults make following Jesus exciting again.” If you are a young adult who desires to develop your leadership gifts and skills, let us know! We would love to assist you in anyway that we can. Likewise, contact us if your church desires to develop its ministries to and with young adults. We would love to help you achieve those goals.
