- One reason is the perception that worship is passionless. Young adults just will not tolerate watered down, unexplained ritual or poor quality, half-hearted worship. This generation desires to experience God in wholly different ways than did their parents – with their hearts as well as their heads.
- Young adults desire clarity in a world filled with uncertainty. The lack of a clear, unified vision for our churches is a stumbling block.
- They are also perturbed by constant political in-fighting within the denomination. The church’s tendency to make mountains out of molehills seems ridiculous to this highly practical and pragmatic generation.
- Another thing that drives young adults from our doors is criticism of things of little consequence. Churches that balk at having a young person with blue hair or a pierced nose as part of their congregation are essentially assuring their absence.
- They see it as hypocritical when the church states how important their presence is but does nothing. This is a generation of “doers” and not “watchers.” They do not want to send money to missions as much as they want to be part of a missionary endeavor.
- Validate youth and young adult ministry as a primary calling. Those on the front lines of young adult ministry – youth workers, campus ministers, camping directors – have been made to feel that their ministry is not as important as that of other ministries. They often feel little connection and support from those who stand to benefit or suffer greatly from the fruitfulness of their endeavors in the years to come.
Marty Cauley is director of Ministries with Young People for the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.
