26 Mar Why I Have Loved Young Adults Ministry
When I became a Christian, I felt a very clear call on my life to do youth ministry. That’s where my heart has always been, and no matter where the Lord takes me, I believe my heart will always beat the loudest for youth ministry.
However, this year, I was given the task of running our Young Adults ministry. I was excited, but also pretty afraid. As the year has gone on, I have loved doing this ministry. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not easy. There are still kinks to work out, but the Lord has given me such a heart for our YAs as the year has gone on. Let me tell you why I have loved our Young Adults ministry.
First, they are hungry. They want the truth. They want God’s Word. They already live in a world that feeds them nonsense and garbage and false doctrines and self-help. What they’re searching for are deep, meaningful truths that they can apply to their lives. They want the meat, not the milk. One reason I love this is because it has challenged me to grow in what I know from God’s Word. I absolutely love that young adults come on Thursday nights expecting to learn something. It’s awesome.
The second reason I have loved Young Adults ministry is because it has given me the chance to be a small group leader again. We have this thing called “Welcome Group” that you have to come to for a certain number of weeks before you can join a small group to show that you are committed to the ministry, so we don’t have a revolving door of people in and out of small groups. Julie Sloan has helped me run this, and it has been a blessing to be a small group leader again. Asking questions and seeing people’s hearts through their answers and what they think about God is wind in my sails. It also gives me great reminders every week about what my leaders are doing.
Thirdly, YAs are loads of fun. Sure, they debate about serious stuff from God’s Word, but they also debate stuff like which superhero would win in a fight, or which era of sports is the best, and which TV character your personality lines up with. They play signal until almost 1am at retreats. They play bump or volleyball until I have to be the bad guy and kick them out. These young adults are a lot of fun.
Another reason is that they love to serve. A very high percentage of our young adults serve in one, if not multiple ministries within the church. You’ve likely seen Luke on the greeting team. You’ve probably seen Tomi in the toddler room. You maybe haven’t seen Brandon in the booth, but you’ve heard what he does. You’ve likely seen Leona in almost every ministry in the church. They love to serve, because they love Christ. It’s so clear that these young adults want to put feet to their faith, so they find any way they can to do that.
Finally, I love this ministry because the Lord is knitting my heart to them. As I pray for them, as I pray with them, as I chat with them, as I worship with them, as I serve with them, the Lord is helping me to love them more and more each Thursday. This would not be possible without the Lord doing this in my heart. Not because they are difficult to love, but just because it’s only been a few months, and though I don’t know all of them well, I would gladly serve them however I can.
That’s why I have loved Young Adults ministry, and why I will miss having “formal” ministry for the next few Thursdays.
1 John 4:7 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God
