4 Steps to Start a Young Adult Ministry

4 Steps to Start a Young Adult Ministry

Embarking on the journey of starting a young adult ministry is an exciting endeavor! As churches seek to connect with groups of individuals between 18 and 35 years old, there's a need for intentional efforts to foster spiritual growth, community, and engagement. In this article, we'll explore four crucial steps to kickstart a vibrant young adult ministry within your church community.

STEP 1: WHO

Identifying young adults you can partner with to build a young adult ministry is the vital first step.  You really only need 2 or 3 young adults to begin this journey.  In regards to the “who” of young adult ministry, I would like to suggest a few characteristics that will help you identify individuals you can partner with to start a young adult ministry.

The Social Bug - This is an individual who knows no stranger! It is vital to have someone who will invite their friends!  Also, the energy this extrovert brings will brighten the room and usually will help spark new ideas for keeping things relevant and effective towards your local ministry. 

The Workhorse - This individual is ready to serve!  If you need them there early to help set up board games in the living room or help get the coffee ready, they're there! They believe in the young adult ministry and will be one of your most valuable members because they care deeply about what they are a part of.

The Faithful One - No I am not talking about Jesus (though He is faithful)! I am talking about the individual who contributes just one thing… showing up!  This person will be someone you can count on to be at your small group, event, or a particular outing. After you have been doing young adult ministry for three years, they will still be there… I promise!

The Social Media Expert - As I write this article in 2024, it is paramount that you have a social media presence to reach young adults.  I would suggest just having an instagram or a facebook (don’t do too much!). There is at least one young adult in your church that knows how to manage a social media account, take photos, make reels, etc.  Even if they only know a little, nurture that gift and it WILL grow in them!

The Hype Man - This individual will get excited and promote every gathering every time they see a young adult!  They want to see you not just on time to a small group but come early! They bring the energy and charisma that is so needed as young adults are coming off work and to your gathering.

The Disciple - Hear me out… I’m not saying someone who is a scholar and knows every doctrine and philosophy.  I am simply talking about someone who loves to know the Bible and is ready to dive into the Word!  They will help steer the energy of your meeting when you have devotion time or Bible studies!

Though these are only some characteristics… As your young adult ministry grows, you will see these types of people as the ones you need along the journey.

STEP 1.5: HOW OLD?

Though this is a four step article, I wanted to throw this in!  The Barna Group classifies a young adult as someone who is 18-35 years old. This is our approach as well.  At the Gather Network, we characterize a Young Adult as someone between the ages of 18 and 35 embarking on their journey into the "real world," while growing in a relationship with God.

Now, depending on your ministry context, the ages you reach will vary.  For ministries starting in a college or urban town, you may focus solely on 18-24 years of age.  If you are in a rural area or a smaller church, you will probably focus on a larger spectrum of age, that being 18-35 years old.  If you are like us, finding yourself somewhere in between, we focus on the ages of 18-29 years old. According to your immediate ministry context you can make a judgment on what age gap your ministry should cover!

STEP 2: WHERE

Choosing the right setting for your young adult ministry plays a pivotal role in its effectiveness. Whether it's a dedicated space within the church, a local coffee shop, a living room setting, or even outdoor venues, the environment should be inviting and conducive to the type of young adults you are reaching. Young adults often appreciate relaxed and informal settings where they can engage in open conversations about faith, life, and purpose. I would like to offer up four spaces that you can consider to start your young adult ministry in, while also sharing some of our mistakes we have made in our ministry.

The Worship Service

Start big, right?  For some larger churches, this avenue may work immediately.  If you already have a large group of young adults at your church, this may be the route for you. Or if you are in a college town, it may just fit the DNA of what you are aiming for. With a warm welcome, praise and worship, followed with a message it may be just what you need.  But for most, this may only be an idea you can hold onto for a while.  

For us, we started with worship services twice a month in 2020 thinking we would have thirty young adults show up just because we invited them to a worship service! I mean come on, what else do you want? But it turns out this is not what we needed for our ministry at our church. To give hindsight, we just moved to a worship service six months ago which happened three years into the ministry! This idea did not work well up front as we sporadically had anywhere from 2-15 young adults show up in 2020, still without a core group of young adults to grow on.

The Church Classroom

The church classroom is a staple for any ministry… It's the bread and butter.  It is an easy and available space you can consider for your ministry. It is usually already provided and there is little to no prep… you just show up!  For churches in rural areas this may be a great fit.  However, I would like to share our experience in this space.

In 2021, we moved to a church classroom.  We thought maybe doing a small group in a church classroom would be a cause for growth on Wednesday nights because everyone comes to church on Wednesday, right? We quickly learned that was not the case. A lot of our young adults worked on Wednesdays so it was hard to grow the ministry and reach young adults when they were working. 

Another reason this avenue did not work for us is simply because of what it was… a classroom.  Most young adults now in 2024 do not see cold tile floors, rows of chairs, and a lecture style interaction as very inviting and warm.  Is a classroom setting effective? If you make it!  An idea to help with this is by adding some string lights, adding a coffee maker, adding living room type furniture, and some photos of the group will make it feel inviting and warm!

The Coffee Shop

The coffee shop is the place to be! If you are in a college town, most students go to a local coffee shop to study and spend time with friends.  This trend has picked up over the last several years even in towns that do not have a college or university.

The coffee shop provides a warm environment where everyone can gather around a table or pick a favorite seat to drink coffee, have conversations, read the Bible, and offer prayer.  Though we have not tried this personally, I have seen other young adult ministries take this route to mix up the energy and be intentional to step outside of the church walls and go out into the community to gather.  This option also offers a more accessible route to inviting other young adult friends to a familiar space in your community they probably have already been to!

The Living Room Setting (My recommendation!)

It is hard to beat a home environment as the gathering place for a young adult ministry.  Young adults coming from work or class are looking for an informal space where they can let their guard down and have fun with other young adults.  The living room setting communicates family and that is exactly what you are trying to build.  Other reasons a living room setting is a great idea is for events, and celebrations.  Whether you are all coming over to watch a sports game, a Christian movie, or to play board games, young adults will have so much fun!

In 2022, we decided to move to a living room setting.  This was the right fit for our ministry. We doubled in size because everyone loved it!  Young Adults love getting together in a home environment where they can hangout. And truth be told, we solely focused on two areas: christian environment and christian community.  We didn’t do a devotion… we played board games!  And they loved it!  The living room setting provides that family atmosphere that is safe and at ease.  I would recommend this idea to anyone starting a young adult ministry.

STEP 3: HOW

Methods

Crafting engaging and relevant opportunities is essential to capture the interest of young adults. Many would think you need to incorporate dynamic worship experiences, interactive Bible studies, and opportunities for mentorship and discipleship. The best of the best! However, you most likely have everything you need to sustain a young adult ministry already. In fact I would recommend you focus on one area: do what it takes to add just one more young adult to your group.  A lot of times we focus on a general picture of reaching people… but you really need to focus on the next young adult.  And I am here to tell you that “next young adult” is the friend of those who are already a part of your ministry.

We saw effectiveness happen when we simply provided a Christian environment and board games! No devotion, or worship time… just board games! Some may disagree with this approach, but we must remember it doesn’t matter how you do ministry if no one wants to come!  We must reach young adults through methods that align with the DNA of our church and ministry context.  Here are some methods as you begin your ministry you can consider:

• Coffee and the Word

• Board Games

• A Worship Song followed by a Devotion

• Fun events (Friendsgiving, christmas party, going to the lake, etc.)

• Seasonal ideas (bonfires in fall, cookout in the summer, hot chocolate bar in the winter)

• Host Homes (Schedule a once-a-month gathering at a different home each month. This keeps the ministry fun and exciting!)

Communication

Another “how” of young adult ministry is communication.  It is essential to have consistent contact with your young adults.  We recommend one social media page and one group message opportunity.  When we started, we focused on instagram as a social media opportunity. Some may choose facebook or another platform.  Having a social media presence is essential in 2024.  Millennials and Gen Z  are going to be on their phone, so make sure they see you there!

For group messaging, I recommend GroupMe.  GroupMe is free and is pretty dynamic in what you are able to do. It provides group messaging, creating events and polls to see how your young adults feel about ideas you have.  Also, when you meet a young adult you want to invite to your ministry, just ask them if they want to be added to the GroupMe. I have never had anyone say no!

STEP 4: HOW LONG?

Our young adult ministry didn't start to grow until a year and a half in! Yes, you heard that right!  For roughly 585 days I was on a quest to figure out what effective ministry looked like.  The grass is not greener on the other side, I promise.  In fact, as you have probably heard, the grass is greener where you get rooted and invest!  We believe every church can have a sustainable model of young adult ministry… but you have to stick with it!

Most young adult ministry leaders have full-time jobs and lead a young adult ministry because they feeled called to it.  I want to encourage you to keep things simple as you start a young adult ministry. Year to year you will see growth and opportunities to add or adjust what you do.  God will bless your efforts and give you longevity.  And always remember, the Gather Network will be ready to assist and help you as you begin this journey!