Young Adult Ministry

Not the Church of Tomorrow, but the Church of Today

“Where have all the young people gone?” – you’ve probably heard this question thrown around in a coffee hour or mentioned in a sermon. There’s a rightful concern about declining interest in Christianity among young adults. The curated resources below provide some helpful insight into the kinds of help young adults could use to feel welcome and supported in their congregations.

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  • Taking our Pulse: Engaging Young Adults by Jacob Sierra

    “Where have all the young people gone?” – we’ve probably all heard this familiar grumble in our churches. Many are concerned about the declining interest in Christianity among young adults. Jacob Sierra takes us through the learnings from an Episcopal Pulse survey (Jan 2024) on why Episcopalians think young adults aren’t interested in the church, and how we can continue to engage them.

  • A Young Leader’s Mission by Montserrat Calvo Corella

    Montserrat Calvo Corella, coordinator of the Diocesan Youth Commission of the Costa Rican Episcopal Church, describes her experience as a young leader in her diocese – facing what she calls “adult-centrism” and a limited budget for youth programming. She also shares of her own plans to invigorate youth engagement in the church.

  • Too young to lead? by Liz Luna

    We often hear the phrase “the youth is the future of the church”. In drawing from her own experience growing up in the church, Liz Luna asks an important question: how can we expect youth to become leaders if you don't give them opportunity to grow and to showcase their abilities?

Watch
  • Mission-Based Budgeting: A Loving, Liberating, Life-Giving Practice presented by Canon Phyllis Jones (60 minutes)

    As discussed in the articles above, if your congregation wants to build a young adult ministry, it needs to reflect this priority in its finances. In her webinar, Canon Phyllis Jones explores “mission-based budgeting”, a framework which sees our roles as stewards of a living, breathing community of disciples.

Do
  • Too young to lead?: Reflect on Liz Luna's Questions by Liz Luna

    How is your congregation preparing young or new leaders? How do you handle disagreements in your congregation? We encourage your Vestry or ministry team to take an hour or so to discuss some reflection questions based on Liz Luna’s blog post “Too Young to Lead?”.

  • Life After Youth Group - Discussion Questions by Ed Zeigler

    One of the Episcopal Pulse survey on young adult engagement findings was that most churches fail to engage youth after they reach a certain age. Ed Zeigler of Trinity Church, Houston, offers a discussion guide you can use with a young person in your congregation to encourage them to stay engaged in the Church even after they go onto college.