Twenty Somethings talk about Twenty Somethings
26. Aug, 2010 
1 Comment
Two guys, one I know personally and one I don’t, have blogged a bit on the issues facing how the church reaches, engages and ministers to young adults.
Ben Lemery I know from the ordaining body I’m part of, Messenger Fellowship. Ben lives in Santa Cruz, California and blogs at Bl:Ben Lemery . Tyler Braun blogs at Man of Depravity – I haven’t had the privilege of meeting him but I do recommend his blog along with Ben’s. Both of these guys blogged a response to the article that appeared recently in the New York Times called: What Is It About 20-Somethings? by Robin Marantz Henig. Links to both their posts follow:
Ben Lemery: Rethinking How We Reach 20-Somethings
“If the article is true and young adults seem to take longer maturing, then I have to wonder what that means for organizations that are actively reaching out to this age group, such as churches and campus ministries. If young adults change jobs on an average of seven times, it certainly clarifies why so many do not feel an obligation to stay in their current churches on a long term basis.
This may be a problem for the current members but it could be an excellent opportunity to help steer these aspiring visionaries onto potential paths of adventure to help them “find their identity.” That may sound a little psychobabblish but hear me out.”
Tyler Braun: 20-Somethings and Emerging Adulthood
“People debate whether this funk 20-somethings in today’s culture find themselves in is really a new life stage that has developed or whether they just need to have some more motivation for life. But the reality is that this is where people like me and my friends find ourselves: searching for the marrow of life.
The implications for the church are many, but the biggest is that the traditional church approach to have a college ministry that leads into a marriage ministry no longer applies. In fact, I don’t think we have fully realized how to effectively minister to people in their 20s who find themselves going through this struggle.”
