For the last couple of decades, the church has been asking: How do we minister to young adults? Many people have ideas, but few are sustainable. Scott Pontier and Mark DeVries offers some insights in their book Reimagining Young Adult Ministry. (https://www.amazon.ca/Reimagining-Young-Adult-Ministry-Guidebook/dp/0998806404)

Pontier and DeVries guide a conversation focused on what young adults are looking for and how the church can meet them where they are. The authors draw on their own experiences of successes and failures in young adult ministry; they offer six paradoxes a church needs to consider when approaching this demographic. (You’ll need to read the book to find the six paradoxes.)

This relevant book offers some sobering questions a church needs to honestly address when considering what it means to have a young adult ministry. It also offers hope and gives practical suggestions on what is possible not just to sustain a young adult ministry, but also to help young adults thrive towards the call God has placed on their lives. (Given about a quarter of the book are appendices of templates and other resources, there’s certainly a lot of helpful content for churches that are willing to move ahead on this issue.)

Most members in our churches would say that reaching young adults is vital both for their sake and ours. However, we need to ensure we’re bridging these generations for the right reasons. Pontier and DeVries offer a solid foundation that churches can use to build a young adult ministry that is sustainable and serves the participants well.