Must that leader be a staff minister? No.
Big difference.
Many congregations wish they could hire a younger pastor in order to reach the young adults missing from their pews. But with the average age of ministers and seminarians soaring well past 35 years, a successful young adults ministry can’t depend on hiring young ministers.
Rather, the focus should be on raising up capable leaders from within the young adults community, and then training them and encouraging them to grow a viable ministry, with the aid of staff but not depending on staff to be 28 years old.
This is especially true in the vast majority of mainline congregations that can afford only one ordained pastor on staff.
The ministers don’t need to become experts in social networking, career advancement groups, and childcare cooperatives. They just need to give permission for those to happen.
In one church with a successful young adults ministry, the middle-aged pastor opens his home periodically for group dinners, which satisfies the young adults’ need for socialization and enables the pastor to learn names and stories. Other group activities don’t directly involve him.
How, then, does the pastor recruit capable young adult leaders? As with any recruiting, the mantra should be “test and measure.” Make the best choice you can, provide substantial training, and then measure outcomes.
If the leader simply doesn’t connect with age peers, or seems too controlling, or doesn’t follow through on commitments, don’t hesitate to make a change. If you work in a group leadership model, make sure each group member feels free to contribute and is contributing.
What training is helpful? I suggest that the pastor and designated leadership visit a local congregation that has a successful young adult ministry, and see how they do it. Learn from their experience, learn from your own experience, and let the ministry evolve.
Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant, and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the publisher of On a Journey, and the founder of the Church Wellness Project www.churchwellness.com.
