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The kitchen
The effects of the digital revolution on this age group have been seismic. The ways in which we access and interact with information have been amongst the most significantly affected. As the church seeks to communicate the transformative message of Jesus with young adults, it must ask how best to…
The dining room
If the conversation that we have in the kitchen is about style of teaching, this one is about substance. This is a conversation about difficult conversations, and it takes place in the dining room. Families talk about life and discuss the big issues around the table. A number of different…
Lessons from the gym: how to welcome young adults
CrossFit is sold not just as a type of gym to go to, but a lifestyle change. It promotes a focus on constantly varied, functional movements at a high intensity. And after seeing a number of friends try it, I wanted on the hype train. One of the things they kept talking about was the community.…
Chris McBurney
The games room
Some sociologists have referred to young adults as the paradoxical generation because of the competing narratives and tensions that exist within them. One such paradox is the high value placed on individualism on one hand versus the desire to find themselves in community on the other. A further…
The garden
There are hopeful signs that significant numbers of young adults will become Christians in the coming years. But what will be the common pathways to faith? How can we make the most of the opportunities that we have to communicate the good news to this generation and invite them to follow Jesus?…
Evangelism through sport for young adults
We're finally coming out of this, aren’t we? This is the question we pondered. But, after such a long time in lockdown, might a more important question be, how are we going to come out? I think we can take some inspiration from the book of Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah spoke of coming out of exile –…
Jos Edwards
Rethinking small groups
Meanwhile, students and young adults have craved connection and community more than ever. As the church, we have been presented with an opportunity like none before: we can strip back how we connect with 20s to 30s to reflect the heart of discipleship. In Acts 2, we see the early church spring…
Viki Seithel
Welcome to 7 Conversations
I remember reading the Evangelical Alliance’s 2009 resource The Missing Generation with a heavy heart. It found that between 1985 and 2005 the numbers of those in their 20s attending church on a Sunday more than halved. At the time I was part of that age group and grieved for my own…
Phil Knox
Viral: a generation poised for rapid faith-sharing
I remember the moment my wife and I posted our first baby scan picture to Facebook. We took a deep breath and hit 'post' simultaneously. We joked about who would receive the most likes. There was no contest. She won. Within minutes, hundreds of people had offered their congratulations. This…
Phil Knox
Three must-reads for leaders of young adults and young adult leaders
1. Changing Shape: The Faith Lives of Millennials (2020: SCM Press) Ruth Perrin is an outstanding thought leader in this area. She brings a distinctive balance of high level academic insight and years of experience as a practitioner working with students and young adults in a local church…
Phil Knox
Communicating the Bible with young adults
That means we can’t avoid the tricky subjects, and also that we aren’t always just talking about our favourite parts of the Bible, or even those passages we think will appeal most to young adults. Share the scriptures Sharing the whole of the scriptures, we find that the richest and deepest…
John Russell
Talking about racial justice with young adults
Firstly, in order for our churches or church organisations to become places where God’s multi-ethnic kingdom is expressed, we have to be intentional in our thinking, strategies and actions. People often want a multicultural or multi-ethnic church, but are not prepared to do the hard work that…
Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana
Safe space is important, but brave space transforms us
I’ve learned a lot, not least how to cater for increasingly complex dietary requirements. I know the ingredients that make for a tasty vegan curry that even meat eaters would go for. But what ingredients make for small groups that change lives, relationships and frontlines?[1] Let’s assume the…
Tim Yearsley
Investing in young adult leaders for the public square
As an engineer running his own business, Peter was ideally placed to respond. Working in collaboration with other local companies, they designed and built face visors to supply their local hospital. More than 1,000 were made in the early days until other supply routes were established. They…
Kieran Turner
Activism and burnout
From a young age, my parents taught me that I could always give my fears, anxieties, uncertainties and worries to Jesus – from monsters under the bed right through to exam results. But these were all my personal fears. When I got into activism and social justice at university, leading Just Love …
Alianore Smith
