Consider these questions an opportunity to engage your leadership, young adults and other key people in your community as you discern your faith community’s possible call into deeper ministry with young adults. Have some cups of coffee. Make time for a happy hour. Imagine and wonder where God is present in these questions and what that might mean for your faith community.
Describe your faith community’s capacity for risk-taking. What do you think your faith community is willing to risk or sacrifice in order to pursue a clear call from God?
How would you describe your congregation’s current relationship with young adults and attitudes about young adults?
Who in your faith community (staff and members) could be potential champions and leaders for a new effort to innovate ministry with young adults? Who would you want on your team to steward this partnership?
How are you equipped to support an additional person on-site during the coaching phase? Consider space availability, access to printing and communication systems within your congregation, culture of your staff and congregation.
What relationships do you have outside your faith community that could be an asset to innovating ministry with young adults?
Innovation by nature will involve success and failures and a willingness to take risks that may or may not produce the hoped-for outcomes. What do you imagine faithfulness to look like whether experiencing success or failure in this work with your faith community?
What do you sense God is already up to…
- In your faith community?
- In your community?
- With young adults you know?
If you have the opportunity to talk (but mostly listen) with young adults consider asking them…
- What gives you hope? What gives you anxiety?
- What matters most to you?
- What has or would draw you to be a part of a faith community? What has or would make you want to stay connected to a faith community?
- What has or would make you not want to engage with a faith community? What do you think keeps your peers away?
- How is God or faith influencing your life in the public places you live, work and play?