As I bring this series on ministry to young adults to a close, I want to look at what is currently happening at my church and some challenges we work to overcome.
In the Summer of 2008 I returned to my CT roots to start the work of Lighthouse Community Church. While serving as a youth and young adult pastor in Maryland I had tried to start a conference specifically for young adults but it never got off the ground. So in the Fall of 2009, I worked with two young men I was discipling to launch Lighthouse “RAW”. The idea behind “RAW” was to get as many unbelieving young adults in the room as possible and to engage them in an open and frank dialogue about faith, God, and spirituality. While “RAW” was fairly successful, I learned that the greatest impact it had was on the young adults of faith who attended. They shared that listening to my conversations strengthened their faith and their ability to defend the faith. In June of 2010 “RAW” was put on hiatus for the Summer, and in the Winter of 2010 FUSION was launched.
Unlike its predecessor, FUSION targets young adults of faith. If these young adults regularly attend church, FUSION seeks to build their faith and equip them to serve in their church. If they do not attend church, FUSION seeks to reconnect them to a growing relationship with God. The intended result is that these young adults will begin impacting their peers with the truth of God’s Word.
FUSION is non-denominational in nature. Any young adult may attend any of our events. All young adults who attend are encouraged to invite their friends.
This leads to our first challenge. I purposely chose to make this a non-denominational ministry because I have found that in this area, young adults have little regard for denominational distinctives. They want to study the Bible and fellowship and are not willing to hold up denominational distinctives as a reason not to do so.
The challenge is that the leaders of their various churches are not so open. I am not disparaging any pastor for trying to protect his members from false-teaching, etc. I go out of my way to meet and speak with any and all local Pastors about the purpose of the group. I explain how this ministry allows 3 young adults from their church to fellowship with 3 young adults from 5 other churches meaning that 18 young adults are now receiving solid Bible teaching and being equipped to go back to their churches to serve. The response is usually polite but what is clear is that Pastors in this area are tribal. They would rather start their own group than send their members to FUSION. I applaud this! If this ministry causes churches to start their own ministries I celebrate. But, the fact is that the root issue is tribal. Interestingly I have found that the closer a church is to me in theology and doctrine, the less likely they are to endorse this ministry.
Another challenge comes from the young adults themselves. I find that many young adults today do not want to be held accountable. It is very hard to disciple a generation who has such a wide definition of “judging”, and has attached such a negative connotation to it. Don’t get me wrong, I deplore judgmentalism, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a willingness to open ones-self to biblical assessment and correction by another without taking it as an offense. You’ve probably heard the mantra, “Only God can Judge me!” My response is, “Watch out what you wish for!” The bottom line is that a major impetus for spiritual growth is forming relationships whereby we open ourselves to others to assess the good and bad in our life. Young adults are willing to open up to one another but very hesitant to address areas of sin in each others lives. Young adults are not alone in their aversion to this but since it is young adults we are discussing it is worth noting.
The final challenge is ministering to a generation that wants to celebrate the lowest level of accomplishment. Maybe this isn’t a challenge as much as an observation. This is the generation where everyone who played tee ball got a trophy. Mine is the generation (the last of its kind) that only celebrated winners. Second place was the first loser. Today it seems that young adults want to celebrate and be acknowledged for everything. It’s like the wide receiver in the NFL who jumps up and dances after making a routine catch. I yell at the screen, “That’s your job! Thanks for doing your job now get back in the huddle you moron!” I laugh as I write this and admit that I find myself shaking my head at the level of self-congratulations young adults pass along to themselves and expect to receive from those in authority. Oh well, I’m sure I’ve stirred the pot enough, so I’ll close.
FUSION meets one Saturday a month for fellowship, worship, and a time of Bible teaching.
FUSION also meets once a month for a time of fellowship and fun group activities.
FUSION has also spawned “Thirsty Thursdays” which meets at the local Starbucks, twice a month, for the purpose of making mid-week connections.
Visit our website at www/fusionyaministry.com
NEXT WEEK FUSION WILL MAKE SOME MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS ON ALL OF IT’S SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS, SO STAY TUNED!!!!!
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