Why Don't You Grow Up?

Young, emerging adults (18 to 24 years of age) hear the question repeatedly. They hear it from their parents and extended family. They hear it from college professors. They hear it from early employers. They hear it from Sunday School leaders, collegiate ministers, disciple group leaders, and they hear it from the church. But what exactly does it mean to "grow up"? A holistic take on the subject would define maturity as "physical and psychological well-being: value system in check, self-concept understood, emotional stability, satisfying social relationships, intellectual insight into life, and so on."

With such a holistic definition, several questions beg to be asked:

• Is it really possible to be mature?
  
  
• Is it possible to be mature in some areas of life while remaining immature in others? If so, is that really maturity?
  
  
• How do you measure maturity?
  
  
• How do you know you have attained maturity?
  
  
• Is maturity an important issue for young adult believers?
  
  
• Does the church carry any responsibility for assisting young adults along the path toward maturity?

Paul frequently pleaded with his first-century readers to busy themselves in attaining the full measure of maturity (or being mature) in Christ (Eph. 4:13). Apparently he believed the church should help believers continue to grow up in Christ until they reach the full measure of His maturity. If that was so in the first century, it is so in the 21st century. Those who lead in the church must assume that at least one of their responsibilities is to assist young adults with the roller-coaster ride from adolescence to adult maturity.

Sociologists refer to personality foreclosure as that period of time when young people identify with the goals and values of their parents without seriously questioning whether they are right for them. However, the maturation process drives young adults to question those values. The result of this questioning is everything from rebellion to adoption of those values for themselves.

Regardless of how one defines or measures maturity, one of the greatest individual challenges of young, emerging adults is that of maturing. Because the issue of maturity is a major issue for young adults, it must be a primary concern for those who work with young adults in church.

Here's a Thought: Consider the maturity level of young adults in your group. How can you assist young adults in their journey toward maturity?

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Written by Dr. Randy Millwood, associate professor, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, at the time he wrote these articles. He is now a consultant specialist for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware and director of the Church Health Center, Maryland/Delaware.