4 Ways to Minister to 18-35 Year-olds in Your Church

Written by Ken Gosnell

In the January 24th, 2005 issue of Time Magazine the topic of discussion was “Meeting the Twixters.” These are young adults (ages 18 to 35) who live with their parents, bounce from job to job, are not married, and do not have children. They are called the “twixters” because they are between adolescence and adulthood. I prefer to call them the “Tweeners” because this group actually spans parts of two different generations.  They encompass the younger parts of "Generation X" and the older parts of the “Nexter” generation.

Here are some paradoxes that I believe are important if we are going to minister to and help this generation.

1. They are self-dependant, but they want social support.
Tweeners are very independent. They have learned to rely on their own abilities; after all, they grew up in a latch key environment. They have learned to work independently, but they long for vital relationships. According to “Time” magazine and a poll that they conducted, almost half of Americans ages 18 to 29 talk to their parents everyday.

Many in this generation still live at home. However, although they have vibrant relationship with their parents, this generation has a difficult time bridging the gap to have vital relationships in other areas of their life. They find themselves alone and lonely.

Ministry Opportunity: The church has a great opportunity to help this generation by providing small groups where they can make friends and develop relationships.

2. They take risks, but they have a fear of life.
Probably no generation in history has been more mobile than this generation. They change jobs frequently, they have multiple relationships, and they have no problem trying new and different things. Nonetheless, they have a great fear of making mistakes in life. They take longer to finish college, often five years or more.

On average, they are not getting married and having children until their thirties as opposed to their predecessors who married by their mid 20’s.

Ministry Opportunity: The church can show this transient group how to walk by faith and not continue to fear the future.

3. They ride the waves of a new future, but they embrace the old ways.
This generation has great technical knowledge. You won’t find this generation without a PDA, or an IPOD. They pay attention to the latest fads and trends and embrace these new technologies with enthusiasm. Interestingly, they also embrace the symbols of the past. They understand that these symbols convey meaning and they long for meaning more than anything else.

Ministry Opportunity: The church must find a way of embracing the past that conveys meaning and truth.

4. They are extreme, but desire balance.
This generation invented “extreme” sports. They are the first to step up to challenges like those seen on the reality television show, “Fear Factor.” They like pushing things to the edge. In the same way, they push their schedules and time to the limits. They have an endless series of commitments and are looking not to miss out on any of the experiences. However, they greatly desire balance in their life.

Ministry Opportunity: They are looking for ways to find meaning and significance. They want more than rote motion, they seek meaning.

Farson says, “Paradox and absurdity keep us off balance. In so doing, they produce the humility, vitality, and creative surprise that make life so worth living.” ("Management of the Absurd, the Paradoxes in Leadership" p. 15) This is true of the paradoxes of the “Tweener” generation. Tweener’s may be hard to figure out, but when we work with them they help us to learn humility, vitality and creativity.

Ken Gosnell is the lead pastor for a new church work in the DC Metro area. You can contact Ken at Kenspeaks@gmail.com