This article is courtesy of Deacon Magazine. Visit them on Facebook.
The odyssey years: that period of time between the late teens and late 20s. The name indicates a time of wandering during which they graduate or leave college, settle into a career, live on their own, and start a family. The life of today's young adult varies greatly from the life of a young adult just a generation ago.
How do we begin to understand the young adult who lives in a world of more access to information than any other generation? In the last 25 years every form of communication has changed. In many cases you can find out all you need to know about someone by logging on to Facebook or Twitter, but that isn't the only way to get to know or understand this generation.
What I have found while working as a collegiate minister is that today's young adults really want to live life with some type of significance that will lead them to become better persons. They daily are trying their best to discover their voices so they can share with others.
Five Key Characteristics
Here are five important characteristics that will help us understand today's young adults (both Christian and non-Christian), along with some suggestions on how to approach them.
1. Young adults are all about communication.
It isn't true that these adults don't want to talk with you or contact you on a regular basis. But most of it is done on the Internet. Just communicate via texting or e-mail. We are living in a culture where understanding what is on someone's mind means to communicate with them "where they are."
You don't have to open up 15 different social networking accounts in order to reach them; just simply find out the best means of contact and do it. And do it often. Although this is a great way to communicate, the best way is still "face time." So simply grab a cup of coffee or smoothie with them. Don't be fooled: "face to face" communication is still superior.
2. Young adults are more open to cultural ideas.
We have to learn how to be more open to what is going on in our world. Information is now at the tip of the finger, and you can learn more about other people, countries, science, history, politics, and current events than ever before.
The young adults live in this instant communication world. They want someone to converse with them on different issues and interests. Being perceived as closed-minded and disinterested in the world around you will interfere with communication.
3. Sexual issues are open for discussion.
With a culture engulfed with pornography and intense emphasis on sexual "hookups," many young adults are struggling with how to deal with sexual issues. Researchers have found that there are more unplanned pregnancies in 20-somethings than among teenagers.
I have learned they are ready to have sincere adult discussions about purity, abstinence, the liabilities of sex before marriage, and more. As Christians we do not need to water this topic down when it comes up for discussion. Move away from childlike topics and be open to discuss the sometimes uncomfortable ones.
Choose your topics wisely by making sure you can intelligently discuss the issues. I can guarantee they have done their research.
4. Young adults are very eclectic.
This generation selects from different sources and styles of trends in our culture. Younger Americans have been shaped by the culture, embracing more open-mindedness, tolerance, and acceptance.
Researchers say they are the most eclectic generation in American history, especially in matters of sexuality, religion, race, technology tools, and sources of authority.
5. Young adults want the church to be more open and less judgmental.
Judging is not an outdated issue: it still exists, and many don't attend church or become fully committed because of this one issue. We have to look beyond where a person stands today and begin to look at where they have come from and where they are going.
Again, remember there is a deep amount of hurt among young adults. We must walk through it with these young adults without judging only what we see on the outside. The young are screaming for the church to be more open. We should never compromise doctrine or biblical truth, but we can love them and serve them.
As we strive to reach young adults for Christ, we need to be better informed about what is going on in culture. Focusing on some of these characteristics will help us better understand the younger generation.