Suggestions for Maintaining Young-Adult Groups

Elements to Include in Your Program
Be friendly!

Be there (particularly if you have invited a young adult to attend).

Be sure the meeting or program is intrinsically worthwhile.

Do not conduct group business at program meetings. Conduct business at specifically called meetings.

Provide name tags (permanent for members and nonpermanent for visitors).

Evaluate your program at least every six months (if the proram is ongoing), or evaluate the program at the end of its life (if it lasts for less than six months).

Provide for fellowship at all group functions and provide food at most activities.

Enlist the whole congregation in creating prospective members lists. Then be sure to invite those young adults to attend young adult activities (as well as ongoing churchwide programs).

Publicize your program. Let young adults and others in the congregation know what you are doing.

Have frequent and regular mailings. Create special displays, bulletin boards, bulletin inserts, and so on.

Be consistent. Meet at the same place and time.

Work with your pastor to include young adults in visible ways during the worship srvice (lay readers, ushers, greeters, choir members, and so on).

Be visible in the community. Don't hide the young adults in the church. However, don't expect young adults to visit your church automatically. Go where young adults go, and help people connect their faith with their daily activities.

Connect young adult visitors and new members to small groups or to ongoing activites quickly. Help all young adults find a place as soon as possible.

Follow-up with young adults often. Care for them, and help them know that their presence, ideas, and attitudes are important to the whole church.

Record Keeping and Your Program
Keep records! Records must be kept, and they must be used. Keep attendance records, birthday lists (and other important dates), current addresses and phone numbers. Use the records as you make contacts with young adults.

If people miss two group meetings, send cards or letters and telephone them. If people miss more than four meetings, visit them. Be sure to call for an appointment before visiting. Remember that a visit can be made over lunch in a restaurant, in a person's home, or with an invitation to your home for a meal.

Leadership in Your Program
If the group is young, consider recruiting an older person to provide leadership and/or continuity for the program.

If the group is older, recruit a team of young adults who can provide leadership. In addition, you might recruit a respected older person who will work with the young adults. Be sure that this older person loves young adults and will care for them in specific, visible ways.

Enlist the pastor to be a supporter of young adult ministry.

Recruit young adults to provide short-term leadership functions. Connect these persons together in leadership. Connect short-term leaders with those who provide the ongoing leadership for the group.

Recruit persons for leadership who will go where young adults are (where they live, work, and socialize).

Continually recruit leaders to expand the base of ownership for the program.

Written by Karen Greenwaldt, General Secretary, General Board of Discipleship.

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