Reaching Young Adults
Over the last decade, researchers have tracked a rapid increase among Americans who claim no religious affiliation. In the last five years alone, the unaffiliated—popularly known as “the nones”—have increased from just over 15% to 20% of all U.S. adults. This decline in religiosity is most marked among Millennials, young adults born between the early 1980s and the late 1990s. Yet, this decline in religious affiliation has not made Americans less spiritual—we are simply seeking spirituality in places other than the local church and often in unlikely places.
Where can the Millennial Nones be found? How can churches call out to them, inviting them into life-giving relationships? This is the focus and the mission of Denver Seminary’s arm of the Lily Endowment’s Young Adult Initiative.
Young Adult Initiative Churches
Several churches from across the Denver metro area were selected for the project. The awarded Young Adult Initiative churches are:
Lighthouse Church
New Life Community Church
Wellspring Littleton
Deer Creek Church
Mission Hills Church
Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Resources
Smith, Christian, and Patricia Snell. (2009). Souls in Transition: The religious and spiritual lives of emerging adults. New York: Oxford University Press.
Dean, Kenda Creasy. (2010). Almost Christian: What the faith of our teenagers is telling the American Church. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.
Drescher, Elizabeth. (2016). Choosing our religion: The spiritual lives of America’s nones. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.
Barna. (2014). Designing worship spaces with Millennials in mind. Accessed March 16, 2017. https://www.barna.com/research/designing-worship-spaces-with-millennials-in-mind/
Rainer, Thom S., and Jess. W. Rainier. (2011). The millennials: Connecting to American’s largest generation. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group.
Thurston, Angie, & Casper Ter Kuile. How we gather. (Producers). Accessed April 21, 2017. https://caspertk.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/how-we-gather.pdf
White, James E. (2014). The rise of the nones: Understanding and reaching the religiously unaffiliated. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
White, James E. (2017). Meet generation z: Understanding and reaching the new post-Christian world. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.
Blomberg, Craig, & Elizabeth Nesbit. (2016). Effective generational ministry: Biblical and practical insights for transforming church communities. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.
Crouch, Andy. (2013). Culture making: Recovering our creative calling. Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Books.
Eliot, T.S. (1977). Christianity and culture. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.
Fitch, David. (2016). Faithful presence: Seven disciplines that shape the church for mission. Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP.
Hunter, James Davidson. (2010). To change the world: The irony, tragedy, and possibility of Christianity in the late modern world. New York: Oxford University Press.
Keller, Timothy. (2016). Loving the city: Doing balanced, gospel-centered ministry in your city. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.