Reaching out GenYers

Ministry to Gen-Yers is quite a challenge in big cities like Melbourne. If the article by Colin Hansen in a recent CT is of any help, it's the last section of the article that I found worth pondering. In it he reported an interview with Justin Buzzard, 30, who was hired by Central Peninsula Church in the Bay Area of California to preach the gospel to the Gen-Yers. It was reported that three years into his ministry, "the church's twenty-something ministry claims about 150 members in a church whose attendance tops 2,000." What is perhaps worth thinking is his Gospel-centered approach. Here it is:

Buzzard's approach is a departure from the "church-within-a-church" model pioneered in the '90s. Rather than building a next generation worship gathering Buzzard regularly reminds the young adults their ministry is no substitute for the local church. Sunday morning is more important than Thursday night, he says. The body of Christ needs them to serve children, mentor high schoolers, and glean wisdom from aging members.

Having learned from the example of other next generation ministries, leaders at Central Peninsula Church suppressed the tendency toward intergenerational dissension with one key decision made when hiring Buzzard—he regularly preaches before the entire congregation on Sunday mornings. The church doesn't see him as a youth pastor for young adults, but as another shepherd and teacher for the whole congregation. Just listening to a young preacher and seeing many young faces in the congregation has reminded the church that their God is mighty to save.

"The Baby Boomer's strategy was getting the people most likely to attend church," Buzzard said. "Our strategy is to find those least likely to come to church."

Beyond preaching the gospel and loving people, Buzzard doesn't claim any special strategy for reaching twenty-somethings. In fact, Buzzard said he approaches church elders twice a year to tell them to shut down the twenty-something ministry. But these leaders continue to recognize a need to set aside at least one teacher who will focus his efforts on young adults, injecting the larger church with life, vitality, and sound doctrine. It's the best job in the church, Buzzard said.

"My very strong opinion is that twenty-somethings want and desperately need someone to yell at them from the Bible," Buzzard said. "They need a pastor, an authoritative voice in their life who will stand up and proclaim God's Word, to proclaim the gospel.

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Nevertheless, churches differ on exactly how to experiment with twenty-something ministry. Some younger leaders have favored independence, concluding that older models neglected discipleship and commodified the gospel in order to build bigger churches. Some have forsaken centralized teaching and large worship events in favor of small group discussions. Yet others advocate stronger preaching, heavy doses of doctrine, and passionate challenges to apply the gospel.

But across the spectrum, twenty-something ministry leaders say reaching the millennial generation will require more than playing mainstream music, dimming the lights, and talking about sex. All see deep, genuine community as a crying need and key avenue for communicating and displaying the gospel.