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Profiles
Published: 7/6/2010 2:14:42 PM

JR is a young adult.  He lives in rural Wisconsin.  He drives a Dodge Ram pickup that he has painted camouflage.  He has a bumper sticker that says, “Redneck and Proud of it.”  He is an avid fisherman and hunter, and he loves beer, but never while hunting or fishing (thankfully).  While the church is part of the cultural fabric of his community, he has very little interaction with any congregation.  He believes in God, but there are a host of other priorities.

Mark is a young adult.  He’s a grad student awaiting the end of his program, and hopefully a job.  His parents are frustrated that he has taken out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans, but has no employment.  They had hoped he’d be married, own a home, and have a career by now.  He loves indie rock bands like Bon Iver, Great Lake Swimmers, and Fleet Foxes.  He is very inquisitive.  He hates the label “agnostic,” but it’s probably where he lands.  He believes there’s something out there, but he’s content to leave God ambiguous.

Grace is a young adult.  At age 28 she’s married and has two children.  Motherhood has distanced her from many of her peers.  Most of her high school and college friends aren’t even married, let alone parents.  It makes it hard for her to relate to them when they are going to bars and concerts, and she’s changing diapers and sweeping up Cheerios.  She and her husband are some of the youngest people in her church.  She sings in the choir but has little time for more. 

Kevin is a young adult.  He’s always been a city kid.  He finished high school, but never went to college.  He’s bounced around jobs from construction to gas station clerk.  He lives with his girlfriend and has a tight knit group of friends that hang out every weekend.  He’s excited to get his 5^th tattoo on Friday.  It will say “Only me.”  This is his philosophy on life.  You can’t count on anyone because people will always let you down.  At the end of the day, the only one you can count on is yourself.

What do these profiles mean?  That there is no one profile.  The term “young adult” encompasses a broad range of people.  There may be common cultural or age specific themes, but there are a plethora of divergent characteristics.  Ten 23-year-olds could each represent a different subculture marked by economic status, education, ethnicity, life stage, geography, etc.   

What does this mean for your church?  Know your context.  Don’t assume that all young adults fit a particular profile. The profile you may have in mind might not match the young adults in your community.  You may be looking for the highly educated, artsy types when you’re surrounded by a community of young adults in entry level factory jobs.  Reaching young adults isn’t done by stereotyping, but by listening.  Listen to who they really are.  This appears to have worked for Jesus.  From the woman at the well to Zacchaeus, he loved people, not profiles. 

By Pastor Jeff Cloeter