Opening Doors

Last week in New York I met with Rev. Hill, the young adult minister of The Riverside Church. Riverside is an interdenominational congregation, affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the American Baptist Churches. Interestingly, any Google search for "young adult ministry" and "New York City" brings up Riverside first every time (which is how I found the church myself!). Rev. Hill noted that he gets more than a handful of new young adults to Riverside every year just from this phenomenon, even though it wasn't planned by the church when redesigning its website!

"The Way," a twice-monthly gathering of fellowship and discussion, serves as the door by which many young adults enter the congregation of Riverside. Rev. Hill noted that young people often get connected with The Way, but then move on to join other groups or ministries within Riverside that speak more directly to their interests or needs. He gave the example of a young woman who came to The Way and ended up getting involved with the gay & lesbian group at Riverside, since this is where she identified most closely. Young adults tend not to remain a part of the actual "young adult ministry" at Riverside for a long duration.

Our conversation made me wonder about the purpose of young adult ministry. Is it to build safe places when young adults can remain, or is it to help them move on? Some groups struggle with the issue of "aging out," when the young adults who helped build the group become too old to be considered young adults anymore but still feel a sense of ownership and belonging. It can be a tricky tightrope to walk.

The U.S. Bishops' pastoral plan for ministry with young adults (Sons and Daughters of the Light) speaks about connecting young adults with Christ, with the Church, with the mission of the Church in the world, and with a peer community. But it seems like most young adult ministries or groups tend to emphasize one or two components. They may connect young adults with each other, but not with a parish. Or they may focus on personal prayer and devotion that connects young adults to Christ, but not to the Church's mission in the world. How can we maintain a healthy balance?

Another young adult I met in New York told me that he thinks social events for young adult groups "only work if you're already Catholic" - meaning that spiritual and social events work much better to draw in seekers or inactive Catholics, but anyone unsure about their relationship to the church would be hesitant to go to a purely social event for the first time. It's an interesting observation, and one that seems to ring true with many of the young adult groups I've met or worked with. Young adults are seeking connections and community, but they also want service and spirituality - and perhaps these activities are better doors to swing wide open for those who are unsure about whether to darken our churches' doorsteps.

Opening doors by which young adults can enter our churches can seem to be a huge obstacle. But are we satisfied simply to get them in the pews? Or how do we connect them to the larger parish community, to the world beyond the church doors where Christ calls us to serve?