In the 12 years that I’ve been doing ministry with young adults I’ve seen many ministries that thrive for a year or two only to fade and disappear. It frustrates me. I believe that the longevity of a ministry, while not always essential has a significant impact upon the people involved in it. Yes there are times where God wants a ministry to last for only a season, but I believe that is more of an exception than a rule.

Two weeks ago Threshingfloor Communities, one of the ministries I’ve helped lead for the last 8 years, hosted a friendsgiving event. Jolee, a long-time friend of ours, came to town to join us for the event after being away for almost two years. Talking with her made me step back and evaluate why Threshingfloor and other long-lasting young adult ministries actually stand the test of time. I’ve boiled it down to four key things.

Note, these are four practical things. I’m not commenting on theology here, and I’m assuming that “Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 1) are at the center of your ministry, the fullness of the Gospel is being communicated regularly, and you are intentionally making disciples. I say these four things are key because I’ve seen high-capacity ministry leaders preach the Gospel, disciple people from their skill set, and still create something that doesn’t last. I truly believe that these five things will help establish a lasting, successful ministry.

 

The Five Essentials

 

1. A team of leaders

The young adult years from 18-30(ish) are years of transition. If you’re starting a young adult or college ministry you don’t really know how long the people you’re ministering to will be around for. If you’re a young adult yourself you probably don’t know how long you are around for.

That’s why the first thing I push leaders to do is to start shaping a team. Jesus set the example of this by gathering a team of disciples at the outset of his ministry, training them up, and sending them out. Take a cue from him and do the same. Start a core team. Gather a few others who are passionate about the mission you’re pursuing and give them a part to play.

 

2. Consistent leader meetings

I’ve seen plenty of groups that have several “leaders” who are simply glorified event planners. That’s not leadership. Perry Noble defines leadership as “Hearing from God and doing what He says,” which I believe is an accurate summary of how Jesus led his disciples.

You can’t have a leadership team if you’re not gathering regularly to learn, pray, listen, and plan together. Set a rhythm for leadership meetings. I recommend bi-weekly, and definitely no less than monthly. Have a clear agenda for each meeting and leverage your time together for increased impact.

If you’re just starting a ministry, spend a few months meeting as a leadership team to hash out the details of what you’re doing and lay a foundation before launching. If you’re in an existing ministry with no leader gathering rhythm, leverage the start of a new year to make it happen now.

 

3. Kingdom Community

Young adults (and, I believe, humans in general) long for true, authentic community. When we encounter a place where we can be ourselves and be loved, it’s a humbling and beautiful thing. It’s what Jesus demonstrated through his interactions with tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. He also said that it was through our love for each other – our community – that the world would know who He was.

Cultivate kingdom community. Get to know each other beyond the surface. Create a culture where people can be recklessly honest and be deeply loved. Hang out outside of official events. Do lunch together.

A couple practical ways to start this: have people share their testimonies. You go first, and go all the way. Don’t gloss over any hard stuff. Second, center the community on Jesus and not on anyone else. Third, take a trip together. Spending a weekend with people from the ministry can have a massive jump-start effect on cultivating Kingdom community.

 

4. Intentional outward focus

The default of any group is to curve inward and focus primarily on its “insiders”. Jesus, on the other hand, sets an example of operating with a clear mission. He trains his followers by going out to serve, bless, heal, and preach. You’re group won’t grow in a healthy way if you’re not intentionally outward focused.

Have an explicitly articulated mission for your ministry. Be focused and communicate it like crazy until people are tired of hearing about it. Build the mission into the rhythms of what you do as a ministry. If you meet on Tuesday night and your mission is to reach an area of your city with the Gospel, go out on Tuesday night as a group and prayer walk in that area.

 

5. A simple model

Too many ministries collapse because the model they’ve built can’t sustain without the founding leader. Do the hard work of simplifying what you’re doing to the point that the leadership team you have could take over and succeed if you disappeared next week. Simplifying what you do opens spaces for others to take ownership and makes the potential of multiplication a reality.

 

If you’re leading (or thinking about starting) a ministry we want to see you succeed. According to Barna, over 90% of young adults aren’t engaged in the body of Christ. The next generation, generation Z, continues the trend of young people leaving the church and the faith. God’s put us in a place where there is huge potential for making an impact. Young adults are searching for their place in the world, and Jesus is the only real answer to the questions that they’re asking. Let’s get out there and bring Jesus to them! May these five essentials help you do exactly that.