YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
and the
COMMITMENT LEVEL MODEL

How does the commitment level model of youth ministry function among young adults? Before youth leaders copy what they have done among teenagers they should consider how the model should be applied to an older age group.

The youth leader should carefully consider how the model relates to young adults (in terms of their personality developmental and age-specific characteristics) and come up with an age-appropriate adaptation of the model.

1. Understanding Young Adults
Of all the people mentioned in the Bible, nobody appears more frequently than David. His mobile life-style; struggles with Saul; friendship with Jonathan; spiritual growth and marriage difficulties all took place before he was 30. While the Bible does not recognize young adulthood as a specific age period, like David, most Biblical people made their mark on history when they were young adults.

A. Characteristics of Young Adults
This generation of young adults has experienced the fall of the Berlin wall; the crumbling of Soviet oppression; Glasnost and the Gulf War. They have spent all their lives under one government and now they face the uncertainties and challenges of a new South Africa. They are living in a society that is fast becoming multi-cultural as far as every day life is concerned. Economically there is more competition for less work. Isolation from international sport and business, and the cultural ban is over. They are more aware of their potential than previous generations and are pushing to fulfil their potential. They believe that it is up to them to undo the mistakes and excesses of the past and to make a meaningful difference to the quality of their lives and to life on this planet. They are children of the children of the sixties. While their parents were part of a society that claimed to believe in free love, mind-altering drugs and the return to a natural way of life; today's young adults face the harsh realities of AIDS, the proliferation of a hard drugs society and the hole in the ozone layer.

Yet, while one may expect to find resentment and resignation from a generation who live in an age thought by many to be our Armageddon, we have a generation with a heightened awareness of nature and the environment and a marked trend towards a healthy lifestyle. There is a balance between satisfying their own social and material needs and a sensitivity to the rights and aspirations of others. The twentysomethings, haunted by unemployment, are staying longer in education andt to plan ahead to provide adequately for their children's future. Despite the fads and fashions, shifting values, broader horizons and a more globally-aware attitude, younger people of this decade are not hugely different in their aspirations from the generations they have followed: they want to make their mark on society; look for recognition in their jobs, and opportunities to get ahead; want to learn more and travel further and own their own homes and have families they can care for.

B. Concerns of Young Adults
Many of the concerns of young adults are mentioned in the Bible: such as, anxiety, discouragement, marriage, sex, money management, careers, relationships with parents and children, temptation and spiritual growth. Other relevant concerns include: the environment, the future, politics, social interaction, setting up a home, further study, handling independence, etc. Terry Hershey, Young Adult Ministry, stresses that pressures do not end with the passing of adolescence as young adults feel the pressure to be successful, to be super-sexed, to avoid loneliness and isolation and to find security.

C. Developmental Tasks of Young Adults
Erikson identifies the development task of early adulthood as: selecting a mate, adjusting to marriage, starting a family, rearing children, establishing and managing a home, getting started in a career, taking on civic responsibility and finding a congenial social group. For Erikson, the key developmental crisis revolves around the two opposites of Intimacy and Isolation. The person is either able to develop intimate relationships with others or they become isolated and unable to relate in healthy way to others.

In broad outline, the stages and tasks of adult development are as follows:

As our focus is on the stage of early adulthood, we will analyse the developmental tasks of this period in greater detail. Young adulthood occurs between 17 and 33 and has three stages. It begins with the early adult transition - between 17 and 22 the person is on the boundary between pre-adulthood and early adulthood. They are creating a basis for adult life without being there yet. The second period, entering the adult world, lasts from about 22 to 28, and the tasks are to explore the possibilities of this world, to test some initial choices, and to build a first, provisional life structure. The third period, the age thirty transition, provides an opportunity for revision of the initial structure and moving towards a second structure. Each of these periods has its own tasks, but together they form a single phase that serves a crucial developmental function: the process of entry into adulthood.

The primary, overriding tasks of young adulthood are to make a place for oneself in the adult world and to create a life structure that will be viable in the world and suitable for self. We will view each of the three components, their specific tasks, course and outcome and common features of the whole phase.

(1) The Early Adult Transition - This is a developmental bridge between adolescence and early adulthood. An early adult self is taking shape, transforming the child and adolescent selves. Young adults are making decisions about their future at this stage. This stage presents two major tasks:

(a) Leaving the Pre-Adult World - terminating the adolescent life structure is the prime task of this era. A separation takes place from the family of origin. This task has external aspects - moving out of the family home, becoming less financially dependent, entering new roles and living arrangements in which one is more autonomous and responsible. It also has internal aspects - an ever increasing differentiation between self and parents, greater psychological distance from the family, and reduced emotional dependency on parental support and authority. The family must be removed from the centre of their life so that a process of change can begin that will lead to a new home base for living as a young adult in an adult world. This does not mean that the link to the family is over, but the character of the relationship must change. This separation is more than just from the family of origin. The individual must modify or give up relationships with other important persons or groups, with pre-adult components of the self, with adolescents as an age group in society - in fact with the entire pre-adult world.

(b) Initiating Early Adulthood - the second major task of the early adult transition is to form a basis for living in the adult world before becoming fully a part of it. As this period begins, the young adults' knowledge, values and aspirations for a particular kind of adult life are ambiguous. They need to learn more about themselves and their world. Gradually the earlier hopes are articulated into more clearly defined options for adult living. The person in the early adult transition is making choices and establishing relationships that will define the character of their life in early adulthood. In some cases, there is a high degree of continuity between the pre-adult and early adult eras, but there is also great discontinuity. The individual is still an adolescent in many ways, yet he or she is also a novice adult. They are still modifying their relationships with their parents and other family members.

(2) Entering the Adult World - The early adult transition is followed by a more stable period in which a new life structure must be built. We call this new period entering the adult world and it involves a number of basic procedures: exploration of self and the world, making and testing provisional choices, searching for alternatives, increasing commitments and constructing a more integrated life structure. It starts around age 22 and ends at 28 or 29. The individual has the responsibility of shifting the centre of gravity of their life from the position of child in the family of origin to the position of novice adult with a new home base that is more truly their own. This requires multiple efforts: to explore the available possibilities, to arrive at a crystallized definition of themselves as an adult, and to make and live with initial choices regarding occupation, love relationships, life-style and values.

This stage has two major tasks:

(a) Exploration - the individual must discover and generate alternative options. The exploratory stance requires that they 'hang loose,' keeping their options open and avoiding strong commitments. This task has sources in the world and in the self. The world provides multiple possibilities and invites the individual to try different choices before making firm commitments. Also their own youthful vitality generates a sense of wonder and adventure, a wish to seek out and discover the treasures of the new world being entered.

(b) Creating a Stable Structure - apart from exploring, the individual must make firm choices. The challenge is there to take on adult responsibilities and to 'make something of life.' This task also has sources in the external environment and in the self. Externally, there are pressures to 'grow up,' get married, enter an occupation, define goals, and lead a more organised life. In the self there are desires for stability and order, roots, membership in the group, lasting ties and the fulfilment of core values.

The distinctive character of this developmental period lies in the coexistence of these two tasks: to explore and to expand one's horizons and put off firmer commitments until the options are clearer; and to create an initial adult life structure with roots, stability and continuity. It is inevitable that some sort of crisis exists during this phase. No one can fully succeed in these tasks. For most, the life structure of the late twenties is incomplete or fragmented. Major choices remain to be made, and the direction of life is uncertain or unsatisfactory. No matter how satisfactory life has been, how integrated or fragmented the present structure, new developmental tasks are pushing to the fore in the late twenties.

(3) The Age Thirty Transition - This transition is a gift and a burden. It gives the opportunity to work on the flaws in the life structure formed during the previous period, and to create the basis for a more satisfactory structure that will be built in the following period. The main tasks of entering the adult world (22-28) are to explore the adult world and fashion a first, provisional life structure and the task of the second life structure phase (33-40) is that of settling down. The stage that joins these two structure building periods is the age thirty transition. Like all transitions it seeks to terminate one phase and initiate another. This stage usually begins at around 28 and terminates at about 33. During this stage the explorative quality of the twenties is ending and one has a greater sense of urgency. Life is becoming more restrictive, more serious and more 'for real.' The feeling is, "If I want to change my life - this is the time to make a start, for soon it will be too late." This stage provides a second chance to create a more satisfactory life structure. Reactions to this phase vary from a smooth process of change to a painful transition, called the age thirty crisis.

As the age thirty transition ends, the young adult moves towards major new choices or makes a recommitment to existing choices. A great deal hinges on these choices. If they are made well - from the viewpoint of the individual's dream, values and possibilities - they provide the centre for a relatively satisfactory life structure. If the preparation has been poor, the settling down stage will become increasingly painful and attempts to create a more satisfactory structure will be more difficult and costly.

(4) Common Tasks of Young Adulthood - While each of the three stages within young adulthood have particular tasks that have to do with building or modifying the life structure, the whole period of young adulthood has tasks essential to the process of entry into adulthood. The following tasks characterise young adulthood as a whole:

(a) Forming and Living out a Dream - the dream is a vague sense of self-in-an-adult-world. It has the quality of a vision, an imagined possibility that generates excitement and vitality. The task is to find the dream, give greater definition to it, and find ways to live it out. It is essential that the dream belongs to the individual and has not been dreamt for them by a parent or peer. As the young adult breaks with the pre-adult world and tries to enter into the adult world they must form significant relationships with other adults who will facilitate work on the dream. They need a mentor, a teacher or an advisor.

(b) Forming Mentor Relationships - a mentor is generally several years older, a person of greater experience and seniority in the world that the young adult is entering. The functions of the mentor include: (a) Teacher - enhancing skills and intellectual development; (b) Sponsor - using influences to facilitate their advancement; (c) Host and Guide - welcoming the initiate into a new social world and acquainting them with its values, customs and resources; (d) Exemplar - providing a life to be emulated, and (e) Counsellor - providing counsel and moral support. A further function of the mentor is to support and facilitate the realisation of the dream. The mentor fosters the young adult's development by believing in the young adult, sharing their youthful dream and giving it their blessing. The mentor also helps to define the newly emerging self in its newly discovered world, and creates a space in which the young adult can work on a reasonably satisfactory life structure.

(c) Forming an Occupation - it is assumed that by the early twenties young adults ought to have a firm occupational choice. But this is inaccurate as development is not complete by the end of adolescence. The idea of deciding on an occupation is too narrow and superficial. We should rather speak of forming an occupation. This is a complex, social-physiological process that extends well into young adulthood and often beyond. This process starts with a preliminary definition of interests and values. It takes a while to sort out which occupation will serve as a vehicle for living out the multiple interests the young adult has. Some make an early commitment to an occupation, some remain undecided and others make major occupational changes during their twenties.

(d) Forming Love Relationships - the process of forming a marriage and family are more complex than a wedding and a birth. It begins with the task of having adult relationships with the opposite sex. Coming to an understanding of the other sex takes time. Pre-adult development often leaves the young adult full of guilt, anxiety and mystification, complicating efforts to form these relationships. While many young adults enter into marriage commitments before they are prepared for it, the individual who has successfully terminated pre-adulthood will choose a partner who appreciates their emerging aspirations and who wants to share a planned life.

D. The Church and Young Adults
The church seems to loose people as teenagers make the transition out of high school. A number of factors have been suggested that may contribute towards this state of affairs: a lack of relevance of ministries to the life-stage of young adults, a lack of adult mentors who are involved in the lives of young adults, the developmental process that leads to a reexamination of beliefs and values, a change in social activities and new relationships that develop around them, a lack ofactivities provided by the church for young adults to attend, and the provision of young adult ministries based on teenage levels. Whatever the causes the church must seek to develop ministry to young adults that will help them with the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The health and future of the church is at stake.

2. Strategy for Young Adult Ministry
Building a young adult ministry has a lot in common with building a wall. In the book of Nehemiah we read about a man who set out to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah's first step was to accept the challenge, then he got down to the task before him. Along the way he overcame physical and human obstacles. His prayer in the midst of the task was, "O God, strengthen my hands." To those who tried to detract him from his goal, he responded, "I am doing a great work, I cannot come down!"

A closer look at Nehemiah's strategy provides guidelines for young adult ministry:

A. Establish Clear Objectives
Before Nehemiah began he worked out what he wanted to accomplish. He knew what he was called to do and he shared it with people around him who would be willing to help with the project.

B. Have Specific Goals
He knew what he was aiming at, so he was able to lay out a step by step process to achieve his objective. He knew a wall was not a wall until it was completed.

C. Recruit Others to Help
Then Nehemiah enlisted workers. He never intended to do the job by himself. He knew it was too big a job for him to tackle alone. You cannot build walls or a ministry without a task force. There are always those who want to watch and those who want to help build - identify those willing to help and pull them into the ministry.

D. Develop a Unique Ministry
Nehemiah was careful not to get blown off his course by the agenda of other people. It is dangerous to adopt someone else's ministry because it seems to work for that person. Develop a ministry based on the needs and concerns of the young adults within your local church. Each ministry is different and cannot be copied.

E. Continue Despite Distractions
Nehemiah learnt to watch out for distractions and interruptions. He seemed to face a new one every day, and so will a young adult leader. Some come from within the ministry and some from without. Stay committed to what you were called to accomplish and do not get thrown by distractions or difficulties.

F. Evaluate Progress Continually
Even though there may have been time when progress was slow, Nehemiah was quick to spot what was needed to be done and then make the necessary corrections to ensure that the building was successful. Continual evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the ministry is essential if success is to be achieved. Questions to evaluate ministry: Am I building this ministry for myself, my reputation and my glory? What will I leave behind for others to build on when I move on? Who am I training and discipling in this ministry? Do others understand what I am trying to build? Have I communicated my vision? Do others feel a part of the ministry? Do the people that I am building with know that I love and care for them? When I leave will people say, "What a foundation he left for us to build on" or "What a mess!"

3. Programming for Young Adults Ministry

A. Principles for Young Adult Programming
The following principles are suggested as a foundation for preparing programmes for young adults: (1) each programme should respond to a specific need; (2) each programme should be a funnel into the church; (3) young adults must own the programme; (4) the programme must not be built under the pressure of numbers; and (5) the programme styles should change if things are not working.

B. Strategy for Young Adult Programming
A significant difference between teenage and young adult ministry is the variety of stages that young adults go through. Programming must take note of these differences. The following chart should be used to discover where people are, and then programmes designed realising that not every programme will touch every person in the group. Effective programming is focussed programming. This approach, from Terry Hershey, in Young Adult Ministry, is based on a commitment level philosophy of ministry.

The circle represents the young adult group. (1) Potentials are people outside the group, who could be members: neighbours, workmates or classmates. (2) Newcomers are people attend once or twice a month to try the group and see what it does for them. (3) Koinonia are people who make up the bulk of the group, who attend each week and feel that they belong to the group. (4) Teaching are those who take one more step than just attendance, are involved in a Bible study group and are serious about growth. (5) Core are the leaders who run the ministry. Notice that the core touches all four quadrants.

The following programmes are suggested as examples at each level: (1) Potentials - Weekend socials, concerts, sports activities. (2) Newcomers - Discussion groups, new member meetings, weekend socials. (3) Koinonia - Weekend socials and retreats, Sunday services, fellowship groups. (4) Teaching - Bible study, growth groups, seminars, leadership training. (5) Core - Individual discipleship, leadership development groups.

C. Teaching for Young Adult Programming
Young adults need meetings with a discussion rather than a lecture format. They have acquired a lot of wisdom and need to express their feelings and opinions. A suggested model to facilitate a discussion experience follows:

(1) Provocative Question - This will help to break the ice and introduce the discussion in an appealing way. The question must concern an issue that is relevant to the young adult. For example, if the topic is change, ask a question such as, "What is the most difficult change you have had to deal with lately?"

(2) Small Group Discussion - Break the big group into small groups of about five people in order to facilitate maximum sharing. Most young adults feel more comfortable opening up in a smaller group. Subjects that could be discussed include: sexuality; dealing with conflict; the need for forgiveness; the search for intimacy; the use of power; the art of communication; leaving adolescence; or ethics in the workplace.

(3) Reassemble for Sharing - After small-group discussions reassemble the group and ask, "Who would like to share?" You will not wait long for discussion to begin. Introduce the key issues of the subject and lead the young adults in a large group discussion.

(4) Groups for Application - Get back into groups where singles can deal with biblical material and discover ways to apply the subject to their lives. Give each group a passage to read, discuss and apply to their lives.