CBF has pinpointed “Engaging Young Baptists” as a key priority for the movement over the coming years.  As a “young Baptist” myself, I’m excited to be a part of this conversation.  But before we can engage “young Baptists,” we have to know something about them.  I’d argue the best way to engage is to build relationships, have dialogue across generations, and get to know one another.  There is no shortcut to personal encounter.

However, it might also help us to know a little something generally about a generation of “emerging adults.”  Emerging adults are generally defined as between the ages of 18-29 and nicknamed the millennial generation since they came of age at the turn of the last millennium.  Several recent accessable publications are great places to go to learn about this generation.  The Pew Research Center recently released a report on the “millennial generation” (http://pewresearch.org/millennials/) .  Noted sociologist of religion, Christian Smith, also recently published Souls in Transition:The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults.

These studies show that “emerging adults” appear to “emerge” more slowly into adulthood.  They accumulate more years of education and move constantly to new locations and jobs while also delaying marriage and family.  They are the least likely segment of the population to claim a religious affiliation, but they are interested  in “big questions.”  They may not claim they know the answer, but they are glad to tell you how they feel and believe about issues of faith and meaning.  They are drawn to relationships and active engagement , but are often turned off to institutions and programs.

The studies mentioned above, especially Christian Smith’s work, should be required reading for youth pastors, all church staff, lay leaders, and parents.  They give us a good picture of the changing mood of a new generation.  However, while they may give hints of how to engage emerging adults, they do not give churches and parents easy answers.    That is the work left for us.

This is the conversation that CBF should be having as we talk about “engaging young Baptists.”  Baptist emerging adults can’t be that different from the average population.  Armed with a picture of what a new generation believes and how they practice faith, we should work to engage them on their turf.  We can’t hope that once emerging adults “settle down” and have families they will then return to church.  Young emerging adults are not interested in waiting on us to invite them to share what we are currently doing.  It’s not on their radar.

What must change?  Maybe churches can start with little things.  Where do emerging adults fit into traditional Sunday school structures?  Many are delaying marriage and family and don’t fit into a “young married class”, but they don’t want to be funneled into a “college/career” or “singles” specific class.  Does your church have any other options?  It’s the same process that any mission-minded church goes through. What does our church look like to those outside our community?  How can we learn about and from those around us to make sure not only that are doors are open but that we are engaging them outside the church walls?  Let’s learn about and from young Baptists as we work to engage these “emerging adults.”