We have all heard of youth retreats and children’s church camps. These are wonderful places where children and teenagers are enabled to congregate with people of their own age and learn more about God from speakers who know how to speak to younger audiences. These are areas where children and youth can play games and get to know people they may not have ever gotten to meet otherwise. And these are great environments of learning and growth. Why is it, then, that these retreats, camps, and conferences stop at the last year of high school? Why aren’t there any in churches in the United States of America for young adults?
These questions have been recently raised in my mind as I attended a Young Adults Weekend in Northern Ireland. This weekend was put together by various Reformed Presbyterian Churches in Ireland and brought people together from all over the country so that they could worship and grow in faith and better understanding, as well as have conversation with peers and get to know people who would otherwise remain strangers. It was a break from work and schooling, and a great way to end summer holiday as some of them went back to University or back to the common working that they do all year round. The ages ranged from eighteen to early thirties. Some were married, and some of these couples even had young children with them.
This was the first time I had ever attended young adults conference, and it was the first time I had ever even heard of them. As far as I know, these sorts of conferences aren’t really existent in the United States. This is very disappointing. And here are six reasons why there should be young adult conferences, some of which may have already been mentioned.
1.They bring people together in a faith-driven environment.
Many young adults are going to colleges or universities where they are not in a faith-rich community. They have only themselves and their church to rely on for gaining richness in faith (and I speak in human terms, for I know that it is God who dwells in us who gives us the ability to be rich in faith). In any event, they do not necessarily have the ability to gather with people their own age and learn more about the Bible and their faith. If they are entering the work-force, this becomes even harder. A faith-driven environment in which young adults can thrive and come together on even ground is very important.
2.They are encouraging and invigorate young adults to continue growing in their faith.
We seem to think that growth in faith ends once you get through high school, but this is not the case. In fact, some of the greatest growth in faith happens outside of high school, when you are forced into situations that are more or less out of your control, forced to face the realities of this world, and forced to live, basically, on your own. A young adult conference is a great place for one to find this growth, to break away from the stress of the world and to worship God with others who are going along the same walk of life.
3.They draw you closer as one church body.
We are all in our own separate congregations. To have a time where people from numerous congregations can gather together and worship is a beautiful thing.
4.It is a smaller event.
At least in the Reformed Presbyterian community, the event was moderately sized. There were a lot of people there, at least by an introvert’s standards, but there weren’t so many people that it felt like an over-loaded mega-church youth group. This also means that it is easier to plan out meals.
5.There can be more focus on Bible talks and sessions.
Because young adults are more capable of deeper thinking, there doesn’t have to be as much distraction with games and such. There can be more focus on deeper talks and deeper thinking about Bible passages. There can be more time set aside to discuss the talks and sessions, even while on a hike.
6.There doesn’t really need to be supervision.
As we are all adults, we basically supervise ourselves. There doesn’t need to be any extra adult supervision, because we should be smart enough to take care of ourselves.
These are just six of the reasons why I believe that churches should have or consider having young adult weekends or conferences. We have retreats for the youth and for the children, why not have the young adults get together and plan something as well?
