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Church needs to cater to young adults
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Melody Tan
The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to do more to meet the needs of young adults aged between 17 and 24 year olds, say young people who recently met with Pastor Barry Oliver, the newly appointed president of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific.
15 young people from Adventist Churches around Sydney met with Pr Oliver in February. During the two hour meeting, the group shared with Dr Oliver their views of the church, whether they felt the church was meeting their needs and what direction they felt the church should take in the future.
Most young people felt that the church is “doing very well internally, but unknown to people” without affiliations with the Adventist Church. However, when asked if the church was meeting the needs of young people, many acknowledged that although it is “up to the individual to make it as relevant as they want it to be,” those aged between 17 and 24 tend to “be on the periphery”.
“This is a huge concern for the church,” says Pr Oliver. “We seem to cater very well for young people till they’re 16 or so, but there seems to be a gap for young adults. Increasingly we have effective children’s ministry programs, pathfinders and camping, but we need to find ways to assist young adults over the age of 16 to strengthen their relationship with the Lord and find their place in the church.”
In reflecting on the future direction of the church, the young people said that they would like to see the church more active in reaching out to the community through activities such as helping troubled families.
Many also recognised the good grounding they received from an Adventist education, although also expressed that they would like to see Adventist schools more actively sharing core beliefs with students.
Before the end of the meeting, Pr Oliver assured the group that the church is working to include as many young people as possible in ministry and in strategic planning. He also encouraged them to be proud of their church beliefs.
“Be proud as who we are as Adventist Christians and be willing to roll up your shirt sleeves in the community,” Pr Oliver told the group. “Be prepared to move outside the four walls of the church and let the community know who we are and it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Be authentic.”
“It feels like the church actually cares about what we think and where we’re at,” Melissa Barrett from Fox Valley Adventist Church said about the meeting later.
Michael Knight of Thornleigh Adventist Church agreed, adding that the meeting made the church feel “less hierarchical”.
Pr Oliver plans to meet with different groups of people during his term as president. His next meeting will be with a group of Adventist pastors.
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Melody Tan
The Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to do more to meet the needs of young adults aged between 17 and 24 year olds, say young people who recently met with Pastor Barry Oliver, the newly appointed president of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific.
Ideas and thoughts were shared at a recent meeting between Pr Oliver and Adventist young people
15 young people from Adventist Churches around Sydney met with Pr Oliver in February. During the two hour meeting, the group shared with Dr Oliver their views of the church, whether they felt the church was meeting their needs and what direction they felt the church should take in the future.
Most young people felt that the church is “doing very well internally, but unknown to people” without affiliations with the Adventist Church. However, when asked if the church was meeting the needs of young people, many acknowledged that although it is “up to the individual to make it as relevant as they want it to be,” those aged between 17 and 24 tend to “be on the periphery”.
“This is a huge concern for the church,” says Pr Oliver. “We seem to cater very well for young people till they’re 16 or so, but there seems to be a gap for young adults. Increasingly we have effective children’s ministry programs, pathfinders and camping, but we need to find ways to assist young adults over the age of 16 to strengthen their relationship with the Lord and find their place in the church.”
In reflecting on the future direction of the church, the young people said that they would like to see the church more active in reaching out to the community through activities such as helping troubled families.
Many also recognised the good grounding they received from an Adventist education, although also expressed that they would like to see Adventist schools more actively sharing core beliefs with students.
Before the end of the meeting, Pr Oliver assured the group that the church is working to include as many young people as possible in ministry and in strategic planning. He also encouraged them to be proud of their church beliefs.
“Be proud as who we are as Adventist Christians and be willing to roll up your shirt sleeves in the community,” Pr Oliver told the group. “Be prepared to move outside the four walls of the church and let the community know who we are and it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Be authentic.”
“It feels like the church actually cares about what we think and where we’re at,” Melissa Barrett from Fox Valley Adventist Church said about the meeting later.
Michael Knight of Thornleigh Adventist Church agreed, adding that the meeting made the church feel “less hierarchical”.
Pr Oliver plans to meet with different groups of people during his term as president. His next meeting will be with a group of Adventist pastors.
