Young Adult Ministry

Definition and Meaning

A young adult ministry is a church department in which unmarried members who have completed the high school department, ranging from their twenties to their early or mid-thirties, worship and fellowship together. When college students meet as a separate group, it is called a college ministry. When working young adults are organized separately, the groups may be numbered, for example Young Adults 1 and Young Adults 2. The name young adults' association more strongly suggests a self-governing organization run by the young adults themselves. Members who marry generally move to the adult department or to a newlywed couples' group.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture does not mention an organization called a young adult ministry. Churches frequently cite the following passages in support of it:

• Ecclesiastes 12:1: "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth"
• 1 Timothy 4:12: "Let no man despise thy youth"
• 1 John 2:14: an exhortation addressed to young men

The modern Christian youth movement is best represented by the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), founded in London, England, in 1844. In Korea, the Hwangseong (Seoul) YMCA was established in 1903. From the late nineteenth century onward, denominational youth organizations also emerged, such as the Methodist Epworth League and the Presbyterian Christian Endeavor Society. These organizations are known to have taken part in evangelism, public enlightenment, and the national movement.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the young adult ministry usually holds its own worship service on Sunday afternoon or Saturday, separate from the Sunday school. The service is typically followed by small group meetings, and much of the music is led by a worship team. Representative activities include summer and winter retreats, short-term missions, and discipleship training. The ministry is often overseen by a member of the ministerial staff, typically an evangelist or an associate pastor.

Organizational names and traditions vary somewhat by denomination.

• Presbyterian: Some Korean Presbyterian denominations have continued a tradition of young adult organizations under the Christian Endeavor (Myeollyeohoe) name. Some also maintain young adult federations at the presbytery and general assembly levels.
• Korean Methodist Church: The name "young adults' association" is widely used, and federated organizations exist at the district and annual conference levels.
• Small churches: Because they have few young adults, some churches cannot maintain a separate young adult ministry and instead combine it with the adult department.

On Korean campuses, parachurch mission organizations such as Korea Campus Crusade for Christ, Korea InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and Youth With A Mission Korea have carried out ministry among college students, either alongside church young adult ministries or independently of churches.

In recent years, as the age of marriage has risen, a growing number of Korean churches have raised the upper age limit of the young adult ministry to the late thirties. At the same time, the decline of young adult ministries, owing to a shrinking young adult population and the growing number of young people leaving the church, the so-called "Canaan believers", is being discussed as a challenge in many denominations.