7/10 "What's Next? - Synergy - Milestone #4 - Supporting Adulthood"

THIS WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS    July 4 - 10,  Titus 1:11-2:6; & Prov. 7-13

  •  WHERE’S YOUR SPACE TO READ?
  • WHAT’S YOUR TIME TO STUDY?
  • WHAT ARE THE KEY WORDS?
  • WHAT WAS GOD SAYING TO THEM?  WHAT’S GOD SAYING TO YOU?
  • WHAT’S THE HOLY SPIRIT GOING TO SHOW YOU THROUGHOUT THE DAY?
  • FOR WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL?
  • FOR WHAT ARE YOU CONCERNED?
  • WHO NEEDS YOU TODAY?

NEXT WEEK’S BIBLE READINGS     July 11 -17,   Titus 2:7-15; & Prov. 14-20

IN A NUTSHELL: 

In a Nutshell: Sabbath, stewardship, balance, priorities, networks and action provide our greatest tools as productive adults.  Understanding accountability, practicing discernment and embracing spiritual authority will assure success.   

Texts: Titus 1:10-11; Proverbs 3:5-8;  1 Thess. 5:21; 2 Cor. 13:1; Mt. 26:31-45;  Jn. 21:14-17; Mt. 25:14-30; Mk. 1:35-38;  Jas. 2:14-17; 1 Cor. 6:12; Eccl. 4:12; Heb. 5:11-14;   Lk. 6:46-48; 1 Jn. 4:1; 

  HIS WORD

Titus 1:10-11

  1. What are two extremes of types of people?
  2. How do their attitudes actions ("teachings") affect households, the church and young people's lives?
  3. What often times shows up as the core value of everything they do?

Proverbs 3:5-8

  1.  There are somethings about God we should "look to", focus on, expect from. What are they?
  2. There are somethings about ourselves that we should not "lean on", trust, focus on or expect. What are they? 

YOUR WORLD

  1. As a young adult what are some ways you feel the church could better support you?
  2. As an older adult how do you see younger adults can support the church? 
  3. What are some key experiences, truths, relationships that have helped you transition from being a young person to being an adult?  How can you share these with others without being critical or judgmental in attitude?

SMALL PIECES

Many people expect the church to continue the "youth group" experience for young adults.  We see this as enabling the "failure to launch" phenomenon.  Missions trips, TLCC's Single's ministry, CARE Group leader training all provide opportunities for young leadership to emerge.

Some perspectives from Facebook...

 

DOUG - If you are 19 - 35 years old I would be interested in your feedback on this question "What do you think today's churches need to understand/do in order for them to be effective at helping you become what God wants you to become?"

  • i would say being open to sharing mistakes of life. it is easier to ask how to get through something in life when you know your not the only one facing it
  • I second this. Sharing the ugly details of failure in a small group or in a one on one setting can be helpful,  Just telling us “well we didn't get here overnight' or some oversimplified cliché doesn’t help.
  • Offer opportunities to be in a mentorship relationship with someone older and wiser person. Most younger people don't want to ask for advice.
  • Mentorship is a great idea. It's hard to be at this age and feel too old to ask for help with life but too young to understand it. More 1 on 1 contact with a trusted person who's been through it would make it easier to ask tough questions and be honest about where we've been and where we want to go; and then a push to get there.
  • I think it goes beyond mentorship. This age group is trying to find their place in the world and who they are as a member of the church.  Having clear opportunities to serve would be my way of thinking. We are doers and want to feel like we are contributing. Mentoring will come about when people of mixed ages serve together. 
  • And for those of us that may say that we do not have time because of work or family, or whatever else, we need to be pushed harder to set priorities, otherwise the chord that once tied generations together will grow weak and eventually break. Encourage, strengthen, and instruct us, and you will see great things and help us grow into who we need to be
  • Show consistent respect and honor to the body of Christ…  Encourage us to pray for God to show us what our talents, skills, and gifts are and encourage us to use those gifts wherever we are. Remind us that God works in a process and we can't skip ahead to "the good stuff". Also, frequently praise God that he is in control and is with us no matter what.
  • ...I especially like the “being real” sharing struggles idea, I'm trying to figure this Christianity thing out without having parents to look to as examples. I honestly feel like an outcast at church because I nor any of my family work for the church or central. I mean everyone I talk to at church(and I like them all)  falls into that category...I have a hard time relating to people cuz I don't feel "churchy" enough...I work with, talk and hang out with druggies,,alcoholics and non Christians all the time. I have no clue how to talk to them about Jesus correctly. There has to be more people at church that could relate to me.  I.just don't know any.  Mostly my fault I guess cuz I'm not really good at meeting new people. I like our church a lot but it sometimes feels like we are stuck in a bubble/box...and while I think we're better at accepting new people, the bubble seems to full to let anyone in. Maybe because a lot of people seem guarded and afraid to have their weaknesses exposed at church. We are all sinners but no one seems to be talking about how they treat their sins, which in turn makes me feel like an outcast cuz I know I'm messed up
  • I also think our age group needs to be open to listen cause there are people in older generation willing to reach out to us...this isn't a one way street. I've seen it first hand at our church with them making an effort to help us
  • I think there needs to be more "age appropriate" Sunday school classes. Or if we have some, to make them more public. I know from my stand point and a lot of the people in youth group around my age, once we graduated unless you went to Central, I felt like there wasn't anything for me to be in/apart of. We go from being in Sunday school classes from the time we were born all the way up until we start college and then there's nothing. So maybe more classes that would accompany that?
  • I noticed in this list that some people that grew up in our church felt out of place.  Some especially that hadn’t gone to Bible College maybe assume if they don’t learn how to lead others to Christ the Bible College way that they might mess it up.  Isn’t there some way to communicate God’s love and help people discover their gifts to serve others outside of a class or by quoting someone's five point outline to accept Christ?  Can’t there be a little more “Learn to tell your story in Christ rather than people flaunting their credentials and boasting of their spiritual achievements. That makes it seem like unless you have higher education training or get everything doctrinally accurate then you can't share your story and what Christ is doing in your life.  And that's completely untrue.

BIG PICTURE

God has provided relationships and opportunities to take on new responsibility:  TLCC Synergy seeks to support this Milestone with resources to encourage networking, accountability, refinement and balance in the life and spiritual growth of the young adult.

ONLINE RESOURCES:

dougdelp