Young adult singles, in particular, are especially good candidates for doing missions. This can take many forms. However a focus of your annual missions celebration event might include communicating to young adults options which could be especially fitting or appealing to them. Young adults are also in a formative stage of life in which they are establishing habits of stewardship, ministry, and relationships which will last their entire lifetime. Young adults also tend to have more available time and technology related skill sets that can be implemented in the cause of missions, if they do not already have young children.
Young adults need processing time. They need the opportunity to discuss and interact with concepts affecting their life. Single young adults have unique opportunities to develop ministry skills and experiences more than any other time in their life. It is very stimulating and encouraging to young adults to hear testimonies of other young adults who have experience the joys and hardships of volunteering in missions, in ministry and service, both domestically and internationally. Young adults are highly attracted to community; one of the strongest appeals is for their peers to invite them to “get in the game” and use their young adulthood for God’s purposes.
Here are some examples of opportunities to present to young adults:
- training or ministry on the mission field
- shadowing or being a Timothy to one of the missionaries supported by the church
- functioning as a nanny for a missionary family
- spending one school year as a homeschool teacher or governess for one or more missionary families
- spending two weeks to six months doing whatever projects are needed on the field
- sign up to participate in or lead a short term ministry team
- apply for a mission agency short-term project or vision trip
- provide technical or logistic support for missionaries on the field (much of which could also be done from “home”), including:
- computer tech support, software application training, graphic design, layout, and production, website development, Internet email distribution management, printing and mailing (or email distribution) of missionary prayer newsletters, photography, videography, PR materials development and production, security systems, data security and VPN management, etc.
- preparation in and through the local church
- participating in a Perspectives class
- becoming part of a church leadership or practical missionary training class
- enrolling in evening Bible school or seminary classes to fulfill mission agency (or home church) biblical and theological development requirements
- teach a children’s Sunday school or Bible club class
- volunteer to disciple teens in the youth group
- volunteer to lead evangelism or outreach ministry for the church in the community
- assist with church visitation and/or sports outreach and/or literature distribution