Category Archives: For Emerging Adults

Free Images of Emerging Adults for Ministry

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Photo courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography. Copyright 2017. www.aaronrobertphotography.com

EA Resources is a faith-based non-profit organization that is dedicated to equipping parents and churches to understand Emerging Adults.  Our desire is to provide quality resources for parents, churches, and friends who want to minister to emerging adults.

EA Resources has commissioned photographers to take photographs for churches to use as they seek to reach emerging adults.

Photo courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography. Copyright 2017. www.aaronrobertphotography.com

If you are in need of free images of emerging adults for church publications(some of which are featured on our site), please contact me at gdavid@earesources.org.  I will email you a link where they can be downloaded.

If you are a photographer that would make your work available to churches, please contact us.

Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources, a non-profit that exists to equip parents and churches to minister to the needs of emerging adults.

 

 

Emerging Adults, Emerging Worship – Seminar by Todd Cioffi

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Photo courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography. Copyright 2016. www.aaronrobertphotography.com

This seminar if from the Calvin Symposium on Worship from 2012.  While it is a few years old, it speaks on an important topic of how emerging adulthood will affect the church.

The recording provides a definition of emerging adulthood and why this matters for the church in regard to how churches worship.

Here is the Link.

Todd Cioffi is assistant professor of Congregational and Ministry Studies at Calvin College and research fellow at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

 

Curriculum List for Emerging Adults

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Here is a list of curriculums for emerging adults.  Need some help picking some curriculum?  Here are some helpful hints.   

If you know of additional resources, please contact me at gdavid@earesources.org.  

Dr. G. David Boyd is the founder and managing director of EA Resources, and the EA Network.  If he can equip your community to minister to emerging adults, please contact him at gdavid@earesources.org.

Making Curriculum work for Emerging Adults

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Photo courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography. Copyright 2017. www.aaronrobertphotography.com

As someone who has taught thousands of Sunday School and bible studies, I know how a good curriculum can make or break an evening.  When I launched a small group for emerging adults, it was difficult to find something that was both age appropriate and well-written.  There is currently not a huge selection targeted to young adults, but I believe the number will grow as churches realize the unique challenges facing emerging adults.    

As you work to make a curriculum work for you, here are some thoughts to help you.

Remember that curriculum is never a finished product.  If your first look at the curriculum is while you are opening your group in prayer (I might know from previous experience.), then you are in trouble.  Curriculum is a tool to help you craft your lesson.  Never present curriculum to your group, but use curriculum as a tool to create something crafted specifically for your community. 

Become a student of emerging adults.  If you already possess a knowledge of the characteristics and challenges of emerging adulthood, then you can take any curriculum designed for adults, and use it for your group.  If the rest of the church is doing a specific bible study together, then include your group.  Using the same curriculum, can build bridges between emerging adults and the rest of the congregation. 

Learn to ask great questions.  Asking great questions doesn’t happen naturally, but takes time and skill.  Asking the wrong question can leave the group silent and afraid to speak.  Asking a great question can lead members of your group to share their knowledge, offer a different perspective, share from their personal journey, or demonstrate how to apply the lesson to their lives.  If I were training a new small group leader, I would rather see a page full of great questions than pages of notes.  Emerging adults want to participate in the group rather than be silent observers.  Great questions are a pathway to participation. 

 

Regularly ask your community what curriculum or studies have worked, and what has not worked.  Your group members have an opinion, and likely are not afraid to share it.  Each group is unique, and rather than mass-market Christianity, they may need something that speaks to your particular community. 

Ask yourself the question, “What interests me?”  Passion (or a lack thereof) within the teacher always comes out.  If you are bored, then how do you expect others to pay attention? 

Here is a list of curriculum for emerging adults. 

Lifeway

Group

Merge Series

Nooma

Abington Press

College Leader

Paulist Press

If you know of additional resources, please contact me at gdavid@earesources.org.   

Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources and the EA Network.  If he can equip your community to minister to emerging adults, contact him at www.earesources.org.

Where should I start when reading the Bible?

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Copyright by Aaron Roberts Photography

While at church this morning, a friend asked me where he should start reading the bible.  It is a question that cannot be answered simply with a specific book or passage.  I have spent many years reading the bible – a practice and passion that started when I was in 7th grade.

Many earnest Christians attempting to read through the bible begin reading in Genesis 1, and are swept along by the beautiful story of Creation, and the ancient figures of the Old Testament – only to be lost in the middle of March amidst the offerings and feasts in Leviticus.

I think the answer to where you begin reading depends on the individual.  So here are a few questions to ask yourself before launching (or re-launching) into the Word of God.

  1. What am I hoping to get from reading the bible?

This is one of the first questions to ask yourself as you begin to read the bible.  I hope that you are hoping to hear from God.  The bible is not static words on a page, but it is the living active word of God that speaks to His children in a powerful way.  (Hebrews 4:12)

Copyright by Aaron Roberts Photography

Each literary genre of New and Old Testaments are different in their original purposes, and the original intentions of the authors still affect how we interpret these passages today.  The narratives of the Old Testament lay the foundation of God’s relationship with mankind, and demonstrate His care for the people of God.  The poetry of the Psalms reveals the anguish of the human heart, and the reality of human passion, yet weakness to follow God.  The prophets reveal a God who in the midst of darkness is calling to lost humankind.  Narratives from the gospels show the character of Jesus, and the one whom we aspire to imitate.  The epistles challenge and encourage the communities of God.

There are other reasons to read the bible, but we must remember that the primary reason is to connect with the Author.

2.  How much do I already know about the bible?

The bible is a complex story, and it is not the easiest book to understand.  While I believe each book is important, some books I still don’t understand after many years of study.  Many people suggest that those with a limited knowledge of the bible should start with books like John, Romans, or Genesis.

 

3.  What are my biggest obstacles to reading the bible?

People have various reasons for not reading the bible.  If a major obstacle is time, then I would encourage you to start with smaller passages rather than trying to read through the entire passage.  If reading is not your favorite activity, then find a version that you find easy to understand.

4.  What most interests you about the bible?

People read and study things that spark their interest.  Do not feel guilty on focusing on passages of scripture that feed your soul.  Fuel what interests you in the bible, and allow them to lead you into new avenues.

5.  What tools could help me?

There are so many great tools to help you as you seek to read God’s word.  A few examples include:  digital bibles (complete with yearly reading plans), daily bibles or reading checklists, chronological bibles, printed devotionals (I would suggest classics like – My Utmost for His Highest or Daily in His Presence), or sign up for an online devotional that arrives in your inbox each morning.  There are a variety of tools so pick one that you think will work for you.

6.  Who would you be reading the bible with?

The majority of the bible was written to be understood and applied within a community.  While you may not be reading side-by-side with someone, ask yourself who could you incorporate into your spiritual journey so that “iron can sharpen iron.”  It is a great idea to discuss what you are reading with your wife, children, a bible study, or other Christians in order to share how it applies to your life.
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Copyright by Aaron Roberts Photography

David - Prof 2Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources, a non-profit designed to equip parents and churches to minister to the needs of emerging adults.

Top Ten Blog Posts of 2016

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While many are complaining about last year, 2016 was a great year at EA Resource (which stands for Emerging Adult Resources).  This year our web traffic hit an all time high.  EA Resources also launched the EA Network.

Here is a list of our Top Ten Blog Posts of 2016.

10.  Establish Autonomy:  A Developmental Task of Adulthood

9.  Fact Checker:  Does college cause Emerging Adults to leave their faith?

8.  Paying Millennials to speak about the church.

7.  The Fracturing of Evangelicalism:  Why Millennials be the Wedge?

6.  An Open Letter to the Millennial Church

5.  Defining Adulthood

4.  You’ve Gotta Love Millennials – A response to the song and video of Micah Tyler.

3.  The Purpose of Engagement

2.  The Middle:  The television show that all parents of emerging adults should be watching.

  1.  Six Steps to Naming your Young Adult Ministry:  40 Name Possibilities for your church’s ministry to Emerging Adults.

Dr. G. David Boyd is the Founder and Managing Director of EA Resources.  If he can help you community understand and minister to emerging adults, you can contact him at gdavid@earesources.org.

 

Adulting: Runner-up “International Word of the Year”

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All the words from Flickr via Wylio

© 2013 Graham Campbell, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio

Each year, the Oxford English Dictionary names an international word of the year.  This title is awarded based upon the word’s use during the past year, and how it reflects “the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year.”

This year’s title went to post-truth (read what this means).

One of the shortlisted words (considered, but not chosen) was…

adulting noun, informal

The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.

The Urban dictionary defines it as the process of doing grown up things and hold responsibilities such as, a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups. (Source)

Various hashtags on the subject are also used including:
#adulting #responsible #grown up

This word is often associated with the struggle of millennials to grow up.  Books and blogs have exploded on helping them overcome their apparent delayed development.

At EA Resources, we teach three developmental tasks which equip individuals to successfully transition to adulthood – which we call the E-VACuation Plan.

Here are three links that overview these three main developmental tasks.

David - Prof 2If I can help equip your parents and adolescents as children transition into adulthood, please contact me at gdavid@earesources.org.

Are we living in a ‘Post-truth’ society?

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oxford-dictionaryThe Oxford English Dictionary has named “post-truth” the international word of the year.  Each year this designation is chosen based upon the word’s use during the past year, and how it reflects “the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of that particular year.”

Post-truth is defined as:

Relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective  facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals  to emotion and personal belief.

Editors of the dictionary report that the word’s use increased due to Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and the presidential election in the United States.  The word has been used as an adjective when paired with words like politics.

Our culture has shifted from a modern worldview to one that is postmodern.  This shift is foundation to how Millennials and emerging adults view the world.  Understanding this worldview shift is key if you want to understand and reach emerging adults.

David - Prof 2If I can help you understand how our world is changing, and how your community can adapt to minister to emerging adults, please contact me at gdavid@earesources.org.

 

 

Will marriage become extinct?

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Marriage between man and woman today “is becoming extinct.”

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Copyright 2016 Photo Courtesy of Aaron Robert Photography LLC

 

That was the view shared by Jennifer Murff of Millennials for Marriage at a recent speech to an audience of young people from various countries who attended a conference promoting marriage and families in Beverly, Massachusetts, CBN News reported.

Here is the rest of the article from Christianity Today.

My Favorite Line –

The problem is that instead of trying to reach a compromise with the young people, the older generations tend to shun them, especially since these millennials are now more often accepting of gay marriage, premarital sex and even abortion—things that are non-negotiable for many adult churchgoers.

Statements like this display the desperate need in churches for Generational Mediators.

Marriage statistics are clearly changing – due to various reasons including:  the availability of birth control, rise of cohabitation, and the lessening of sexual taboos.  Regardless of what you believe on these issues, this trend should affect our churches and how we approach, evangelize, and disciple the next generation.

While I don’t believe that marriage will become extinct, the question among Millennials is no longer, “When do we get married?”, but “Why get married at all?”

 

 

The End of 2016

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It has been a great year at EA Resources, and I am thankful for our regular readers and contributors.  EA Resources is a non-profit designed to equip parents and churches to minister to Emerging Adults.

If God has blessed you financially this year, please considering supporting our work by donating to our work.

Click Here!