THE NEXT ADVENTISM
A Church for Young Adults BY NICOLE BRO WN-DOMINGUEZ
We must reckon with this if we are to answer the big question:
What does an aspirational church look like for young adults? Te current structures, it seems to me, aren’t designed to uphold a gospel community, but rather, only to support the structure itself. Creating an aspirational church for young people means allowing the gospel to dictate structure, not structure dictate the gospel. Because when the structures begin to stunt organic spiritual growth, then upholding structures becomes the goal.
An Authentic Church Have you ever tried to explain church structures to those who didn’t grow up in it? Decoding the offices, culture, dichotomies and expectations feels like explaining a corporate machine. We take positions of leadership and sit on boards, executive committees, and nominating committees. We also read quarterly reports and share baptism metrics as well as tithe and offering projections. Even our language of faith—“gospel message,” “ministry,” “outreach,” and “worship”—has blended with the corporate lexicon, making them sound more like buzzwords than expressions of authentic faith. But the gospel of Jesus is not a buzzword for a corporate
report. It is a living thing, realized in community. An aspirational Adventism for younger generations means a transition from corporation to community. What if we reverted to a type of the early church, where
There’s a parable about two monks meeting an arrogant woman at the edge of a shallow river, complaining that she couldn’t get across without damaging her fine clothes. Te first monk ignores her. Te other puts the woman on his back and carries her across. On the other side, the woman leaves without even thanking him. As the two men continue walking, the first complains bitterly for the rest of the journey about the woman’s entitlement and lack of gratitude. Te second monk finally replies, “I put that woman down hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?” Young adults have frequently been told that we’re “the
future”—an undefined position where we exist as perpetual understudy. But to become the future, we’re expected to carry the structures the church has created: expired systems of a bygone era we’re supposed to uphold simply because “we’ve always done it this way.”
mission grew out of the gospel? No, not an itchy trigger finger, where new ideas are spit forth undeveloped, but a return to an authentic faith, away from the control of corporate culture. A place where ideas can be launched, aſter thoughtful collaboration, in a community that recognizes risk as a part of growth instead of a threat to the denominational brand. A community where conversation flourishes, discipleship is practiced, growth is encouraged, and respect is earned by character, not title. Year aſter year, college kids and 30-somethings come forward
fresh-faced and eager to introduce new ideas. Tey are initially met with enthusiasm. Ten, the committees begin to form. Emails try to determine which department the new idea would fall under. Slowly, the idea that was designed to innovate, engage, and expand gets bogged down in bureaucratic quicksand. Five years later, when the idea is no longer innovative but
mainstream, it might be dug up—now dulled and tarnished—and presented as “new and fresh.” Is it any wonder young people are wary of sharing custody of their ideas?
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