Young adults say:

Why VMC young adults love the church

• Caring and supportive community
• Diverse relationships of friendship and unity
• A place of belonging
• A place to fit in (even if I’m broken or different)
• I’m genuinely wanted as a family member
• I find Jesus at work, changing the world through the Spirit and through loving people
• I see God’s powerful kingdom
• I join God’s movement through the loving service and worship of the church

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What VMC young adults long for in the church

• Greater openness, vulnerability, transparency
• More opportunities to participate in integral ways
• Supportive fellowship
• All are welcomed, even with questions and brokenness
• Safe place of healing
• Mentors
• Diverse connections in Mennonite Church USA and beyond
• See God’s Spirit moving outside of Sunday morning
• Mission reaching the community

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Recommended Resources

• Kinnaman, David. You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church . . . and Rethinking Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011.
• Parks, Sharon Daloz. Big Questions, Worthy Dreams: Mentoring Young Adults in their Search for Meaning, Purpose and Faith. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011.
• Shenk, Sarah Wenger. Thank you for Asking: Conversing with Young Adults about the Future Church. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2005.
• Smith, Christian with Patricia Snell. Souls in Transition: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.