Three Reasons We Should Get Rid of “Young Adults” in the Church

I have a lot of experience working with “young adults.” I work at a church. My position title is Director of Youth and Young Adults. I am the leader at one of those rare small churches in the presbytery that has a healthy discipleship program geared specifically toward people in their 20s and 30s.  In my free time I am the moderator of a denominational wide community focused on equipping “Young PCUSA Leaders.” It is from this position of authority that I beg you:

Please stop using the descriptor Young Adults.

1. The definition is vague. What is a young adult? The median age of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is 61. For every worshiper between the ages of 15 and 25 there are more than six worshipers over the age of 65.  Today to be a “young adult” basically means “Not near retirement.” The majority (65 and over) consider anyone younger than their age group as a “young adult.” In my travels I have heard of people wanting to extend the descriptor of to those people in their 50s. The title of “young adult” is so broad is is void of any meaning.

2. No one self-identifies as a young adult. If you ask a teenager they will tell you they are a teen or a teenager. College age students are just that “college aged.” People in their 20s and 30s feel comfortable talking about their generation (Millennials) or maybe they will say “I’m in my twenties/thirties.” But NO ONE uses the term “young adult.” Even in literary circles, fiction designed for “young adults” is now described as “teen fiction.”  I lead a bible study of “young adults.” However, when I tell them we are “young adults” they are mildly offended. One woman told me “I’ve been married for 8 years and I have a three year old son, can I just be a regular adult?”

3. It underscores a larger problem in the church: Ageism. I believe one of the largest hurdles the church has to overcome in the next 50 years is the discrimination of people based on their age. The phrase “young adult” puts those between that ages of 13-39 into an unlikely church quarantine. “Young adult” is an offensive term to many because it suggest inexperience and immaturity. It is a disqualifying descriptor. No wonder people want to avoid it.

We ask, “Why are there not more ‘young adults’ in the church?” Perhaps the first step in answering that question is to listen to how they wish define themselves.