Five Ways to Minister to Young Adults Struggling with Anxiety (Part 2)

The third concerns a perception that the world is coming apart
Suppose you scan the headlines of any news source from MSNBC, CNN, Fox, or social media. In that case, you might feel like the world has entered an unusual time of turbulence. Or could it just feel that way because of the twenty-four-hour news cycle? I recently read a story of a small group of women in the U.K. called “Birthstrikers”—women who refuse to have children until climate change ends.[v] This type of extreme thinking reveals the desperation some feel about the current state of affairs.

A faith-based response.
As people of faith, we understand that time as we know it will come to an end, but that doesn’t mean that we become fearful. Instead, we return to a baseline that God is in charge of time and that our faith and relationships sustain us.

For through him, God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
Colossians 1:16-17 NLT

The church can be a place where young adults can build faith based on God’s Word and not the latest news feed.

The fourth concern is relationship deficits
According to a recent report on NPR, “There is an epidemic of loneliness in the United States, and lacking connection can increase the risks for premature death to levels comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.”[vi]

Please take a moment and consider all the changes so many of us have been through in the past ten years. Job changes, moving away from where we grew up, technological advances, and even the pandemic have brought about multiple transformations.

Across all generations, people are spending less time with each other in person than ten years ago. In an advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General, this loneliness was most pronounced in young people between 15 and 24, who had 70% less interaction with their friends.[vii] The sad truth is that more of us are using social media as a substitute for eyeball-to-eyeball and skin-to-skin relationships, which is detrimental.

Loneliness is an unsurprising symptom of an individualistic society.

A faith-based response.
This loneliness epidemic has created an enormous opportunity for churches to emphasize connectivity and community.

Jerry Linneman, a pastor in Columbia, penned an excellent article, “How Your Church Can Respond to the Loneliness Epidemic.” In this article, he lists five ways churches can help people become more connected.

Here is his short list:

1. Establish Belonging through Membership

2. Prioritize Life-Giving Community

3. Commit to Shared Leadership

4. Teach and model Friendship and Community

5. Be Devoted to One Another

The fifth and final concern has to do with political and social issues
This should come as no surprise, as we have seen an unprecedented rise in political and social divisiveness in the past few years. According to author and theologian N.T. Wright, “What we are left within the United States is a serious level of anxiety and anger on many fronts. Lifetime friends have divided over the past year or so with no plausible reconciliation pathway.”[viii]

In January 2019, Lifeway Research surveyed why so many young adults drop out of church. One of the alarming statistics was that 70 percent named religious, ethical, or political beliefs for dropping out. Of those, 25 percent said they disagreed with the church’s stance on political or social issues. In comparison, 22 percent said they only attended to please someone else.[ix]

If you want to do a deeper dive into this subject, I would recommend reading this scholarly, thoughtful article: “Politics, Conscience, and the Church: Why Christians Passionately Disagree with One Another over Politics, Why They Must Agree to Disagree over Jagged-Line Political Issues” by Jonathan Leeman and Andrew David Naselli.

Ministry leaders face the daunting reality of today’s political issues and their impact on the church. As ministry leaders, we need to operate with an informed mind, a focus on the Kingdom of Heaven, and an awareness of how to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those we serve. We need to be able to have serious, life-giving conversations with the young adults in our care, hear their concerns, and provide a balanced biblical perspective. I believe that you can take this information can empower you to explore five ways to minister to young adults on a practical level.

Conclusion: Taking Action to Address the Mental Health Crisis Among Young Adults
As a church, we need to be a place of hope, healing, and sound information. In nearly fifty years of being involved in ministry and human service, I have heard three common and incorrect themes concerning mental health in the church. Unfortunately, these mindsets have directly or indirectly caused harm.

1. Anxiety is a failure to trust God.

2. Depression is a sin.

3. You need to pray and read your Bible to deal with any mental health concerns.

One of the consequences of original sin is that the fall negatively impacts the entire universe, our minds, and our bodies. Because of sin, we have disease, discord, and despair.

The church is supposed to be a place of refuge and support. It is a place where the brokenhearted can be supported and healed. It is a well-known fact that people often seek a ministry leader before they seek professional help. The church has a unique opportunity to offer a supportive community to help young adults struggling to manage their emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. Would you agree that the church should be a place where a person can experience a safe and supportive environment? A place where they can express their feelings and receive help without fearing judgment? A place where biblical discipleship infuses the total person and not just the “church” department?

As the church addresses mental health and well-being issues compassionately and responsibly, it will help young adults develop healthy, faith-friendly coping skills and improve their overall well-being. By being a welcoming community that exhibits faith, hope, and love, your church will discover at least five ways to minister to young adults.

Remember Galatians 6:2, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (NLT).

Here are some things your church can do :
1. Research various competent, faith-based, or faith-friendly mental health resources. You can check out Focus on the Family Christian Counseling Network to assist you in this. You can also network with other ministry leaders to see who they refer to.

2. Consider a teaching series on Mental Health from the Scriptures. With some work, I believe you can find several excellent resources from the book of Psalms to Philippians that will provide valuable, practical, and psychologically sound principles, tools, and skills that will help those whom you shepherd.

3. Educate yourself through ongoing continuing education, online classes, and podcasts. Here are some hyperlinks to some of my favorite podcast resources to get you started.

Thank you for taking a few moments to read my article; I trust you found it helpful. May the Lord bless you as you seek to expand five ways to minister to young adults.

Blessings,

John Thurman, M.Div., M.A., LPCC

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^[v] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/12/birthstrikers-meet-the-women-who-refuse-to-have-children-until-climate-change-ends

^[vi] https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173418268/loneliness-connection-mental-health-dementia-surgeon-general

^[vii] https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/03/new-surgeon-general-advisory-raises-alarm-about-devastating-impact-epidemic-loneliness-isolation-united-states.html