Spiritual Characteristics
of Young Adults
A Guide for Ministry Leaders, Parents, and Caregivers
The ages of 18-30 are often misunderstood as a time of linear trajectory in which young people are
expected (by parents, grandparents, friends, teachers, pastors, etc.) to mark personal and spiritual
milestones as they become adults. This age stage has been referred to as “emerging adulthood” (Jeffery
Arnett and later the Fuller Youth Institute). Life here is seen as a myriad of transitions in which making
choices and decisions is often more complicated than in past generations. Churches and ministry leaders
have not always made the adjustments necessary within congregations to walk with these young people
as they journey through the complexities of this period of life. For these young adults, the following
observations and characteristics apply:
● We are seeing a “extending of adolescence” as a life stage. Not only has it started earlier, but it
has also lasted longer.
● Young adults are navigating a world where the traditional pathway to adulthood is less desirable
and possible. While in past decades they would follow a predictable (and often wrongly assumed)
path of graduating high school, attending college, getting a job, getting married, buying a house,
and starting a family, today there is no longer a typical path or timeline for achieving these
markers toward adulthood. Instead, gap or bridge years, traveling, living with roommates,
cohabitating, internships, or living back at home with parents again have become the new normal.
This reality makes it confusing for parents and other loved ones as they try to relate to a
generation that is very different from their own. Additionally, it means historical models of
ministry (life stage ministry silos) won’t connect well with this generation.
● They are navigating key developmental transitions (identified by the Fuller Youth Institute).
These transitions are as follows:
○ Self-identifying – Harmonizing internal and external selves. “I’m figuring out who I’m
becoming, in all its complexities.”
○ Relating – Negotiating relationships. “I’m learning who I can trust in light of my past,
present, and future relationships.”
○ Contributing – Making contributions in the world. “I’m discovering what I can contribute
for the betterment of myself and others.”
○ Taking Responsibility – Taking agency for oneself. “I’m figuring out how to bear more of
the weight and direction of my life and relationships.”
○ Self-caring – Physical and mental health. “I’m learning to care for myself now that my
well-being is up to me.”
○ Acclimating – Adjusting to new work and living environments. “I’m putting down shallow
roots and trying to thrive where I am.”
○ Meaning Making – Connecting with spirituality and community. “I’m seeking to make
sense of my life and to connect my spirituality with my community.”
Churches that can identify these transitions in their young adults will find more meaningful
connections, and young adults who find a church that can relate to them in this new reality will
find stronger community and connections.
● They get frustrated and feel judged when we say, “When I was your age . . . .” This can at times be
set up as an unreal expectation. Things are not the same as they were even one generation ago in
terms of expectations, technology, life goals, or hoped-for realities. Churches need to avoid the
idea that programs or ministries that worked a generation ago will still work in the same ways.
New approaches and ministries need to be created for a new generation.
● They appreciate and are willing to be mentored. This allows for a personal relationship that
enables the mentee to walk through the realities of their own life, which might not be the same as
the realities of other peers. It also allows for individual and tailored responses from a mentor
who knows the individual and the situation of their life and can speak into it in a very personal
and real way from their own experience and shared connection. (Generation Spark is a
mentorship model that assists churches in developing mentorship and intergenerational
relationships for teens and young adults.)
