Coming of Age in the 21 st Century

What does it mean to be an adult? How do you know when you have arrived? Defining terminology Emerging adulthood: Developmental Millenials: Generational term “The search for youth is not all-permissibility, but rather for directly facing up to what truly counts” Erik Erikson, psychanalyst

There is an increasing number of people with post-secondary education in Canada.

Marriage In Canada The age of first marriage is increasing. Reasons for not marrying include the need to become your own person, cannot afford it, travel narrative, parental resistance, inclining confidence in the institution of marriage, a pursuit of sexual chemistry.

Career (In)stability The average person changes jobs 7 times in the first ten years after completing post-secondary training. 1 Therefore, employees and employers see employment as a low commitment arrangement. Only 1 in year olds think of their current job as a career 2. In US, emerging adults reach the median wage at 30 versus 26 in Arnett, Emerging Adults In America 2 Failure To Launch (Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce)

Financial Apron Strings It is estimated that US parents support their children on average $38,000 after high school graduation until complete financial independence. 1 About a quarter of university graduates move back in with their families after graduation. Most see this as temporary and have moved out within a year. 1 1 Arnett, Emerging Adults In America

Moral Therapeutic Deism 1 A God exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem. Good people go to heaven when they die. 1 Smith & Denton, Soul Searching

The Water They Swim In

The subjective self rules 1 Perspectivism Due to perspectivism, emerging adults typically dislike espousing a “judging worldview”; one that stands above and judges another’s worldview “…but hey, that’s just my opinion” Two versions of tolerance (Carson) 1 Smith & Snell, Souls In Transition

Mental heath About 20 percent of Canadian students have felt “overwhelming anxiety” in the last 2 weeks 1 About 13 percent of Canadian students have felt “so depressed that it was difficult to function” in the last 2 weeks 1 There is a heightened incidence of anti-anxiety/anti- depression medication. In Ontario, there has been a +300% increase in use in the last 15 years. 2 1 National College Health Assessment 2013, Canadian Cohort 2 Ontario Centre For Addiction and Mental Health

Relationships are key An essential outlook of emerging adults is ethical standard of “not hurting anyone”. Without an objective assessment of moral standards, the highest aspiration is to be civil and non- judgmental Smith & Snell, Lost In Transition

Doors, Bridges, and The Freedom To Choose Emerging adults see their twenties as a time of exploration, hence they are loath to make commitments that lock them in and eliminate options Individual autonomy, amorphous relationships, aversion to moral judgments keep commitment at bay. Religious words like devotion, worship, and commitment are problematic. Religious commitment then is a type of settling down, which belongs in the future.

Sexualization, Objectification, Pornification The highest use demographic of pornography are year olds. Pornography is the de facto sex educator and serves as a sexual surrogate, bridging puberty to marriage. Most research shows a rate of incidence over 75% for Christian men and 25-30% for Christian women. These rates of incidence are only slightly lower than the general public.

Are they “losing their religion”?

Making sense the “nones” Cohort effect or life course effect? Making the distinction between Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, and Catholics The polarization of religious affiliation (R. Putnam) Increased social acceptance of secularism (C. Taylor) The challenges of measuring spiritual maturity and commitment. Objective versus subjective measures.

Current Snapshots One third of Americans under 30 report being religiously unaffiliated 1 Eleven percent of Young Adult (YA) Protestants (ten percent of Catholics) become unaffiliated when “raised with a very strong faith” 1. Then is this a parenting issue? A majority of YAs raised in evangelical homes retain that affiliation (57% men, 63% women). However, 32% of men identify as “none, agnostic, or atheist”; (22% for women) 2 Most level the Christian faith through a gradual drift away (70%) and walking away from church teachings (65%) 3 1 Pew Forum For Religion and Public Life 2 Hemmoghaging Faith Report 3 Pew Forum For Religion and Public Life

Canadian Religious Affiliation Changes (Canadian Census; Canadian Household Survey)

Finding A Place to Begin

Why are millennials leaving the church? leaving-the-church/

Ministry To Christian Emerging Adults Make commitments short and focused Become conversant in the same sex marriage debate Don’t over estimate the need for a “trendy” feel A focus on community is both a biblical and PoMo value “Christian” is not always seen as a positive label Missional and incarnational have lost some moxy as terms but not as concepts

Ministry To Non-Christian Emerging Adults The gospel as addressing ultimate values Become conversant in the same sex marriage debate While the church is not always respected, Jesus is Community involvement lends credibility to the church The two-way street of community, plausibility, and personal pain