October 1, 2026
The gospel never changes. But our tone and tools should, if we hope to reach young adults.
Nearly a decade ago, Dr. Steve Parr and Dr. Tom Crites asked a hopeful question in Why They Stay: What helps kids and teens remain connected to the local church into adulthood?
They answered it with research for parents and church leaders, finding that the local church’s engagement with student and kids ministries helps young adults stay and not stray as they emerge into adulthood.
The stakes are real. Lifeway Research has shown a steady slide from the teen years into the 20s—strong attendance around age 16, then a sharp drop so that by their 20s, only about one in three still attend regularly.
Part of reaching young adults now is engaging them before they drift at the pivotal age of 16.
So how do we respond?
Your pulpit isn’t just filling an hour with truth; it shapes lives for generations. Young adults aren’t allergic to hard answers; they’re allergic to spin. They know our own hearts mislead us (Jeremiah 17:9), and they’re looking for unchanging truth—God’s Word—spoken with clarity, compassion, and authenticity.
And it matters more now than ever.
Surprise! Younger adults are showing up more often than other generations in your church. Recent reporting indicates Gen Z and Millennials’ attendance is nearly twice what it was five years ago.
That means your sermon already has more young ears than you might assume, so preach like it. If your church isn’t seeing many young adults, don’t assume a commitment problem; consider a connection problem.
If you’re not intentionally reaching young adults, then you likely aren’t seeing this average attendance by generation. This serves as a reminder that when data gets a seat at the table, our prior assumptions may prove to be biased by mistake.
Authenticity isn’t a mold; it’s you. God wired you to communicate in a way that, with intentionality, moves from a sermon on a stage to a disciple-making conversation at a table.
The early church modeled this rhythm—gathering in the temple and from house to house so proclamation flowed into conversation and community (Acts 2; Acts 5). When you preach authentically, you become a vessel He uses, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to speak the truth in love.
As you craft Sunday’s message, ask: Which part invites a clear next step, helping a listener become a disciple who makes disciples? Young adults want you, pastor, not a presentation.
Alliteration isn’t the villain. But when it becomes your only strategy to connect with your people, it can sound more programmatic than pastoral. We’ve all heard that “people will remember more if they rhyme or spell a word,” and while that’s true of some, it should be used as needed, not every week.
Preach a single idea in a phrase that people can live out this week. Evaluate your impact as a communicator by checking if your congregants recall the sermon’s main points weeks later.
Research shows hypocrisy and poor teaching push people away, so let’s be pastors who preach God’s Word with clarity and substance.
Before you reach for a story from your week, reach for the Story. All Scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, correcting, and training. It’s easy to fall into a routine. Begin with a joke or a family moment, then read the text or topic of the week, followed by prayer, and repeat.
Keep the Word at the center of every sermon and let your personality take the truth in love. Give young adults something they can live out on Monday, taught from the fullness of God’s Word.
Words matter, and so do rooms. You may only spend a few minutes with young adults on the weeks they attend, so make your walls preach too. Wayfinding, value statements, and next-step prompts should reinforce your mission.
Worship, grow, serve, and share are strategies every church is called to, but how will your church communicate them on Sunday? The goal is a church that quietly coaches people toward their next faithful step in evangelism, discipleship, and missions. Studies and field reporting continue to highlight how belonging cues and clear pathways help young adults connect and grow.
Jesus used examples and parables to reach the crowd. They were simple and memorable expressions of biblical truth, spoken to real people in front of Him. He said less, meant more, repeated essentials, and invited the room to respond.
Clarity beats cleverness, and consistency builds trust and next-step opportunities. We’re not aiming for simple only. We’re aiming for steady, clear communication from God’s Word that grows trust over time. That’s what Jesus modeled.
The gospel doesn’t change. Our tone and tools enable young adults to hear and respond. Keep Scripture at the center, and let your story serve the Story.
Move from the stage to the table so the message becomes a conversation that produces disciples. Communicate clearly and often. This is how Jesus taught, and it is how the early church lived it out from the temple to the home.
___
Dr. PJ Dunn is the regional discipleship consultant for North Georgia of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. He can be reached at pdunn@gabaptist.org.This article appeared on Lifeway Research.
Share with others
