From the Field - November 2024

This December will mark eight years of me working in full-time ministry. Like most of us who go into ministry, I started out in youth ministry. After a six-year stint spread out over two churches, I was called by my current church to serve as the young adults and families pastor. This was a necessary role that our church needed to fill. At the time there were only 12 people between the ages 18-35 in our church. Now, those 12 people included three married couples (one of those couples was my wife and I) and a few singles between the ages of 18-26. Since I was given the ministerial responsibility to shepherd this specific age group, we have seen an astronomical jump in numbers. There are now more than 70 single and married young adults in our ministry (and it is still growing). This is no doubt due to the Lord’s kindness and grace, coupled with a ministry strategy directed right at young ddults.

Young adult ministry in my area is not easy by any means. Our church is located in the eastern most town of Dallas county. Suffice it to say, young adults and young married couples under the age of 35 are not the norm in our area. So, I began praying and thinking about what exactly my generation (young Millennial) and the generation directly below me (Gen Z) desire in a church context. I came up with two main focuses that I designed the ministry around: belonging and discipling.

The application of those main focuses is incredibly simple, but it requires a mindset bent on the long haul. In order for the ministry to feel like a place where young adults belong, it needs to be a place that feels organic. Young adults do not appreciate gimmicks and can sniff out anything that isn’t authentic. So, we keep it simple. We meet together, and we meet often. These times include: Sunday school, women’s D-Group, men’s D-Group, and Thursday night singles Bible study. We also meet at my house once a month for a meal that we all share together called Breaking Bread. The key to these groups is that we gather organically, foster organic conversations, and use Scripture to disciple one another.

When we began, we had husbands failing at being the gospel leaders in their homes. We had young fathers unwilling to sacrifice time for their children. We had young single men stuck in personal addictions. There was also almost zero knowledge of Scripture. Two years into it, those same men are learning what it means to sacrifice themselves for their wives and children. Most of those young men are engaged in a war against their sins of addiction. We have had marriages, homes, and lives transformed by Scripture and the gathering with fellow believers.

God has been doing an incredible work in our young adults and families ministry these past two years. I am grateful to continue to be allowed to be a part of it by helping lead and shepherd those that the Lord has entrusted into my care.

Aaron Allen
Young Adults and Families Pastor

Sunnyvale First Baptist Church