In pursuit of relevance

Editor's note: The following article is based on the Young Person’s Address delivered during the 136th Pacific Northwest Annual Conference session of The United Methodist Church in June.

Let me begin by telling you a bit about myself. I grew up in Selah, Wash., the oldest of three girls. I graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in 2004 with a degree in nursing. I work as a Registered Nurse at Tacoma General Hospital.

I was one of those kids who grew up in the church, whose parents made them go every Sunday. I went to camp, vacation Bible school, Sunday school, youth group, ushered, acolyted, ran the public address system; you name it.

I'm still learning a lot about what it means to live in the Methodist tradition.

That's saying nothing about all the ways the rest of my family was involved. Some Sundays it was the Ernst family show. Church was a big part of my life as a kid and continues to be today.

Only, the church I grew up in was the Lutheran church, and no, my parents weren't the pastors. I've officially been a United Methodist for about two years. I'm still learning a lot about what it means to live in the Methodist tradition.

I wasn’t specifically looking for a United Methodist church. I don’t have a grudge against the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. I was just looking for a place where I felt close to God.

Checked things out

When I first walked into Puyallup United Methodist Church, I did all of the things that a new visitor does. I checked out the bulletin, listened carefully to the sermon, watched how the congregation’s members worshiped and interacted with each other, noted how they prayed and celebrated the sacraments.

I paid close attention to what they emphasized in their faith.

I paid close attention to what they emphasized in their faith. I looked at what was on the church’s bulletin boards and what programs were offered. They didn’t at the time have any kind of young-adult ministry. That was fine with me, but I wanted to be able to connect somewhere.

In looking for a church, I wanted its core values to match my own. I wanted to be fulfilled in worship, grow spiritually biblically based, and have a venue through which I could live out my values in service.

I didn’t just look at the Puyallup congregation by itself. I wasn’t just switching churches, I was changing denominations. I wanted to know what The United Methodist Church was about as a whole.

3 values clicked

Obviously, I liked what I found out about the church because I’m standing up here. But I wanted to summarize what exactly about Methodism, the Wesleyan tradition, I click with and how I experienced that at Puyallup.

Puyallup was a congregation that lived out its faith.

The biggest thing that hooked me was that Puyallup was a congregation that lived out its faith. What the members said they believed matched what they did and how they acted. It wasn’t fancy or fussy: They were simply living out Jesus’ teachings and Methodist values.

I’ll articulate three of these values that made Methodism unique and appealing to me:

First, United Methodists value community. We value being in a community of faith, and living in community with each other. This is neither an insignificant nor easy task.

Community done right is hard. It requires the respect and acceptance of all members, creating a welcoming and safe environment, and engaging in dialogue and actively listening when differences arise. Even when we don't live up to this ideal because we're not perfect, we still keep trying.

That's a big deal in and of itself. We, as a conference and denomination, decided to make the issue of community important. That choice influences everything we do.

At Puyallup, when we share joys and concerns with each other, when small group members rally around a member in need, when we open our doors to neighborhood organizations, scout troops, and preschools, that's community. When we shake hands or even hug when we pass the peace, when we debate — nicely — during committee meetings, when we have yet another potluck, that's community.

Social justice, environmental stewardship

Second, United Methodists place great emphasis on social justice and environmental stewardship. It’s not just a knee-jerk reaction to the popular cause of the day. Rather, it‘s a proactive force.

It’s not just a knee-jerk reaction to the popular cause of the day.

Take United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), for example — I was so excited when I figured out what the acronym meant! UMCOR facilitates integrated solutions to disasters everywhere. It can go to places the Red Cross can’t. Every single penny donated to UMCOR goes to relief projects. Very few, if any, other organizations out there are doing what UMCOR is anywhere.

At Puyallup, we support conference-wide initiatives and also Habitat for Humanity, Phoenix Housing. We have food and school-supplies drives, a quilt ministry, and a missional relationship with The United Methodist Church in New Orleans.

Everybody has a favorite cause. We recognize that when we come together in community, the work that we do isn’t work, it doesn’t take a ton of effort, and it isn’t hard.

Purposeful faith walk

And third, United Methodists walk in their faith with purpose. I found this expressed in the denomination’s focus on active discipleship and in its Social Principles. I was so impressed that you all, generally speaking, found it important enough to develop these.

Now the Social Principles may not be your personal faith, but they are our collective faith. Undoubtedly there was a lot of careful deliberation and dialogue that went into their creation.

Making that [faith] statement applicable to daily life is relevant and meaningful.

A statement of faith is an incredibly powerful thing. Making that statement applicable to daily life is relevant and meaningful. Even if you don’t agree with all the Social Principles, at least you’ve thought about them enough to recognize that you don’t.

Through discipleship we deepen our relationship with God, walk more solidly in our faith, and are more able to hear the call of the Holy Spirit. We ask ourselves what it truly means to be a follower of Jesus in this crazy, chaotic world we live in.

I just finished Disciple I at Puyallup, and it was a transformational experience. I have a deeper faith, a more intimate relationship with God, and a better idea of what it means to be a Christian.

Congregation mission posted

In Puyallup, we have our congregation’s mission posted several places, the most obvious being right as you walk into the sanctuary. It’s a tangible and grounding reminder of why we are here. We’ve embraced small-group ministry, and it’s completely transformed our church. I’ve formed friendships with people who otherwise would just be nameless faces. My church family has really become my second family.

You don’t have to have a young-adult ministry to reach young adults.

So what’s my message? I went looking for a church that matched my values, had a strong faith, and practiced that faith in community and service. I found that in United Methodism, and at Puyallup UMC. But I’m only one person, and I’m only speaking for myself.

If you came here today hoping for a silver bullet on young-adult ministry, I think you will be disappointed. Young adults are as varied as the “10,000 doors” our denomination invites them to walk through. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

The concept isn’t “Redo Church.” It’s Rethink Church. It’s taking what you already have and looking at it with fresh eyes. Enter your church for the first time again. Think about what ministries you already support that young adults could be a part of, outside of youth ministry. How do you live out Christ's mission? How do you care for the world around you? How do you help those in need?

The answers to those questions aren't just applicable to the more mature set among you. You don’t have to have a young-adult ministry to reach young adults. You just need active ministry.

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It has nothing to do with a building or getting behinds in chairs on Sunday morning. It’s about who we are, what we stand for, how we live.

We, as United Methodists, need to live our faith, live our mission. It’s going to transform young adult ministry because it’s going to transform everything. Simply be more of who you are. Follow the call of Jesus Christ. After all, he was a young adult too!