help brain storming

aggiebug · August 2011

So my bible study group at church is called the "20 somethings". The group has grown and turned into a great group of pretty much couples. We meet at a group memebers home one evening during the week.

We have gotten to where the title "20 somethings" doesn't really fit us anymore, but we are worried about losing that outlet for those new college graduates in the church. That and we feel because we meet off the church campus, and during the week its a big step for a lot of new church attendees to take so we are missing out on a lot of people.

Our group has decided to become a Sunday school group designed to 22-32 year olds (obviously this is our target we aren't exclusive) this way we can reach out to more members, hopefully becoming a welcoming environment for fellowship and bible study for our peers. We intend to keep our Wed group as a "going deeper" type group and hope the Sunday school will facilitate more small groups to form.

As silly as it sounds our biggest issue we are having is developing a name for our "target audience" we feel like 20 somethings is ok but almost too young and will miss those late 20s and early 30s that still don't have a good place to "plug in" to the church.

Any ideas?

This agre group seems so hard. We are obviously not youth or even young adult really, and we don't want to be exclusive married/ baby planning/ baby having group KWIM?

agape1cor813 · August 2011

What if you named it "Young Professionals"? To me that sounds inclusive enough to include a lot of people in your age group but also open enough that the people in the group can talk about everything from jobs, relationships and life. I would imagine that most of the college graduates and late 20s and early 30s crowd would qualify as young professionals.

aggiebug · August 2011

haha funny you say that. That was mentioned and I think most of us like it, but there a few that felt it sounded yuppie. I don't know why. I didn't want to mention it because I wanted to see if any other thoughts would come up.

So would "young professionals" intrigue you if you just came into a new church and fit the 22-32 age range?

Like if we used it as the descriptor in our mission statement.

To be a connection for young professionals looking for a place for spiritual growth and fellowship. (that is not our mission statement, but it would be something similar.

ElisabethJoanne · August 2011

I'd really like to see a "young professionals" group. I've investigated 20-somethings groups, and found they're too much about finishing "school" (meaning college; I have a doctorate) and early marriage (I was investigating after a break-up, all the marriage-talk was off-putting) to make me a good fit.

My only worry about "young professionals" is it might turn away the young wife who never had a "real job."

Though I also feel that church groups should be set up as life stages, rather than ages. If someone's still single at 38, he shouldn't be thrown in with the people who've been married 15 years and have 4 kids. Of course most church groups don't exclude anyone, but that 38-year-old might feel out of place among a bunch of single college kids.

sessionswedding · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_brain-storming?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:d5c0c49d-7e7a-456b-b133-b165fb9c38c5Post:fe02aeee-bae7-42de-a1c5-4a488c8730cd">Re: help brain storming</a>:
[QUOTE]My only worry about "young professionals" is it might turn away the young wife who never had a "real job."
Posted by ElisabethJoanne[/QUOTE]
This. FI is still in college, but in a couple months we'll be married. A name like that would make me feel like I could come but FI couldn't.

fpaemp2011 · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_brain-storming?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:d5c0c49d-7e7a-456b-b133-b165fb9c38c5Post:fe02aeee-bae7-42de-a1c5-4a488c8730cd">Re: help brain storming</a>:
[QUOTE]My only worry about "young professionals" is it might turn away the young wife who never had a "real job."
Posted by ElisabethJoanne[/QUOTE]<div>This. I have a bachelors, but I'm a SAHW. I wouldn't feel comfortable if I thought I would be the only one staying at home in the class.</div><div>
</div><div>Our {unmarried} 18-29 year old class at my home church is called "Remnant" out of a passage in Romans. Our "theme verse" is 1 Peter 2:9-</div><div>
</div><div>But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (NKJV)</div><div>
</div>

DramaGeek · August 2011

I actually am more worried about the age group than the name. We found that around 25 or 26 was a weird breaking point. People older than that tended to be in a very different place than 22 year olds, so our church actually split and does two groups for the same age group, one geared more toward singles and one geared toward couples/families. The couples/families one is almost all older 20s/.young 30s while the other group is almost al younger 20s.

As far as names, I got nothin. One is the Tuesday night adult group and the other is the Wednesday night adult group :-P

ElisabethJoanne · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_brain-storming?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:d5c0c49d-7e7a-456b-b133-b165fb9c38c5Post:2d09ef75-5e1c-4b38-a9ad-76fdacc9ca18">Re: help brain storming</a>:
[QUOTE]I actually am more worried about the age group than the name. We found that around 25 or 26 was a weird breaking point. People older than that tended to be in a very different place than 22 year olds, so our church actually split and does two groups for the same age group, one geared more toward singles and one geared toward couples/families. The couples/families one is almost all older 20s/.young 30s while the other group is almost al younger 20s. As far as names, I got nothin. One is the Tuesday night adult group and the other is the Wednesday night adult group :-P
Posted by DramaGeek[/QUOTE]

Great ideas.

aggiebug · August 2011

Yes and all of this seems to be some of the problems we are running into.

We have a college group so those still in college would have a place they can fit into. So the target group really is for those that have just graduated and are moving into the real world so to speak. Be it single, married, working, staying at home.

Currently H and I are probably the youngest in our group at 25 which is another part of the problem. We originally asked about just changing our name and just moving on, but the churches concern is there isn't any place for those fresh out of college. So it kind of became our mission to create an confortable environment to catch those who kind of fit into that category. One that will be more cyclical continuing to have people come in and leave as they grow. This is one reason we hope it will help promote small group meetings, that the group will be large enough that our peers can find people to continue on their spiritual journey out side the Sunday school room.

We are thinking about calling ourselves The GAP, or GAAP because that is bascially what we are trying to do. We are trying to fill the gap between youth/college ministries and middle aged family ministries. It seems to be an area that is lacking in churches all over the country. Its a hard group to fit into one "box" and its an age of such growth for most of us. Some people come out of college single, some are married or soon to be married.

We have discussed the age group and we know its not perfect. ha the discussions we have had! We really don't want it to be an age range ourselves, but at the same time we feel that "out of college and into the world" is not a good title either. and FWIW we wouldn't say this is for those between the ages of 22-32, its more that is how they can catergorize their member list so we can get names/ contact info to try and get the word out/ grow the group.

agape1cor813 · August 2011

fpaemp2011 - The group could make it clear that it's mainly for the 22-32 age group (the age group which would typically be called "Young Professionals"). It could include anyone; young working men and women, graduate students, stay at home wives, etc. It can be fluid, it doesn't have to be set in stone. I would still contend that the vast majority of people who are in that age range would be working young adults, and that's the path the group would naturally drift toward.

Also, I would think it would be a good thing to have a group geared toward young working adults because after being in a recession for 3+ years, I think the 20- and 30-somethings probably need all the support they can get.

To the original poster: Now that I think about it, why have a name at all? My former church didn't do names for its small groups; they were simple identified by the small group leader and a brief description of who the group is geared toward.

ashleighelizabeth · August 2011

What about having a name that isn't geared toward the particular ages? Would that be acceptable for your group. My college ministry is called Ecclesia, which is Greek for "the called out ones" or "the church".

aggiebug · August 2011

Well I guess its not really the name its how to present ourselves? I guess.

Like when we advertise (I couldn't think of a better word) our group to the church how to go about marketing it.

Like:

"A group for young professionals to connect with others through fellowship and bible study."

Does that make sense? How to we market our group with a key phrase?

I think young professionals is how we will end up going because it seems to fit best. Just not nearly as well as we would like it.

Thanks for the input. As non productive as it may seem it is really helpful to hear input from outsiders.

DramaGeek · August 2011

A group for those who are post college, pre mid life crisis

:-P

As far as a name, I like GAP or Bridge (as in, Bridging the Gap).

agape1cor813 · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_brain-storming?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:d5c0c49d-7e7a-456b-b133-b165fb9c38c5Post:ca4c3a6a-d3fa-4e89-8adf-2a546ee26a53">Re: help brain storming</a>:
[QUOTE]A group for those who are post college, pre mid life crisis :-P
Posted by DramaGeek[/QUOTE]

<div>Haha, LOVE IT!</div>

ElisabethJoanne · August 2011

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_brain-storming?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:d5c0c49d-7e7a-456b-b133-b165fb9c38c5Post:c0018a53-5f09-4ab3-9992-8ba043a19849">Re: help brain storming</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: help brain storming : Haha, LOVE IT!
Posted by agape1cor813[/QUOTE]

Me too. Also, maybe "After the quarter-life crisis" or "The second quarter."

kalizoomba · August 2011

I'd just call it the young adult group --

but I do agree with a few of the PP, I was in a group for this age at my old church for a while. I felt so out of place because not only was I the only single person in the class without kids. I was the only one in college (the rest had already graduated or didn't go) and It was so awkward. There were a couple other single people but they had kids, and there were a couple childless married couples.

I felt okay with the people themselves, but things we talked about was marriage, children, how to deal with relationships when you have kids, etc.

amyb140 · August 2011

We had a group like that at my church - it was called First Focus (we were First Presbyterian Church). I don't know why it was named that, but it was awesome! It was basically 22-32 with a few older people, which was totally fine. It was a good mix of singles and couples, and then some more couples who met and got married within the group, and then some babies!

KellyS01 · August 2011

I'm a little late reading this post, but at my church, we call the post college - 30s group "Transitions" because it is a very transitional phase of life. There are singles, married, engaged, having babies, etc. all in the mix. Transitions is our ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship, which is a fancy way to say Sunday School) and then we split into smaller LIfe Groups for in home study throughout the week. We have Life Groups for single women, single men, and married/engaged couples on various nights in various homes.

aggiebug · August 2011

haha Drama that is perfect

and Kali that is something we hope to help with by moving the group to Sun at the church. Make it a little more welcoming to all of those within the targeted demographic. Right now, while we really don't mean to be, its become kind of exlusive.

kellyS that seems to perfectly describe the group we hope to build! Thanks for the imput.

help brain storming

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