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A new Kairos
Alumni generation taking
initiative.
The Legacy
Conference
.
by Michael
Shaughnessy
Vocabulary
Edult: those
transitioning from adolescence to
adulthood,
A.k.a. twenty-somethings or
emerging adults. |
There is a new door to mission opening among our
Kairos
alumni. Although we have had outreaches to
edults before, there have not been many. In the
past few years we have seen them begin in Grand
Rapids, Kansas City, Ann Arbor, St. Paul,
Maryland, Lansing, Boston, and Houston, as well
as internationally, in Vancouver, Monterrey, and
Mexicali. Some have grown quickly. Some are only
finding their feet. New ones are beginning this
spring.
On January 16-18, 2015,
Kairos and the Sword of the Spirit hosted the
Legacy Conference for nearly 130 edults from
ten different countries. The average age was
26.The conference focused on how God has acted
and continues to act on us individually and as
a people. Dan Keating spoke on scouting out
the land, using Joshua and Caleb as examples
of the boldness needed to enter into the new
territory the Lord is opening to us.
Mike Shaughnessy reviewed how the Lord has guided
us through prophecy: the call to be a people, a
bulwark of communities bound by covenant in the
days of trial that are upon us, to be the Sword of
the Spirit, to endure testing and receive grace,
and lately, to go through the open door for
mission, especially one he is opening among young
people.
Ryan O’Hara’s theme on Saturday night was choosing
greatness not comfort, especially by accepting
God’s will when it disagrees with yours.
Sunday was devoted to hearing how the new
outreaches began.
The
Leadership Summit
Following the Legacy Conference
30 people remained in Ann Arbor for a leadership
summit where we discussed what we believed the
Lord was doing among edults and how best to
respond.
SUDDEN, MESSY, AND
FRAGILE
So far, this work has been sudden, messy, and
fragile. The Lord often acts suddenly; he raises
up people who act with faith and new things
begin to happen. Like
many new initiatives, an edult outreach can be
messy at first.
Who is responsible
for its direction? That’s not always clear.
Generally it has been those who started it.
What is its purpose? Some edult work began
just as a social group for those in a
community. In other cases it was based on a
desire for mission. In yet others it was
alumni wanting to have “life after UCO.”
People came: people who had been on the fringe
but were now responding to the Lord, people of
no faith, and people returning to the faith
they had when young but needing a low-key
restart. This has made it difficult to define
a target audience. Twenty-three-year- -olds?
Yes, but some are nearer thirty. Singles? Yes,
but young marrieds also come. Alumni? Yes, but
they have new friends they are bringing.
How it connects to our other work or the local
community also varies from place to place. In
most places that also is unclear. This work is
also fragile. Will it last? Not without some
care to ensure it continues as its leaders
move on in life.
SOME KEY FACTORS IN
PLAY NOW
There are many factors that contribute to this
happening now; foremost is grace. The Lord
told us he was going to multiply our work with
young people. This is that. Oddly, some other
factors are a negative forces at work on
edults.
DELAYED ADULTHOOD
Compared to thirty years ago, today it takes
an edult three to five years longer to reach
the six sociological markers of adulthood.
(These are: finishing formal education,
financial independence from one’s parents,
starting one’s career, getting married, buying
a house and having children.) The transition
to adulthood takes double or even triple the
amount of time. It is no longer a transition
but a stage of life for most people.
INSTABILITY
It is a very unstable time of life. Everything
is in flux: with whom you live and where,
where you work, debt, courtship, friends
getting married, buying a car or a place to
live… The winds of change are constantly
blowing.
LOSS OF RELATIONSHIPS
Many lose their friends when they graduate
from university. They scatter back home, or to
a new city pursuing a job, or nowhere in
particular, while others stay put because they
need more time to finish their education. This
is a time of life characterized by the desire
for lasting relationships but plagued by
mobility. One’s social life can dry up
overnight.
Delayed adulthood, instability, and loss of
relationships create a vacuum and edults want
it filled. Put on an event and people will
come. Put on a good one and they will come
back for more.
TIME TO GROW UP!
Many edults know it is time to get on with
life. The juvenile lifestyle is less and less
attractive. Partying is losing its luster.
Peter Pan is ready to grow up and wants some
like-minded peers, ones moving forward with a
purpose.
Finally, some factors are positive forces at
work among our alumni.
LOSS OF SOCIAL FEAR
Most teens and university students wrestle
with social fear. They do not want to be
rejected or lose their friends. That fear
declines in edulthood, as they realize they
can survive BFF breakdowns. Declining fear
makes it easier for Christian edults to be
bold, to invite people
to events, especially those who might be
socially undernourished.
ALREADY EQUIPPED
Our alumni have been getting trained as
disciples for several years. They know what
needs to be done and are ready to do it. They
have grown in confidence as they take jobs
where they need to lead. This is a generation
eager for mission and taking the initiative.
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