Research shows that churches are seeing a dramatic decrease in the
membership of eighteen to thirty-four year-olds. One major cause
traces back to when the gospel was watered down to a nonconfron-
tational level for baby boomers, resulting in a generation that pro-
claimed faith without changing its lifestyle. Now many among that
generation’s children feel less endeared to the church if not suspicious
of its worth considering their parents’ conflicting beliefs and actions.
As the need for relevant young adult ministry programs increases, the
best example of a successful one in action today is Kairos, a weekly
worship gathering of more than one thousand young single and
married people in Nashville. In Real Time tells the story of how this
ministry unfolded, and its overriding message is one that churches
everywhere can take to heart and apply.
“Young adults are serious about life. They want basic and straight,”
writes Kairos pastor Mike Glenn. “In the church, we have thought
people were bored with the basic message, but in fact, they have never
heard the gospel at all.”
