Small Groups: The Single Most Important Thing You’re Not Doing to Retain & Gain Young Adults, Rev. James Hein

Presentation Description

Young adult Christians are opting out of worship services at historically unprecedented rates in our country. But they are not completely opting out of Christianity. Instead, they are often looking for more transparent, vibrant, relational settings in which they can learn to know God and be known. They are looking for a community of people for mutual encouragement, support, and accountability. Quality, Christ-centered small groups might very well be the most effective way at discipling young adults.

In this session, we will look at various trends for young adults that will have an effect on your congregation:

• how young adults consume content, including Christian content
• how young adults view corporate worship
• how young adults are wired relationally
• why small groups are essential in your desire to reach and retain young adults

This session will also include practical discussion on how to start up groups, what to look for in a potential leader, how to train leaders, and how to incorporate a small groups schedule into the life of your church. Finally, we will discuss how to develop good materials that generate a synergy between your worship services, studies, and the fellowship life of the congregation.

Within an hour, you’ll be able to go from unconvinced to competent in running a small groups ministry.

Speaker Bio

Rev. James Hein

Pastor Hein is a 2008 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He was assigned to Resurrection and Life Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn., where he served for seven years. In that time, the congregation’s demographic changed from one that skewed older to one that had a large and growing group of young adults. In 2016 he accepted the call to serve as Lead Pastor of St. Marcus Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wis. An older millennial, Pastor Hein is heavily into producing digital content and has maintained an online blogging, podcasting, and video presence throughout his ministry with the goal of helping Christians gain appreciation for changeless truth in an ever-changing world. He served as chairman of the Millennial Task Force assembled by WELS Congregational Services. In that capacity, he was one of the creators of the Ministering to Millennials program.