KING OF PRUSSIA (ABNS 10/4/24)—American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) is pleased to announce Discipleship Summit 2024: Engaging Young Adult Faith, an online course designed to help church leaders, parents, and others passionate about working with young adults better understand and engage with them in today’s rapidly evolving spiritual landscape. The ABHMS Center for Continuous Learning will convene the summit on October 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. (ET) via Zoom.

Participants from across the county will learn from the Rev. Chuck Hunt, D.Min., senior director of training at Fuller Youth Institute. Informed by over 30 years of experience in ministry, particularly working with adolescents, young adults, and families, his presentation will focus on the latest research from Fuller Youth Institute regarding the spiritual journeys and needs of young adults.

Joining Hunt will be a panel of ABHMS Scholars and Summer Passionary interns, who will offer their unique perspectives through personal stories about their faith journeys, hopes, and fears. Together they will give participants invaluable insights into how to better walk alongside young adults in their own congregations.

The Rev. Rebecca Irwin-Diehl, Ph.D., director of the CCL, describes the period of young adulthood—ages 18 to 28 years—as a time marked by major life transitions, such as moving out of a family home, exploring career paths, and wrestling with personal values. “For parents and church leaders alike, this can be a challenging season of questions about how to offer support and guidance that is relevant and meaningful,” she says.

By building the summit around a panel discussion featuring younger voices, this interactive online course delivers a paradigm shift, from talking about young adults to talking with them. Irwin-Diehl explains: “Our goal is to explore new ways of engaging in meaningful dialogue, essentially creating spaces where young adults feel heard, valued, and genuinely connected to their faith communities.”

Discipleship Summit 2024: Engaging Young Adult Faith promises valuable insights and practical tools to help foster deeper connections with young adults. To learn more about this course and register, visit the course page on the CCL website.

American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.

American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.