Top Three Books for Young Adult Ministry

As part of the Body of Christ, we experience both joy and challenges: God calls us to be united in Him, yet unique in our individuality. Within the church, we engage with people in all seasons of life, from newborns to young adults in their twenties, to those long past retirement. Although we all have the same need for salvation through faith in Jesus, each age group comes with different contexts and experiences. Read on to discover the top three materials to reach out intentionally to young adults in your congregation.  

Seeking Connection  

The category of “young adults” generally begins with people around the age of eighteen and ends with those in their early thirties. These years are often marked by graduating from a college community, starting a career, and identifying more long-term relationships and community. For many young adults seeking community, this stage of life can also feel isolating and disorienting. Brian Davies addresses our divided culture in Connected to Christ: Overcoming Isolation through Community, shedding light on an issue that can feel especially daunting to a young adult who may experience anxiety or loneliness. This book is a practical guide to helping people anchor themselves within the Body of Christ. It offers encouragement and insights from Scripture that can help you bring young adults who crave connection into your congregation.  

Addressing Vocation 

Most young adults are experiencing life outside familiar rhythms for the first time. Without the structure of school, parental directives, and youth-focused activities, young adults may feel a sense of confusion about their purpose or identity. Callings for Life: God’s Plan, Your Purpose, by Jeffrey Leininger, steps into this mindset, using prayers, Bible verses, and theological teachings to instill readers with a richer understanding of their own vocations. This five-chapter book provides examples from other young adults seeking their callings, and serves as a meaningful resource to root the young adults around you in their God-given callings.  

Consistent Encouragement  

Many young adults find themselves in educational settings away from home, often for the first time. College 101: A Christian Survival Guide offers practical advice from Christian college students for Christian college students. It touches on dorm life, academics, social pressures, dating, and other topics associated with the college experience, drawing from experiences at both secular and Christian universities. College can be a trying time for young adults for a variety of reasons, but College 101 offers encouragement to stand firm in faith and stay mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically healthy. 

Identity in Christ 

Reaching young adults within your congregation and community draws people closer as the Body of Christ, offering connection through unique challenges. These resources can help you remind young adults that God calls them to live in a community of joy, purpose, and connection. Each of these books points young adults to their most important identity, which Galatians 2:20 describes:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

As the Body of Christ, we can unite with, celebrate among, and minister to young adults, encouraging them to find their identity in Christ.   

Scripture: ESV®. 

Looking for more ideas to better serve your church’s young adults? Check out other titles for adults.