CSI. Crime Scene Investigation. For Young Adult Ministries, it’s Conversation, Service, and Intergenerational, three necessary components to engage people.

“Millennials are considerably less religious than older Americans.” They are also “significantly more unaffiliated” than young adults were 10 or 20 years ago. Young adults “agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong.” A large majority, 88 percent, believe the Bible is God’s word, and 86 percent believe in God with “absolute certainty.”

As we read these findings from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public life and another studies, it may be easy to wonder how to ministry to today’s young adults. Many of them are a quandary of paradoxes. C-S-I lays a foundation for effective ministry.

Conversation. According to Ed Stetzer in Lost and Found, in overwhelming percentages, the younger unchurched were open to listening as their friends talk about Jesus Christ. They may not be open to an invitation to church, but they certainly are open to an invitation to conversation.

Did you notice the word “friend?” Look for ways to engage the young adults in your congregation in a conversation and begin to form friendships. Listen to what’s important to them. Share your life experiences and invite them to join you in everyday life experiences.

These conversations often lead to forming community—another important element for young adults. Some of their communities are internet based and others communication networks and devices. Young adults want to belong and feel valued.

Service. An effective way to involve and attract young adults is through service to others. This might be cleaning up trash in a neighborhood park, preparing and serving meals in a homeless shelter, providing maintenance to a battered women’s home, or joining other community organizations in service projects. Look at your church’s neighborhood—how can you make a difference?

Intergenerational. Young adults want an adult who will coach them through life experiences. They want to tag-along as you “do life.” They want to see how Christianity influences your work habits, how your family relates and interacts, and how to accomplish everyday tasks. Some will want to learn how to cook, to do laundry, to prepare and follow a budget, and to build a healthy, Christ-centered marriage and family.

They also need to hear testimonies of God’s faithfulness, to learn that God is trustworthy and dependable. They want to hear your questions and struggles and to learn that a relationship with Jesus Christ is a life-long learning experience and journey.

CSI—conversation, service, and intergenerational—important elements for ministry to young adults and everyone, too.