Defining ‘Young Adult’

Paul Jarzembowski explains some of the different meanings we attach to the term “young adult” and why it’s helpful to think more deeply about who the young adults are in your community as you start to do ministry:

The term “young adult” is widely used to describe everyone and, simultaneously, no one at all. It has been used to describe kindergarten kids and pre-adolescents, teenagers, middle-aged singles, and just about anyone else who considers themselves young and an adult. … You might be a young adult yourself or you might know young adults — perhaps a son or daughter, niece or nephew, grandchildren, or people you know from work or church. … Even though you think you might have a good idea of who young adults are, it’s good to remember that your own experience may not encompass the entire spectrum of this diverse demographic.

Read more about this topic in the Essentials section of Young Adult Ministry in a Box.