Thank you for your interest in participating in the YAI x Thriving Congregations learning sprint! If you’re ready to register, click the Register button, or view our FAQs below.
A: The Young Adult Initiative (YAI) is a Lilly Endowment grant initiative that invited 22 innovation hub grantees to work on the question of how congregations can do ministry well with young adults. Grantees have been engaged in this work since 2016. The initiative is coordinated by the Center for Congregations.
Q: What has the Young Adult Initiative learned?
A: Through the good work of the grantees, and with help from an excellent program evaluation, the initiative has identified eight key domains that congregations should attend to in order to minister successfully with young adults. Those learnings, along with resources produced by the grantees, are available at STARforyoungadultministry.org. In short, the areas that congregations should consider are:
Listening
Culture
Community
Church Leadership
Young Adult Leadership
Faith Journey
Intergenerational Connections
Frameworks, Programs, and Events
Q: Why YAI x Thriving?
A: YAI has developed additional tools to take the eight domains from concepts to actionable ideas and tasks to resource congregations in their efforts to engage young adults. We believe that understanding and engaging young adults will help congregations thrive by:
Creating an opportunity to explore and understand their changing social and cultural contexts
Encouraging them to gain deeper clarity about their values and mission
Supporting them to draw on practices from their own traditions to adapt their ministries to the demands of changing contexts
In other words, YAI x Thriving will provide coaching and resources to help Thriving grantees support their congregations and provide each grantee with resources to help their partner congregations minister effectively with young adults.
Q: Why a learning sprint?
A: In this context, a learning sprint is a time-bound, collaborative, goal-focused process that will equip Thriving grantees to empower congregations to do ministry well with young adults. By the end of the year, the goal is that each congregation connected to a Thriving grantee will have had one intentional encounter with young adults in their congregation or community.
Q: What will Thriving grantees do?
A: Key elements of the pilot program include:
One pre-sprint video to define goals and terms (delivered in late 2025 or early 2026)
Five two-hour synchronous virtual gatherings between January and May 2026
An “implementation period” for Thriving grantees to work with their congregations between June and December 2026
A check-in call in Q3 2026
Q: Why should I, a Thriving Congregations grantee, participate in this?
A: Participating in this learning sprint has benefits for both Thriving grantees and the congregations they work with. For grantees, it’s an opportunity to:
Learn practical approaches for congregations, ministries, and other organizations to engage with young adults
Build your program’s capacity to equip and coach the congregations you work with
With your congregations, work toward a specific goal that enhances congregational thriving
Form deeper, mutually supportive relationships with other grantees in the cohort
Share learnings with the Initiatives and Lilly Endowment about the experience of working across initiatives in this new way
For congregations, it’s an opportunity to:
Receive access to practical resources to engage young adults
Better understand young adults and their social and cultural contexts
Draw on practices from their own traditions to engage people across generations
In short, by participating in this learning sprint, your program will be directly and concretely engaging in the goals of the Thriving Congregations initiative.
Q: Who should I contact with questions?
A: Contact Kelly Minas, Director for the Young Adult Initiative
