What is Spiritual Permanence?

By Andy Gathman
Director of Young Adult Ministries

Jesus said, "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine
and puts them into practice is like a wise man
who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24

Two weeks ago, on a Saturday night, 80 young adults squeezed into the Loft for a dinner and summit. It was the first event of its kind, and it gave an opportunity for the entire young adult community, now composed of 12 small groups, to come together for fellowship and worship. It was the first time for the majority of young adults to hear about the vision of the Young Adult Ministries, "Spiritual Permanence for Transient People." We spent part of the time looking at Jesus' parable of the wise and foolish builders, and talked about what that story has to show us about spiritual permanence.

The underlying question in the parable is what kind of home, what kind of life will withstand those storms? It is interesting that the contrast Jesus depicts in his parable isn't between those who hear and those who don't hear. The contrast is between those who hear and practice and those who hear and don't practice.

This means that conceptually understanding Jesus' teachings is not enough for spiritual permanence. Rather, it implies a relational faith that engages Jesus by seeking out what he says, trying it in real-life situations, asking questions along the way, paying attention to the outcome, and engaging him again with the results.

I believe that spiritual permanence comes when we actively engage Jesus in the most important areas of our lives. It is in this context that the goal of Young Adult Ministries is to provide spiritual permanence for transient people: to serve young adults by helping them hear Jesus in significant areas of life, and learn to put those things into practice.

To help focus in on this goal, we've spent the last year interviewing many of Central's young adults to find out which specific areas in the life of modern young adults are particularly important to engage Jesus in. As a result of our research, I want to suggest six topics in particular that will equip young adults for a life of spiritual permanence: 1.) Relationships, 2.) Sexuality, 3.) Career, 4.) Finances, 5.) Theology, and 6.) Spiritual Disciplines. I think that if we will actively engage Jesus on these six topics, it will create a foundation of spiritual permanence which will serve to anchor us for the rest of our lives.

In response to this understanding of our vision, we're offering a new kind of program, which we're calling "Spiritual Permanence Events." Our goal is to address each of these topics on a regular basis. In fact, we'll be hitting five of these topics this year, beginning with our fall retreat, where we'll be engaging Jesus on relationships and sexuality. More events will follow early next year, when we'll discuss Career (January 12th), Theology (March 17th), and Finances (April 14th).

Our summit ended with an invitation to seek spiritual permanence by engaging Jesus in these critical areas. I'd like to repeat that invitation here, and encourage you to plan to attend these Spiritual Permanence Events, particularly as they relate specifically you. I hope you will join us because I believe that a life of spiritual permanence is possible, and as we pursue this goal together, it will become more a reality in each of our lives.

www.centralyoungadults.com