Building Community with Young Adults
Is your church or faith community wondering how to more deeply connect with young adults in your neighborhood, town, or city?
Apply today for the Engaging Young Adults (EYA) experience.
The 2024 Class of Ministry Innovators will guide teams through a 12-week process of researching and listening to young adults, discerning what “good looks like" based on young adults’ needs and desires, then brainstorming and protyping new ways to be in community with young adults. Teams will learn during monthly virtual courses, regular opportunities for group workshopping and discussion and one-to-one coaching by young adult ministry innovators. Pastors or team leaders are invited to meet for group spiritual direction to create a robust, grounded environment for individual and team growth, experimentation, and fun.
EYA is open to any US-based Christian church, ministry, or faith community that desires to more deeply engage young adults beyond the “walls” of their church/community. Leaders who apply commit to building a team that has the desire and capacity to fully participate in guided sessions and in team/community research, brainstorming, planning, and prototyping.
This program is currently offered at no cost to the participating faith communities through the generosity of the Lilly Endowment Inc. The timeline and application link are included below.
- June 20, 2024 – applications due
- Early July 2024 – participants selected and notified
- July-August 2024 – EYA leaders solidify teams
- August 15, 2024 – program begins
- Late November 2024 – coaching/classes officially conclude prior to Advent
- Early 2025 - program showcase and celebration
Ministry Innovator Internship: Not Your Average Job
Our Ministry Innovator Internship brings together people from a variety of backgrounds in a 1-year program that equips them to harness the power of their imaginations in the service of the Church and the world. The program begins in January with an immersion experience to help form the interns and orient them towards the frontiers of modern ministry. Throughout the Spring semester, interns take a course called "Innovative Ministry by Design," learning tools of design thinking to develop new ways to approach old problems. During the summer, participants prepare a course based on the principles they've learned, then proceed to teach that course to church leaders in the fall.
Ministry Innovators Engage the Church and the World
- LEARN fresh ways to meet other young adults where they are in their faith journey.
- RESEARCH what works with congregations who are committed to building community with young adults and collaborate with churches that are ready to experiment.
- LEAD change through ministry experiments developed in the Wesley Innovation Hub.
- FACILITATE COMMUNITY among others seeking to do innovative ministry by creating conversation, engaging questions, and hosting forums in the Wesley Innovation Hub app.
2024 Ministry Innovation Interns
![Troy Duffie](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Troy-Duffie.jpg)
![Troy Duffie](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Troy-Duffie.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Troy received a Master of Science degree in Finance at Howard University and serves as Director of Inclusive Capitalism at the Milken Institute. He is also the chair of the St. John Community Development Corporation and has worked as a venture investor and financial analyst. Troy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Community Development from Howard University.
![Adriana Matos Flecha](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Adriana-Matos-Flecha.jpg)
![Adriana Matos Flecha](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Adriana-Matos-Flecha.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Adriana is a family-oriented Puerto-Rican residing in Homestead, Florida, dedicated to serving her community with passion at a nonprofit called Branches. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Communications and Media, and her love language is ice cream.
![Abby Butler-Cefalo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Abby-Butler-Cefalo.jpg)
![Abby Butler-Cefalo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Abby-Butler-Cefalo.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Abby is a first year M.Div. student at Wesley Theological Seminary, pursuing ordained ministry in the Virginia Annual Conference of the UMC. She has worked as a campus minister at several colleges and founded a non-profit geared towards providing mental health services to young adults. Abby holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Justice and Human Rights from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She has an abiding love for coffee and her two cats, Nutmeg and Saffron.
![Cassie Montelongo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cassie-Montelongo.jpg)
![Cassie Montelongo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Cassie-Montelongo.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Cassie is a Children’s Ministry Coordinator at Centenary United Methodist Church in Macon, GA . She has also worked as a Ministry Coordinator with the Wesley Foundation of Macon. Cassandra holds a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies from Wesleyan College in Macon, GA
![Jaqueline Guajardo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jaqueline-Guajardo.jpg)
![Jaqueline Guajardo](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Jaqueline-Guajardo.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Jaqueline is a second year M.Div. student at Wesley Theological Seminary and currently works as the Director of Young Adult Ministries at Clinton FUMC in Clinton, OK. She has worked previously as a youth director and lay speaker at various other United Methodist churches in the conference. Jaqueline holds a bachelor’s degree in religion from Oklahoma City University.
![Mikyle Johnson](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Mikyle-Johnson.jpg)
![Mikyle Johnson](https://www.wesleyseminary.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Mikyle-Johnson.jpg)
Ministry Innovator
Mikyle works as a Mission Specialist and Administrative Assistant at the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is also a board member at the C.I.R.C.L.E. Community Advisory Board and is on the staff of Abolition House. Mikyle holds a Master of Business Administration from the Joseph M. Katz School of Business, a Master of Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Administration from the University of Kentucky.