Evaluating What Works: Successful Initiatives and Areas for Improvement

The Real Picture

As we continue to explore ways to involve you and other young adults in leadership roles at Brinklow SDA Church, it’s important to take a step back and evaluate our current initiatives.

According to a study by the Fuller Youth Institute, only 30% of church programs designed for young adults result in sustained engagement beyond the first few months.¹ This statistic challenges us to rethink our efforts and figure out what truly works.

Taking a Closer Look: The Grocery Grab & Go Program

One of our current initiatives, the Grocery Grab & Go program, was created not only to serve the community by providing essential groceries to those in need but also to give you and other young adults a chance to volunteer and step into leadership roles. We hoped it would be a space where service meets leadership—a place where you could build skills while making a meaningful impact in the community.

But we’ve realized that while the program is fulfilling a vital need and attracting many young volunteers, it hasn’t necessarily translated into deeper leadership development. You may feel that, although the work is rewarding, it often leaves you in a supporting role rather than a leadership position. The challenge is to evolve this program so that it becomes more than just an opportunity to serve—it should be a stepping stone to leadership, where you feel empowered to take on greater responsibilities.

Learning from Current Programs

From our experience with Grocery Grab & Go and other similar initiatives, we’ve identified three key areas where we can improve:

1. Lack of Clear Leadership Opportunities: You might start as a volunteer, but the path to becoming a leader isn’t always obvious. Programs like this one often lack defined steps that help you transition from serving to leading. To address this, we’re thinking about creating leadership tracks within these programs, where you can receive mentorship, training, and have a clear path toward roles with more responsibility.

2. Insufficient Feedback Mechanisms: We know it’s important for you to feel heard. Right now, our initiatives don’t have structured ways for you to share your experiences, ideas, and suggestions. We want to change that by introducing regular feedback sessions or surveys, so you can tell us what’s working—and what isn’t.

3. Misalignment with Your Skills and Interests: We understand that not all of you are drawn to the same types of service. For example, Grocery Grab & Go is a great program, but if your interests lean more toward digital outreach, creative arts, or social media management, it might not be the best fit for you. That’s why we need to diversify our initiatives and offer opportunities that match a wider range of skills and passions.

Moving Forward: Ideas for Improvement

Based on these insights, here are a few ways we can improve our current initiatives and create more meaningful leadership opportunities for you:

1. Establish a Leadership Development Pathway: We want to create clear pathways within programs like Grocery Grab & Go that will help you move from being a volunteer to becoming a leader. This might mean appointing you as a program coordinator, giving you the freedom to plan events, or even allowing you to lead new initiatives within the program.

2. Develop a Feedback Culture: We plan to implement a feedback system where your thoughts and experiences are regularly heard. This could be through monthly meetings, anonymous surveys, or a digital suggestion box—whatever helps you feel comfortable sharing your ideas.

3. Diversify Engagement Opportunities: We’re working on expanding our programs to offer more opportunities that cater to different skills and interests. Whether you’re into digital content creation, social media management, creative arts, or community advocacy, we want to make sure there’s a place for you to get involved and lead.

Scriptural Guidance for Evaluation and Growth

The Bible reminds us of the importance of continually evaluating and growing in our work. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV), Paul encourages us to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.” In the same way, we must regularly evaluate our programs to ensure they are helping you and other young adults step into meaningful leadership roles.

Engage with Us

We’d love to hear from you! How do you feel about the current programs? Do you have any suggestions for new initiatives or ways we can improve what we’re already doing? Share your thoughts in the comments below and help us build a stronger, more inclusive community where you can grow and lead.

Your Feedback Matters!

Your insights are invaluable in helping us create programs that truly engage and empower you. Let’s work together to build a church where every member, including you, feels supported and ready to make a difference.

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Footnotes:

1. Fuller Youth Institute, “Engaging Young Adults: A Framework for Church Involvement,” (Pasadena, CA: Fuller Youth Institute, 2022), 32.