Looking at Life

Many people in their 20s and 30s find themselves facing big challenges and feel they have been left to cope on their own. These young adults can think of the church as being irrelevant and out of touch with the challenges they face.

Looking at Life is an initiative of Care for the Family for those in their 20s and 30s. The Looking at Life website (www.lookingatlife.org.uk) covers issues that affect these young adults on a daily basis.

In 2006, a Looking at Life survey asked over 700 young adults to discuss the issues they face on a daily basis. The areas that came up over and over again were work, money, self-image, and relationships.

Respondents were asked how they would prefer to receive support on these issues; the most popular answer was websites and books. They also said that they appreciated talking about these issues with trusted friends, and with older people who could share their wisdom and experience.

So young people are hungry for help that they can access instantly, whenever and wherever they want - but they also value the input of an experienced voice, of a face-to-face conversation where they can ask questions, test the advice they are given, and enjoy an ongoing supportive relationship.

If you’re thinking ‘my church would love to support the 20 and 30-somethings in our community’, perhaps the Looking at Life website would be a good place to start.

• Looking at Life has done the research, listened to the age group, and positioned itself as a resource for 20s and 30s of all faiths or none.
• There is a wealth of down-to-earth, useful material, free from jargon or assumptions, available online to connect with 20s and 30s on the issues that are relevant to them.
• Though the website rarely mentions God, his wisdom is woven throughout the articles, from money management to parenting to career choice and relationships.
• You could use the topics on Looking at Life as material for a young adults’ group in your church. Using the real-life stories on the website as a starting point, you could hold a discussion on preparing for marriage, or dealing with debt, or any of the topics that are so pertinent for people in this life stage. If young adults could see ‘church people’ taking the time to talk with them about issues that really hit the spot, with practical advice and really useful insights, it might help them feel at home in a church where there might just be something relevant to them, after all. 

Read a story of how a church is engaging with young adults.

Last Updated 06 December 2010