At the 2026 NAD Young Adult LIFE Experience (YALX), a simple exercise on fostering intergenerational relationships became much more. As Vivien Dim, a member of Generation Z, discussed her future hopes with the Boomer seated across from her, she opened the door to connection with one word: “Honestly… .”  

This quiet exchange was one of many that weekend, hinting at what is possible when different generations listen and grow together. From January 23-25, as a winter storm swept across North America, roughly 200 of the more than 300 young adults, young adult leaders, and conference and union administrators registered converged upon The Galt House Hotel and Conference Center in Louisville, Kentucky for training, open dialogue, and fellowship.

The division-wide initiative launched the NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries’ five-year ministry term and served as the capstone of the three-year, union-level Young Adult LIFE Tours, designed to strengthen young adult ministry at local churches.

The LIFE framework — Leadership Impact, Intergenerational Relationships, Faith Development, and Everyday Compassion — anchored the weekend’s sessions in Jesus’ promise of an abundant life in John 10:10.

“We’re really featuring the intergenerational component … . We’re intentional about getting administrators in the same room with young adults,” said organizer Tracy Wood, NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries director, hoping to foster mutual understanding among the groups.

This intergenerational focus was echoed across panels, breakouts, and keynotes. Opening keynote speaker Rogelio Paquini, assistant professor of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, shared, “Reaching across generations means understanding context,” referencing sweeping technological and cultural changes.

In a breakout titled “Growing Together,” A. Allan Martin, teaching pastor at Younger Generation Church in Arlington, Texas, offered tools for engaging with young adults, including three key words: “Tell me more.”

Martin also shared that of the more than 47 million people who have joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1965, roughly 20 million, or 43 percent, have left. Nearly 13 million leave during young adulthood.

“That’s why you are here,” he said. “Let it be said in the historical books of the Adventist church, there was this horrible snowstorm that hit all of the United States, and this group of people that said this [trend of young adults leaving the church] had to stop. And it stopped.”

In a presentation on ministry of presence across generations, young adult chaplain Kayla Goodman noted, “Presence is about being, not advising; listening, not correcting; staying, not solving. Presence says, ‘I’m with you, even if there’s no quick answer.’”

The value of presence was clear in panel discussions on topics ranging from Sabbath School and young adult retention to women in leadership. During an especially lively exchange, attendees urged leaders to financially and otherwise support non-traditional young adult ministries. One vocal young adult was Henok Cherestal, a youth coordinator at his church and leader of Crosswalk Initiative — a grassroots ministry addressing young adults’ spiritual, emotional, and professional needs. He challenged older leaders to embrace “letting the salt out of its shaker” by supporting ministry beyond church walls. 

“We have to navigate that tension, and we can navigate it through relationship,” Martin responded.

Later, Cherestal reflected, “The reality [of young adult attrition] is not pretty, but we’re holding the ideal of where we’re trying to get to at the same time, and being open to that conversation.”

For Jakov Bibulovic, president of the Ontario Conference in Canada, YALX strengthened his belief that “relational discipleship is the answer. Change happens because it’s safe and people are intentionally talking. And I do believe miracles happen there.” He planned to organize similar conversations between young adults and church leaders in Ontario.  

Wood promised that the weekend was just the beginning. An immediate follow-up was a listening session for young adults and administrators, including NAD president G. Alexander Bryant, intended to inform the division’s plans for young adult ministry over the next five years.

Worship was central to YALX, including a seamless blend of hymns and modern Christian anthems led by Contagious Faith, a music and online media ministry based in Dallas, Texas.

Additionally, several speakers cited spiritual grounding as the key to an abundant life, separately and corporately. Sessions on Sabbath School and worship asserted that young people are seeking authentic relationships: with God, with one another, and with their broader church family.

Spiritual grounding was an undercurrent in the testimony of Sabbath morning speaker Joi McClellan, an oral and maxillofacial surgery resident at Loma Linda University. She shared how surrendering her plans to God guided her vocational path and led to ministry opportunities.

“My calling wasn’t dentistry,” she concluded. “My calling as a follower of Christ was to know His voice. We find God’s calling for our lives by finding Him.”

In one of the final presentations, Jake Mulder, assistant chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary, asked attendees, “Anyone else felt exhausted in your ministry or leadership in the last few years?” Hands rose across the room.

“You’re not alone,” Mulder said, acknowledging harsh realities such as declining church membership and the rise of religious “nones” in the United States. He then pivoted to hope. “What if we’re not just in the midst of a decline, but this is an era of reimagination and renewal?”

He noted that, just like people did not stop watching movies with the demise of Blockbuster, “People are [still] seeking truth and meaning and spirituality. The question is, are our churches going to be relevant?”

Mulder underscored that adapting to a changing world means holding fast to the gospel while considering new methods of engagement. He invited young adults to lead the charge.

“If you are a young adult, we need you to lead us into the future,” he said. “We need you to be Christ’s ambassadors in this world that desperately needs to know Jesus’ hope and healing.”

The weekend proved that young adults are ready and willing to create the change they seek. For example, Jada Lewis, a patient care assistant and medical school student in Louisville, also serves as her church’s children’s ministries coordinator. With only 10 to 15 young adult members and no dedicated ministry for them, she said, “That community sense is missing,” she said. Lewis exchanged contact information with Wood and other leaders and said she looked forward to bringing new young adult initiatives to her congregation. “I’m going back to my pastor with a plan. The vision is here. I’m gonna lay it out.” 

She said, of what she’d gleaned from YALX, “This event will propel you forward. It’s what you do after that that takes it to the next level.”

Jacques Moise Alexandre, a youth pastor and young adult liaison for the Alberta Conference in Calgary, connected personally with the weekend’s emphasis on mentorship. Originally from Haiti, he moved from Montreal to Alberta to study theology. Unable to speak English, he met a youth pastor of Haitian descent, Rob Dorelus, now Alberta Conference Youth and Young Adult director, who supported him. He remains a mentor and friend. “Pastor Rob was there from day one, encouraging me, mentoring me, and propelling me so I could ultimately serve.” Alexandre was eager to bring resources and insights from YALX back to Alberta. “There has to be intentionality in [passing] the baton on to the younger generation,” he noted. 

In the end, the winter storm that threatened to shut down the entire event evidenced opportunity in adverse circumstances. “Snowbound, we bonded in ways that YALX couldn’t have planned,” Martin reflected. “Extra time together helped us get beyond the polite conversations to the deeper, more real things.”

Likewise, the church is facing real challenges. Yet as young adults like Vivien, Henok, Jada, and Jacques shared their hearts, and different generations wrestled with the issues together, the Young Adult LIFE Experience planted seeds of hope.

Learn more about the NAD Youth and Young Adult Ministries department and upcoming initiatives here. Contact director Tracy Wood at [email protected]. 

View the YALX livestream on Facebook and YouTube.