1. Between 1893 and 1968, hundreds of thousands of youth and young adults in the LCMS found fellowship, aided in mission work, provided charity, etc., through the International Walther League.

2. Today, there is no dedicated organization for young adults post-high school in the LCMS, despite research showing that most people who leave the church in adulthood do so immediately post-high school.

3. To help solve this problem, plus the ones listed below, we need a new national LCMS young adult association, taking as a starting point the practices of the old Walther League (WL).

4. Noted Issues. Bible Study: Too often, youth are fed childish, unsatisfying “psychological gravy,” rather than nourishing “theological meat,” which turns them off religion when they reach adulthood. A young adult league could help provide that meat.

5. Leadership: Young adults want leadership roles, to the point that they are more likely to leave the church if they aren’t provided leadership opportunities. Young adults traditionally cut their teeth on leadership roles through the WL.

6. Moving: 20% of young adults live 10–99 miles away from home, and another 20% live 100+ miles away. LCMS Millennials seem to be even more mobile (ignoring selection effects from the survey methodology). The WL handled this through youth hospices, hospitality committees in 1,200 cities, and a traveler’s welfare system.

7. “Graduation:” Many young adults feel abandoned by their congregations post-high school. A young adult group can obviously help solve that, plus a cooperative multi-congregational (or even synodical) group can help where there aren’t enough young adults to form a group within a single congregation.

8. Critical Mass: See above. Getting a group going is easier when the sum total of interested members isn’t two socially-awkward 19-year-olds. Instead, you want at least a dozen socially-awkward 19-year-olds, then things really go off with a swing.

9. Parochial Attitudes: Youth and young adults who have some sense of the wider church (by attending the NYG, HT conferences, mission trips, etc.) are more likely to stay active members. A new national young adult organization is a no-brainer solution here.

10. Marriage: Finding a spouse is tough, especially if you want to date within the church. It’s easier when you belong to a group of dashing young men and dazzling young women from a variety of congregations. That’s why the WL used to be derided as a mere “matrimonial agency.”

11. Christian Service: Young people want to serve their church and community, but there aren’t always great opportunities. A young adult group can create those opportunities on its own, in a way that isn’t possible with just one or two people.

12. Christian Fellowship: You may have seen memes like this one:

It’s not such a miracle if you belong to a group like the WL, which had everything from athletics to plays to debates to concerts to camping to game nights, etc. Do it again today, and it’ll help with the massive rise in loneliness and mental health issues among young people.

13. Objections! Go read those in the main post if you want. They’re not worth rebutting here.

14. Now what? How to create a new young adult league today? First, spread the idea among LCMS members young and old, not forgetting the clergy. Say something in person and via the social media platforms of your choice.

15. Second, try to create a young adult group in your church. If there aren’t enough young members, try to have a group from several neighboring congregations. If that won’t work, see if you can create a city- or county-wide group. (And if that still won’t work, because you live in a non-Lutheran area, that’s where a national group helps fill in the gaps.)

16. If you want to learn more about old WL practices—possibly to gain inspiration for potential new practices—keep reading (and commenting on) this blog, which I plan to update semi-frequently as I get around to it.

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