A young woman boldly shares God’s love with her peers and works to connect them with a caring Christian community.

During this year’s WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership, a handful of breakout sessions focused specifically on young adults and their perspectives on church, worship, and the issues facing their generation.

In short, people in their 20s often feel disconnected from church. They fall into the gap between the programming offered for children or teens and the deeper level of involvement which—for older adults—often comes with school-age families and the ability or capacity to hold church leadership positions.

During this year’s conference, Clark Schultz, pastor at Shepherd of the Hills, West Bend, Wis., led a panel-style discussion with a few of his 20-something church members.

Stella Zarling shared her unique approach to reaching out to this age group: simply looking for people who appear to be about her age and asking them if they know Jesus. As she has stepped out on her own as an adult, Stella, now 21, has developed a deep desire to make sure other 20-somethings know they are loved by Jesus and their church communities.

A firm foundation

Stella is one of seven children in the Zarling family—falling squarely in the middle of the birth order. Her parents, Paul and Jessica Zarling, joined Shepherd of the Hills in 2007. As their family grew, their love for the Lord remained at the center of everything.

Stella and her siblings watched their parents live out their faith daily. They spent time in the Bible both individually and together and modeled problem solving, grace, and forgiveness in real time.

So when Stella experienced hurt or disappointments during her high school years, she knew her parents’ advice came from a place of lived experience and godly wisdom. “My parents had this open-door policy,” says Stella. “We could just go in there, spill our guts out, cry, and laugh. But ultimately, they would always bring it back to this is why we have the foundation that we do.”

Over the years, Jessica instilled in Stella the importance of balancing truth with grace in the face of trials. “In our Christian life, it’s so important to have grace because that’s one of our foundational beliefs. But it’s also important to have accountability and truth,” shares Stella. “My mom is just so wise. As a young Christian woman, I feel so blessed to have her as a mentor.”

Gospel outreach made personal

As their children grew and left home, Paul and Jessica, like so many Christian parents, had to trust that the Lord would continue to build upon their solid faith foundation.

When Stella stepped out into the world as a young woman attending cosmetology school in Milwaukee, she was struck by the number of people living without knowing Jesus and his saving work. “That is when I realized these girls don’t know Jesus. And something in me switched from head knowledge to heart knowledge,” she explains. “Our own country is so broken, and they just need Jesus’ love.”

While many think of mission work and outreach as things that are happening in foreign countries, God has given Stella a persistent sense of urgency in expanding his kingdom here at home. “Jesus could come back today, and I want all these people I’m surrounded with to be in heaven with me,” says Stella. “We need to share the gospel. That’s our calling as believers. . . . In Matthew 28, Jesus says, ‘Go and make disciples.’ That was a command. He didn’t say, ‘Wait for someone else and then go.’ No. You need to go.” She continues, “I take that verse to heart. He’s calling me. I need to go.”

Expanding the kingdom

Stella lives out Jesus’ directive by boldly asking people—lots of people—whether they know Jesus. Whether she is at a coffee shop or with a client at the salon, Stella often approaches strangers to ask them about Jesus, tell them about his love, and invite them to church.

“If I’m at a coffee shop or a restaurant or anywhere, honestly, I will just go up to people and be like, ‘Hey, are you familiar with Jesus?’ ” she says. “You do get a lot more rejections than you do non-rejections, I guess. . . . But to be a hand that’s outstretched to someone is all I could really ask for. It’s not about me. It’s all about forwarding the kingdom.”

While she has certainly faced her fair share of rejection and ridicule for her beliefs, she persists in the knowledge that the lost sheep of the world are hungering to know that there is a place where they are wanted and loved: in the arms of their Savior. She adds, “I’d rather be rejected because I’m living my life for the Lord than accepted because I’m not.”

Building communities

Young adulthood is a highly transitional time of life—often encompassing college, first jobs, marriage, children, home ownership, and everything in between. “I could be 21 and living at home while someone else has their own home and three kids,” says Stella. “So I think [a question] a lot of people struggle with is ‘Where do I find my place in church?’ ” In her many conversations with peers, Stella has repeatedly heard the perception that churches fail to make a concerted effort to engage and relate to the 20-something age group.

While in cosmetology school, Stella herself can remember thinking, I just want a community. While she has been blessed with strong families of faith through her life (from her biological family to her church family at Shepherd of the Hills), perhaps her most impactful community has been the monthly worship nights started by Stella’s sister, Savannah, and her cousin, Ezra Blumer.

What began as a small monthly gathering of friends and family in the Zarlings’ basement in 2023 quickly grew to a group sometimes exceeding one hundred 20-somethings gathered in the Zarlings’ yard or a nearby barn event venue. Worship nights generally consist of live worship music, small group breakouts, and a devotion led by a male WELS member or seminary student from nearby Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon.

While this monthly event is not intended to replace weekly church attendance, it has provided attendees with the opportunity to meet Christian peers and build a community of people who are passionate about walking alongside each other and sharing the gospel. “I’ve gotten to meet so many other people, and many of my friends who are outside WELS have come,” she says. “Just giving them a space to be under correct doctrine and right theology is amazing. It’s been cool to see it grow through word-of-mouth outreach.”

In addition, Stella has also found community in a small group of young women she met through worship nights. They meet when their schedules allow, and they encourage and check in with one another via text message on a regular basis. Furthermore, because community and mentorship are vital for teens as well, Stella has actively reached out to teen girls—either friends of her younger sister or girls from Shepherd of the Hills—whom she plans to encourage, gather, and engage with on an ongoing basis.

While stepping outside of her comfort zone can sometimes feel uncomfortable, Stella knows that the prospect of bringing just one person closer to Jesus far outweighs any momentary discomfort. She urges pastors and church members alike to connect intentionally with the young adults in their midst—involve them in service, get to know them personally, include them in groups and communities, and be the outstretched arm that assures them they belong.

Author: Stephanie Boeckman
Volume 113, Number 05
Issue: May 2026

Reaching 20-somethings

Stella is a member at Shepherd of the Hills, West Bend, Wis. Her pastor, Clark Schultz, shares some ways the congregation works to minister to 20-somethings.

As teens enter their 20s, keeping our youth engaged and having continuous contact have been our congregation’s strategies to prevent them from falling away from the church.

ENCOURAGE INVOLVEMENT: This quote resonates with me: “Your future is shaped by the habits you repeat, not the goals you set.” When applying this to 20-somethings, why not start those habits when they are young? That’s the culture we have implemented. From youth on, you are involved, whether it’s AV, ushering, singing, or greeting. Youth are not the future of the church. Youth are the church now.

STAY CONNECTED: We make connecting with our college students a priority. We send care packages. We also send texts or cards to let them know their church still thinks of them and, more important, prays and cares for them. We also encourage them when back on break to jump right back in with service or Bible studies.

MODEL EXCITEMENT IN WORSHIP: Another key factor the Spirit has blessed us with is modeling excitement in worship and also being motivated by the gospel to look at service as a privilege.

BUILD COMMUNITY: Our combined youth group with Good Shepherd, West Bend, is faithful in supporting Youth Nights at Wisconsin Lutheran College as well as holding our own Youth Nights. This makes for a great night of teens growing in the Word and growing together.

In the end, be real, be authentic, and be willing to try new things. Many 20-somethings are seeking answers to their questions. The church can be the key to their searching.

Stella Zarling and Clark Schultz were featured on Christian Life Resource’s “The Life Challenges” podcast. Listen in!