Under-thirty-five year olds make up more than fifty percent of church membership. Tragically too many are walking away. But the greater tragedy is that they see no reason to stay.

With a heart for young people, Dr. Jan Paulsen, then General Conference president invited hundreds of young people to talk with him about issues important to them. Through the Let’s Talk broadcasts on Hope Channel, young people from Cameroon to the Caribbean, Australia to Germany, engaged in dialogue with Dr. Paulsen on issues of diversity, women in ministry, politics, homosexuality, and Ellen G. White, to name a few.

This book distills the best of those conversations. But it is more than just a record of a seven-year conversation. Let’s Talk is a starting point for a cross-generational dialog within your own family, school, and church. “Conversation Starters” at the end of each chapter provide questions and ideas to stimulate thought and discussion.

“As I look back, I’m struck by the richness, beauty, and balance of what young Adventist men and women have taught me. Through our conversations, I continually met my Master Teacher who never tired of teaching and re-teaching me the immense value of every person for whom He died. For that, I love Him more than I can describe, and I love the young people of this church who’ve helped me understand that this is the most important lesson of all.”

So what are you waiting for? Let’s Talk!

How to Use This Book This book is more than just a record of a seven-year conversation with Seventh- day Adventist young people from around the world. And it’s certainly meant to be more than just a collection of my reflections on some of the major concerns and themes they raised.

This book is intended as a starting point for a conversation only you can continue. You could use this book, for instance, to kick off discussions in your youth group or with students in Adventist schools. You could use it as reading material for your small group meetings, or even as a springboard to start regular Let’s Talk events in your local congregation.

But the point is that I hope you’ll not just read this book but put it to work. For this reason, I’ve included after each chapter a short “Conversation Starters” section with suggestions for how you could continue exploring each topic in a way that makes sense within your local context.

Each Conversation Starter begins with a “Have Your Say” question or activity, designed to draw out the range of perspectives that you’ll inevitably find in your discussion group.

This is followed by either one or two suggested discussion questions or activities that will ideally inspire you to consider the issue from new angles.

And finally, each Conversation Starter ends with the question “What now?” and prompts you to consider practical ways that young and old, together, can begin to respond to what you’ve learned from each other.

Obviously, these Conversation Starters will work best when your discussion group has a good mix of those representing different age groups. But it doesn’t really matter: just get the conversation going and see where it—and the Holy Spirit—will take you.