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At 29, Jasper D. Peters is already thinking about retirement.

“I dream of retiring from a United Methodist church that is vibrant and thriving, relevant and welcoming to all people, and that serves as an agent of change and healing wherever it goes,” says Peters, young adult coordinator at Trinity United Methodist Church. Located in the heart of downtown Denver, Trinity was the first congregation formed in Colorado’s capital in 1859.

Peters grew up attending a National Baptist congregation. He attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, majoring in philosophy and religious studies. “I was searching for a religious framework that was willing to engage with me and with my questions,” he recalls.

Now a second-year master of divinity student at Iliff School of Theology, Peters is a certified candidate for ordained ministry.

“I am situated in the liminal space between clergy and laity,” he says. “I hope to be ordained, but am not there yet. This makes church involvement really interesting. I am often treated as clergy, or at least I am provided with opportunities to voice my beliefs and feelings.”

Peters sees young adult ministry as a work in progress.

“People in my age group,” he says, “are statistically underrepresented in church. The only reason that I’m in church today is after I walked away in my teens, someone created an intentional space where I could be heard, met and affirmed. I regularly meet young adults who are seeking a place that is seeking them, so that is what I try to provide.”

The Trinity congregation of more than 1,700 is diverse, according to Peters. Of the young adults, he says, “We count among us those that are economically privileged, as well as those who are challenged. We have some who are just beginning college and others that are in their early 40s. These differences never create a strain. Instead, we embrace, recognize and affirm each other through all parts of life.”

He works to be in intentional community with the young adults. “Through friendships that are maintained in and out of church, we work to understand what it means to be the church in ways that are different than what was modeled for most of us.”

Attending the 2014 Rocky Mountain Annual Conference sessions was a new and exciting experience.

“I was blown away by annual conference,” Peters says. “It was so very substantive. I was able to help lead worship at our ordination service. It was so meaningful for me. To watch friends be commissioned and ordained was to watch something holy transpire. Those moments will definitely stay with me.”

The opportunity to network was an unexpected bonus.

“I saw old friends and made new friends,” Peters says, “and very often, I found I shared a heart for ministry and for this United Methodist community with someone, and after that, we were fast friends!”

This future pastor believes in connectionalism.

“Though challenging at times,” Peters says, “the connectional system has so much power for good. Through it, we are able to do much more than we could accomplish individually. We also have the ability to love and challenge each other, as any healthy family should do.”

He is optimistic about the future.

“Despite the challenges that are clearly facing us,” Peters says, “there are so many talented, compassionate, intelligent and faithful individuals that are committed to our future together and committed to the transformation of our world.

“My largest concern, which coincides with my greatest hope for the future, is that we remember our collective history and our shared calling to the ministry of Jesus Christ. If we can do that well and do it consistently, I believe we can move forward into the future together as United Methodists.”

Barbara Dunlap-Berg is associate editor of  Interpreter and Interpreter OnLine and general church content editor for United Methodist Communications.