Focus on the Family Magazine - August/September 2023

MINISTRY HIGHLIGHT / FAITH & INSPIRATION
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Once the project was approved,
Candice took the role of Boundless editor.
She and Steve found experts to pen
a lineup of rotating columns, which
included “Ask the Professor,” “Money
Talk” and “Beyond Buddies.” Feature
articles covered spiritual development,
campus controversies and dating
questions.
“From the start, our vision was to
encourage young adults in the season
between the home they grew up in and
forming a home of their own,” Candice
says. “We wanted to equip them with
articles related to their life stage.”
Expanded outreach
Boundless was an instant hit. Many
topics sparked lively back-and-forth
interactions among readers who used
the comments section attached to
articles. Those comments, filled with
advice, words of encouragement and
personal testimonies, could continue
to generate responses until users were
scrolling through multiple pages to
read them all.
As the popularity of Boundless grew,
the team came up with new ways to
expand their reach. First, they shifted
their target audience from college students
to the 20- and 30-something
young professional so they could
address topics such as work, personal
finances, marriage prep and more.
They held conferences and developed
specialized resources, including two
“guides to marrying well”—one for men
and one for women. In 2006 they added
a blog to the Boundless brand. Two
years later, they launched <strong>Focus</strong> on the
Family’s first podcast, “The Boundless
Show.” Lisa Anderson, who was working
in media relations for <strong>Focus</strong> on the
Family, was tapped as the host.
“Who in the world was podcasting
back then?” Lisa asks. But when asked
if she’d take the reins to “The Boundless
Show,” Lisa replied, “I’ll give it a whirl.”
Staying relevant
Candice and Steve have since moved
on to callings outside of <strong>Focus</strong> on the
Family. Lisa, who continues hosting
“The Boundless Show,” also serves as
the director of Boundless and the ministry’s
Young Adults outreach. One
thing that hasn’t changed is how the
Boundless team pays attention to
shifting cultural trends.
“When <strong>Focus</strong> started in 1977, the
average marrying age was 21 for
females, 23 for males,” Lisa says. “You
graduated high school and probably
went to college. After college you
immediately got married and started
a family. It was very assumptive, and
your peers were doing the same thing.”
Today, many adults spend most or
all of their 20s as singles. But married
or unmarried, young adults are facing
different sets of life challenges.
“Some of the most common concerns
we hear are ‘How do I make
and keep friends?’ and ‘How do
I go deeper in friendship?’ ” Lisa
says. “Relationships with housemates,
co-workers and parents are all topics
of interest.”
56 %
OF MILLENNIALS
ARE MARRIED
While today’s audience is dealing
with many of the same cultural issues
that young people were dealing with
25 years ago, Boundless has added
contemporary discussion topics to
the lineup. The team routinely fields
questions about gender ideology, the
pitfalls of social media and interacting
with LGBT friends and family members.
Lisa also recognizes the need to
address the trend of declining church
involvement and attendance among
young adults.
“Boundless is not your church,” Lisa
tells her audience. “You need to get
into a local congregation where someone
has eyes on you, helping disciple
you and mentor you. And born out of
that is service, community, mission
and sharing your faith.”
Twenty-five years and thousands of
articles, podcasts and blog posts later,
the goal at Boundless remains true: to
grow up biblically literate and passionate
disciples of Jesus Christ who are
equipped to navigate this season of life
with confidence and joy.
“Single or married, you have a lot of
living to do as a follower of Christ,” Lisa
says. “Let us be that community for
you—and let’s have fun in
the process.”
Scott Johnson is a senior writer in the
Ministry Values division at <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family.
28%
OF MILLENNIALS
ATTEND CHURCH
AT LEAST
ONCE A WEEK
AUG / SEP 2023 FOCUS ON THE FAMILY CANADA 37
source: Pew Research