Podcasts about fuller youth institute

271. Ways to Engage with Youth, Teens, and Gen Z in Church and at Home with Dr. Kara Powell   *Transcription Below*   1 Thessalonians 2:8 NIV "so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well."   Kara Powell, PhD, is the chief of leadership formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration. Named by Christianity Today as one of "50 Women to Watch," Kara serves as a youth and family strategist for Orange, and she also speaks regularly at national parenting and leadership conferences. Kara has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, and the entire Sticky Faith series.   Kara and her husband, Dave, are regularly inspired by the learning and laughter that come from their three young adult children.   Questions and Topics We Cover: What insights do you have to share on Gen-Z? When it comes to navigating intergenerational tensions, how can we practically turn our differences into superpowers and unite together? In your most recent book, entitled, Future-Focused Church, you begin with writing that the brightest days of the church are still ahead. What led you to that realization?   Thank You to Our Sponsor: WinShape Marriage   Other Episodes Mentioned from The Savvy Sauce: 127 Generational Differences with Hayden Shaw 2 God-Honoring Relationship Between a Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law with Author of The Mother-in-Law Dance, Annie Chapman   Stories Sampler from The Savvy Sauce Stories Series: 233 Stories Series: Surprises from God with Tiffany Noel 235 Stories Series: Ever-Present Help in Trouble with Kent Heimer 242 Stories Series: He Gives and Takes Away with Joyce Hodel 245 Stories Series: Miracles Big and Small with Dr. Rob Rienow 246 Stories Series: Experiencing God's Tangible Love with Jen Moore   Gospel Scripture: (all NIV) Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”   Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”   Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”    Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”    Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”    Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”    John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”   Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”   Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”   Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession- to the praise of his glory.”   Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”   Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“   Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“   Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   *Transcription*   Music: (0:00 – 0:11)   Laura Dugger: (0:12 - 2:13) Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.    I'm thrilled to introduce you to our sponsor, Winshape Marriage. Their weekend marriage retreats will strengthen your marriage while you enjoy the gorgeous setting, delicious food, and quality time with your spouse. To find out more, visit them online at winshapemarriage.org.    I am so honored to introduce my guest for today, Dr. Kara Powell. She is the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute. She's also founder of the 10x10 Collaboration and named by today as one of 50 women to watch. She is also extremely humble and insightful as she's going to discuss how we can leverage the power of stories and questions in our relationships at church and in our family and in beyond, and this is to model the life of Jesus. Make sure you also stay tuned in through the end because she's going to share a plethora of conversations and questions specifically to ask when we're engaging in conversation with young people, whether that's our own children and teens or our grandchildren or people in the community or our churches. It's some questions that you don't want to miss. Here's our chat.   Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Kara.   Dr. Kara Powell: (2:07 - 2:09) Oh, it's so good to be with you and your audience, Laura.   Laura Dugger: (2:09 - 2:13) Well, I'd love for you just to first give us a snapshot of your current life and share what's led you to the work that you get to do today.   Dr. Kara Powell: (2:14 - 4:06) Yeah, absolutely. So, let's see. I'll start with family. Dave and I have been married for I think 27-ish years, and we have three kids who are 24, 22, and 19.   Our youngest is a college freshman, and so we're technically empty nesters, but I actually like the term open nesters better because our kids come back, which we love. They come back in the summers and sometimes after college. And we actually, since I live in Pasadena, California, which had the fires in January, we actually have another 22-year-old young woman living with us, which we love.   So, we love having my husband, Dave, and I love having young people around, whether it's our own three kids or the young woman who's living with us. And I'm also a faculty member at Fuller Seminary, and while I certainly teach periodically, my main roles at Fuller actually have to do with leadership beyond Fuller. I'm the chief of leadership formation at Fuller, so I oversee all of Fuller's non-degree offerings, and then I'm the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, which is a research center that studies the faith of adolescents.   And I love that question, what got me to the work that I do today? Well, God would be the answer to that, but I was a long-term youth pastor here in Southern California at two different churches, loved teenagers, and Fuller was getting ready to start a new research center that was going to listen to the needs of parents and leaders, and then do research to answer those needs. And that really intrigued me, because I love young people, and I love research, and I love real-life ministry and family.   And so, I thought, well, I would love to hear more about that center, and I've been at Fuller now for over 20 years.   Laura Dugger: (4:07 - 4:17) Wow, that's incredible. And quick side note, I'm just so sorry for everything that you all endured in January with all the fires.   Dr. Kara Powell: (4:17 - 4:39) Yeah, it's heartbreaking, and in some ways, in many ways, devastating. And I'm grateful for how God is working through churches and working through God's people. So, there's all sorts of bright spots in the midst of the pain.   But yes, please pray that churches and God's people would be salt and light, because it's going to be a few years of rebuilding.   Laura Dugger: (440 - 4:43) Yes, Lord Jesus, may that be true. Amen.   Dr. Kara Powell: (4:43 - 4:44) Yeah, thank you.   Laura Dugger: (4:45 - 5:17) And I know with your background, you've studied practical theology, and you also have this broad knowledge of psychology. But some churches haven't studied psychology as much, and so I think that typically leads to less of an appreciation for it. But my fear is that they may miss out if they completely ignore it.   So, will you share some of the benefits that you've seen that come from applying God's truth from any of theologies?   Dr. Kara Powell: (5:17 - 8:14) Yeah, yeah. Well, at Fuller Seminary, we have two schools. One is our School of Mission and Theology, which I'm an alum of and a faculty member in.   And the other is our School of Psychology. And so, Laura, you asked a question that's right at the heart of what we love about training leaders and therapists. And in fact, my favorite statue at Fuller, the title of it is Planting the Cross in the Heart of Psychology.   And that's exactly what we believe. So, you know, God's made us as holistic people. And I love thinking both about how is our theology driving us as well as our psychology.   And you know, one way to think about our psychology, a colleague of mine at Fuller talks about people's losses and longings. And that phrase has been so helpful for me. Like, what are people's losses and longings?   And how is that connected with how they're responding? So, so much of our work at the Fuller Youth Institute relates to young people. And I remember coaching a senior pastor who was experiencing a lot of resistance to prioritizing young people from senior adults.   And what the senior pastor realized is, of course, I shouldn't say of course, but in this particular church, when he was saying we need to prioritize young people, those over 60 felt like, wait, that means I'm not going to be a priority. People who are older often already feel that here in US culture. And so, no wonder that was intimidating, that was threatening, that felt like a loss to those senior adults.   And so, I love what the senior pastor ended up doing is he implemented one of our principles of change that we recommend, which is people support what they create. And so, if you want to build ownership, then how can you involve as many people as possible in creating whatever you're trying to develop? And so, the senior pastor went to the senior adults and apologized for sending a message that, you know, made them feel like they were not going to be priority.   And instead, he said, how can we make this church a church that your grandkids would love to be part of? And that connected with those, you know, post 60, most of whom were grandparents, whether their grandkids live locally, or, you know, globally, they wanted their church to be a place where their grandkids and other young people would connect. And so, you know, he turned senior adults feeling like they were peripheral, to really feeling like they were partners in what God was doing in the church.   And so, yes, I would invite us all to think about what are people's losses and longings? And how is that contributing to how they're responding to whatever we're all experiencing?   Laura Dugger: (8:15 - 10:20) Let's take a quick break to hear a message from our sponsor. Friends, I'm excited to share with you today's sponsor, Winshape Marriage. Do you feel like you need a weekend away with your spouse and a chance to grow in your relationship together at the same time?   Winshape Marriage is a fantastic ministry that provides weekend marriage retreats to help couples grow closer together in every season and stage of life. From premarital to parenting to the empty nest phase, there is an opportunity for you. Winshape Marriage is grounded on the belief that the strongest marriages are the ones that are nurtured, even when it seems things are going smoothly, so that they're stronger if they do hit a bump along their marital journey.   These weekend retreats are hosted within the beautiful refuge of Winshape Retreat, perched in the mountains of Rome, Georgia, which is a short drive from Atlanta, Birmingham and Chattanooga. While you're there, you will be well fed, well nurtured and well cared for. During your time away in this beautiful place, you and your spouse will learn from expert speakers and explore topics related to intimacy, overcoming challenges, improving communication and more.   I've stayed on Winshape before and I can attest to their generosity, food and content. You will be so grateful you went. To find an experience that's right for you and your spouse, head to their website, windshapemarriage.org/savvy. That's W-I-N-S-H-A-P-E marriage.org/S-A-V-V-Y. Thanks for your sponsorship.   Well, Kara, you've also done so much research on young people and just in general, I'd love to hear what insights do you have on Gen Z?   Dr. Kara Powell: (10:20 - 14:16) Yeah, yeah. Well, we at the Fuller Youth Institute, we have spent a lot of time studying and doing research on Gen Z, which tends to be those who are 14, 15 and up. Our very youngest teenagers are all actually now Gen Alpha, but we'll talk about Gen Z.   And as we've looked at the research, we've landed on three words which we think well describe Gen Z. First, they are anxious. And if we look at young people today, they do have unprecedented levels of mental health challenges, anxiety, depression, stress, even suicidal thoughts.   And so, we do a lot of training to help parents and leaders understand mental health and how they can be a safe space and get young people the help they need. So, this is an anxious generation. This is an adaptive generation.   This generation is so creative and entrepreneurial and visionary. You know, while there's a lot of downsides to technology, technology also helps young people know more about what's wrong in the world and sometimes take steps to make what is wrong right and restore God's justice to our world. And so, this is an adaptive and creative generation.   And then in addition to being anxious and adaptive, this is a diverse generation. Here in the U.S., we crossed a line in 2020. In the midst of everything else that happened in 2020, we crossed a line where now 50% of those under 18 are young people of color.   So, for your audience to just keep that in mind that 50% of those under 18 are white and 50% are young people of color and that percentage of young people of color is likely going to continue to grow. So, I would say those are three key attributes to this generation. And then, you know, when it comes to what this generation is experiencing spiritually, I really appreciate what my friend and fellow podcaster Carey Nieuwhof has described with young people that they are both in revival and retreat.   And, you know, we see data for both. There's so much that's encouraging about how young people are responding to Jesus. They're open to Jesus.   We're seeing this especially on college campuses. They're responding in mass on college campuses in some really beautiful ways. Both InterVarsity and Crew are seeing that.   But then this generation is also in some ways distancing themselves from the institutional church. Springtide Research Institute did some study of 13- to 25-year-olds and found that 13- to 25-year-olds in the U.S. are almost three times as likely to say they've been hurt by organized religion as trust organized religion. So, our 13- to 25-year-olds are distrustful, a little cynical about institutional religion.   And so, we have our work cut out for us to build trust back. And let me just say, sadly, we have earned young people's lack of trust by the way that by our moral failures, by the way that we have not been as loving as Jesus wants us to be and as young people want us to be. And so, the good news is the way that we re-earn trust with young people is by little acts of kindness and consistency.   So, anybody listening can rebuild trust with a young person. The research on trust shows it's not about heroic acts. It's about sending a text and saying, hey, I'm praying for you.   It's about remembering a young person's name at church. It's about showing up at a young person's soccer game. So, in the midst of this generation and being both revival and retreat, there are practical steps that any adult can take.   Laura Dugger: (14:17 - 14:36) Wow, that's so good. You've got ideas now coming to me for how to pour into even the youth group. This is probably a very random idea, but how great would it be to have a Google calendar of all of their events and then whoever in the church is available to go support? That would just be a practical way.   Dr. Kara Powell: (14:36 - 15:45) Okay, so, Laura, you have just named actually one of my favorite ideas that a church that is here in Los Angeles is doing. They created a Google calendar and volunteers as well as parents can add information. But then what this church did, they started with a Google calendar and then it's a church of about 300 people.   And so, they have now started every Sunday morning. They have a slide with what's happening in young people's lives for the next week. So-and-so is in a play.   So-and-so has a basketball game. So-and-so has a Boy Scout activity. And so, adults in the church, often senior adults who have some extra time, are showing up at kids' events.   Plus, every week they're prioritizing young people. So, when you're a young person in that church and every week there's a slide about you and your friends and what's happening, that says something to the young people sitting there. So, yeah, you're-I actually love that idea.   And especially for smaller churches, I think that's one of the big advantages of smaller churches is we can be more intimate and caring. So, yes, let's please do that.   Laura Dugger: (15:46 - 16:00) Oh, that's so good. I love hearing how that played out. And now I'm also curious because you mentioned it's Gen Alpha behind.   Do you have any insight onto them as well?   Dr. Kara Powell: (16:00 - 16:27) Well, you're going to have to have me back because we are just-we received a grant from the Lilly Endowment, who's funded much of our research to study Gen Alpha. And they're just getting old enough that we really can, quite honestly. And so, like literally this week we are working on survey questions for Gen Alpha.   And we'll have more in the next year about what's similar between Gen Z and Gen Alpha, as well as what's different. So, I'd rather wait and save that for later.   Laura Dugger: (16:28 - 16:34) That sounds great. I'm especially interested in that generation. That is all four of our daughters would fall within that. So, I can't wait to hear your findings.   Dr. Kara Powell: (16:34 - 16:36) Yeah.   Laura Dugger: (16:38 - 17:15) And I think it's also bringing up, I'm going to link to a previous episode, Generational Differences with Hayden Shaw, because I don't know if you feel this same way. I think millennials especially got pegged as the generational bias put on them was actually confused with their life stage. And Hayden's the one who wrote about that and drew that to our attention.   So, that's helpful to sift out as we're thinking of young people too, because sometimes older generations can look down on younger generations and see some of the shortcomings. Do you see that as well?   Dr. Kara Powell: (17:16 - 18:55) Oh, for sure. For sure. I think we compare young people to who we are now instead of remembering our 13 and 19 and 25 year old self.   And so, I mean, that's one of our biggest pieces of advice when it comes to young people is instead of judging them, how do we journey with them? How do we really empathize with what they're experiencing? And when we are tempted to judge young people, let's just start at, well, let's just stop and ask ourselves, would we want to be a young person today?   It's so very challenging to be a young person today. I mean, mental health alone, like if I think about my tendency to, as a teenager myself, to compare myself with others, to be worried that I was left out. I mean, if there was a cell phone that showed me everything my friends were doing without me, and I'm stuck at home, like no wonder that young people feel more anxious.   I think I would really be struggling with anxiety if I was a teenager now. I mean, honestly, even at my age, I don't check social media on Friday night or Saturday night, because I might be, Dave and I might be having leftovers and either working or watching a movie on Netflix. And I go on social media and my friends are out with their husbands and having this phenomenal time.   And at my age, that makes me feel insecure, let alone imagine being a 13 or 18- or 22-year-old and navigating that. So, so yes, I think how can we empathize instead of finger point?   Laura Dugger: (18:56 - 19:12) Oh, and you write about how to navigate intergenerational tensions. How can we practically turn our differences into superpowers and unite together? And I guess, especially in the church?   Dr. Kara Powell: (19:12 - 22:39) Yeah, yeah, great question. So, one of our books is called Three Big Questions That Change Every Teenager. And we studied young people to try to understand the deep questions driving them.   And we landed on three. Identity, who am I? Belonging, where do I fit? And purpose, what difference can I make?   Identity, belonging and purpose. And those are that's such a helpful framework to understand young people and to empathize with them.   First off, I would say all of us are wrestling with identity, belonging and purpose. And when I feel emotional heat about an issue, if I feel insecure about something, it's usually because it's pricking at my identity, belonging or purpose. And so, that helps us realize that we navigate those questions, too.   But then also for the we who are parents, stepparents, grandparents, mentors of young people, you know, if a young person we care about is doing something that feels a little odd, a little askew, a little bit, that's not like them. If we can take a step back and ask, OK, what are they wrestling with? Is it identity?   Is it belonging? Is it purpose? That helps us empathize and know how to either ask a better question or, you know, give a little bit of hope rooted in whether that's rooted in scripture or in our own experience.   And so, yes, with our with our three kids, when I take a step back and ask, OK, they're saying something that feels odd or unlike them or I'm surprised this is provoking this response in them. Is it is it their identity, belonging or purpose that's at play here? It's like the penny drops and I come to understand.   So, I would say, you know, if we can wear those identity, belonging and purpose lenses, that really helps us understand young people. The other thing and, you know, I'm a professor, so I would give myself about a C plus in what I'm going to share next. OK, so if this is something I'm working on, it's this it's never make a statement if you can ask a question instead, never make a statement if you can ask a question instead.   And so, the more that we can ask questions about what young people are experiencing, like why, why, you know, in a very nonjudgmental way, like I'm just curious. And I start a lot of my questions with that. I'm curious.   I'm curious, like what does tick tock mean to you? Then, you know, that that can open up a real conversation instead of them feeling like we're somehow judging them for their technological use. I was proud of myself yesterday.   Like I said, I give myself about a C plus on this. But yesterday I was talking to my daughter about something. And I asked her, like, well, because she had stepped up to lead something.   And so instead of offering my advice, I said to her, well, you know, what do you think you did well as you were leading? And is there anything that you would want to do differently? And we were in the line of a fast-food place.   And I thought, yes, way to go. I ask questions instead of making statements, instead of offering my opinion. So, and sometimes we have to offer our opinion, for sure.   But just as a general rule, we can ask questions, especially the older our kids get. They respond to that better than us always sharing what we think.   Laura Dugger: (22:39 - 22:47) Well, and I also think you're even modeling this in the way you share stories is humility. So, when you partner that together, that seems very powerful.   Dr. Kara Powell: (22:48 - 23:53) Yeah, yeah, absolutely. My one of my kids said something so interesting. At Mother's Day, my husband asked each of them to share something that they appreciated about me and which was wonderful to receive that affirmation.   And one of them and I I'm not going to reveal the gender here because I haven't asked this child permission to share this. But what my child said was that I was asking them for advice in a way that made it feel more like we were becoming friends. And I had asked this child for advice in the last couple of months about a couple situations.   And so, again, my kids are 19, 22 and 24. So, you know, it's different with younger kids. But for those of us with older kids, it was significant to this child of mine that I was asking them for advice.   And so, I want to keep doing that. I want to keep doing that. So, because I truly do want their perspective.   Yeah, I truly do want their perspective. And it means something to them when I do.   Laura Dugger: (23:54 - 25:28) Yes, absolutely. And I'm thinking back, this may have been like episode three back in 2018. But I talk with Annie Chapman.   She had written the book, The Mother-in-Law Dance. And what you're saying, she pointed out that what makes us a great parent and especially a great mother, the first half of our children's life or the first portion of our children's life at home, it's the opposite of the latter years. And so, you're right.   You're not probably going to ask your five-year-old for advice. But at your kids' phases, that is significant. Did you know you could receive a free email with monthly encouragement, practical tips and plenty of questions to ask to take your conversation a level deeper, whether that's in parenting or on date nights?   Make sure you access all of this at TheSavvySauce.com by clicking the button that says Join Our Email List so that you can follow the prompts and begin receiving these emails at the beginning of each month. Enjoy.    This discussion with young people is also tied into your recent and optimistic book.   So, I'll hold it up here. It's in and you did co-author this with Jake Mulder and Raymond Chang. So, it's entitled Future-Focused Church, and you begin with writing that the brightest days of the church are still ahead.   So, what led you to this optimistic realization?   Dr. Kara Powell: (25:28 - 26:23) Yeah. Yeah. Well, first, God, you know, this is where being a practical theologian comes into play.   Like I'm always trying to understand what is God up to in this situation and just the way that God is constantly working, redeeming, recreating. So, you know, that's the heart of my optimism and Jake and Ray's optimism as fellow co-authors. And then also Future-Focused Church is based on research we did with over a thousand churches where we journeyed with them in the change process and just the way that they were able to make changes that made them more loving, made them more hospitable to young people.   So, it's, you know, it's people like your listeners and churches like those that your audience is part of. That's what made us optimistic is to see how God is working through actual churches.   Laura Dugger: (26:25 - 26:40) I love that. And even near the beginning, it was on page 26, you succinctly gave a definition of a future-focused church. So, will you share that definition and also elaborate on each one of the facets?   Dr. Kara Powell: (26:40 - 29:17) Yeah, yeah. So, it starts with a group of Jesus followers. And, you know, if you look at the original Greek for church, ekklesia, it's not a building.   We use that phrase incorrectly when we say, you know, I'll meet you at church and we mean a building. It's actually those who are called out or from. So, it's always people in the New Testament.   And so, we believe a church is a group of Jesus followers who seek God's direction together. And that's really important to us is this isn't about what Kara, Jake and Ray think you should do or what the church down the street is doing or even what your denomination is doing. It's you seeking God's direction together.   So, and we could have stopped there, honestly, a group of Jesus followers who seek God's direction together. But then because of the time we've spent with over a thousand churches, because of our commitment to young people, because of what we see happening these days, we added three what we call checkpoints, three things that we think should be priorities for churches these days. One is relationally discipling young people.   And, you know, we were intentionally using the words relationally discipling. It's not just entertaining. It's not just standing near young people at worship service.   But how are we actually investing in young people? And then secondly, modeling kingdom diversity. Again, if you look at our country ethnically and racially, we are a diverse country.   And so, how can we model that? How can our churches reflect what our neighborhoods are? And then thirdly, tangibly loving our neighbors.   Jesus said that, you know, they will know that we are Christians by our love for another, for each other, as well as our love for neighbors. And so, how can we make sure that we are really a place that is salt and light? As I mentioned, you know, we are trying to be in Pasadena as churches these days as we're recovering from the fires.   So, we encourage churches to look at those three checkpoints in particular. But then again, we want churches to figure out what God is inviting them towards. So, maybe that's more prayer.   Maybe that's being more involved globally in evangelism, you know, whatever it might be. Seek that direction together. But then what we try to do is give a map to get there, because a lot of churches know what they want to change, but don't know how to bring about change.   And so, that's actually what the bulk of our book is about, is helping leaders know how to move their church from here to God's direction for them.   Laura Dugger: (29:18 - 30:27) And that's incredible that you walked with so many churches through that process. But I was especially encouraged by you being partial to sharing stories. And so, we recently did an entire stories series on The Savvy Sauce, and it was so compelling and faith building.   I can link to a sample of those in the show notes. But you write about stories shaping culture. And I just I want to share your quote and then ask you how we can actually implement this.   So, your quote is from page 57, where you write, “Organizational culture is best communicated and illustrated by stories. As well modeled by Jesus, one of the best ways to shift the culture of a church is through the disciplined and consistent telling of clear and compelling stories that invite a different culture and way of being.” So, Kara, how have you seen this done well?   Dr. Kara Powell: (30:27 - 33:10) Yeah, yeah. Well, I think about whatever system we're in, whether it's our families or whether it's our churches or whatever organization we're in. Yeah, our stories become really the key messages of what our culture is.   And so, I want to go back to that church that we were talking about that had a Google calendar and now does a Sunday announcement every week of kids' events. Well, that church is also capturing stories of the 81-year-old who showed up at the 16-year-old soccer game, who didn't even know her all that well, but just had a free Thursday afternoon and knew that she was playing. And the pastor who was also on the sidelines at that soccer game, who ended up talking to both the parents of the 16-year-old and the 81-year-old.   And so, that became a story for that church of how different generations are supporting young people. And so, that pastor has told that story multiple, multiple times. You know, I just think about in our family, our kids love hearing our stories.   And that's part of how they I mean, it's a big, a big theme and how they come to know what it means to be a Powell. So, you know, earlier I said, you know, I said, never make a statement if you can ask a question instead. I think the exception to that, Laura, is if we're going to tell a story because stories communicate so much.   One of our one of our children is struggling with being anxious about something. And I was anxious last night. I never lose sleep.   I so rarely lose sleep. But I did last night. I was up for about an hour and a half in the middle of the night, finally ended up having a prayer time.   And that helped me go back to sleep. But I'm looking forward to telling my child, who's also struggling with anxiety, that story of me experiencing some, you know, 3:00 a.m. anxiety and what eventually helped me is kind of reflecting on a mantra I feel like God's given me. And I want to share that with my child, not to nag them, but just to let them know that, you know, in our family, this is how we want to try to respond to anxiety.   And maybe my story can be helpful for you the next time that you're struggling with it, which might be today. So, so, yes, the more that we can share our present and our past experiences, whether it's as individuals, families, organizations, the more that we communicate the cultural values that we want.   Laura Dugger: (33:11 - 33:45) That's so good. And I love how you're relating that to parents as well, because from the very youngest ages, tell me a story. And if it's like if we remember a story of them when they're a child, they just grasp onto that.   And we when we're tired at the end of the night, if we run out of our stories, we love even just reading aloud true stories of other people, too. OK, and I'm partnering then thinking of stories and one of your facets about I love how you said it. I'd love for you to repeat. Is it strategically discipling, relationally discipling?   Dr. Kara Powell: (33:45 - 33:46) Yeah.   Laura Dugger: (33:46 - 35:03) OK, so my brother and sister's church, I'm just going to highlight theirs because I love something that both of them are doing with our nieces and nephews. They just have them, the youth, write down three names of somebody in a different generation above theirs that they would enjoy getting to know, spending time with. And then they get matched with one of those people and they enter a yearlong mentorship relationship.   And I'm just thinking, one, their mentors all happen to be open nesters. And the male and female who have mentored our nieces and nephews, the female took our nieces, would send them a copy of a recipe, say, get these groceries this week. I'm coming to your house on Tuesday and we're going to cook all of this together and have it ready for your family dinner.   Just so practical and that they just build a love for each other. And then a similar thing with our nephews, where whatever that mentor's skill was, he was great at even making, I think, wood fired pizzas and just showing them practical skills, but relationally investing. And you see the youth's growth and maturity from that discipleship.   Dr. Kara Powell: (35:03 - 36:17) So, yeah, that's awesome. And not only the young people, but the adults, too. Like what's been so great, Laura, is, you know, while much of our research has looked at how adults change young people and how churches change young people, every time we study that, we see how young people change adults and churches, too.   So, you know, for that male and female who are mentoring your nieces and nephews, how they come to understand more about themselves, God, life, scripture, as they're spending time with young people, that's just really, really powerful. So, I also want to highlight, I love how your example, how it starts by asking young people, like who are some adults that you would like to spend more time with that you look up to? And, you know, we would do that with our kids when we needed babysitters.   Like who are some adults that you would like to get to know and how wonderful then that we could ask those adults, especially if they were of babysitting age, to come and be with our kids. And that way we were getting the babysitting we needed and our kids were getting the mentoring that they needed. So, so, yes, I think, you know, giving a young person some agency and who they spend time with, that's really beautiful in that example.   Laura Dugger: (36:18 - 36:21) Oh, that's and that's genius for a family life.   Dr. Kara Powell: (36:21 - 36:22) Yeah, exactly, exactly.   Laura Dugger: (36:23 - 36:39) Well, you also share some other helpful tips for churches, such as considering questions like, would anyone miss our church if it closed down? So, do you have any other practical tips that you want to make sure we don't miss?   Dr. Kara Powell: (36:39 - 40:19) Yeah, yeah. I think, yeah, I'll offer a few questions that we have found really helpful. And I'll start with questions when your kids are in elementary and then I'll give a couple of questions when your kids are older.   So, so one of the questions that we love asking at dinner when our kids were in elementary was, how did you see God at work today? And I will say that when I first raised that question, one of my daughters said, “Well, mommy, I can't answer that question. And I said, why not?”   She said, “Well, I don't have a job. How did you see God at work today? So, then we had to say, well, how did you see God working today?”   And I, you know, and equally important as our kids asking that question is that we were, excuse me, as our kids answering that question is that we were answering that question. And so, so, you know, any way that you can involve meaningful sharing, whether it's a dinner, whether it's a bedtime and that you are sharing, too. So, so that that's been a great one for our family.   And then when your kids get older, a couple come to mind. One is two pairs of questions actually come to mind. One is, you know, the phrase never make a statement.   Maybe you can ask the question said sometimes we do need to offer our advice as parents, our perspective. And I have found when I do that with my kids is now that they're late young adults, if I ask them first, well, what do you disagree with and what I said and give them an opportunity to critique what I said, then and then I ask a second question. OK, well, what might you agree with and what I said?   They're far more open to sharing what they agree with if they first have had a chance to critique me. So, I offer that as in those moments when you do need to offer your opinion or perspective, how can we still make it a dialogue? One way is to invite your kid to critique you.   And they'll probably point out things that you do need to reconsider, or at least it's good to hear those from your young person. Another pair of questions that that I have found so helpful with our kids is as they get older and really come to own their own faith. I love asking our kids, what do you now believe that you think I don't believe?   And what do you no longer believe that you think I still believe? So, what do you now believe that you think I don't believe? And what do you no longer believe that you think I still believe?   What I love about that is that it's making overt that our faith is going to continue to change and grow. And that's true for all of us. And it also makes differences discussable, because I'd far rather know how my kids' faith is changing and how it's different or similar than mine than not know.   And, you know, as we've asked our kids those questions over the years, sometimes their answer is like, not much has changed. Like, you know, but other times they do have different opinions that they want to share with me. And then I try to have that non-defensive, oh, OK, well, I'm curious.   Then again, starting phrase with I'm curious and then asking a question has given us some of the best conversations. So, you can get really tangible. How did you see God at work today?   But then as your kids get older, ask questions that that are more open-ended and can help you really understand where your kids are at.   Laura Dugger: (40:20 - 41:15) I love that.    And I'm just thinking if people are listening like I listen to podcasts, it's when I'm on the go, when I'm doing a walk in the morning or if I'm cleaning around the house. And if you don't get a chance to take notes, we do have transcripts available now for all these episodes, but I would think so many people have written in about dialogue and questions for teenagers and how to handle.   And I love the way you responded to all of that. So, even grab the transcript and write down those questions and try them at dinner or bedtime tonight. But then even thinking of churches for practical tips, what do you have as far as hospitality and the impact that it could make if we're building relationships through hospitality?   But you also call out three ways to build relationships through sharing meals, sharing stories and sharing experiences.   Dr. Kara Powell: (41:15 - 43:08) Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think you've named it, Laura. How do we have a hospitable, open heart and open churches?   And I just want to go back to this question. Like, is our church a place that our kids and our grandkids would want to be part of? And if we keep asking that question, I think it helps us prioritize the next generation and make space for them at our meals, within our stories and within our experiences.   Now, I will say this, you know, I talk so much about intergenerational relationships and bringing the generations together. Like, I do think there's a time and a place for 16-year-olds to be on their own and 46-year-olds to be on their own and 76-year-olds to be on their own. It's just finding that balance of when do we bring all the generations together?   And then when do we want to have those special life development, life stage development conversations ourselves? And most churches are swinging far more toward we keep generations separate and need to swing the pendulum back to how can we have shared meals together? How can we serve together in ways that are shared?   And, you know, I'll just say this last thought when it comes to sharing experiences, especially those that are service. You know, a lot of churches have young people who are serving. They're in children's ministry, they're in sound, they're in tech, etc.   And that's awesome. And I think the question becomes, like, how can that young person be more than just a warm body who passes out graham crackers? And how can I think, OK, I'm teaching third graders and I'm also trying to mentor this 15-year-old who's working with me with the third graders and same with sound.   So, you know, anytime you're interacting with young people, it's an opportunity to influence, especially as you're sharing more about yourself.   Laura Dugger: (43:10 - 43:15) Love that. And you seem like an idea person as well. So, I'm going to bounce another idea.   Dr. Kara Powell: (43:16 - 43:16) Yeah.   Laura Dugger: (43:16 - 43:45) What I'm gathering is obviously we're keeping Jesus at the center and you're not downplaying the need for scripture or Bible study. And those kind of things but also adding there is value in I'm thinking shared experience. Specifically, I'm thinking of pickleball.   It's something that appeals to a wide age range. What if your church had invested in a pickleball sport to do something that could bring people together? So, what are your thoughts on that?     Dr. Kara Powell: (43:45 - 45:22) Yeah. Yeah. Pickleball, you know, senior adults who need tech help from teenagers.   That's another great way to connect people. I mean, any kind of shared interest 1 Thessalonians 2:8 is such an important scripture passage for me when it comes to discipleship. And Paul writes that we were delighted to share with you not just the gospel, but our very lives.   And so, how can we share life, whether it's pickleball, whether it's pizza? I'm running out of alliteration here. I was trying to do something else that started with P.   And for leaders who are listening, how can you take what you're already doing and make it more intergenerational? So, that's the other thing we like to tell churches is whether it's pickleball or whether it's well, we're already serving at the local homeless center to help people who are unhoused. Well, instead of that only being a youth event, maybe make that an all church event and see if adults come who can be mentoring young people.   So, you know, I love what one church did. Many churches have done this, actually, when they're looking for small group for homes where small groups can be for young people instead of going to like the parents of the teenagers. What if we go to our senior adults or our open or slash empty nesters and see if they'll open their homes?   Because then it's bringing more adults into contact with young people. And those adults who open their homes can also open their lives. So, yeah, just continuing to ask, how can we make this more of a connection across generations?   Goodness.   Laura Dugger: (45:22 - 45:39) And you have so many ideas and some of these are mentioned in this book, but you've also written many more helpful resources. So, will you give us an overview of the other books that you've authored and share a bit of what we might find if we read? Dr. Kara Powell: (45:39 - 46:42) Yeah. So, our most recent book, as you've mentioned, is Future Focus Church, and that's especially geared to help leaders know how to move a ministry from where they are now to where God wants it to be. It's been so great to journey with leaders through that.   Probably our best book that offers a ton of questions you can ask young people is Three Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, where we get into identity, belonging and purpose, which I mentioned. And we have over 300 questions that an adult, whether it's a family member or a mentor or a neighbor or congregant can use with young people. And then the last one I'll offer is The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family comes out of our previous Sticky Faith research.   How do you help young people have faith that lasts? We have a special chapter in that book for grandparents. So, for any grandparents who are listening, that whole book and that chapter is a great resource.   But also we have had a lot of parents, stepparents say that The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family has been one of their favorite books.   Laura Dugger: (46:43 - 47:02) That's incredible. I'll have to link to those in the show notes for today's episode. But I'm sure you're aware we are called The Savvy Sauce because Savvy is anonymous with practical knowledge.   And so, as my final question for you today, what is your Savvy Sauce?   Dr. Kara Powell: (47:03 - 48:16) That's a really good question, Laura. OK, I'll say I'll share the first thing that came to mind when you asked it. Gosh, probably 10 or 12 years ago, I read a book and from the book I adapted a phrase for my work life and my personal life, which is if it's not a definite yes, it's a no.   As a busy mom, as a busy employee, as a busy leader, I see potential in so many things. And so, I want to say yes to so many things. And then I end up tired.   I end up empty. I end up not being able to say yes to something maybe better that comes a month later because I've already committed to, you know, plan my seventh graders camping trip or give a talk or, you know, whatever it might be. And so, that phrase, we made it a six-month experiment in the Foley Youth Institute as well as in our family.   Like it's not a definite yes, it's a no. And it really helped us say no to things, trim and I think find a much more manageable pace. So, as we pray, as we pray, it's not a definite yes, it's a no.   That's been game changing for me.   Laura Dugger: (48:17 - 48:57) Well, I love how much you've modeled applying these things at your work or in our church, but also in our family life. It's all transferable. And Kara, this has just been a super special conversation because you've been on my list to have a conversation with for over a decade, probably since I got my hands on Sticky Faith.   And I just appreciate we've been talking as we were praying before we were recording. You desire so much, not only for young people, but for all people to experience this abundant life in Christ. And I'm so grateful for you and just want to say thank you for being my guest.   Dr. Kara Powell: (48:57 - 49:03) Oh, my pleasure, Laura. And thanks to you and how you serve your audience as well as our world. It's been an honor.   Laura Dugger: (49:04 - 52:19) One more thing before you go, have you heard the term gospel before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you, but it starts with the bad news.    Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves. This means there's absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved.    We need a savior, but God loved us so much. He made a way for his only son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with him.    That is good news. Jesus lived the perfect life. We could never live and died in our place for our sin.    This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished. If we choose to receive what he has done for us, Romans 10:9 says, “that if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”    So, you pray with me now. Heavenly father, thank you for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to you.    Will you clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare you as Lord of their life? We trust you to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus name we pray.   Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring him for me. So, me for him, you get the opportunity to live your life for him.    And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So, you're ready to get started.    First, tell someone, say it out loud, get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes and Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible and I love it.    You can start by reading the book of John. Also get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you.    We want to celebrate with you too. So, feel free to leave a comment for us here. If you did make a decision to follow Christ, we also have show notes included where you can read scripture that describes this process.    And finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, “in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.    And if you've already received this good news, I pray you have someone to share it with. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.

Dr. Steven Argue, Associate Professor of Youth, Family, and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, talks with Shellie and Dr. Bridges about meeting young adults where they are: in the midst of their transitions. Matt and Shellie then talk about the Center for Congregation's work with congregations around young adults, unpack the interview and share practical resources that will aid your congregation. Resources Young Adult Ministry Now (book) Young Adult Ministry Now (website and resources) Fuller Youth Institute (organization) The FYI on Youth Ministry Podcast (podcast) S.T.A.R. for Young Adults (website and resources)

In this episode of Next Gen Now, we're joined by Dr. David Fraze—former student minister at The Hills, now a national leader in youth and family ministry. Dr. Fraze reflects on how his time in local church ministry shaped his passion for intergenerational discipleship and explores how faith, family, practices, community and service intersect to form resilient young believers. We also dive into his role in the Tenx10 initiative, a nationwide effort to help faith matter more to the next generation. From practical wisdom to personal stories, Dr. Fraze offers encouragement for parents, pastors, and leaders as they seek to pass on faith across generations. Whether you're in student ministry or simply care about the future of the Church, this conversation will inspire and equip you. David Fraze (D.Min., Fuler Theological Seminary) is a Professor and Endowed Chair of the Youth and Family Ministry Program at Lubbock Christian University. David has been in student ministry and has worked with students for over 35 years. David is a popular speaker at Youth Events, Public/Private SchoolEvents, Ministry Trainings and Seminars. David is a writer who has contributed articles for youthspecialties.com, ENGAGE, the quarterly journal of The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, Youth WorkerJ ournal, Journal of Student Ministries, and the Fuller Youth Institute. He authored Practical Wisdom for Youth Ministry: Not-So-Simple Truths That Matter and contributed a chapter to Owning Faith. David has co-authored a book entitled Practical Wisdom for Youth Group Parents: Partnering With Your Youth Minister. David also wrote Practical Wisdom for Athletic Families: How to Survive and Thrive in Competitive Athletics. David worked withYouth Specialties (www.youthspecialties.com) as the leader of Ministry Coaching and was a seminar speaker at the National Youth Workers Convention and is the Co-Editor of the Youth Specialties Blog. He is a speaker and partner with the Fuller Youth Institute speaking on the topics of Sticky Faith, Growing Young and Right Click (a seminar of technology). He is a coach with the Dallas Cowboys Football Youth Academy and a resource for various Dallas Cowboys youth and coach education programs. He writes and is the on-camera personality for the KCBD 11 “That's Good Stuff” news segment. He also serves as Character Coach for the Friendship High School Football program. He has been married to Lisa for 32 years. They have two children, Braeden and Shelbee. Braeden is married to Jenna and they have their first child, Olivia Rose. https://www.greatopportunity.org - Download Pintetops Study https://www.tenx10.org Practical Wisdom for Youth Ministry: The Not-So-Simple Truths That Matter Practical Wisdom for Youth Group Parents: Partnering with Your Youth Minister  Practical Wisdom for Families with Athletes: Winning Isn't the Ultimate Goal  lcu.edu Reach out to us at nextgennow@thehills.org and find more information about The Hills Church at www.thehills.org.

Isaiah 4:2-6 | Acts 2:22-28 | Psalm 41:11-12

On this episode of Todd Talks, Todd Still sits down with Kara Powell, the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute.

In the past few decades, the church has experienced rapid and distressing change. Pastors and leaders know they need to help usher positive change into their congregations, but don't know how. On the next Equipped with Chris Brooks, Kara Powell of Fuller Youth Institute helps us understand how we can build tomorrow's church today. If you're involved in your church, be encouraged to be part of the change for the future when you join us for the next Equipped. Featured resource:Future-Focused Church by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang August thank you gift:The Quiet Time Kickstart by Rachel Jones Equipped with Chris Brooks is made possible through your support. To donate now, click here.

Are the best days of the church behind us? Or ahead? Kara Powell and Ray Chang join Mark Labberton to discuss Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation, co-authored with Jake Mulder. Drawing on extensive research, practical frameworks, and decades of leadership at Fuller Seminary and the TENx10 Collaboration, Powell and Chang map a path forward for the church—one rooted in relational discipleship, kingdom diversity, and tangible neighbour love. In a moment marked by disaffiliation, disillusionment, and institutional fragility, they offer a hopeful vision: churches that are brave enough to listen deeply, lead adaptively, and partner with the next generation in mission. This conversation unpacks their “Here to There” framework, the role of human agency in ecclesial change, and why honouring young people isn't pandering—it's planting seeds for the future of faith. Episode Highlights “We believe the best days of the church are ahead.” “Leadership begins with listening.” “Unless strategy emerges out of culture, or unless the culture is changed, it's really hard to lead.” “Everything rises when we focus on young people.” “Agency is the intersection of knowing, being, and doing.” Helpful Resources and Links Future-Focused Church by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Ray Chang (InterVarsity Press) Fuller Youth Institute—Research and innovation for youth ministry TENx10 Collaboration—Movement to help faith matter more for ten million young people over ten years Asian American Christian Collaborative—Equipping Asian American Christians for faithful public witness ”Churches and Change: Adaptive Leadership”—Heifetz on adaptive vs. technical change (Harvard Business Review) Rethinking Church in the 21st Century (Fuller Seminary)—Ongoing work in contextual theology and church innovation About Kara Powell Kara Powell is the chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and founder of the TENx10 Collaboration. A leading voice in youth ministry and church innovation, she is author or co-author of numerous books including Sticky Faith, Growing Young, and 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager. She is co-author of Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation. About Ray Chang Ray Chang is executive director of the TENx10 Collaboration and president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative. A pastor, activist, and writer, Ray's work focuses on racial justice, next-gen discipleship, and building churches that reflect the diversity of God's kingdom. He is co-author of Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation. Show Notes Kara Powell is chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute Ray Chang is executive director of the TENx10 Collaboration and president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative Future-Focused Church offers a framework for adaptive change, grounded in Scripture, research, and practical leadership “Leadership begins with listening”—Kara shares the importance of appreciative inquiry and asking youth what matters to them Ray describes today's church as “a church actively trying to define and redefine itself in tumultuous and complex times” Simple but powerful framework: Here to There—understanding where we are and where God is calling us next Three checkpoints of a future-focused church: relationally discipling young people, modelling kingdom diversity, tangibly loving our neighbours “Everything rises when we focus on young people”—churches flourish when the next generation is centered Data shows only one in three senior pastors rank young people among their top five priorities Kara: “I wish the problem was that young people were overly prioritized—sadly, it's the opposite” Church innovation isn't just strategic, it's adaptive: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Ray explains why Covid exposed the difference between technical and adaptive change in the church Kara: “We overestimate what we can accomplish in one year and underestimate what we can do in three to five.” Biblical foundations explored—Paul's epistles blend being and doing; Galatians 5 offers a model of fruitful action Human agency as divine invitation—Ray: “God invites us to partner in God's work for the flourishing of humanity” Kara's church story: youth sat in the front, fully engaged—“They prioritized us” Simple action steps from churches include showing up to youth events and publicly celebrating young people's milestones Mark Labberton challenges the idea of “pandering” to youth—Kara responds with data and theological reflection Ray reflects on the complex dynamics in immigrant and second-gen Asian American churches—“placelessness” and a search for belonging Importance of community: following Jesus together, across generations, cultures, and neighbourhoods Kara reframes giving: “Young people want to give to people and to purpose—not to perpetuate programs” “Culture is where values are held; unless strategy aligns with culture, it will be resisted”—Ray on organizational change Intergenerational relationships are critical—older adults model faith and love through presence and commitment The book offers not just direction but formation: process, practice, and people matter as much as the goal “If there's ever a moment to care about the church—and young people—it's now.” Production Credits Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Teen Anxiety Is Skyrocketing—How Can Parents and Churches Help? Anxiety is overwhelming today's teens—and Curtis Chang knows the struggle firsthand. Joined by “founding friend” David French and Dr. Kara Powell of the Fuller Youth Institute, this deep dive into the mental health crisis facing our youth, exposes the pressure-cooker of social media, why parenting style matters, and why anxiety and depression continue to rise. If you're tired of hand-wringing and ready for hope-filled action, this conversation delivers clarity, challenge, and compassion. Drawing upon material from a past conversation, this episode seeks to empower parents to help the next generation to navigate anxiety with faith and community.   Donate to Redeeming Babel   Resources mentioned in this episode: The work of the Fuller Youth Institute  The Fuller Youth Institute's Sticky Faith Fuller Youth Institute's Faith in an Anxious World  Jonathan Haidt: The Dangerous Experiment on Teen Girls CDC: Depression Prevalence in Adolescents and Adults: U.S., Aug '21–Aug '23 New York times: What Social Media Does to the Teen Brain Angela Duckworth's The Good Life Project Angela Duckworth's Research Lisa DaMour's work and books Scott Cormode profile at Fuller Seminary Springtide Research Institute   More From Kara Powell: Dr. Powell's TheoED Talk: 3 Big Questions that Change Every Young Person Dr. Powell on instagram Dr. Powell on X (formerly Twitter) More From David French: David French's New York Times pieces HERE Follow David French on Threads   Follow Us: Good Faith on Instagram Good Faith on X (formerly Twitter) Good Faith on Facebook   Sign up:  Redeeming Babel Newsletter    

Today's thought is kindness. And if that sounds a little too soft for your inbox this morning, hang tight because what we're covering today isn't shallow or merely sentimental. John is joined by Kara Powell, the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and they're discussing the kind of radical, steady, others-focused kindness that can actually change us and change the world.Find out more about the Fuller Youth Institute at: FullerYouthInstitute.org/BecomeNewBecome New is here to help you grow spiritually one day at a time.

At this moment in the United States, the odds of our children walking with Jesus as adults are equivalent to that of a coin toss. According to the Fuller Youth Institute, 50% of high school students actively involved in their churches walk away from their faith after graduation. These aren't casual attendees; they were the most committed teenagers who are still choosing to do life apart from Jesus once they leave high school. As President Reagan famously said about freedom, “It is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” The same is true for faith. Psalm 78 addresses this urgent reality, revealing how the faith of a nation collapsed when they failed to pass God's truth to the next generation. We must touch the next generation by teaching them and reaching them with biblical truth.

Kara Powell serves as the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and as the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Seminary. Kara recently authored a new book along with Jake Mulder and Raymond Chang entitled "Future Focused Churches." They did extensive research involving over one thousand churches with the goal of helping churches connect with the next generations.Kara offers several proven best practices for helping your ministry close the generation gap. This conversation is a must for any church wanting to invigorate the atmosphere with the life that comes from connecting with youth.Show Notes: https://www.95network.org/future-focused-churches-w-kara-powell-episode-287/Support the show

Political scientist Mark Caleb Smith talks with Carmen about how late MLB player/manager Pete Rose's ineligibility for the Hall of Fame due to his breaking rules against gambling on the game has been overturned.  Is this a good precedent?  He also addresses the case before the Supreme Court over birthright citizenship.  Kara Powell of the Fuller Youth Institute, co-author of "Future-Focused Church," talks about how the pastors and churches can empower the teens and young adults for ministry.  Faith Radio podcasts are made possible by your support. Give now: Click here  

¿Cómo les va en el área espiritual a sus hijos? Kara Powell, directora ejecutiva del Fuller Youth Institute, platica con los padres sobre cómo modelar la gracia frente a sus hijos. Kara, madre de tres, explica que, si nuestra fe se enfoca solo en los comportamientos (no tomes, no fumes, no tengas relaciones sexuales), entonces no debe sorprendernos que nuestros jóvenes tengas tantas luchas. Kara nos recuerda que la gracia se encuentra en el corazón del evangelio. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/692/29

¿Cómo les va en el área espiritual a sus hijos? Kara Powell, directora ejecutiva del Fuller Youth Institute, platica con los padres sobre cómo modelar la gracia frente a sus hijos. Kara, madre de tres, explica que, si nuestra fe se enfoca solo en los comportamientos (no tomes, no fumes, no tengas relaciones sexuales), entonces no debe sorprendernos que nuestros jóvenes tengas tantas luchas. Kara nos recuerda que la gracia se encuentra en el corazón del evangelio. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/692/29

Our guest is KARA POWELL, executive director and chief of leadership formation at Fuller Youth Institute and co-author of the new book Future Focused Church. Kara is a best-selling author, researcher, founder of TenX10, and professor of Youth and Family Ministry. We discuss trends in the Church, the future of leadership, the power of questions, generational mentoring, and more. Plus check out the list of Next Gen and Young Adult resources. Visit http://h3leadership.com to access the list and all the show notes. Thanks again to our partners for this episode: CONVOY OF HOPE - Please donate to the LA Fires efforts and also Hurricane Helene and Milton relief effort and ongoing work at http://convoyofhope.org/donate. Convoy is my trusted partner for delivering food and relief by responding to disasters in the US and all around the world. Right now, Convoy of Hope is responding to the LA fires, along with devastation in the southeast US from Hurricane Helene and Milton, providing basic needs like food, hygiene supplies, medical supplies, blankets, bedding, clothing and more. All through partnering with local Churches. Join me and please support their incredible work. To donate visit http://convoyofhope.org/donate. And THE CHOSEN SEASON 5 – Season 5 is now out, just in time for Holy Week. The Chosen: Last Supper is in theaters now and is the must-see event of the Easter season. Get tickets at http://theChosenLastSupper.com. The Chosen: Last Supper brings the most pivotal week in history to life in this special 3-part theatrical release. The Chosen is the first ever multi season drama about the life of Jesus. Again, get tickets now at http://theChosenLastSupper.com. Now in theaters worldwide. 

Thanks for joining us at the unSeminary podcast. In this episode we're talking with Kara Powell, the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. How is your church engaging with the next generation? Building connection and trust with young people can be difficult in today's world. […]

In our world of rapid change and increasing uncertainty, how can you help guide your faith community into becoming a future-focused church? In this week's conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Dr. Kara Powell. Kara is the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute. Her most recent book is entitled Future-Focused Church. Together, Kara and Jason explore an approach to local church ministry that is not just another method but a dynamic framework adaptable to the unique context and calling of your church.Dig deeper into this conversation: Find the free Weekly Toolkit, including the Ministry Leaders Growth Guide, all resource links, and more, at http://PastorServe.org/networkSome key takeaways from this conversation:Kara Powell on the importance of innovation, modernization, and staying engaged with current trends to remain effective and impactful in ministry: "We don't want your church to go the way of Blockbuster."Kara Powell on the significance of community and support in creating meaningful change: "​​You can listen to a podcast on your own, but you can't bring about change on your own."Kara Powell on the power of ownership and engagement: "People tend to support what they create."----------------Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? FrontStage BackStage is much more than another church leadership show, it is a complete resource to help you and your ministry leaders grow. Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed.Visit http://PastorServe.org/network to find the Weekly Toolkit, including the Ministry Leaders Growth Guide. Our team pulls key insights and quotes from every conversation with our guests. We also create engaging questions for you and your team to consider and process, providing space for you to reflect on how each episode's topic relates to your unique church context. Use these questions in your staff meetings, or other settings, to guide your conversation as you invest in the growth of your ministry leaders. Love well, live well, & lead well Complimentary Coaching Session for Pastors http://PastorServe.org/freesession Follow PastorServe LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | FacebookConnect with Jason Daye LinkedIn | Instagram...

How does a church that needs revitalization navigate the change that is needed? Leading researchers and church experts from the Fuller Youth Institute and Fuller Theological Seminary studied this question by looking at Scripture, nationwide interviews, and case studies to provide the resource Future-Focused Church that we highlight with guest Raymond Chang. Seth and Deb discuss the current day challenges for the Church along with their proclamation that the best days of the church are ahead. Join us for this hope-filled conversation on the local church and strategies to determine your best future.Donate to Moody Radio: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/morningshow/wdlmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, I'm sitting down with Kara Powell, researcher and co-author of "Future Focused Church," to talk about the challenges and opportunities facing churches right now. We'll explore how churches can better connect with younger generations, what real discipleship looks like, and how communities of faith can adapt in a rapidly changing world. Kara brings insights from her research at Fuller Youth Institute about identity, belonging, and purpose - key questions that are driving how people, especially young people, think about faith. We'll discuss practical strategies for church leaders, the importance of listening to younger generations, and how churches can become more outward-focused and missional. We'll also dig into some of the current challenges - like pastor burnout, church transitions, and the shifting religious landscape - but with a hopeful perspective on what's possible. If you're a church leader, ministry worker, or just someone interested in how faith communities might evolve, this conversation is for you. So join us. Kara Powell, PhD, is the chief of leadership formation at Fuller Theological Seminary, the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration. Named by Christianity Today as one of "50 Women to Watch," Kara speaks regularly at national parenting and leadership conferences. Kara has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, and the entire Sticky Faith series. Kara and her husband, Dave, are regularly inspired by the learning and laughter that come from their three young adult children.Kara's Book:Future-Focused ChurchKara's Recommendation:The Friction ProjectSubscribe to Our Substack: Shifting CultureConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Threads, Bluesky or YouTubeConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowEmail jjohnson@allnations.us, so we can get your creative project off the ground! Support the show

Mark Batterson unpacks the funding and church planting strategy of National Community Church. He shares how NCC went from 29 people to owning coffee houses and city blocks in one of America's most expensive real estate markets. We also discuss the truth of how 'success' goes from gradual to sudden.

In this episode of the You Can Mentor podcast, Zachary Garza and Brad Griffin of Fuller Youth Institute explore the impact of mentoring teenagers, with a focus on identity, belonging, and purpose. Brad, drawing from his research at the Fuller Youth Institute, stresses the importance of genuine connections with young people and fostering safe environments where they can express their thoughts and emotions. The discussion underscores the value of trust, active listening, and guiding teens toward purpose through meaningful service and community engagement.You can checkout Brad's book, Three Big Questions here. To get free resources or find out more information about Fuller Youth Institute, visit https://fulleryouthinstitute.com/.--Takeaways:Mentoring is about listening to teenagers' questions.Identity, belonging, and purpose are crucial for youth.Building trust is essential in mentoring relationships.Creating a safe space allows teens to be authentic.Helping others gives teenagers a sense of purpose.Mentors should not have an agenda when engaging with youth.Follow-up conversations show care and build trust.Teens often feel pressure from expectations around them.Community and church can provide a sense of belonging.God's will for our lives is broad and forgiving.--Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Mentoring and Identity07:32 Exploring Identity, Belonging, and Purpose15:32 Building Trust and Authentic Relationships23:20 Creating Safe Spaces for Teens33:20 Understanding Purpose and Community--It would mean the WORLD to us if you would leave a 5 star rating on our pod so we can reach more people! Scroll down to the bottom the You Can Mentor page on Apple Podcasts and click "Write Review". On Spotify, go to our page, click the three dots next to the admin wheel, and hit "Rate Show". Thank you!Also, check out our National Christian Mentoring Gathering, which is April 16-18, 2025 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Learn more about all we do at www.youcanmentor.com

“The best days of the church are ahead,” write Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang. “Don't get us wrong. We are under no illusion that churches have it easy in this season. These days the church can feel … So fractured, So distracted. So divided and politicized. So exhausting. So hard to lead. Like everything is an uphill battle.” So why are these authors confident about the future of the church? That's the question I ask Kara Powell in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Kara Powell is chief of leadership formation and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and a credentialed Assemblies of God minister. She is coauthor, with Mulder and Chang, of Future-Focused Church: Leading Through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow, published by Baker Books. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home. For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Lead with purpose with a degree from Trevecca. Find out more here. In this episode, Christine Caine welcomes Dr. Kara Powell, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute. Kara believes faith-filled teenagers and young adults can change our world, but they need parents and mentors to intentionally invest in their lives. This episode will equip you to better understand today's youth, provide you with practical ideas for discipleship, and ignite a passion within you for a future-focused church. SHOW NOTES: Intentional Investments Kara asks: “Can we as adults be more intentional in how we reach out to the young people God's already put in our paths?” She challenges Christian adults to open their hearts and lives to the young people around them. They are hungry for discipleship! Invest Like Jesus Teenagers are looking for identity, belonging, and purpose, and they have many sources to provide answers. Kara firmly believes Jesus is the best answer. She challenges us to accompany young people, pointing them to Jesus, the ultimate source of our identity, belonging, and purpose. Jesus himself invited young men and women into his life, teaching them how to follow God. We are wise to do the same! Future Focused Church Kara's has a new book releasing this spring that provides useful information to help churches make changes for future generations. If your church feels stuck in guiding young people, this book will provide the insights needed to help you focus on four things: 1. Who you are as a church: what are your strengths and how do you make sure people are engaged? 2. Understanding the church's current reality by listening to all generations, especially young people. 3. Focus on the future. What is God's vision for the church? 4. How do you take who you are and move from “here” to “there”? Follow Kara @kpowellfyi and visit her website www.karapowell.com for all her latest books and resources. Follow Christine @ChristineCaine Get your FREE reflection guide for journaling prompts or use it as a discussion guide with your community at PropelWomen.org/Podcast. Subscribe now so you don't miss an episode, and don't forget to leave a review! See you next week on the Propel Women Life & Leadership Podcast. You can connect with us further at PropelWomen.org or on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Threads @PropelWomen. We can't wait to hang out with you in your car, during your workout, or wherever you listen to podcasts! — Propel Women is an initiative of Equip & Empower Ministries founded by Christine Caine. We EMPOWER women with biblical wisdom and encouragement, EQUIP women with practical training and education, and MOBILIZE women by providing hands-on leadership opportunities. No matter where a woman has influence – in an office, in her community, at home with her family, or in ministry – Propel is driven by a calling to equip and mobilize women to become effective co-laborers with Christ and make a difference within their unique spheres of influence.

In this episode of The Collide Podcast, we sit down with Shelbi Shutt, a pastor, writer, speaker, and disability advocate who is passionate about helping people discover the transformative power of God's presence, especially through the lens of human weakness. Shelbi's powerful story of steadfast hope has inspired thousands across the country as she invites others to embrace their limitations as a way to experience God's strength. Shelbi currently serves as a Teaching Pastor in the Pacific Northwest and has collaborated with organizations like Alpha Youth, The Fuller Youth Institute, the BibleProject, and the Canadian Church Leaders Network. She shares how her faith journey, both as a leader and as someone living with disabilities, has shaped her calling to minister to others. Join us as Shelbi opens up about how weakness is not a disqualifier but an invitation to encounter God's grace. Her insights will leave you encouraged to trust God in your own struggles and find purpose in every season of life. Topics Covered: Shelbi's journey of embracing her weakness as a source of strength. How disability advocacy and ministry intersect in her life. The role of steadfast hope in navigating challenges. Practical ways the church can foster inclusion and celebrate diversity in God's kingdom. Encouragement for listeners to encounter God in their own brokenness. Connect with Shelbi on Instagram Follow Willow: Website | Instagram | Facebook

Our podcast producer, Roslyn Hernández sits down with Justin Guaman to explore how Gen Z can engage in social justice and civic advocacy. Justin shares his journey from a justice-impacted youth to an advocate for marginalized communities, offering insights on finding courage through community, starting small, and collaborating for change. Tune in to discover how you can make a difference on campus and beyond, one step at a time.   Justin Guaman is a Queens native of Ecuadorian descent. He has been on staff with InterVarsity for five years. And is currently overseeing two student chapters in NYC. Justin has a degree in Criminal Justice from John Jay College. He's been working with justice-impacted youth at Riker's Island, Harlem, and other NYC communities since 2018. Justin's passion for this work is rooted in his journey as a justice-impacted youth. Since then, Justin has been working and wrestling at the intersection of Faith & Justice.   Roslyn M. Hernández creates resources for the spiritual formation and empowerment of emerging generations through her work as Project Manager at the Fuller Youth Institute and Podcast Producer at Chasing Justice. As a Contributor at Think Christian, her thought-provoking articles and conversations bridge the gap between faith and pop culture. Roslyn is also a Spiritual Director, Public Theologian, and Podcaster providing space for Indigenizing, holy listening, discernment, and healing.    We have an active Patreon community where you can access the full video interview and more resources. Support Chasing Justice || Patreon: patreon.com/ChasingJustice  ||  PayPal: paypal.me/ChasingJustice || Donate: chasingjustice.com/donate

Is it time to rethink how we do youth ministry? In this insightful episode of the Lausanne Movement Podcast, Youth for Christ USA's Jake Bland joins us to discuss how youth ministry must adapt to meet young people where they are in today's complex world. Jake explores the unique opportunities and challenges of ministering to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, emphasizing the importance of authentic, Christ-centered relationships to inspire faith. Main Points: Connecting in a Content-Fatigued World: Discover how the next generation is overloaded with digital content but yearns for real, relational connections. The Power of Bold, Authentic Discipleship: Jake shares how meaningful mentorship and asking courageous questions can transform lives. Challenges and Opportunities with Gen Z and Gen Alpha: Understand youth's mental health struggles and how faith provides peace and purpose. Revitalizing Youth Ministry Models: Explore the shift from attractional to missional ministry, emphasizing genuine relationships over entertaining programs. Equipping Young Leaders for Lasting Impact: Learn how to encourage and empower young believers to lead and actively participate in the church. If this episode resonates with you, consider subscribing, leaving a review, and sharing it with anyone passionate about youth ministry. Visit our website to learn more about empowering the next generation for Christ. Links & Resources: Youth for Christ USA – Link to Youth for Christ website - https://yfc.net/ (for those interested in learning more about their mission and resources). 3 Story Church Curriculum - https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/1b943bf20d74415ca09d0e6d0aa2ad5a  Axis - https://axis.org/ Tenx10 Network - https://www.tenx10.org/ Public Reading of Scripture App - https://www.prsi.org/en  Future of Faith - https://www.futureoffaith.org/  The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a book that explores the rise in anxiety among youth and points to faith as a source of peace. Editing Jesus by Rick Lawrence – This book addresses the importance of presenting the full and authentic message of Jesus without softening or hardening certain parts. Fuller Youth Institute – Link to Fuller Youth Institute - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/  (a resource for youth ministry research, especially on mentoring and empowering youth). Springtide Research Institute – Link to Springtide Research Institute - https://www.springtideresearch.org/  (a research organization focusing on the beliefs and needs of Gen Z and youth in America).   Guest Bio: Jacob “Jake” Bland is the President and CEO of Youth For Christ (YFC), where he leads the 77-year-old organization's mission to bring the hope of Jesus to youth across the U.S. and around the world. Jake's journey with YFC spans over two decades, beginning as a high school volunteer and growing through a variety of leadership roles, including Chief of Staff, VP of Development and Marketing, and CEO of the YFC Foundation. With a heart for Christ and a deep commitment to raising faithful leaders, Jake envisions YFC as a guiding light for 11-19-year-olds in crisis, providing them with a message of hope, connection, and the love of God. He holds a master's in Youth Ministry Leadership from Huntington University and lives in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Ali, and their two children. We'd love your feedback to help us to improve this podcast. Thank you!

Parenting at any stage is hard. And as parents, we want to understand our kids better. But it always seems like as soon as we get one phase of life down, they quickly move onto the next one. For the next few episodes, join Pastor Joe as he spends some time looking at parenting in each of these phases of our kids' lives and learn from some of the best! Next up is parenting high school students.According to new research from the Fuller Youth Institute, today's high schoolers represent the most anxious, diverse, and adaptive generation in history. And now, more than ever, they are not shying away from asking tough questions. So, how can we, as parents, maximize this season of life with our kids and continue to foster their relationships with Jesus? On this episode of Coming and Going, Joe sits down with Dr. Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, to talk about this season of life for parents!Want to win your own copy of 3 Big Questions?? Click this link to enter: https://forms.office.com/r/5XKyBv3WJtResources:The Fuller Youth Institute - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager | https://bit.ly/445GdoxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join host Chris Tompkins as he delves into the world of youth development with Brad Griffin, Senior Director of Content and Research at the Fuller Youth Institute. With a rich background in spirituality, Christian faith, and youth ministry, Brad shares invaluable insights for parents and caregivers. Whether you're from a faith-based background or not, this episode offers thoughtful perspectives on raising confident, well-rounded kids in today's culture. Discover practical tips and inspiring advice to better understand and support the young people in your life. Tune in for an engaging and enlightening conversation!

In this week's episode of Digging Deeper, Jeff and Laura continue the conversation around faith and the next generation with Raymond Chang, pastor, author and member of the Fuller Youth Institute. Raymond lays out what he is seeing the kids that aren't leaving the faith and the common thread of relational discipleship radically centered around Jesus. We hope this last episode in this series, Believe, will be an encouragement to you as we, believers in Jesus, actively live out our faith in front of the next generation. Related Resources: - Learn more about Raymond on his website (raymondchang.org/). - Visit the Fuller Youth Institute to learn more about this organization. (fulleryouthinstitute.org) - Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the notification bell to get notified of new episodes.

In this week's episode of Digging Deeper, Jeff and Laura continue the conversation around faith and the next generation with Raymond Chang, pastor, author and member of the Fuller Youth Institute. Raymond lays out what he is seeing the kids that aren't leaving the faith and the common thread of relational discipleship radically centered around Jesus. We hope this last episode in this series, Believe, will be an encouragement to you as we, believers in Jesus, actively live out our faith in front of the next generation.

Note: This episode contains content about trauma. Listener discretion is advised.The path toward hope and healing is often charted through pain, suffering, loss, and grief.Coming from two decades spent studying post-traumatic stress disorder, researcher and clinical psychologist Dr. Cynthia Eriksson Cynthia has worked with individuals and communities in the wake of major tragedy. Her psychological and spiritual perspectives emerge from first hand experience with Cambodian children exposed to the atrocities of war, Ugandan refugees, Haitian victims of earthquake catastrophe and infrastructure collapse, or at home in Pasadena tending to frontline workers who are often left burned out and traumatized from relief work.Cynthia Eriksson discusses how to pursue resilience and recovery by reflecting on the role of faith and spirituality; habits and rhythms of life; and relationships and community.How should we understand the difference between resilience and thriving?Resilience focuses on the adaptive capacities that people need to bounce back from trauma, creating the capacity to bounce back, and the skills to increase one's ability and agility to recover. Whereas thriving refers to adaptive growth through adversity, trauma, challenges, and opportunities, all the while in pursuit of one's purpose.Both resilience and thriving recognize the complexities of life, and both affirm and require the actualization of human agency.In this conversation with Cynthia Eriksson, we discuss:How leaders and helpers and caretakers can identify trauma in themselves, and come to recognize, accept, and respond.The importance of paying attention to our brains, bodies, and environment.The 5 R's of resilience to trauma and recovery from trauma.Spiritual responses to suffering and pain—which can often result in incredibly profound experiences with God—and this includes expressing anger at God within a struggle.And practically, we talk about how to deal with avoidance, defensiveness, and blaming others or ourselves—basically, the potentially destructive nature of coping mechanisms.And we close with a beautiful grounding practice that connects us all to our bodies and emotions, to engage trauma, and stay on the path to thriving.Show NotesResource: "Thriving through Trauma: Five R's for Resilience and Recovery" (via thethrivecenter.org)Resource: "Practice: The Five R's of Resilience and Recovery" (via thethrivecenter.org)Resilience versus thriving—what's the difference?What is trauma? A threat to existence.Extending from trauma to suffering and helping other people build resilience and recoverCynthia Eriksson's personal experience of trauma (and not realizing it)Problem solving and seeking control as a coping mechanism and defense against acknowledging and dealing with traumaDissociationExperiencing trauma is not the same thing as being traumatizedFight, flight, freeze, or fawn (”tend and befriend”)The symptoms of trauma and areas of disruptionWhat happens in our bodiesWhat happens in our minds (thinking)What happens in our relationshipsWhat happens in our sense of meaning, justice, and making sense of the worldResilience“What are some of the things that we can all do that help us to build some muscles when it comes to navigating life's suffering?Resilience as a skill everyone can cultivate through personal growth, rather than a static trait“Neurons that fire together wire together.”The Five R's of Resilience Regulation: bodies and emotions Reflection and Right Thinking: truth and factual acceptance Relationships: community, connection, friendship, and support Respite and Rest: disengagement and Sabbath healing Reason: meaning and transcendenceHow to deal with big, overwhelming feelings in the wake of trauma.Grounding and settling practices: feeling where you are. “I'm here now, and I'm safe.”Lament as a healthy spiritual response to traumaAnger at and with GodSpiritual practice of lamentAsking a hard question of God: “Why aren't you here, God?”Lament and anger at God as a practice to stay in relationship with God“There's this tension of: “If I show up for God, will God show up for me?”Orienting to the pain and suffering of others: “How do I show up for the people that are around me who are in pain what does it mean for me to actually open myself up to the pain of others and stay present?”“Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.” (Micah 6:8)Coping mechanisms: substances, shopping, Netflix, avoidanceUnhealthy responses to trauma-based emotion: the dangers of replaying, ruminating, and regrettingRumination is not a constructive processing.What kind of grace can I show myself?Book: Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and BodiesBook: Lisa Najavits, Seeking Safety: A Treatment Manual for PTSD and Substance AbuseGuided meditative practice: GroundingExplaining the science behind Grounding PracticesPractical ways to get helpBook: Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Braim, Mind, and Body in the Healing of TraumaBook: Judith Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—from Domestic Abuse to Political TerrorBook: Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and BodiesNational Child Traumatic Stress Network (currently under website maintenance as of March 4, 2024; contact helpdesk at help@nctsn.org or in an emergency, dial 911)National Center for PTSDCynthia Eriksson on What is thriving?Joy and FreedomPam King's Key TakeawaysA life of thriving on purpose actually includes pain and sadness. A history of trauma is not a disqualification from thriving.Coping strategies are tricky. They tempt us towards avoidance, defensiveness, defensiveness, substance abuse, blaming, and self judgment. Our goal is not coping. Our goal must be thriving.Lots of R's here, but regulation, reflection, right thinking, relationships, respite, and rest, and reason are core components to developing resilience and enacting recovery.It's okay to be angry at God, and it helps to tell God that's actually the case.We can find emotional grounding and regulation through intentionally enhancing a deep connection between our bodies and minds.And the path to thriving is often one where our minds need to follow our bodies and all their glorious complexity.For more information about resilience recovery, org. In Cynthia Erickson's framework of five hours, visit our website at thethrivecenter.org.About Cynthia ErikssonCynthia Eriksson is Dean of the Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy, and is a Professor of Psychology in the Clinical Psychology Department.Her research is particularly focused on the needs of cross-cultural aid for mission workers, as well as the interaction of trauma and spirituality. This work has included trauma training, research, and consultation in Monrovia, Liberia; Kobe, Japan; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Guatemala City, Guatemala; Gulu, Uganda; and Amman, Jordan.Eriksson also collaborated with colleagues in the US, Europe, and Africa on a longitudinal research project on stress in humanitarian aid workers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She also participates in the Headington Program in International Trauma at Fuller.She has completed research on risk and resilience, exposure to stress, and spiritual development in urban youth workers funded by the Fuller Youth Institute.Eriksson and her students are currently exploring the intersection of cultural humility and culturally-embedded resilience practices through collaborations with ministry agencies and Fuller colleague Alexia Salvatierra. About the Thrive CenterLearn more at thethrivecenter.org.Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenterFollow us on X @thrivecenterFollow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter About Dr. Pam KingDr. Pam King is Executive Director the Thrive Center and is Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science at Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. Follow her @drpamking. About With & ForHost: Pam KingSenior Director and Producer: Jill WestbrookOperations Manager: Lauren KimSocial Media Graphic Designer: Wren JuergensenConsulting Producer: Evan RosaSpecial thanks to the team at Fuller Studio and the Fuller School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy.

We're talking with Brad Griffin of Fuller Youth Institute. His new book, "Faith Beyond Youth Group" is a crucial resource to anyone working with students! We'll talk about the 5 elements of building character in our students. We'll also discuss some of the newest research about faith in the next generation. Follow Brad on Instagram. Find Mark on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.  Contact us at ReconstructYM@gmail.com. Take the survey ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

Our first-ever interview guest is Brad Griffin, Senior Director of Content and Research for the Fuller Youth Institute, and co-author of their new book, Faith Beyond Youth Group.It has been nearly 20 years since Sticky Faith brought to light the troubling truth about Millennials leaving the church. Those same problems–exacerbated by accelerating technology, anxiety, and a worldwide pandemic–are affecting Gen Z. What can youth workers, parents, and church leaders do to stem the tide of young people abandoning the church?Steve and Brad have a great conversation around the unique characteristics of America's largest generation, and how we can foster true Christ-like character to create a better generation of Christians than the ones they are following.Mentioned in this episodeSticky Faithhttps://fulleryouthinstitute.org/stickyfaith/parentsNational Study of Youth and Religionhttps://youthandreligion.nd.edu/Carey Nieuwhof Podcast (Kara Powell)https://careynieuwhof.com/episode628/Reggie Joiner/Orangehttps://thinkorange.com/Dallas Willardhttps://dwillard.org/books/divine-conspiracySkye Jethanihttps://www.holypost.com/Youth Leader Check Uphttps://fulleryouthinstitute.org/We are proud members of the Download Youth Ministry Podcast Network https://www.downloadyouthministry.com Watch us on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@youthministrysherpasC2C Follow us on Instagram!Email us at youth ministrysherpas@gmail.com

About Brad Griffin Our guest, Brad M. Griffin, is the Senior Director of Content & Research for the Fuller Youth Institute.  Brad develops research-based resources for youth ministry leaders & families.  Brad is the coauthor of over fifteen books, including Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager & 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, Growing Young, and Sticky Faith.  He is also a speaker, writer, and volunteer pastor.  Brad and his wife, Missy, live in Southern California with their three teenage and young adult kids. The Ideal Youth Group Together, Michelle Hill, Trace Embry and Brad Griffin discuss the role of youth groups in the church and how they can and should impact a child's faith. The ideal church youth group knows how to express and live out the importance of trust, consistency, and communication with its members. They also highlight the need for youth leaders to model Christ-like behavior and promote conversations about faith outside of the youth group. It is suggested that parents should expect youth leaders to provide information about the content of the group's discussions and activities.  Parents should be given an outline of the youth group discussion topics to facilitate effective discipleship and transparency. Youth groups shouldn't try to compete by trying to keep kids entertained.  They already get enough of that!  There should be an emphasis on the importance of fun in youth groups, but be cautious on relying too heavily on entertainment. Episode Highlights: Can parents be a stumbling block for youth leaders trying to disciple youth group participants? Think about your own child's youth group. Can youth groups be harmful to your child's faith? What does the ideal youth group look like? Does effective discipleship always include entertainment? Image from Canva

What's it mean to be in a family these days? Are blood relations what decide family ties? How does Jesus shake up our understanding of family and broaden its definition? How does baptismal water bring people closer together than genetics or bloodline? Listen in as Dr. Dave Rueter leads us in the fundamentals of family. Bio: Dr. Dave Rueter is a rostered DCE and the author of Teaching the Faith at Home and Called to Serve (both CPH) as well as a contributor to Relationships Count and Connected for Life (also both CPH). Dave is married to Andrea and has two sons, James and Wesley. Since 1998 he has served as DCE for congregations in Huntington Beach, Rancho Cucamonga, and now Livermore, CA as well as on faculty at Concordia University Irvine and the staff of the Pacific Southwest District. Dr. Rueter is certified by the Fuller Youth Institute as the official LCMS Growing Young speaker. Learn more at teachingthefaithathome.org. Resources in this episode: Email us at friendsforlife@lcms.org LCMS Life, Health and Family Ministries: lcmslife.org For resources on the family: lcmslife.org/family Not all the views expressed are necessarily those of the LCMS; please discuss any questions with your pastor.

Many of us have to be careful with burnout, but investigators preemptively manage it. Join this conversation to hear how one of the most withdrawn types of the enneagram engages in justice. Roslyn Hernández shares about how she's starting her social justice journey and the self knowledge that helps her engage justice with self-care, compassion and strategic thinking.    Roslyn M. Hernández is podcast producer at Chasing Justice, a contributor at Think Christian and on staff at the Fuller Youth Institute.  She holds a BA with majors in Film & Media Studies and Spanish and a minor in Art History from UCSB, as well as an MDiv from Fuller Theological Seminary. Roslyn is training to as a spiritual director and is passionate about pop culture, culinary traditions, and decolonizing theology and life.   Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz Rigoberta Menchú Mare Advertencia Lirika, mare.advertencia.lirika

I'm genuinely thrilled about the conversations we've been having, and I hope you are, too. So, let's dive right into week four of our discipleship series. Today, we're shifting our focus towards a group with a special place in my heart: teenagers. Don't be afraid; lean in, and let's learn to disciple this age well!Discipleship for teens is a unique journey that requires us to think deeply about how we can help them develop a faith that doesn't just survive but thrives beyond their youth group years. It's a challenging and incredibly important topic, so I'm excited to have Brad Griffin from The Fuller Youth Institute joining us today. Brad and I dive into the Faith Beyond Youth Group book, an initiative based on extensive research into why many teens lose their faith after they leave home. This book and our conversation tackle the hard questions and offer insights into how we can better support our teens in their faith journey. In this episode Brad and I talk about:the importance of teaching our kids the character of Christ. It's not just about head knowledge; it's about helping them see and experience Christ's character daily. The crucial roles of authentic trust and identity in developing a solid faith foundation for our teens.The value of leaning into our community. The support system within our faith communities can be a game-changer in our teens' discipleship journey.This episode is packed with practical advice, encouragement, and the reminder that our efforts in discipling our teenagers are worth every moment. So, whether you're a parent of a teen, a youth leader, or someone who plays a significant role in a teen's life, this conversation is for you.Before we wrap up, don't forget to check out our Discipleship Simplified guide, it is designed to support you in your faith journey with your family.Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode. If you've found it helpful, please subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. Your feedback helps us reach more parents and guardians looking for guidance and inspiration. Let's continue to support each other in raising godly teenagers in an ever-changing world.Connect With Brad website:https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/our-team/brad-m-griffin Social media:https://www.instagram.com/bgriffinfyi/Links mentioned:Grab your copy of Faith Beyond Youth Group Discipleship SimplifiedResources from today:Teen Study BiblesChristian Parenting Discipleship SimplifiedThe Christian Parenting Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual guidance to help you grow into the perfectly imperfect parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.orgOur Sponsors:* Check out HelloFresh and use my code cppodcastfree for a great deal: https://www.hellofresh.com/* Visit HomeThreads.com/CPPODCAST today and get a 15% off code for your first order!Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In their new book, Faith Beyond Youth Group, Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury and Brad M. Griffin offer this startling statistic about students' faith after high school graduation: “While spiritual and religious activity under age eighteen seems to slightly increase the odds of faith lasting after youth group, a compilation of studies indicates that about 40 to 50 percent of youth group kids drift from God and the faith community after graduation.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I'm talking to Kara Powell about how churches can address this problem by cultivating lifelong faith in youth. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Kara Powell, Ph.D., is executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she also serves as Fuller's chief of leadership formation. A credentialed Assemblies of God minister, she is author or coauthor of numerous books about ministry to youth. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, a distributor of In Jesus' Name. In this book, Rick DuBose shows the path back to five forgotten altars — and ultimately, the path to your place in heaven's throne room. Full of real-world application and encouraging inspiration, this book will prepare you to pray with humble authority that moves heaven — and unleashes victory here on earth. For more information about In Jesus' Name, visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

What would you do to make sure your child's faith life is growing strong? Is this something you're taking on yourself or getting help with? Join us this week as Ben Bevis, a passionate advocate for youth empowerment through faith, shares insights on gathering Mentor Circles around our young people. As the founder of Encircled, Ben is dedicated to helping to launch the Next Generation with sustained faith. Ben and Encircled do this by helping to equip parents, grandparents and mentors by grounding youth in their identity in Christ, discover their God-given gifts and create a vision for their lives. Listen in about how you as a parent can gather a Mentor Circle around your child! Connect with Ben Bevis: Website: https://encircled.org/ Instagram: @encircled.official Email: ben.bevis@encircled.org Links Mentioned: FREE Encircled Parenting Resource (https://encircled.org/parents/) Fuller Youth Institute (https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/) Connected Families (https://connectedfamilies.org/) The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson  Related Episodes: Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids :: Dr. Kara Powell [Ep 290] Equipping Your Kids for Difficulty :: Kim Sorgius [Ep 356] Relationships you Need to Be the Mom you Want to Be :: Heather Macfadyen [Ep 341] Exchanging False Beliefs for True Identity :: Jamie Winship [Ep 433]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week's sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Heather sits down with Fuller Youth Institute's Content Director and long time youth ministry veteran Jen Bradbury to discuss their latest book, "Faith Beyond Youth Group." The two discuss some important key concepts for developing character in young people by combining the wisdom of the first century with today's 21st century research. To pick up the book follow these helpful links, Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Beyond-Youth-Group-Discipleship/dp/1540903516/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701348166&sr=8-1-sponsBaker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516450Fuller Youth Institute: https://shop.fulleryouthinstitute.org/products/faith-beyond-youth-group-5-ways-to-form-character-and-cultivate-lifelong-discipleship?_gl=1*b6oc9k*_ga*MTIwNTIxNDc4Ni4xNzAxMzQ4MjYw*_ga_YV0Y2KH2YL*MTcwMTM0ODI2MC4xLjAuMTcwMTM0ODI2MC4wLjAuMA..Join us at www.firstcenturyyouthministry.comBecome part of our growing Facebook community Join our "closed" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstcenturyouthministryLike our fan page! https://www.facebook.com/FirstCenturyYouthMin

You've heard of the nones: the agnostic or atheist-adjacent young people who profess no religious faith. But what about the ums: those who, when asked, “Do you go to church?” are likely to respond with “um” or “not really” or “I kind of drifted during the pandemic.” What can be done to invite them back into connection and community?  On this episode of The Russell Moore Show, Moore welcomes author Kara Powell, Chief of Leadership Formation and Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Powell and Moore talk about research on Gen Z's relationship to faith and church. They explore the reasons that young people are skeptical of Christianity and highlight opportunities for church leaders and older Christians to come alongside young people on their journeys. Moore and Powell discuss TENx10, a collaboration that endeavors to help faith matter more to 10 million young people over the next 10 years and offers faith communities the resources they need to prioritize youth discipleship. And they offer hope for rebuilding trust with members of Gen Z through, as Powell puts it, “everyday acts of listening and empathizing.”  Tune in for a dynamic conversation that will help parents, church leaders, and all who love Gen Z to answer the questions they're asking about life and faith. Resources mentioned in this episode include: Faith Beyond Youth Group: Five Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship by Kara Powell, Jen Bradbury, and Brad M. Griffin Fuller Youth Institute The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Skye Jethani TENx10 “New Findings on Young Americans Two Years Into The Covid-19 Pandemic” from Springtide Research Institute Orange Do you have a question for Russell Moore? Send it to questions@russellmoore.com. Click here for a trial membership at Christianity Today. “The Russell Moore Show” is a production of Christianity Today Executive Producers: Erik Petrik, Russell Moore, and Mike Cosper Host: Russell Moore Producer: Ashley Hales Associate Producers: Abby Perry and McKenzie Hill Director of Operations for CT Media: Matt Stevens Audio engineering by Dan Phelps Video producer: Abby Egan Theme Song: “Dusty Delta Day” by Lennon Hutton Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Heather sits down with Jen Bradbury. Jen is part of the team of researchers at the Fuller Youth Institute who are constantly putting out great resources for youth ministry leaders. Heather and Jen discuss some insights from their newest book, "Faith Beyond Youth Group." To purchase your own copy of the book follow one of these helpful links! Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Beyond-Youth-Group-Discipleship/dp/1540903516/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1701348166&sr=8-1-sponsBaker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/516450Fuller Youth Institute: https://shop.fulleryouthinstitute.org/products/faith-beyond-youth-group-5-ways-to-form-character-and-cultivate-lifelong-discipleship?_gl=1*b6oc9k*_ga*MTIwNTIxNDc4Ni4xNzAxMzQ4MjYw*_ga_YV0Y2KH2YL*MTcwMTM0ODI2MC4xLjAuMTcwMTM0ODI2MC4wLjAuMA..Join us at www.firstcenturyyouthministry.comBecome part of our growing Facebook community Join our "closed" group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/firstcenturyouthministryLike our fan page! https://www.facebook.com/FirstCenturyYouthMin

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Each year, it is estimates that a million teenagers walk away from faith. This is why Fuller Youth Institute launched Tenx10, a collaboration of youth ministry organizations with the goal of reaching ten million teenagers over the next ten years. Women in Youth Ministry is one of Tenx10's hundreds of partners, as we connect to the belief that by resourcing youth leaders, leaders will be more able to reach the teenagers in their community. ABOUT KARA: Kara Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), helps lead the TENx10 Collaboration, and is the Chief of Leadership of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch,” Kara serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange, and also speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences. Kara is the author or co-author of a number of books including 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager, Faith in an Anxious World, Growing With, 18 Plus, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Sticky Faith Curriculum, Can I Ask That?, Deep Justice Journeys, Essential Leadership, Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, and the Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum.  To listen to more podcasts from the Youth Cartel Podcast Network, click here! Support the podcast by subscribing to our Patreon for as little as $1 a month! https://www.patreon.com/womeninym --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/womeninym/support

Every parent following Jesus hopes their children will continue to love and follow Jesus beyond their youth group years. Sadly, a large percentage of people leave the church and leave the faith in their young adult years. Brad Griffin joins Jay today to share Fuller Youth Institute's years of research on the key habits of ministries and families to form a character that lasts beyond the youth group years.  Listen as Jay and Brad discuss the importance of  Cultivating Trust Modeling Growth Practicing Together Making Meaning Bio Brad M. Griffin is the Senior Director of Content & Research for the Fuller Youth Institute, where he develops research-based resources for youth ministry leaders & families. A speaker, writer, and volunteer pastor, Brad is the coauthor of over fifteen books, including Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager & 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, Growing Young, and Sticky Faith. Brad and his wife, Missy, live in Southern California and share life with their three teenage and young adult kids. Resources mentioned: https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/ Faith Beyond Youth Group: 5 Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship 3 Big Questions Books: https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/3-big-questions Get Your Jesus, Light of the World Advent Book: www.cpgive.org https://letsparentonpurpose.com/support/ Join my Things for Thursday Email List and get a free Marriage Snapshot Tool and Fun Family Conversation Ebook! Connect with Jay: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letsparentonpurpose Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/letsparentonpurpose  

Today we are joined by Dr. Kara Powell. Dr. Powell is the Chief of Leadership Formation and Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch,” she serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange and speaks regularly at parenting and leadership conferences. Kara has authored or coauthored numerous books, including Faith in an Anxious World, Growing With, Growing Young, The Sticky Faith Guide for Your Family, Can I Ask That?, 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager, and her book, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, which we'll be talking about today. For more parenting resources, go to axis.org.

American youth who grew up in Christian families are leaving the church at a massive pace.  Curtis talks with Kara Powell, executive director of The Fuller Youth Institute, about the complex  reasons for this trend - and what can be done. They discuss why any understanding of the causes – and therefore the necessary response – must include parents and churches doing the hard work of self-examination and self-transformation.   To make an end of year contribution to the Good Faith podcast, donate online here (https://redeemingbabel.org/donate-to-redeeming-babel/).   For major gifts, donor advised funds, or family foundations, please email us at info@redeemingbabel.org. Kara's Ten x 10 Initiative that seeks to combine efforts to reach the next generation   For resources on preventing and responding to suspected abuse in youth ministry, see GRACE (Godly Responses to Abuse in Christian Environments).  

In today's show we're talking about the three fundamental questions our kids are asking:  Who am I? Where do I fit? What difference can I make?  It doesn't take long to realize these aren't just questions for kids, but questions we all deal with at different points in life. Knowing this, It's critically important we wrestle well with these core concepts of identity, belonging, and purpose—and Brad Griffin from the Fuller Youth Institute is joining us to talk about all of it.    When it comes to identity, Brad helps us understand how our kids are already answering the question of “who am I” — so how can we help them reframe that biblically?    He also reminds us that belonging starts in our home, and challenges us to consider ways to foster true belonging by allowing our kids to be themselves.    And then when it comes to purpose, we get practical advice on helping our kids find their own purpose in the context of God's greater purposes for all humanity.    All three of these questions stem from a book Brad co-authored called 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager. I ran across this book several years ago, and it has impacted so many areas of my parenting. I'm guessing as you listen today, a few things will click as to why your kids are saying a few things you don't understand.    I'm so thrilled to have Brad Griffin with us!       All things Cynthia 3 Big Questions that Change Every Teenager 3 Big Questions that Shape Your Future  Faith Beyond Youth Group  

Welcome to episode one hundred and one of New Creation Conversations. This week's conversation is with my wonderful friend and gifted thinker, Dr. Kara Powell. Kara is chief of leadership formation, the executive director of Fuller Youth Institute, and professor of youth and family ministry at Fuller Seminary. She holds degrees from Stanford, Bethel Seminary, and her PhD is in Practical theology from Fuller.Kara also serves as a Youth and Family Strategist for Orange and has served in a number of local church ministries. Just two or three years ago Christianity Today named Kara as one of the “50 Women to Watch” in Christian leadership. She has written and contributed to a number of books and has been on the podcast with me before. This time, Kara and I talk about her soon to be released book written by Kara and her research partners. The book's title is Faith Beyond Youth Group: 5 Ways to Form Character and Cultivate Lifelong Discipleship – published by Baker Books with a release date of November 7. Building on two decades of the Fuller Youth Institute's work and incorporating extensive new research and interviews, Faith Beyond Youth Group identifies the reasons youth ministry often flops both short-term and long-term, and offers five ways adult youth leaders can cultivate character for a lifetime of growing closer to Jesus rather than drifting away. One reviewer calls it “a game-changing resource for anyone in youth ministry.” It is a wonderful resource and an enlightening conversation. 

The best way for your church to reach young people is to disproportionately dedicate resources to them. At least, that's the thesis from Fuller Youth Institute and an extensive study they conducted of more than ten-thousand hours, thirteen-hundred interviews, and two-hundred and fifty churches. Today we're joined by Dr. Kara Powell to discuss the research she was a part of and also to answer the burning question we're all thinking: if the cost of reaching young people is to disproportionately prioritize them - what does that mean for everyone else?   Show notes: Growing Young - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/growingyoung Growing Young Research Method - https://churchesgrowingyoung.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Growing-Young-Research-Method.pdf Fuller Youth Institute - https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/ The Only Denomination Not In Decline - https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/august/assemblies-of-god-grow-us-council-denomination-decline-poli.html Barna - https://www.barna.com Springtide Research Institute - https://www.springtideresearch.org   Dr. Kara Powell - https://karapowell.com Dr. Kara Powell on Twitter - https://twitter.com/KPowellFYI