The Christian faith is perceived as “significantly more relevant to children” and young people than the church itself, according to new research which calls on churches to rethink how they engage the next generation.
The findings come from Scripture Union’s ‘Taking the Pulse of Ministry Among Children & Young People,’ written by Dr Sarah Holmes and drawing on responses from 697 adults surveyed by the Institute for Children, Youth and Mission (CYM) from May to July 2026.
Respondents included church leaders, children’s and youth workers, parents, grandparents, congregation members and chaplains from various denominations across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
One of the clearest findings was a gap between perceptions of Christianity and the institutional church.
Gen Z Church Revival: David Kinnaman on Barna’s Findings
In the past couple years, the American church has experienced a resurgence as a larger percentage of people are making new commitments to Jesus. That trend has primarily been driven by younger generations who are longing for deeper spiritual guidance as they deal with deep existential questions around AI, wars, financial uncertainty, and relational breakdowns. Despite the challenges and uncertainties of our time, David Kinnaman is excited for the future of the church and the growing opportunities for the gospel to go forward in our cultural moment.
Kinnaman is the CEO of Barna Group, a leading research and communications company serving churches, nonprofits, and businesses. He is the bestselling author of Faith for Exiles, Good Faith, You Lost Me, and UnChristian. At the upcoming Amplify Conference, October 20–21 at Wheaton College, in partnership with Outreach magazine, he will be sharing some of Barna’s new findings about the resurgence of Christian faith in Gens Z and Alpha that undergird his upcoming book, Jesus Is Back: A New Generation’s Search for a Real, Beautiful, and Lasting Faith (Baker, March 2027).
In the following conversation, Kinnaman discusses the continuing trend of young people returning to church and how church leaders can be prepared to receive them, how times of uncertainty like the one we find ourselves in today can drive spiritual renewal, and how the church can equip the next generation to reach their spiritually hungry peers.
Navigating Church Politics
Church politics is an unavoidable reality in any community of people, and learning to navigate it well can mean the difference between a thriving church and a fractured one. In this episode, Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu unpack three layers of church politics, from competing visions to power dynamics to practical de-escalation, and offer honest, grounded guidance for church leaders who want to lead well through relational friction. Whether you are a pastor, elder, or ministry leader, this conversation will help you understand the dynamics at play and move forward with wisdom and clarity.
What Will Happen at the UMC Bishops Gathering in October?
...something is missing, something big: the local church.
The organizers of the gathering talk a lot about the denomination but very little about the local church. Even the webinar on ecclesiology (our doctrine of the church) that attendees recently participated in focused far more on our connectional ecclesiology than on local ecclesiology.
It’s likely that the importance of the local church's ministry is simply assumed by the organizers. But that’s precisely the problem. For too long the bureaucracy of the United Methodist denomination has been built on the assumption of stable, healthy local churches whose vital ministry supports the larger work of the connection. Surely, by now we all know that this is not a safe assumption.
37 Maryland churches suing UMC over property dispute suffer another court loss
An appeals court panel in Maryland ruled against 37 churches that sued a regional body of the United Methodist Church (UMC), claiming its process of charging churches 50% of their assessed property value to leave the Mainline Protestant denomination was unfair.
A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland issued a ruling earlier this week in the case of The Methodist Church of Cape St. Claire et al. v. The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., et al.
Congregations invited to experiment with sixth baptismal promise emphasizing care of creation
A central component of the liturgy for baptisms in The Episcopal Church is the Book of Common Prayer’s Baptismal Covenant, in which congregations make five theological promises to act in Christian ways “with God’s help.”
Some congregations are adding a sixth promise to the Baptismal Covenant, acknowledging their responsibility to care for God’s earthly creation.
Philippians 4:13 Meaning: The Most Misread Verse in the Bible
Philippians 4:13 means Christ gives believers the strength to stay content in every circumstance, whether they have plenty or nothing. Paul wrote it while imprisoned, as part of a thank-you note to the church in Philippi. The “all things” he can do are named in the verses just before it: being in need, having plenty, going hungry and being well fed (Philippians 4:11–13). The verse promises strength to endure whatever God allows.
Gospel of the Living Dead: Preaching in the season of Halloween.
And it is just that, a holiday—a holy day. Halloween is part of the triduum of Allhallowtide: a three-day Christian observance that includes Halloween (or All Saints’ Eve), All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day.
These three days in the liturgical calendar are devoted to remembering our dead, the saints, and faithful forebears who precede us in death and surround us perpetually in the great cloud of witnesses. It is a time to reflect on the lives they led and to pray for them.
Historically and still to this day, some faith communities honor these holy days by visiting cemeteries to fellowship with the dead, and some prepare lavish meals to eat with friends and loved ones while sharing memories of the dead.
‘The enticement to become God’: Christian convert warns of spiritual danger of AI
A former Muslim who converted to Christianity after nearly a decade of investigating the faith warns that artificial intelligence is echoing one of Scripture’s oldest warnings about human nature.
Abdu Murray, president of Embrace the Truth and author of Fake ID: How AI and Identity Ideology Are Collapsing Reality—and What to Do About It, argues that, far from being a concern of mere technological advancement, the deeper issue surrounding AI is spiritual. Christians, he says, should ask whether humans are surrendering their ability to think, create, discern and exercise wisdom.
Taking Back the Holidays
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, the tension lies in the giving. When you enter this “job” called “ministry” it feels less like a choice and more like a requirement. Honestly? Resentment can easily set in. “Why do we HAVE to do so much for others?” we ask while smiling and telling the world how much we love taking care of everyone.
What can we do to take it back if this is the pace set before us?
Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 1)
Julie is a 10-year youth ministry vet. That means she’s sailed her ministry ship into the fall doldrums over and over.
A three-judge panel of the Appellate Court of Maryland issued a ruling earlier this week in the case of The Methodist Church of Cape St. Claire et al. v. The Baltimore Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, Inc., et al.
Congregations invited to experiment with sixth baptismal promise emphasizing care of creation
A central component of the liturgy for baptisms in The Episcopal Church is the Book of Common Prayer’s Baptismal Covenant, in which congregations make five theological promises to act in Christian ways “with God’s help.”
Some congregations are adding a sixth promise to the Baptismal Covenant, acknowledging their responsibility to care for God’s earthly creation.
Philippians 4:13 Meaning: The Most Misread Verse in the Bible
Philippians 4:13 means Christ gives believers the strength to stay content in every circumstance, whether they have plenty or nothing. Paul wrote it while imprisoned, as part of a thank-you note to the church in Philippi. The “all things” he can do are named in the verses just before it: being in need, having plenty, going hungry and being well fed (Philippians 4:11–13). The verse promises strength to endure whatever God allows.
Gospel of the Living Dead: Preaching in the season of Halloween.
And it is just that, a holiday—a holy day. Halloween is part of the triduum of Allhallowtide: a three-day Christian observance that includes Halloween (or All Saints’ Eve), All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day.
These three days in the liturgical calendar are devoted to remembering our dead, the saints, and faithful forebears who precede us in death and surround us perpetually in the great cloud of witnesses. It is a time to reflect on the lives they led and to pray for them.
Historically and still to this day, some faith communities honor these holy days by visiting cemeteries to fellowship with the dead, and some prepare lavish meals to eat with friends and loved ones while sharing memories of the dead.
‘The enticement to become God’: Christian convert warns of spiritual danger of AI
A former Muslim who converted to Christianity after nearly a decade of investigating the faith warns that artificial intelligence is echoing one of Scripture’s oldest warnings about human nature.
Abdu Murray, president of Embrace the Truth and author of Fake ID: How AI and Identity Ideology Are Collapsing Reality—and What to Do About It, argues that, far from being a concern of mere technological advancement, the deeper issue surrounding AI is spiritual. Christians, he says, should ask whether humans are surrendering their ability to think, create, discern and exercise wisdom.
Taking Back the Holidays
From Thanksgiving through New Year’s, the tension lies in the giving. When you enter this “job” called “ministry” it feels less like a choice and more like a requirement. Honestly? Resentment can easily set in. “Why do we HAVE to do so much for others?” we ask while smiling and telling the world how much we love taking care of everyone.
What can we do to take it back if this is the pace set before us?
Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 1)
Julie is a 10-year youth ministry vet. That means she’s sailed her ministry ship into the fall doldrums over and over.
Also See: Battling the Fall Doldrums (Part 2)
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