For the past two years, the Springtide team has interviewed and surveyed young people and adults to discover how faith-based organizations are working to engage Gen Z. This research, funded in part by Lilly Endowment Inc., shows what young people want from youth ministry. Behaviors young people want from youth
In 2025, Springtide is exploring how young people interact with the groups and organizations they belong to—what makes them join, what keeps them coming back, and how they grow because of their membership. Members of the 2024 and 2025 cohorts of our Springtide Ambassadors Program (SAP) weighed in on this
In Springtide’s site visits for our What’s Working project, leaders shared their wisdom and insights from years of experience in youth ministry. Five themes—fun, purpose, inclusivity, integrity, and adaptability—shaped our inquiries during these visits. While these are universal concepts, each manifested differently in both theory and practice, providing a rich
In Springtide’s site visits for our What’s Working project, leaders shared their wisdom and insights from years of experience in youth ministry. Five themes—fun, purpose, inclusivity, integrity, and adaptability—shaped our inquiries during these visits. While these are universal concepts, each manifested differently in both theory and practice, providing a rich
In Springtide’s site visits for our What’s Working project, leaders shared their wisdom and insights from years of experience in youth ministry. Five themes—fun, purpose, inclusivity, integrity, and adaptability—shaped our inquiries during these visits. While these are universal concepts, each manifested differently in both theory and practice, providing a rich
In Springtide’s site visits for our What’s Working project, leaders shared their wisdom and insights from years of experience in youth ministry. Five themes—fun, purpose, inclusivity, integrity, and adaptability—shaped our inquiries during these visits. While these are universal concepts, each manifested differently in both theory and practice, providing a rich
In Springtide’s site visits for the What’s Working project, leaders shared their wisdom and insights from years of experience in youth ministry. Five themes shaped our inquiries during these visits: adaptability, integrity, inclusivity, fun, and purpose. While these are universal concepts, each manifested differently in theory and practice, providing a
Each year Springtide surveys thousands of young people between the ages of 13 and 25. Like previous years, our latest data show that young people continue to participate in religious and spiritual communities and practices. COMMUNITY Sixty-five percent of young people surveyed say they are not currently part of an
Today’s young people are maturing in a society that has experienced a decades-long decline in religious affiliation. Yet, Springtide data repeatedly show that young people adopt religious and spiritual identities, profess religious and spiritual beliefs, and see the value of religion and spirituality in their lives. Our recent study, Thirteen:
Since 2022, our team has executed a multiyear research effort titled “What’s Working,” supported in part by Lilly Endowment Inc., to discover how faith-based organizations are working to engage Gen Z. Over the course of 2024, our team interviewed leaders from organizations across the country that are revamping traditional methods