Springtide Research Institute was recently featured by Christianity Today in an article written by our very own Springtide Ambassadors Program member, Claire, 21. You can see an excerpt of this article in part below, but we encourage you to visit their site to read the piece in its entirety.

Data also shows that members of Gen Z are wary of traditional religious spaces. From the Springtide report:

• 55% of young people said, “I don’t feel like I can be my full self in a religious congregation.”
• 45% of young people said, “I don’t feel safe within religious or faith institutions.”
• 47% of young people said, “I don’t trust religion, faith, or religious leaders in those kinds of organizations.”
• Almost 50% of young people told Springtide they don’t turn to faith communities due to a lack of trust in the people, beliefs, and systems of organized religion.

When older Christians hear about the ways that Gen Z is “unbundling” or “deconstructing” their faith, they can become fearful. Perhaps open-mindedness equates to moral relativism. Perhaps lost trust can’t be regained.

As a member of Gen Z myself, I don’t share this concern. Oftentimes, being in dialogue with people of other perspectives leads us back to—not away from—objective, capital-T “Truth.” As we come of age in the faith, we need older believers to support us in our reckoning, rather than shying away from our questions and concerns.

Click here to read the full article.