Powell and Griffin, Sticky Faith, Youth Leader Edition

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Kara Powell, Brad Griffin, and Cheryl Crawford, Sticky Faith, Youth Worker Edition: Practical Ideas to Nurture Long-Term Faith in Teenagers. Zondervan, 2011.

Companion volumes:

Referenced in: Generational Issues in Churches

LifeandLeadership.com Summary

This is one of a set of resources based on the research of the Fuller Youth Institute’s College Transition Project which sought how faith is best anchored in youth before they launch into emerging adulthood. This is important given the alarming statistics on how many young people leave the church during that period. LifeandLeadership.com has chosen this volume in the set, The Youth workers’ Edition, because it is the most helpful for church leaders.

Sticky Faith is a result of research where FYI paired interviews and surveys of approximately 500 youth group graduates during their first three years in college. In a summary of their research, the authors explain three surprising realities of faith transitions of youth. Below are excerpts of that summary.

While churches across the U.S. have tended to allocate financial and personnel resources toward building strong and dynamic youth groups, teenagers also need to rub shoulders and build relationships with adults of all ages.

More than any other variable measured, students’ participation in all-church worship during high school was consistently linked with developing a mature faith in both high school and college. Young people appear to benefit from intergenerational activities and venues. Churches should help youth build a web of relationships with committed and caring adults.

Churches and families think youth group graduates are ready for the struggles ahead, despite the students themselves feeling unprepared and challenged by everything from loneliness to difficulty finding a new church.

Only one in seven high school seniors report feeling prepared to face the challenges of college life. Few students seem ready for the intense loneliness, the search for new friends, being completely on their own for the first time, and the sudden availability of a lot of partying. One pervasive struggle for college students is finding a new church. Young people retrospectively report that the first two weeks of their college freshman year set the trajectory for their remaining years in school.

Parents and leaders should consider talking earlier and more frequently about college while students are still in high school. This should include helping new college students develop a plan for the first two weeks complete with church attendance, as well as an investigation of ministries and churches near the college setting that can offer a transitional lifeline.

While teaching young people the “dos” and “don’ts” of Christian living is important, an overemphasis on behaviors can sabotage their faith long-term.

When asked what it means to be Christian, one-third of subjects as college juniors (all of whom were youth group graduates) failed to mention “Jesus” or “Christ” but rather emphasized behaviors. This suggests that students tend to view the gospel as a “do” and “don’t” list of behaviors instead of a faith that also transforms interior lives and beliefs. When college students fail to live up to the activities they think define Christianity, their feelings of guilt can make them quick to abandon their faith altogether.

Parents and leaders need to exemplify and explain that while particular behaviors and practices are part of the faith, the focus is on trusting (not just obeying) Christ along with explaining how he leads, guides, and changes us from the inside. In particular, young people better navigate their faith journey when adults share the challenges of their own spiritual paths—complete with past and present ups, downs, and turning points.

From the Publisher

Nearly every Christian parent in America would give anything to find a viable resource for developing within their kids a deep, dynamic faith that ‘sticks’ long term. Sticky Faith delivers.

Research shows that almost half of graduating high school seniors struggle deeply with their faith. Recognizing the ramifications of that statistic, the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) conducted the ‘College Transition Project’ in an effort to identify the relationships and best practices that can set young people on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. Based on FYI findings, this easy-to-read guide presents both a compelling rationale and a powerful strategy to show parents how to actively encourage their children’s spiritual growth so that it will stick to them into adulthood and empower them to develop a living, lasting faith. Written by authors known for the integrity of their research and the intensity of their passion for young people, Sticky Faith is geared to spark a movement that empowers adults to develop robust and long-term faith in kids of all ages.

About the Authors

Dr. Kara E. Powell is executive director at the Fuller Youth Institute and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has authored or co-authored several books, including Sticky Faith, Essential Leadership, Deep Justice in a Broken World, and Help! I’m a Woman in Youth Ministry. She is the general editor for The Fuller Youth Institute E-Journal and regularly speaks at conferences and seminars. She lives with her husband and three children in Pasadena, California.

Brad M. Griffin is the associate director of the Fuller Youth Institute, where he develops research-based training for youth workers and has co-authored Sticky Faith: Youth Worker Edition and Deep Justice Journeys. A native Kentuckian, Brad now lives in Pasadena with his wife, Missy, and their three children. After more than fifteen years in youth ministry, he now volunteers at his church.

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