Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies To Help Young People Discover And Love Your Church

All churches grow old. Strategic churches grow young. 

Across the United States, churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage.

Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation’s leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15- to 29-year- olds and as a result are growing–spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically.

Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life, and energy into the whole church.

“Growing Young carries an urgent message. Young people need the body of Christ–and vice versa. This book is theologically informed, research savvy, and pragmatically outstanding. Read it now, before you get any older.” – John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Church, author of All The Places To Go

Kara Powell is the executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute and a faculty member at Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch,” Kara is the author or coauthor of several books, including Sticky Faith, and a regular speaker at national leadership and youth ministry conferences across the country.

Jake Mulder is the director of strategic initiatives at the Fuller Youth Institute and is pursuing a PhD at Fuller Theological Seminary. He has worked in a variety of ministry and professional roles, including as a youth pastor in the Reformed Church of America, ministry director with Youth for Christ, and missionary with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) in Europe and Asia.

Brad Griffin is associate director of the Fuller Youth Institute. A speaker, blogger, and youth pastor, Brad is the coauthor of several Sticky Faith resources as well as Can I Ask That? 8 Hard Questions about God and Faith. He speaks nationally at churches, leadership training events, and youth ministry conferences.