Oct 14· 49 min· Episode 106

Gemma Foster: Discipling Young Adults, Gen Z & the Future of the Church

About this episode

What does the research actually tell us about discipling young adults and Gen Z and what can the church do differently?

In this episode of Grow and Go with Em Tyler, I sit down with the Revd Dr Gemma Foster, newly appointed Archdeacon of Bournemouth, mum of three and researcher who spent ten years exploring the discipleship of young adults aged 18–29 in the Church of England.

Rather than starting with the question, “Why are young adults leaving the church?”, Gemma’s research asks a different question: what is actually helping young adults grow in faith?

We talk about young adult discipleship, biblical literacy, vocation, community, spiritual formation and the future of the church and discover some surprisingly hopeful findings about what is happening among a generation often described through the lens of decline.

We talk about:

✨ Why young adults aren’t the problem and what the research actually shows✨ What a “discipleship habitus” is and why it matters more than any five-point plan✨ Why the Bible is the unexpected front door for a new generation coming to faith✨ How your church’s biblical literacy might be more important than you think✨ What the most effective generation to invest in young adults actually is (and it might surprise you)✨ Why vocation isn’t about having it all figured out ✨ How to be the kind of community that helps people grow, not just show up

Is there a young adult in your world right now (at church, in your family, in your neighbourhood) who might just need someone to ask them a good question this week?

Gemma Foster: Discipling Young Adults, Gen Z & the Future of the Church

About this episode

Reflections