Defiant Hope, Active Love: What Young Adults Are Seeking in Places of Work, Faith, and Community
Purpose and meaning, healing and growth, community and fellowship--these values have traditionally been found in church. Though young adults are leaving the pews in droves, they are still seeking these spiritual benefits. How can churches entice them to return?
Jeffrey F. Keuss thinks that's the wrong question to ask. Instead, his multigenerational team of scholars investigated how faith communities can make themselves more hospitable to the next generation of Christians. Backed by five years of qualitative and quantitative research, the Pivot NW research team offers practical recommendations for involving young adults in the community, including:- loosening demands for church membership
- involving young adults in leadership earlier
- addressing the economic difficulties of millennials
- understanding religious trauma Defiant Hope, Active Love encourages church leaders to let go of nostalgia for old ecclesiological norms and embrace something new, inclusive, and authentic. With thorough research and incisive analysis, this groundbreaking book contains a wealth of resources to promote the health of faith communities.
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"The decreasing tendency of young adults to practice a 'sticky faith' and commit to institutional Christianity has been a cause of concern among church leaders for the past decade or more. Based on extensive sociological research, Keuss and his fellow scholars explore ways that creative, new, but also biblical approaches to work, faith, and community might lead to vibrant and authentic Christian faith among this new generation."
--Rick Ostrander, executive director of the Michigan Christian Study Center and author of Academically Speaking: Lessons from a Life in Christian Higher Education
"Defiant Hope faces up to what our young adults see around them: an economic system that exploits labor, a religious system that blesses the wealthy and the insider, and no hope of bridging the gaping chasm between young adults and their dreams. In response, Keuss and his fellow writers offer strategies grounded in radical hope. In Christ, they argue, we can be one with the impoverished and also buoyed by a gospel that breaks despair and calls forth a more equitable society. This is a powerful message for a generation that refuses pablum and demands answers--a must read for those in the trenches of ministry to generation Z."
--Jim Wellman, professor and chair of the comparative religion program, Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington
"I have had the privilege of witnessing the work of Jeff Keuss and the Pivot NW team from start to finish. They have listened to young adults carefully. You have in your hands the fruit of their careful research on emerging adults and the Christian communities that want to support them. This is not a 'how to' book. Instead, it is a 'how might we' invitation to Christian leaders who dare to reimagine churches' roles in their communities and reframe their relationships with emerging adults. It is hopeful, challenging, and needed. Bravo!"
--Steven Argue, associate professor of youth, family, and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary; applied research strategist, Fuller Youth Institute
--Beth Ludlum, vice president of strategic initiatives, Wesley Theological Seminary
