Faithful Futures just showed up as the #1 new release in both Sociology of Religion and Youth Ministry on Amazon. That feels especially meaningful because, as an applied sociologist, I’ve often lived between two worlds. Inside the university, I sometimes felt like religion wasn’t taken seriously enough as a force shaping people’s lives. Outside of it, in ministry and faith spaces, research can be dismissed as something cold or disconnected from real life. So seeing this book

When we talk about transformation in ministry, we often focus on the moment of belief and the instant someone says “yes” to faith. But as this next story shows, belief rarely happens in isolation. We recently invited ministry leaders to share moments when God’s Spirit showed up in their work.  It's so inspiring to see the wins that remind us why we do this and that we're not alone. Anna Schulten, Campus Minister at University of Southern Indiana sent this story, and it captur

Sometimes ministry looks like Sunday morning worship, but sometimes it looks like a skatepark.   We recently invited ministry leaders to share moments when God’s Spirit showed up in their work.  It's so inspiring to see the wins that remind us why we do this and that we're not alone. Drew Fajen, Pastor of Intergenerational Ministry & the Arts at Village Church in Portland sent in this story, and it captures exactly what Faithful Futures  is about:   I’m a youth pastor in Port

I just returned from two days in rural Kansas that reminded me why this work matters so much.   Three parishes opened their doors to host conversations about Sacred Listening  and young people. The response was overwhelming. Parents and grandparents filled the rooms. Parish priests, DREs, and teachers came ready to engage. Concerned community members who care deeply about the next generation showed up too. People asked thoughtful questions and shared stories from their own li