With deepest gratitude...

Dear Friends, 

I look forward to this moment of reflection because it feels like a sacred practice. Every year tells a story and offers a glimpse of who we are becoming together. This year’s story unfolded through relationships. People across the country opened their lives, their ministries, their questions, and their hopes to us. We were welcomed into rooms where people shared what matters to them, where leaders explored new possibilities, and where communities practiced care in ways that felt both ordinary and profound. The beauty of the year came from that generosity. People allowed Sacred Listening to accompany them in their discernment, and we were grateful to be part of those moments. 

This story continued through extraordinary collaboration. Churches, seminaries, youth ministries, denominational leaders, educators, and researchers invited us into meaningful work across discipleship, storytelling, spiritual formation, campus life, children’s faith, community care, and the changing landscape of faith in daily life. Our team learned through these partnerships and through the wisdom that practitioners, scholars, and young people offered with such openness. 

The people in our Ministry Practitioners program shaped this story in essential ways. Keedren continued to weave restorative practices into the fabric of our shared work. Greg offered pastoral steadiness that grounded every collaboration. Kris brought a justice centered imagination that opened possibilities for deeper care. Julie offered creative insight and spiritual depth to every project she supported. Their leadership helped us see what becomes possible when those closest to the work guide the way. 

As the year unfolded, our internal story widened too. Tapehlyn joined us as Executive Assistant and brought clarity, creativity, and joyful presence that helped our rhythms become more humane. David Edwards joined as our Sacred Listening and Engagement Intern with a reflective and imaginative spirit that invited curiosity and wonder into our daily work. 

Our research team entered a new season as well. Lauren stepped into the Research Director role with thoughtful vision. Brandon Wong became instrumental in shaping the TENx10 project and offered patient, rigorous care to the white paper and Ministry Stories. Gabriela Gonzalez contributed curiosity and thoughtful insight that strengthened every partnership. Together they supported a range of meaningful projects. We listened with Gordon College as students and faculty reflected on spiritual life on campus. We accompanied Goodfaith and Flagler in understanding how people experience formation in their programs. We worked with Fuller and the Ministry Leadership Center on a study of Gen Alpha that was filled with nuance and honesty. We collaborated with Princeton Theological Seminary to support practitioners in their ministries. We created tailored Sacred Listening tools for NFCYM and for our own Faith and Service project, honoring the needs of each context while remaining true to the center of our framework. 

Another thread of the year’s story emerged through intergenerational work with Wesley Theological Seminary, the Baltimore Washington Conference, and the Roots and Wings project at Virginia Theological Seminary. Each partnership invited hopeful conversations about children’s faith and the future of worship. The Lilly Storytelling planning grant brought a beautiful ecumenical collaboration with the PCUSA, the ELCA, and the Episcopal Church through VTS. And through all of this, Josh’s book Faithful Futures entered the world. We celebrated its release with friends and colleagues who helped us honor the questions and commitments that continue to guide our work. 

We step into the coming year with deep gratitude for each of you. Your leadership, creativity, and faithfulness shape Future of Faith far more than anything we build on our own. Thank you for welcoming us into your work and for offering the stories, partnerships, and shared commitments that made this year meaningful. 

We are honored to walk with you, and we look forward to what the next season will grow in all of us. 

With deep gratitude and hope,

Megan Bissell

Executive Director and Co-founder