Illustrations by Ben Hickey
It’s a staggering number: One million young people ages 13-18, especially in communities of color, leave U.S. churches annually, according to a 2018 study by the Pinetops Foundation (a private institution informed by Christian faith and focused on innovative solutions to long-term structural problems). Its report revealed that teens feel unheard, misunderstood, and spiritually adrift, searching for authenticity, belonging, and purpose beyond traditional church settings.
Subsequently, Pinetops partnered with the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) at Fuller Theological Seminary, tapping into its interdenominational research and outreach expertise.
“This effort aligns with (FYI’s) faith formation strategy, and we feel it’s mission-critical,” says FYI Executive Director Kara Powell, Ph.D. “Our young people are deconstructing their faith and facing microaggressions related to race. We need to equip leaders who care about young people and ask ‘How can we journey with them?’”
From Dialogue to Action
By late 2018, FYI had convened 40 leaders from diverse denominations, organizations, and funding bodies to answer this question: “If you could do anything to help the Church thrive over the next 30 years, what would it be?”
Two guiding principles emerged: no single entity can resolve this challenge alone, and the initiative must prioritize the voices and needs of youth and communities of color in light of both scriptural convictions and modern demographics.
A year later, FYI embraced its role as the backbone of what became known as the TENx10 Collaboration – an ambitious project to strengthen the faith of 10 million young people over the next 10 years, inspired by John 10:10. TENx10 officially launched on October 10, 2023, at 10 a.m. in Chicago, during a celebratory summit attended by 200 partners and leaders.
In December 2024, FYI secured a $10 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.’s Faith and Service Initiative, with additional funding from the Pinetops Foundation and McClellan Trust to establish a dedicated team led by TENx10 Executive Director Ray Chang.
I wanted to do more than just pick a curriculum and organize games. I wanted to dig into what successful discipleship looks like for our youth, leaders, families, and our church.
Setting the Course
Patty Hofmann, director of Next Gen Ministries at Batavia Covenant Church in Illinois, represents one of many TENx10 partner organizations. She says that young people often feel disconnected from church, largely due to rigid structures, uninspiring programs, and few opportunities for youth to influence ministry.
“I wanted to do more than just pick a curriculum and organize games; I wanted to dig into what successful discipleship looks like for our youth, leaders, families and our church,” says Hoffman, who has long overseen faith formation in students from early childhood through high school.
In response, TENx10 developed tools to equip youth leaders to engage teenagers more effectively, enabling them to identify and dismantle potential barriers. Constructing these tools began with Chang and his team pinpointing five critical drivers for effective faith formation drawn from Scripture, research, and real-life experience: relational interactions, spiritual practices, service and justice, supportive family environments, and community priority. From these, two core strategies emerged: to cultivate Jesus-centered relational discipleship at the local level and to transform the broader Christian ecosystem by bridging the credibility gap that has driven youth disengagement. Together, these strategies aim to reimagine the church’s role, deepen communities’ understanding of young people, and empower a diverse range of partners to meaningfully engage youth through faith, service, and spiritual growth.
TENx10 provides instruction for youth discipleship, which is both straightforward and innovative. These include asynchronous online pilot resources and training at no charge, which help groups adapt and implement these strategies in their communities.
“Our collaborative partners can contextualize the tools into their community and then share with others who can adopt the framework,” Chang says. Resources range from virtual workshops and coaching sessions to digital training materials, many of which are free and include assessments to help ministries select the most relevant approaches.
To further support these leaders, TENx10 offers a 10-week relational discipleship training course free of charge. Leaders are able to train alongside peers from their denominations and communities, fostering collective growth and accountability. According to Chang, the most critical resource is the leaders themselves.
“We want to show that you don’t have to put on an elaborate show with young people. They’re best inspired by a small outreach: a text message, a thoughtful note to check in, or even just a shoulder tap to say, ‘Hey, I see you, I care about you, I’m here for you.’ It’s about being authentic, knowing their viewpoint and struggles, and talking about how God is working in and through them. They want to know the everyday testimony of how God is at work in their lives.”
We hope that 10 years from now, this faith formation strategy and the emphasis on relational discipleship will unfold into the ecosystem of Christian churches.
Looking Ahead
More than a year after launch, early results are promising, with progress being tracked through leader engagement with the resources provided by TENx10 for aspiring youth leaders.
“We’re humbled and pleased by the momentum God is building, yet we know that true adaptive change takes time,” Powell says. “Churches that go through our training note that results are often in years two, three, and four where they see the most fruit.”
As TENx10 moves into 2025, its effectiveness is also measured by the number of youth participants, leader engagements, and digital resource interactions (downloads, views, click-throughs), supplemented by personal stories and census data on religious affiliation.
Early results from Hofmann’s ministry are encouraging. “We’re seeing an increase in our students inviting friends to events and into a relationship with Jesus. This is the mark of deep discipleship and life-long mission being formed, a great marker for success.”
Powell is enthusiastic about the future. “We hope that 10 years from now, this faith formation strategy and the emphasis on relational discipleship will unfold into the ecosystem of Christian churches,” he says.
Chang added, “We want to work ourselves out of a job and stop the hemorrhaging, to see an upward trajectory, addressing the credibility gap between youth and the Church.”
Powell remains optimistic about TENx10’s ambitious vision.
“It’s certainly a God-sized goal,” she says, “but you know what? Why not think big? With God’s guidance and help, it’s not unattainable.”