Kara Powell

Kara Powell, PhD, serves as the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary and has extensive expertise in youth and family dynamics. She discusses the disconnect between teenagers and the church, particularly highlighting why young women are stepping away while young men engage more. Kara emphasizes the need for churches to embrace creativity, inclusivity, and diversity to build trust with younger generations. She also advocates for empowering women in leadership and creating authentic relationships to revitalize church communities.

Dr. Kara Powell, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute and an influential voice in youth discipleship, dives into the challenges facing Generation Z today. She emphasizes the importance of addressing their struggles with identity and anxiety in a tech-savvy world. Powell also discusses engaging young voices in church, the impact of social justice on their beliefs, and the significance of mentorship. With fresh insights and strategies, she highlights how churches can better connect with and inspire the next generation.

Kara Powell discusses why the next generation is deconstructing their faith and walking away from church. They talk about the toxicity of social media and what the next generation wishes the church would stop and start doing. The speakers explore the reasons behind young people walking away from the faith and highlight statistics on the lack of contact between young people and faith leaders. They emphasize the importance of asking questions and discuss the potential of Gen Z and Gen Alpha to reshape the church. The consequences of shrinking churches are also discussed, along with resources for youth discipleship.

Dr. Kara E. Powell is Chief of Leadership Formation, Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. She has a B.A. from Stanford, an MDiv from Bethel Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch,” Kara is the author or coauthor of Faith in an Anxious World (2020), Growing with (2019), 18 Plus (2018), Growing Young (2016), 10 StickyFaith books or curriculum (2011–2016), Right Click (2015), Can I Ask That? 2: More Hard Questions about God and Faith (2015), Essential Leadership: Training Onramps for Your Youth Ministry Team (2010), Deep Justice Journeys (2009), Good Sex Youth Ministry Curriculum(2009), Deep Justice in a Broken World (2008), Deep Ministry in a Shallow World(2006), Help! I’m a Woman in Youth Ministry (2004), and Mirror, Mirror (2003). In this conversation, Kare and I talk about the GenZ, youth culture, youth ministry, and why GenZ Christians are getting bored with church and how we can keep them connected not just to some institutional church, but connected to a vibrant Jesus-following community.  https://karapowell.com/about/   If you would like to support Theology in the Raw, please visit patreon.com/theologyintheraw for more information!  –––––– PROMOS Save 10% on courses with Kairos Classroom using code TITR at kairosclassroom.com! –––––– Sign up with Faithful Counseling today to save 10% off of your first month at the link:  faithfulcounseling.com/theology –––––– Save 30% at SeminaryNow.com by using code TITR –––––– Support Preston Support Preston by going to patreon.com Venmo: @Preston-Sprinkle-1 Connect with Preston Twitter | @PrestonSprinkle Instagram | @preston.sprinkle Youtube | Preston Sprinkle Check out Dr. Sprinkle’s website prestonsprinkle.com Stay Up to Date with the Podcast Twitter | @RawTheology Instagram | @TheologyintheRaw If you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review. www.theologyintheraw.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author and Chief of Leadership Formation, Kara Powell, joins Russell Moore to discuss building trust with Generation Z. They explore research on Gen Z's relationship to faith and church, the challenges of regaining trust, and opportunities for church leaders to come alongside young people. They highlight TENx10, which aims to help faith matter more to 10 million young people over the next 10 years. They emphasize the importance of everyday acts of listening and empathizing to rebuild trust with Gen Z.