Version History
Current published version
Today's Business, Issue 2B. pp. 273-274. Revised published proposal.
Official Resolution Source Text
Resolution: 1-09A
Canonical number: 1-09
Committee: National Witness
Source: Today's Business, Issue 2B
Printed pages: pp. 273-274
PDF pages: 21-22
Version: revised, current-published-proposal
Source reference: Issue 2B, pp. 273-274
Line numbers follow Today's Business, Issue 2B, with numbering reset on each printed page, so delegates can compare this page with the official PDF.
Page 273
- To Promote Ministry Among Youth and Young Adults
- RESOLUTION 1-09A
- Report R1.2.1 (CW, 16–19); Overtures 1-13, 21 (CW, 284, 288)
- WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus Christ has commanded His Church to make disciples of all nations by baptizing and
- teaching the baptized (Matt. 28:19–20), and to raise up successive generations in the faith; and
- WHEREAS, The Church has the responsibility to understand and live out the variety of gifts given to the Body of
- Christ (1 Cor. 12:4–31); and
- WHEREAS, Even in the face of many challenges, the Lord assures His Church that “faith comes from hearing, and
- hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17), and that “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the
- knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4); and
- WHEREAS, The Synod, through the Office of National Mission (ONM) (LCMS Youth Ministry in particular), has
- conducted research to help congregations better understand and retain Millennials, notably publishing Relationships
- Count: Engaging & Retaining Millennials (Concordia Publishing House [CPH], 2020), a three -phase research project
- that used surveys and focus groups to gain a deeper understanding of retention rates of young people in the Synod, which
Page 274
- informed the creation of the Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry (which provides resources and encouragement
- [youthesource.com/seven-practices]) to families, LCMS congregations, and church workers; and
- WHEREAS, Broader, nationally representative research shows important context about the religious lives of
- American adolescents: as of a 2020 Pew Research Center study, about 63 percent of U.S. teenagers (ages 13–17) identify
- as Christian, compared with a higher share (72 percent) among their parents; a small set (4 percent) of U.S. teenagers
- (ages 13–17) are affiliated with non -Christian faiths; and fully a third (32 percent) of U.S. teenagers are religiously
- unaffiliated; additionally, Pew found that roughly four in ten U.S. teens report attending religious services at least once
- or twice a month, with about one-third reporting weekly attendance, and that the attendance of both teenagers and their
- parents is mostly identical, percentage -wise; this data highlights both the continuing presence of faith among many
- teenagers and the pastoral challenge of forming regular worship and faith practices among them and their families
- (“Religious affiliation among American adolescents,” pewresearch.org/religion/2020/09/10/religious -affiliation-
- among-american-adolescents, accessed March 20, 2026); and
- WHEREAS, A new generational cohort, commonly labeled Generation Alpha (roughly children born beginning
- around 2010), is coming of age in cultural and technological circumstances that differ from Millennials and Generation
- Z; and understanding Generation Alpha’s particular formation patterns, media ecosystems, family structures, and
- religious orientations will help the Synod equip pastors, teachers, and other church workers to help them and their
- families to grow in the Christian faith and piety; and
- WHEREAS, The Barna Group reported in the fall of this past year a significant, surprising resurgence in Christian
- faith and church attendance led by young adults (“New Barna Data: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church
- Attendance,” Barna, Sept. 2, 2025, barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance); and
- WHEREAS, Many of these reports point to cultural circumstances possibly accounting for the resurgence, including
- a stronger sense of mortality after the pandemic; the desire for meaningful community in the face of increased cultural
- isolationism; valuing clear moral frameworks; and seeking structure, authenticity, and purpose amidst societal
- uncertainty; therefore be it
- Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks and praise to God for the young men and women in the church
- and cherish them as among those who are carrying on the saving faith on earth; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks to God for the faithful service of pastors, teachers, other church
- workers, youth workers, congregational leaders, and volunteers throughout the Synod, and commend to the church’s
- continued prayer and support those who labor to bring the Gospel to our young people and to form them in the life of
- the church; and be it further
- Resolved, That the Synod in convention give thanks to God for the work of Synod districts, LCMS Youth Ministry,
- Synod camps, CPH, Higher Things, LCMS U, campus ministries, and other entities serving young men and women; and
- be it further
- Resolved, That the Synod direct the ONM and LCMS Rosters, Statistics, and Research Services to undertake or
- commission a focused, methodologically rigorous study of the Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha that
- identifies (1) patterns of religious identity and practice, and (2) formative influences (i.e. , family, school, digital media,
- peers); and be it finally
- Resolved, That the ONM then publicize a summary of findings, along with a set of practical resources and concrete
- strategies that prioritize catechesis, regular worship participation, Lutheran doctrine and practice, parental support, and
- joyful involvement in the life of the Body of Christ, so that congregations and schools of all sizes may apply the findings
- in local ministry contexts.
- The Chief Financial Officer and LCMS Accounting and Financial Services staff, in consultation with the Finance
- Committee, anticipate that the potentially significant incremental costs to corporate Synod of a study, publications,
- and resources not yet scoped are difficult to estimate at this time (estimate required by Bylaw 3.1.7 [g]).
