Preface from the Partners

Listening is a posture that is deeply embedded in the Christian tradition and originally modelled for us by Jesus himself. When we dig deep into the communication style of Jesus in the gospels, we find that he listened more than he talked. Jesus was interested to know what people thought and how they felt. He listened to people who agreed with him and people who didn’t. He listened to people who seemed to have things together and to people whose lives were in pieces.

In your work with teenagers and young people today, how are you following Jesus’ lead?

In 2021, Alpha, Biblica and World Vision came alongside Barna Group—as well as a collective of other organisational partners including the Association of Christian Schools International, Bible Study Fellowship, Christ In Youth and Christian Vision—to listen to the perspectives of young people in the emerging generation. Our desire is to help local churches, schools and youth ministries around the world love and lead young people well. Specifically, in a digital, questioning, experiential age, we want to hear how teens perceive Jesus, the Bible and social action.