ZOE PROJECT FINDINGS A VISUAL SUMMARY
IN 2017, TWELVE CONGREGATIONS BEGAN A THREE YEAR PILGRIMAGE to faithfully attend to the young adults in their communities. The goal was to nurture the faith lives of young adults while being open to the ways young adults might change their own congregations. These congregations learned how to do Design Thinking, they studied how young adults create communities of meaning, purpose, and belonging through a 10-day Study Expedition, they formulated projects at The Ideation Lab, and they participated in a StartUp Clinic - all in preparation of launching an innovative ministry with young adults at the center. Each year we surveyed these congregations and here is what we found.
We learned that participating in their congregation’s Zoe Project led both pastors and the young adults serving in project leadership to ASK DEEPER QUESTIONS OF SCRIPTURE as their project progressed. We also saw an INCREASE IN PRAYER, READING SCRIPTURE, AND WORSHIP ATTENDANCE among these teams of young adults. 1
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Those who participated in the Zoe Project GREW IN THEIR CONFIDENCE of telling both the BIBLICAL STORY and their own CONGREGATION’S STORY.
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Each year, we asked Zoe Fellows to describe what their congregation’s relationship with young adults was like. Descriptions moved from RARE SIGHTINGS AND PATERNALISM to ENERGIZED CURIOSITY to RELATIONAL LANGUAGE (even if not all positive). 5
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Research frequently points out that creativity and innovation erupt in environments that have a high tolerance for risk, and people are invited to fail on their way to making necessary changes. In the Zoe Project, participants’ TOLERANCE FOR FAILURE GREW ALONG WITH THEIR SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT TO MAKE CHANGES. Yet very few participants said their congregations were highly tolerant of failure. Zoe PASTORS GREW THE MOST IN THEIR CONFIDENCE IN TAKING RISKS (other Zoe Fellows did not show much change). Interested in learning more? See the final page for the link. 7
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This information was collected by Katherine M. Douglass, senior researcher for the Zoe Project in the fall of 2017 (53 respondents), 2018 (38 respondents), and 2019 (27 respondents) from the 12 congregations that participated in the Zoe Project. Leader transition and other factors led three congregations to significantly reduce their participation between 2018 and 2019, explaining the decrease in respondents over these years. This project was directed by Kenda Creasy Dean at Princeton Theological Seminary and was funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. Chloe Guillot worked as the visual designer for the research portion of the project. Findings from this project will be published in a forthcoming article and presented at the 2021 gathering of the International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry. For access to these, please email katherine.m.douglass@gmail.com.
YOU CAN LEARN MORE AT ZOEPROJECT.PTSEM.EDU