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Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church from Young Adults
What are young adults’ deepest concerns and hopes for the Christian church?
In this remarkable volume, young adults voice their concerns and laments about the church’s past and present, as well as their hopes and dreams for the church’s future. Unlike many current books on youth ministry, this is not a book about how to attract young adults back to church. Instead, it is an invitation to listen to young adults as they offer important insights regarding the capacity of the church―and the world―to flourish going forward.
The authors begin by invoking courageous curiosity, proposing this posture as a necessary mindset for the church as it approaches present-day challenges. They also point out that the young adult experience is too often shaped by tokenization, and offer an alternative approach rooted in relationships where young adults are valued co-creators in our shared future.
Turning their attention to the world we live in, the authors name the hard realities that shape our human experience, while also offering guidance for finding our way in the ruins. They identify climate catastrophe, grief and lament, and mental health as crucial issues that define our times. They also examine how churches have caused harm and how young adults have been grieving the church’s failures; among the themes they explore are abuse of power; marginalization, inclusion, and liberation; and sex, shame, and intimacy.
Seeking constructive ways forward, the authors illuminate the importance of community and consider how the church might become more fully centered around Jesus. They call on churches to go beyond the walls―that is, to care for their neighbors and neighborhoods―in order to become trustworthy partners in God’s work in the world. Finally, the authors consider themes of scarcity and abundance. They encourage the church to adopt a more faithful narrative rooted in God’s abundance, so that the church will be better equipped to participate in the vital work of restoring people’s relationships with God, with each other, and with the earth.
The young adult contributors to this volume are driven by a deep hunger for hope. Their poignant, powerful insights are essential reading for ministry leaders, congregations, youth groups, and anyone who cares about young adults’ engagement with Christianity.
Shaya Aguilar
Talitha Amadea Aho
Catalina Morales Bahena
Cherice Bock
Madeline Burbank
Lindsay Fertig-Johnson
Kristina Frugé
Abby Grifno
Kara Haug
Jimmy Hoke
Sarah Brock Iverson
Jia Johnson
Amber Kalina
Eric H. F. Law
Baird Linke
JD Mechelke
Jeremy Paul Myers
Kristen Glass Perez
Amar D. Peterman
Soong-Chan Rah
Drew Stever
Nicholas Tangen
Amanda Vetsch
Reesheda N. Graham Washington
Kayla Zopfi
In this remarkable volume, young adults voice their concerns and laments about the church’s past and present, as well as their hopes and dreams for the church’s future. Unlike many current books on youth ministry, this is not a book about how to attract young adults back to church. Instead, it is an invitation to listen to young adults as they offer important insights regarding the capacity of the church―and the world―to flourish going forward.
The authors begin by invoking courageous curiosity, proposing this posture as a necessary mindset for the church as it approaches present-day challenges. They also point out that the young adult experience is too often shaped by tokenization, and offer an alternative approach rooted in relationships where young adults are valued co-creators in our shared future.
Turning their attention to the world we live in, the authors name the hard realities that shape our human experience, while also offering guidance for finding our way in the ruins. They identify climate catastrophe, grief and lament, and mental health as crucial issues that define our times. They also examine how churches have caused harm and how young adults have been grieving the church’s failures; among the themes they explore are abuse of power; marginalization, inclusion, and liberation; and sex, shame, and intimacy.
Seeking constructive ways forward, the authors illuminate the importance of community and consider how the church might become more fully centered around Jesus. They call on churches to go beyond the walls―that is, to care for their neighbors and neighborhoods―in order to become trustworthy partners in God’s work in the world. Finally, the authors consider themes of scarcity and abundance. They encourage the church to adopt a more faithful narrative rooted in God’s abundance, so that the church will be better equipped to participate in the vital work of restoring people’s relationships with God, with each other, and with the earth.
The young adult contributors to this volume are driven by a deep hunger for hope. Their poignant, powerful insights are essential reading for ministry leaders, congregations, youth groups, and anyone who cares about young adults’ engagement with Christianity.
Shaya Aguilar
Talitha Amadea Aho
Catalina Morales Bahena
Cherice Bock
Madeline Burbank
Lindsay Fertig-Johnson
Kristina Frugé
Abby Grifno
Kara Haug
Jimmy Hoke
Sarah Brock Iverson
Jia Johnson
Amber Kalina
Eric H. F. Law
Baird Linke
JD Mechelke
Jeremy Paul Myers
Kristen Glass Perez
Amar D. Peterman
Soong-Chan Rah
Drew Stever
Nicholas Tangen
Amanda Vetsch
Reesheda N. Graham Washington
Kayla Zopfi
264 pages, Paperback
Published August 28, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 1, 2025
As a pastor who served congregations that were largely composed of members sixty and above, I have heard many congregants ask why young adults don't come to the church (especially young families). I don't have good answers, though there are numerous reasons why youth and young adults are absenting themselves from churches. Even though younger adults are more liberal than older adults, even more progressive churches struggle to attract younger adults. However, these churches might offer a home if young and old can engage with each other, such that the concerns of the younger adults are considered.
In Hungry for Hope, edited by Jeremy Paul Myers, the Berhhard M. Christiansen Professor of Religion and Vocation at Augsburg University and executive director of the Christiansen Center for Vocation, and Kristina Fruge, director of Congregational and Community Initiatives with AugsburgUniversity's Riverside Innovation Hub, provide the reader with eleven "letters" raising some of the questions that younger adults are asking of the church. As Jeremy Myers writes in the preface, this "is a book of wisdom from young adults about issues that are incredibly important to them. It is a book in which young adults call the church to look these issues square in the eye, even if we find them haunting and daunting, until we are able to see the hope" (p. xi). The book is the product of conversations initiated by the editors through the Riverside Innovation Hub, bringing together a group of fifty people at Augsburg University, half of whom are essentially forty and over, and the other half being under forty (primarily late twenties and early thirties). Out of this conversation emerged eleven themes, which became the foundation of this book.
The eleven chapters in the book address these themes, each of which is co-written by a team of two people, one of whom is a young adult and the other a "thought leader." The chapters are the product of ongoing conversations between the authors. Several of the young adult contributors are clergy. The authors represent a diversity of identities, including gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and more. The anticipated audience is participants in Christian Churches who have a love for young adults. However, as Amanda Vietch (a young adult) and Kristina Fruge (co-editor) point out in their introduction, this is not a book about young adults, nor is it a book about how to attract young adults to our churches. Rather, it is intended to serve as a book of wisdom for the church as it navigates the world in which we live.
The eleven themes/chapters include a focus on Courageous Curiosity (Amber Kalina and Reesheda N. Graham Washington). With that as a foundation, Baird Linke and the Rev. Kristen Glass Perez speak to the problem of Tokenism of Young Adults, and the possibilities of not just including token young adults but actually listening to their wisdom. The third theme, discussed under the title "Deconstruction and Re-Creation," focuses on young adult concerns about an impending climate apocalypse (JD Mechelke and the Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho). The fourth chapter is titled "Lament Embodied in Community," a chapter that deals with the healing of grief within community, something the church often struggles with (Shaya Aguilar and Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah). The fifth chapter/theme is titled "Health and Wholeness," and it deals with questions of mental health, including dealing with anxiety and trauma. The sixth chapter/theme is titled "Why are You So Angry?" (Rev. Drew Stever & Rev. Dr. Eric Law). This chapter isn't really about anger, but rather about power and why historically powerless communities might be angry, and why this creates fear among historically powerful individuals. Chapter 7, titled "Liberating the Sanctuary," seeks to move the conversations beyond marginalization, intersectionality, and inclusion to reach liberation (Abby Grifno & Dr. Jimmy Hoke). The call here is to remove harmful structures that exclude the marginalized. One of the big issues in Christian circles has to do with sex, whether same-sex relationships, premarital sex, and more. While this is an "issue," the church rarely engages in fruitful conversations. But it is an area of concern as seen in this chapter titled "Sex Is a Gift" (Rev. Madeline Burbank & Kara Haug). Haug is a sexuality health educator who advocates for sex education. The chapter calls for a rejection of shame in favor of curiosity. Chapter 9 is titled "Gather at the Table" (Amar Peterman * Nicholalas Tangen). While it has a eucharistic element, the focus is on a community centered in Jesus that includes liturgy but also faith formation. Chapter 10 is titled "Beyond the Walls" (Kayla Zopfi & Dr. Jeremy Paul Myers). Too often, the church becomes focused on its own context, but young adults have a vision that extends beyond the walls, and they wish to share that vision with the church. Thus, the importance of the public church to young adults. Finally, the eleventh and final theme deals with moving from scarcity to abundance in a chapter titled "Reclaiming 'Enough'" (Catalina Morales Bahena & Dr. Cherice Bock). The focus here is on settler colonialism, which led from abundance to scarcity. But what is needed is a reversal, such that we can recognize what is enough.
As the editors note at the beginning, this is not a book about how to attract young adults to the church or build young adult ministries. Rather, it is an invitation to the church to listen to young adult voices. If these voices are representative, we will see a disconnect between what they value and consider important and the current backlash against what is called "Woke" as well as DEI initiatives, and efforts to curb climate change. Therefore, Hungry for Hope should resonate with those willing to listen and not simply include token young adults in conversations as long as they remain quiet.
In Hungry for Hope, edited by Jeremy Paul Myers, the Berhhard M. Christiansen Professor of Religion and Vocation at Augsburg University and executive director of the Christiansen Center for Vocation, and Kristina Fruge, director of Congregational and Community Initiatives with AugsburgUniversity's Riverside Innovation Hub, provide the reader with eleven "letters" raising some of the questions that younger adults are asking of the church. As Jeremy Myers writes in the preface, this "is a book of wisdom from young adults about issues that are incredibly important to them. It is a book in which young adults call the church to look these issues square in the eye, even if we find them haunting and daunting, until we are able to see the hope" (p. xi). The book is the product of conversations initiated by the editors through the Riverside Innovation Hub, bringing together a group of fifty people at Augsburg University, half of whom are essentially forty and over, and the other half being under forty (primarily late twenties and early thirties). Out of this conversation emerged eleven themes, which became the foundation of this book.
The eleven chapters in the book address these themes, each of which is co-written by a team of two people, one of whom is a young adult and the other a "thought leader." The chapters are the product of ongoing conversations between the authors. Several of the young adult contributors are clergy. The authors represent a diversity of identities, including gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and more. The anticipated audience is participants in Christian Churches who have a love for young adults. However, as Amanda Vietch (a young adult) and Kristina Fruge (co-editor) point out in their introduction, this is not a book about young adults, nor is it a book about how to attract young adults to our churches. Rather, it is intended to serve as a book of wisdom for the church as it navigates the world in which we live.
The eleven themes/chapters include a focus on Courageous Curiosity (Amber Kalina and Reesheda N. Graham Washington). With that as a foundation, Baird Linke and the Rev. Kristen Glass Perez speak to the problem of Tokenism of Young Adults, and the possibilities of not just including token young adults but actually listening to their wisdom. The third theme, discussed under the title "Deconstruction and Re-Creation," focuses on young adult concerns about an impending climate apocalypse (JD Mechelke and the Rev. Talitha Amadea Aho). The fourth chapter is titled "Lament Embodied in Community," a chapter that deals with the healing of grief within community, something the church often struggles with (Shaya Aguilar and Rev. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah). The fifth chapter/theme is titled "Health and Wholeness," and it deals with questions of mental health, including dealing with anxiety and trauma. The sixth chapter/theme is titled "Why are You So Angry?" (Rev. Drew Stever & Rev. Dr. Eric Law). This chapter isn't really about anger, but rather about power and why historically powerless communities might be angry, and why this creates fear among historically powerful individuals. Chapter 7, titled "Liberating the Sanctuary," seeks to move the conversations beyond marginalization, intersectionality, and inclusion to reach liberation (Abby Grifno & Dr. Jimmy Hoke). The call here is to remove harmful structures that exclude the marginalized. One of the big issues in Christian circles has to do with sex, whether same-sex relationships, premarital sex, and more. While this is an "issue," the church rarely engages in fruitful conversations. But it is an area of concern as seen in this chapter titled "Sex Is a Gift" (Rev. Madeline Burbank & Kara Haug). Haug is a sexuality health educator who advocates for sex education. The chapter calls for a rejection of shame in favor of curiosity. Chapter 9 is titled "Gather at the Table" (Amar Peterman * Nicholalas Tangen). While it has a eucharistic element, the focus is on a community centered in Jesus that includes liturgy but also faith formation. Chapter 10 is titled "Beyond the Walls" (Kayla Zopfi & Dr. Jeremy Paul Myers). Too often, the church becomes focused on its own context, but young adults have a vision that extends beyond the walls, and they wish to share that vision with the church. Thus, the importance of the public church to young adults. Finally, the eleventh and final theme deals with moving from scarcity to abundance in a chapter titled "Reclaiming 'Enough'" (Catalina Morales Bahena & Dr. Cherice Bock). The focus here is on settler colonialism, which led from abundance to scarcity. But what is needed is a reversal, such that we can recognize what is enough.
As the editors note at the beginning, this is not a book about how to attract young adults to the church or build young adult ministries. Rather, it is an invitation to the church to listen to young adult voices. If these voices are representative, we will see a disconnect between what they value and consider important and the current backlash against what is called "Woke" as well as DEI initiatives, and efforts to curb climate change. Therefore, Hungry for Hope should resonate with those willing to listen and not simply include token young adults in conversations as long as they remain quiet.
January 14, 2026
Beautifully written book. So grateful for all the ways this articulated the things I’ve struggled to express and for the ways it also challenged me to see things in new ways.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews