“What Are We Doing to Support the Faith Formation of Young People?”

That question had been echoing in Reverend Michele Turek’s mind for months. As a leader with the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, Michele heard it voiced in different ways at denominational gatherings and over coffee with ministry leaders:

“Why aren’t youth coming back to church?”

“How do we help them stay engaged?”

“What will make faith matter for them?”

Different words. Same longing: to see young people know Jesus in a way that’s real, personal, and lasting.

Michele didn’t want to just answer the question. She wanted to live the answer. She particularly wanted to engage with young Asian Americans, as her role within the American Baptist Home Mission Societies is to serve the Asian-American population in ways that honor both their cultural heritage and their faith.

Learning from TENx10: How Relational Discipleship Changes Everything

While wrestling with this challenge, Michele attended several TENx10 gatherings. There, she was introduced to the power of relational discipleship.

She began asking herself new questions: What would it look like for young people in our denomination to have space to own their faith? How could we remove the barriers that keep them from experiencing relational discipleship radically focused on Jesus?

Then, Michele listened. She sat with leaders. She asked the younger generation about their experiences. She learned about their daily pressures, their cultural realities, and the things that either drew them toward Jesus or left them feeling sidelined.

Those conversations planted the seeds for what would become the Catalyst Cohort — a small group designed for and led by youth and young adults; a place where they could draw deep connections between their Asian American identity and their faith in Jesus.

Michele’s listening sessions revealed two key needs: Young people need a space created by them and for them; and they need a safe space to engage in spiritual practices and learning.

By Them and For Them

In many church settings, Asian American youth were often tapped to “help out” — run the AV, manage social media, set up chairs. They were given responsibilities, yes, but not agency.

That reality is magnified for many first- and second-generation Asian Americans, who already shoulder adult-like responsibilities outside church. They might translate at doctor’s appointments or register themselves for school. They carry weight, but without much say in shaping their environments.

The Catalyst Cohort would flip that script.

“I didn’t want this to be another thing on their to-do list,” Michele explains. “I wanted it to be their space, their vision.”

The structure of Catalyst reflects that. The younger generation decides the direction. They set goals. They shape how it will grow.

In its first year, the group had eight members. The second: thirteen. Where will it go from here? Michele has a three-year strategy in mind, but she’s committed to being a “spacious leader” — leaving room for them to chart the course.

A Safe Space as the Foundation

Faith doesn’t grow in a vacuum. It grows in relationships. And it takes root when young people can safely explore Scripture, share their stories, and practice spiritual rhythms together.

From the start, the Catalyst Cohort was built to be such a space, and they hold to three simple guidelines: Be hospitable. Be open. Be present.

Discovering God in Their Family Stories

That foundation made it possible for them to tackle one of their first shared spiritual practices: interviewing an elder in their family about their personal history.

The assignment was simple, but the results were powerful.

One participant learned her grandfather was the first person in his village in Burma to follow Jesus. Another heard stories of relatives starting churches, being forced out of villages, or living apart from their parents for years.

One young woman reflected on how she was the first Christian in her family. “I hope I can pass faith on to my family in the future,” she shared.

As they listened to and then retold these stories, something shifted. They began recognizing God’s fingerprints in their family histories — God’s protection in hardship, God’s presence in unexpected places, God’s calling woven through generations.

They also began integrating their faith with their Asian American identity. No longer were those two parts of themselves at odds. They saw their ethnicity as part of God’s intentional design.

Sharon, a Catalyst participant, put it this way: “I wish my younger self had help understanding that my cultural and ethnic background is part of the story God has written for me. It’s not a contradiction to my faith. I’m not alone in this story.”

Today, the group calls each other “family.” One member’s younger sister is already counting down the days until she’s old enough to join.

A Timeless Practice in a Modern Context

What these young people are experiencing isn’t new. It’s the same pattern we see in Scripture — God’s people remembering, telling stories, and letting those stories shape their identity.

Moses told the Israelites to talk with their children constantly about God’s commands so they wouldn’t forget the One who brought them out of Egypt:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9).

Samuel set up an Ebenezer stone to remind Israel of God’s help (1 Samuel 7:12). Jesus broke bread and told His disciples to remember Him (Luke 22:7–20). Paul pointed to a “great cloud of witnesses” to anchor believers in their spiritual heritage (Hebrews 12:1).

From ancient times until today, storytelling has been central to passing faith to the next generation.

For the Catalyst Cohort, the stories are shared over Zoom calls instead of campfires, but the effect is the same. Faith is becoming personal. It’s moving from head knowledge to heart ownership.

Why This Matters for Pastors and Youth Leaders

What Michele has seen through the Catalyst Cohort mirrors what TENx10’s Faith Formation Framework has been saying all along:

When young people are given space, agency, and relationships rooted in Jesus, they internalize their faith — and it becomes part of who they are.

As pastors and youth leaders, we often want quick wins. But Michele’s story reminds us: Relational discipleship is about presence, not programs. It’s about creating spaces where young people can see how God has been at work in their lives and empowering them to live out that story.

And sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do is simply give them the platform — and the freedom — to lead.

“Our young people aren’t just the church of tomorrow,” Michele says. “They’re the church right now. When we give them space to own their faith, they’ll surprise us with how they lead — and how deeply they love Jesus.”