Scripture, service, community: what our latest research reveals about discipleship among young evangelicals

Over the past few years understanding Christian young adults has been an area of widespread interest. At the Evangelical Alliance, we want to effectively equip young, evangelical Christians in living out their faith and support churches in discipling this generation. As a recent graduate myself, I was also really interested to see whether my experience of faith was like others at the same age and stage of life.  

We surveyed just over 600 Christians between the ages of 18 and 34 from 19 February to 23 March 2026. We wanted to understand three themes: what personal discipleship looks like, how young people engage with the world around them, and how they view evangelism in a 21^st century context. In the first of three articles, we unpack our findings exploring what personal discipleship looks like for young adults. To find out, we explored four questions:

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We found that over 94% of those surveyed read their Bible at least weekly, with 74% reading daily. We also found that a similar number (93%) attend church at least once a week. It is very encouraging that so many young Christians are regularly engaging with the Bible and joining a church community to support and encourage them. 

There is an opportunity for church leaders to engage with this age group to support them by walking through life with them, not just in ​‘young adults’ ministries where they can be encouraged by their peers, but by including them in the wider life of the church. We found that about 40% of our respondents felt that a spiritual director or mentor helped them in their faith. In my own walk with Jesus, I’ve found one-to-one ministering from those further on in their walk with Him to be so helpful in challenging me, encouraging me and being part of a support system as I grow in my relationship with Him. Churches should be encouraging this sort of close discipleship so that young adults can learn from those who have gone before them, equipping them to be a Christian witness in the world today.

We were also encouraged by how confident those surveyed were in reading and understanding the Bible, which is vitally important to living a gospel-centred life. We found that nearly 89% of young people surveyed were confident in reading and understanding the Bible, and about a third of them reported that they were very confident. 

When I saw this statistic, I was surprised by the confidence respondents expressed. There could be a range of reasons for this. We found that the level of confidence did increase with age, as 41% of 31 – 34-year-olds described themselves as ​“Very confident”.  Alternatively, this could reflect new Christians in the early stages of their faith feeling that they understand the Bible before they begin to encounter more challenging passages. Churches should be ready to offer significant discipleship when these moments arise so those new to faith don’t walk away when it is difficult but can grow through exploring their questions together. Another possible explanation is that over 60% of those surveyed had completed college or university education, which is higher than the general population. This may also explain the high level of confidence in reading and understanding the Bible. More research would be needed to get a better understanding of this area.

We found a wide spread of different practices with four standouts: 

• Gathering with Christians
• Reading the Bible
• Praying 
• Serving with others

We should continue to encourage young people in churches to press on with these practices, growing in their relationship with the Lord as well as being a distinctive Christian example to both their fellow Christians and non-believers. 

Notably, giving and fasting, as well as silence and solitude, were the least frequently selected. In a time of constant noise and distraction, there is an opportunity to help young adults explore a wider range of spiritual practices. Our new digital resource, Ethos, aims to introduce young adults, both Christians and non-Christians, to spiritual practices such as these that can grow and deepen their faith.

We found that over 80% of respondents serve on a team in their church. This is very encouraging. It means that serving is recognised as a key part of Christian living. It also means that there is additional capacity in churches, ranging from youth to the worship team, to encourage more young people to serve. As mentioned above, serving brings many benefits to the one serving, with 40% of those surveyed saying that serving with others helped their walk with Jesus. Those who serve get to know people that they usually wouldn’t speak to on a Sunday, they feel more embedded in the church community, and they also have the opportunity to make Jesus known in their role at church.

Interestingly, a comparatively low proportion of those serving are doing so in evangelism or community outreach. I’ve found this a challenge to both me and the church to really focus on encouraging and equipping young people to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities, such as helping at the church’s foodbank or running an Alpha course.

As the Evangelical Alliance we want to ensure that we are resourcing the UK church in the most effective ways possible. We asked our respondents what resources have helped them most to grow their relationship with Jesus. Unsurprisingly, church services and small groups lead significantly.

Over a third of those surveyed told us that books and articles have helped their walk with Jesus. This trends higher the older the respondents were, which is unsurprising based on the current rates of young adults who regularly read. Having books and online articles that equip young adults in theology, discipleship and confidence in their faith continues to be an important part of discipleship today. 

As mentioned previously, a spiritual director or mentor was also reported to be helpful in growing young adults’ relationships with Jesus. While these may have developed naturally, it suggests church leaders should have systems in place to help establish mentor relationships for young adults in their churches.

From our findings, we can see the discipleship of young Christians is an exciting space. They are committed, engaged and passionate members of their church communities who serve regularly, are consistent in their devotional lives, and can be a real encouragement in their personal, professional and church contexts. It also presents a challenge to churches to really focus on this age group, by getting them involved in the daily life of the church, establishing mentoring relationships and providing a community for them to thrive in. 

This article expands on some of the findings of our latest report: Faith in Action.