Resolution FIN 036

Resolved, That the Executive Council supports and approves the application by the Office of Development on behalf of Young Adult and Faith Formation (YAFF), to Trinity Wall Street for a grant of $100,000 to identify the unique charisms and challenges of ministry with and by GenZ in The Episcopal Church.  

 

A variation of the following draft application has been reviewed and approved by the DFMS Executive Leadership.  

Summary of Project

The Department of Young Adult and Faith Formation (YAFF) have been invited by the Trinity Church Wall Street Foundation to apply for funding for Phase 1 of a three-stage, three-year project to identify the unique charisms and challenges of ministry with and by GenZ in The Episcopal Church and, to evaluate, re-vision, and test informed ideological and educational offerings and practices that will allow ministers to reach and support the rising generation of leaders.  Born between 1997 and 2012, GenZ for the first time almost exclusively populates Episcopal young adult and campus ministries programs and are beginning to move into vocational leadership roles in the Church. 

Dates

August 2023 – August 2025

 Scope

We request support during the TCWS summer grant cycle for Phase 1 of a three-phase project. 

Phase 1: Assessing the Landscape of Ministry. During this phase we will: 

• Develop a diverse Advisory Team to direct and oversee the project.
• Hire an education-based consultant to review relevant literature and develop scope of work, process, and instrument to complete a 360-degree review of young adults and The Episcopal Church. This will include data collection from young adults as well as Episcopal leaders working with young adults, such as young adult ministers, campus chaplains, bishops, chairs of Commissions on Ministries, etc.
• Work with a consulting firm to compile a report delivered to the Advisory Team.
• Convene Advisory Team for consideration of the report and recommendations on implementation of next steps.
• Deliver report with Advisory Team recommendations to Episcopal Church leadership through presentations at Executive Council, the Young Adult & Campus Ministries summer 2024 conference, and General Convention 2024.

Phase 2: Developing, testing and evaluating adaptive models of change.

Phase 3: Rolling out adaptive change models and supports to the wider Church.

People Served

Numbering more than 86 million in the US alone, GenZ is our most contemporaneously studied generation. From the limited data we currently possess, we know that GenZ is the most diverse, well-educated, and mental-health focused generation to date. They are the first generation to grow up as “digital natives” with online activities and social media dominating their free time and forming their worldview. (Hidden Tribes) 

GenZ is reaching adulthood in a world mired in competitiveness, political division, and ideological polarization, many without the institutional supports, interpersonal skillsets, or sense of belonging necessary to navigate this fraught landscape. As a result, GenZers are experiencing loneliness, anxiety, depression, and suicidality at unprecedented rates and are struggling to find their footing in our society’s complex organizations and institutions. (Annie E. Casey Foundation) 

Personnel Involved

We intend to draw upon a wide range of resources and convene a broad network of collaboration in support of this project. In particular: 

Departments within TEC we will partner with: New Episcopal Communities (church planting), African Descent Ministries, Asiamerica Ministries, Indigenous Ministries, Latino Ministries, Youth Ministries, Young Adult Service Corps, Global Partnerships, Evangelism, and Communications.

Wider church organizations and ministry areas we have or will establish partnerships with: Campus Ministries chaplains, Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs) chaplains (with particular emphasis on our Episcopal-affiliated universities St Augustine’s and Voorhees), Young Adult ministers, diocesan bishops, Episcopal Camps & Conference Centers, Forma, Episcopal Parish Network, Episcopal seminaries (Seminary of the Southwest, VTS, CDSP, Bexley-Seabury), local seminary training programs, Provincial leadership including Province IX and Convocation of Churches in Europe, General Convention, National Association of Episcopal Schools, Union of Black Episcopalians, Catholic Volunteer Network (and other TBD interfaith partners), Trinity Church Wall Street Fellows, Springtide Foundation, Virginia Theological Seminary and TryTank, and other Episcopal-affiliated entities as identified through conversations and research.

Goal and Measurable Results

Our models of community are not suited to the diverse, multi-faceted, and yet hyper-individualized understandings and needs of GenZ and more senior leadership are not equipped or resourced to interact with the relationship, resiliency, mental health, and educational needs of this rising generation of leaders.

YAFF will undertake work to come alongside and understand the unique and countercultural qualities of the GenZers coming toward us, gain insight into the interplay of the complex identities and backgrounds represented in this diverse generation, understand how GenZ is interacting with current leaders and educational models, and use this data to determine the particular education, development, training, resources and support needs best suited to equip our leaders to accompany and equip GenZers as they take their place as changemakers in the Church and in the world.

Estimated Total Cost

Year 1 – Phase 1 ($100,000)

Assessing the Landscape of Ministry         

Year 2 – Phase 2 (TBD $100K - $150K)

Developing, testing and evaluating adaptive models of change.

Year 3 – Phase 3 (TBD $250K - $300K)

Rolling out adaptive change models and supports to the wider Church.

 Depending on the outcomes of our research, TCWS will consider a one-time renewal. The goal is to have Phase 1 results in 12 months. After review of data, YAFF will have a clearer understanding of goals, models and timeline for Phases 2 and 3.

 Identify potential donors 

• Trinity Church Wall Street Foundation

Why Apply for Grant?

TCWS approached YAFF with the invitation to a letter of inquiry to discern and support the leadership development of young adults in The Episcopal Church. The total current operating budget for YAFF programming is $48,666 per year.  It would be necessary to double our allocation to support the proposed program.