Sticky Faith Parents: Building Lifelong Faith
Nearly half of all young people raised in Christian families walk away from their faith when they graduate from high school. That’s the bad news. But here’s the good news: research shows that parents are one of the primary influences on their child’s faith.
Sticky Faith is an innovative, research-based, and extensively field-tested movement designed to equip parents with insights and ideas for nurturing long-term faith in children and young people. Because of the Fuller Youth Institute’s six years of research with more than 500 young people, 100 churches, and 50 families, our Sticky Faith resources are a “must have” for families eager to point their young people toward long-term faith.
Shop the Sticky Faith Family Collection
The following books and films are designed to help you implement our Sticky Faith insights in your home.
What creates Sticky Faith?
Intergenerational Relationships
Despite the age segregation that exists in our churches and broader culture, each young person is greatly benefited when surrounded by a team of five adults. We call this the new 5:1 ratio.
Whole Gospel
Many young people see faith like a jacket: something they can put on or take off based on their behavior. We seek to help students develop a more robust understanding of the gospel, one that integrates faith into all aspects of life.
Partnership with Families
Research demonstrates that parents are the #1 influencers when it comes to spirituality in young people—yes, even teenagers. We help leaders develop new ways to partner with parents, empowering them to nurture faith in their families.
A Safe Place for Doubt
Doubt is not toxic to faith; silence is. Young people want conversations in response to their hardest questions, not just answers. We offer tools and training for these discussions that deepen the faith of everyone involved.
Meet Matthew.
A youth pastor whose congregation wanted to better engage young people and their families, Matthew began to ask himself a game-changing question.
“Can parents and teenagers grow in faith together … at church?”
Thankfully, Matthew had immersed himself in FYI’s research and resources, and knew the impact parents have on their child’s faith.
Matthew and his team began to take a look at their ministry from a new perspective. He realized that one adult education class which met every Sunday morning was primarily composed of parents.
The youth ministry team and the class leaders began to equip this group of parents with the language of Sticky Faith, developing an approach that encouraged parallel discipleship of both parents and students.
Because of Sticky Faith, Matthew’s church realized that while there are significant life-stage differences between adolescents and their parents, the tools that encourage spiritual growth and everyday interaction with God don’t have to be different.
As a result, parents and students were able to work collaboratively on living out the faith practices discussed in class.
A number of parents shared that they were more eager to talk with their kids about faith at home. Because they knew the learning was similar, this shared experience created some great points of conversation.
Because of Sticky Faith, families in Matthew’s church were equipped to engage in spiritual practices that develop an everyday kind of faith.
It’s never too early or too late to help your child start developing faith that continues to grow and lasts. Our Sticky Faith family resources are filled with ideas from other parents they can try today, this week, or this month.
Growing up doesn’t have to mean growing apart.
Filled with brand-new research and real-life stories from remarkable families, Growing With shows you how to close the family gap, giving parents courage to take the next faithful step on a mutual journey of intentional growth that trusts God to transform you all.
Discover strategies to help you invite doubt, rather than avoid it. Growing With will show you how to help your kids keep their roots, even as they spread their wings.
Help teenagers answer life's biggest questions
Every teenager wants to know: Who am I? How will my life matter? Where do I fit?
Young people struggle to find satisfying and life-giving answers to these questions on their own. They need caring adults willing to lean in with empathy, practice listening, and gently point them in the direction of better answers.
FYI works with churches and families every day to walk with young people building lifelong faith.
Discover Sticky Faith Parent Resources Learn about Sticky Faith Research