Faith for Exiles - by David Kinnaman & Mark Matlock & Aly Hawkins (Paperback)

About the Book

Drawing from groundbreaking research and never-before-released data, president of Barna Group and former executive director of Youth Specialties reveal why the church is still necessary and perfectly equipped to meet young people's deepest desires, offering five surprising practices with the power to cultivate resilient faith in the next generation.

Book Synopsis

Discover What's Working and Find Hope
Negative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to get discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. In Faith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.

Caught Between Cultures
In a world where always-connected smart devices and search algorithms educate and entertain, digital Babylon is the new context for discipleship. Faith for Exiles reveals findings from a groundbreaking three-year research study of young Christians whose faith remains resilient even in exile. Barna president David Kinnaman teams up with former executive director of Youth Specialties Mark Matlock to help you:

- Make sense of chaotic cultural changes and respond with compassion to the next generation of believers
- Recognize the biblical concept of exile as an essential framework for following Christ today
- Discover five research-based practices that cultivate faithfulness in digital Babylon
- Prepare young Christians to be on mission with Jesus in the world
- Empower Jesus followers of all ages to thrive in our current exile

From the Back Cover

Discover what's working and find hope.

Negative perceptions. Church dropouts. Prodigals and nomads. It's easy to become discouraged by all that's going wrong when it comes to Christianity and the emerging generation. Yet what's going right? In fact, signs of hope are springing up all around. In Faith for Exiles, the author of unChristian and You Lost Me unveils major new Barna research that uncovers what's working--five practices that contribute to resilience. Enter the world of resilient young adult Christians and learn how they are sustaining faith. Finally, you can find hope in all that God is doing among young disciples today.

Praise for You Lost Me

"The next generation is leaving institutional Christianity, but they are drawn to movements of God that invest in relational discipleship. Kinnaman sounds the alarm while providing savvy advice on connecting with disaffected youth."--Leadership Journal, Top Book of 2011

"Kinnaman is unafraid to criticize in the name of reform, and he bolsters his research arguments with concrete suggestions for improvement. A must-read for anyone concerned about the future of Christianity."--Publishers Weekly, starred review


Praise for unChristian


"unChristian could be a milestone on the way to a changed church--one that represents Christ in humility, love, grace, and service toward all. Essential reading for all Christian leaders."--CBA Retailers

"An engaging, challenging, and morally compelling study."--Library Journal

"This is a wonderful, thoughtful book that conveys difficult truths in a spirit of humility. Every Christian should read this, and it will likely influence the church for years to come."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

About the Author

David Kinnaman is coauthor of unChristian, You Lost Me, and Good Faith. He is president of Barna Group, a leading research and communications company that works with churches, nonprofits, and businesses ranging from film studios to financial services. Since 1995, David has directed interviews with more than one million individuals and overseen hundreds of U.S. and global research studies. He and his wife live in California with their three children.

Mark Matlock has been working with youth pastors, students, and parents for more than two decades. He is the principal at WisdomWorks a consulting firm dedicated to helping individuals, churches and faith-centered organizations leverage the transforming power of wisdom to accomplish their mission. Mark is the former executive director for Youth Specialties (YS) and creator of the PlanetWisdom student conferences. He has written more than twenty books for teens and for parents. In addition, Mark serves as a teaching pastor at Irving Bible Church. Mark and his family live in Texas.