Listen "Ep. 118 - The Quiet Revival: Why Gen Z Is Coming Back to Church (with Dave Ferguson)"
Episode Synopsis
In this powerful episode of The Church Planting Podcast, Greg Nettle is joined by long-time friend and influential church leader Dave Ferguson. Dave is the founding pastor of Community Christian Church, president of Exponential, and co-founder of the global church planting network NewThing—now integrated into Exponential. The conversation covers: Dave's personal and organizational transitions, including appointing a new lead pastor at Community A deep dive into his 5-step leadership apprenticeship model (from his book Hero Maker) His global perspective on a potential revival among Gen Z, especially in the UK The explosive growth of microchurches His upcoming book Multiplier (coming March 2026) Challenges the Church must face to reach the next generation, including creating safe, peace-filled spaces for those deconstructing or new to faith A must-listen for anyone passionate about multiplication, innovation, and the future of the Church. 01:15 – Dave's leadership transition at Community Christian 04:05 – Merging NewThing into Exponential 06:40 – Dave's new role as CEO of Exponential 08:00 – Life Planning: What it is and who should do it 12:00 – 5-Step Apprenticeship Model explained 15:20 – Preview of Dave's new book: *Multiplier* 16:15 – The "Quiet Revival" among Gen Z in the UK 19:45 – US stats: A spiritual shift is happening 21:18 – Church hurt & challenges for church multiplication 23:00 – Peace as the new apologetic 24:30 – Global microchurch movement—how it started 27:00 – Story: 177+ microchurches through online training 29:00 – Why now is the time to empower global leaders 29:50 – Final encouragement & close
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