Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Diocese of Oxford’s annual chaplaincy conference. With the attendees, we explored what our study calls exemplarist narratives—the recurring stories Gen Z tell when they meet spiritual influence online and then make sense of it offline. I shared three of those narratives:
- Lost-and-Found: quiet reconnections that move from digital fatigue to embodied belonging.
- Space Between: peace in ambiguity, where mystery isn’t failure but depth, and calm presence matters more than quick answers.
- Simple Faith: moments of sudden encounter—admiration opening into awe and growing into devotion.
Taken together, these stories don’t signal decline; they map reconstruction. Gen Z participants are piecing faith together from fragments—screens, stories, silence—seeking communities that feel real, spaces where uncertainty is safe, and practices that reawaken wonder.
We’re expanding this research in 2026 and inviting partners to host co-research workshops with young adults. If you’re 18–28 and want to participate, then get started here: https://bit.ly/GenZ2026.
If you’re a chaplain of any faith and would like to support our work, then please get us in touch via the About page!
Huge thanks to Archdeacon Jonathan Chaffey for the kind invitation and hospitality.
The Gen Z Role Models Project 
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