Exciting insights, stories and ideas for building a youth work that reaches unchurched Gen Z and Gen A teens with the gospel at this key moment of quiet revival.
After years of church decline, something is happening in the UK—a sharp rise in the number of young people who identify as followers of Jesus and attend church regularly.
This new, quiet revival among Gen Z and Gen A presents the church with a tremendous opportunity.
Drawing on his experience as the National Director of British Youth for Christ, Neil O’Boyle encourages you to seize this moment of spiritual openness as he…
Through O’Boyle’s emphasis on prayer and self-reflection, you’ll find yourself anchored in a sense of God’s power as you seek to participate in God’s exciting work among the younger generations.
Part 1: Starting Within
1. Ready for Revival
2. Making the Effort
3. We Go Slow
Part 2: Going Deep
4. Gen Z-A and Family
5. Gen Z-A and Morality
6. Gen Z-A and Value
Part 3: Looking Wide
7. Gen Z-A and Digital Technology
8. Gen Z-A and Social Media
9. Gen Z-A and Mental Health
Part 4: Reaching Out
10. Going into the Community
11. Working with Schools
12. Welcoming at Church
Conclusion: Now What?
Forming a Plan
Acknowledgements
Notes
| Contributors | Neil O'Boyle |
|---|---|
| ISBN | 9781802544176 |
| Format | eBook |
| First published | April 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Good Book Company |
Packed full of practical wisdom, theological reflection and cultural engagement, this book will grow your knowledge of and passion for younger generations. It is biblically rooted, powerfully authentic and packed with real-life stories of hope. Moreover, Neil O’Boyle is the real deal. I know few people who have served in gospel work amongst teenagers so faithfully and in such a diverse range of contexts. Readers will not only ‘catch’ his distilled wisdom but some of his contagious passion to see a lost generation encounter Jesus.
This is more than a book—it is a heartfelt call to action, a roadmap for potential revival and a compassionate invitation to rediscover the church’s mission to young people. With clarity and conviction, O’Boyle combines robust research, personal testimony and biblical insight to illuminate the spiritual hunger rising among today’s youth. This must-read book will stir your heart, challenge your assumptions and launch your ministry into deeper waters.
Catching the Wave is an honest field guide for churches that want to love Gen Z and Gen Alpha with care and clarity. O’Boyle puts prayer first and then lets the research and practice speak without reduction or hype, offering simple, credible steps any church can try. I commend it to pastors and youth teams who want a shared starting point that is spiritually serious and practically doable. Catching the Wave is for those of us who need to swallow our pride, me included, and try what actually works.
