Hundreds of Faith Leaders Called To Chicago

(CHICAGO, IL) – More than 200 diverse faith leaders from different denominations and Christian faith practices will gather in Chicago on Monday, October 9^th, 2023 to launch a national initiative aimed at Gen Z. The event brings together Christian preachers who are Black, Indigenous, White, Latino/a, and Asian American from the Catholic, Mainline, Evangelical, and Orthodox traditions. Their purpose is to highlight the importance of working together to reach the next generation with the Gospel and to reach 10 million youth in the next 10 years.

Why The Chicago Event?

TENx10, who is hosting the event, is a national collaborative designed to stop the drift of more than – 1 million young people who are leaving Christianity every year. “We are at a tipping point and could lose many more if we don’t do something now. The body of Christ must come together to support our youth and the ministry leaders who serve them,” says Pastor Raymond Chang, Executive Director of TENx10 who is based in Chicago. Recent trends have found one of the main factors contributing to the drift is that today’s youth perceive the church as a place they can’t relate to. That, along with ministries being under-resourced, has left many leaders struggling to find support in effectively connecting with today’s young people. “We want youth leaders to know that we are here for them. We serve all branches of the Christian faith and plan to focus on under-served, bi-vocational and volunteer leaders of color who may not have an abundance of high quality resources at hand,” explains Pastor Chang. Chicago is no stranger to collaboration of its diverse faith leaders. From panels pursuing racial solidarity to prayer filled protests to community service days and beyond, Chicago’s diversity offers ample opportunity for collaborating across lines of difference. In fact, in 2020, the Asian American Christian Collaborative, an organization that Pastor Raymond Chang leads, organized a march from Chinatown’s Chinese Christian Union Church to Progressive Baptist Church in Bronzeville shortly after the murder of George Floyd. In 2021, Pastor Chang, Bishop Horace Smith, Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates, Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III, and a host of Asian American and African American Christian leaders hosted a panel discussion at Apostolic Faith Church after the Atlanta Spa Shootings. In 2022, Pastor David Swanson, Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor James Meeks, Bishop Horace Smith, Pastor Ira Acree, and Pastor Chang along with dozens of other Chicagoland pastors also participated in a die-in in opposition to Chicago’s gun violence, which is most supplied by firearms that come from outside city and state lines. Monday’s event will continue the efforts to pray, advocate, and plan for how the church collectively best supports the next generation.“Our youth need to be supported, and more importantly, feel supported. They need to know that we are here as a faith community for them,” says Pastor Chang.

About TENx10

TENx10 will provide free resources for youth leaders and churches on their new digital platform launching on 10.10.2023. For more information on TENx10: www.tenx10.org, @tenx10collab on social media.