Calling.
Forming.
Empowering.
Future Leaders.
“The Church’s future will not be built on programs or platforms–but on leaders.”
— Rev. Steve Carter
Christ Church, Oak Brook, IL
The Church Matters.
PreachFor is calling, forming and empowering new faith leaders to lead flourishing churches through the PreachFor America Fellowship.
Vision >
The PreachFor America Fellowship.
Extend your leadership skills and explore and discern your calling while being financially supported.
Educational. Emerging leaders explore, discern, answer the call, and pursue a Master’s degree.
Financial. Emerging leaders are empowered with a living wage.
Social. Fellows are inspired and formed through a supportive community of mentors and peers in a thriving church.
A Growing Crisis.
Many churches in America are struggling due to critical shortages in church leadership. In 1991, church attendance in America began declining in earnest.
The median age of pastors is generally on the rise, and 1 in 4 pastors is contemplating retirement by 2030. At the same time, the number of our best young servant leaders entering ministry is declining.
Sources: Ryan Burge, The American Religious Landscape (2025), Barna Group.
Flourishing Churches. Outstanding Leaders.
Despite the growing crisis, some churches still flourish. Recent research shows a 6% increase in congregations across all faiths who strongly agree that they are “spiritually vital and alive”.
Why?
“Strong leadership that fits with participants” are among the leading reasons, and “leadership that is innovative and inspiring” is the first of four keys to revitalizing congregations’ vitality and engagement (2020 Faith Communities Today).
Diverse ages within churches also correlate with vitality and flourishing.
Churches with a percentage of young adults and seniors that approaches the national norm are more likely to express vitality, have a clear sense of mission and purpose, embrace change, and exhibit overall growth.
Gen Z is an increasingly important generation for the future of the Church!
Gen Z’s Rising Tide.
Recent research and anecdotal evidence point to a resurgence in church attendance by younger generations.
September 2025 data from the Barna Group show Gen Z and Millennials now attending church more frequently than older generations—an historic reversal.
Spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials.
A Solution.
With Gen Z demonstrating heightened spiritual curiosity, we see more opportunities for ministry and healthy challenges for church leadership.
The Church urgently needs thoughtful, qualified, and faithful clergy and lay leaders to embrace this renewal. Our flagship program, the PreachFor America Fellowship aims to call, form, and empower the emerging leaders the Church so desperately needs.
Through valuable ministry experience, personalized mentorship, and theological training, PreachFor America Fellows will be equipped to steward the Church for decades to come.
