Campus Ministry at UW-Madison
The Stephen & Laurel Brown Foundation and Upper House serve the greater collective of campus ministry organizations and student serving churches at UW—Madison.
Engaging Gen Z
Workshop for campus ministers, pastors, youth leaders, and ministry practitioners
🗓️ Wednesday, September 11 |11:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Cost = $10 (includes lunch)
* If money is an issue, please let us know. Email - djohnson@slbrownfoundation.org
Join us for an interactive, in-person workshop that will equip you with practical tools and fresh perspectives for reaching the spiritually open. InterVarsity's Mark Matlock will share groundbreaking insights from Barna Group about societal trends and how to meaningfully connect with the 100 million Americans who are spiritually curious but not yet committed.
You’ll learn how to:
Through guided discussions, case studies, and collaborative exercises, you’ll leave with a renewed vision for relational, respectful evangelism rooted in the gospel.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:
Mark Matlock is a Senior Fellow at Barna and the Executive Director of Urbana 2025 for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Mark facilitates innovation and impact, helping organizations adapt to changing times by turning data and research into strategic action.
He founded WisdomWorks, a consultancy helping churches and faith-based organizations leverage their collective wisdom and insight to innovate and accelerate. As a consultant, Mark has worked with national and international organizations such as Seed Company, Brotherhood Mutual, MOVEMENT.ORG, and Awana.
Mark is the author of more than 20 books for teens and parents, and in 2019 co-authored Faith for Exiles: Five Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon with Barna Group CEO Kinnaman. Mark recently authored Faith for the Curious, which incorporates Barna research about this cultural moment.
You’ll learn how to:
- Identify and understand the unique mindset of the spiritually curious, curious skeptics, and naturalists.
- Cultivate authentic conversations that respect curiosity while pointing toward Christ.
- Reframe evangelism for a generation that values exploration over certainty.
- Apply Barna’s latest research to your ministry context—whether on campus, in the church, or in the community.
Through guided discussions, case studies, and collaborative exercises, you’ll leave with a renewed vision for relational, respectful evangelism rooted in the gospel.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:
Mark Matlock is a Senior Fellow at Barna and the Executive Director of Urbana 2025 for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. Mark facilitates innovation and impact, helping organizations adapt to changing times by turning data and research into strategic action.
He founded WisdomWorks, a consultancy helping churches and faith-based organizations leverage their collective wisdom and insight to innovate and accelerate. As a consultant, Mark has worked with national and international organizations such as Seed Company, Brotherhood Mutual, MOVEMENT.ORG, and Awana.
Mark is the author of more than 20 books for teens and parents, and in 2019 co-authored Faith for Exiles: Five Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon with Barna Group CEO Kinnaman. Mark recently authored Faith for the Curious, which incorporates Barna research about this cultural moment.
University Religious Workers at UW-Madison
University Religious Workers of the University of Wisconsin Madison (URW) is a professional association for staff and leaders of religious groups, campus ministries and faith communities at UW-Madison. URW exists to support our members and their work with UW students, faculty and staff.
Biennial Student Spiritual Climate Survey
Every two years, Upper House in partnership with many other campus ministry organizations, survey Christian students involved in campus ministry and churches. We are releasing our Spring Semester 2024 survey results. Other years we have surveyed students in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
Here are a few key takeaways:
Here are a few key takeaways:
- Based on the 2024 study, 87% of students began their faith journey before entering college (91% in 2022, 88% in 2020, and 85% in 2018).
- 92% of students shared their faith (at least once) during the 2023-24 academic year. 31% of students indicated that they don't want to push their beliefs on others as the top reason they don't share their faith with their peers.
- The importance of Church attendance to spiritual growth has shifted down 10% in 2024. (Very important/Extremely important - 2022 = 81%, 2024 = 71%). 72% of students attend typically Church in-person.