Silas Allen is the youth ministries and outreach co-ordinator at Northridge Community Church in Aurora, Ont.

Where is home for you?

As an officers’ kid, my “home” has never been one place—it has always been wherever my family was serving in Canada. From exploring the forests and beaches of British Columbia to making lifelong friends through church and camp in Ontario, each appointment had something special.

But one place that means a lot to me is my nana’s cottage on Georgian Bay, Ont. It’s filled with memories of family and friends. When life gets busy, there’s nothing quite like heading up for the night and arriving just in time for one of the world’s best sunsets. Sitting there with worship music playing, watching the sun sink into the horizon, has always been a place of peace and stillness—just me and God.

What does your faith mean to you?

Faith was always deeply rooted in our family life. From simple mealtime prayers and devotionals to formal family meetings about our next move, my parents continually modelled what it meant to seek God’s leading and trust him—even when it was difficult.

After high school, I took a gap-year discipleship program called Outtatown, during which I travelled across Western Canada and South Africa, taking courses in biblical studies and apartheid/ reconciliation, while serving in a variety of ministries.

Over the course of that year, I was challenged to work through what I truly believed and to be intentional about spending time with God. For me, this became one of two practices: either hiking in silence and solitude, and simply listening for God, or diving into Scripture. It was during this season that, for the first time in my life, I found myself genuinely desiring to read my Bible.

Through the rhythm of community, classes, readings and time with God, my faith was deeply transformed. It was during Outtatown that God placed on my heart the first message I ever shared, clarified the next steps he was calling me to take, and instilled in me a deep passion for Christ-centred community.

What have you noticed about gen Z and faith?

They are more than the church of tomorrow—they are the church of today. I see them genuinely working out their salvation with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12). I see a generation shaped by digital skepticism becoming critical thinkers—not content with surface-level answers, but longing for depth, for truth, for something real. In a world overflowing with information and certainty, they are captivated by the grandness and mystery of God, and by the wonder of the Holy Spirit.

Our youth group, for Grade 6 to Grade 12, is blessed to be experiencing remarkable growth. In just a few years, we have grown from a steady group of 10-15 to a vibrant community of around 70 young people. Even more beautiful is that nearly half of these teens come from unchurched homes. Many of their parents don’t attend, or have never attended church, and yet these young people keep coming—invited and drawn in by their peers.

One young man regularly brings a van full of his friends. When was the last time any of us thought to bring a van full of people from our work or neighbourhoods to church on a Sunday, or tried to fill up our life groups and Bible studies with friends from outside our churches?

Following our most-recent session of Alpha Youth, several youth are now planning on running Alpha in their schools. When was the last time we brought up faith to our co-workers, neighbours or friends? Have we considered how we can use our environments as a space of worship and mission?

What makes you hopeful for this generation?

In May, I attended the Alpha Leadership Conference in London, England. As a youth pastor, it was incredibly timely, with such a strong emphasis on the next generation and emerging research. One highlight was hearing statistics about church health and growth globally—particularly in the United Kingdom, where, for the first time in decades, church attendance is rising among gen Z. What makes me hopeful is seeing youth asking questions and taking their faith seriously and seeing their desire for their friends to know Jesus. I see it in my youth group, and in the greater church beyond.

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