Church Times reports that “committed” young Christians – those practising their faith regularly – are giving an average of around 10% of their income to churches and charities, roughly four times the UK giving average. It’s based on Stewardship’s Generosity Report 2026 and challenges some common assumptions about younger adults.
‘Committed’ young Christians are most generous givers to charity (Church Times)What stood out to us
Generosity is high where commitment is high. The standout finding is not just that young Christians give, but that those who are deeply engaged in their faith give sacrificially.
Much of this generosity is quiet. These patterns don’t always show up in headline statistics or media narratives about “young people and religion”.
There is appetite for guidance, not just asks. The underlying research suggests younger Christians are open to teaching and conversation about money and generosity.
Why this matters for leaders
If your planning is built on the idea that young adults are disengaged, distracted and unwilling to commit, you will inevitably design communications and fundraising that assume reluctance. This piece paints a different picture: younger Christians who are ready to take generosity seriously, if treated as partners rather than problems.
Ask not “how do we get them to give?” but “how do we walk well with the generosity already stirring?”
For leaders in churches and Christian charities, that means reconsidering how you talk to young adults and how you talk about them. Are you inviting them into meaningful responsibility and shared shaping of your work? Or are you largely treating them as a hard-to-reach demographic?
Recognising the generosity already present doesn’t remove the challenge, but it does shift the starting point. Instead of asking “how do we get them to give?”, you can ask “how do we walk well with the generosity God is already stirring?” That’s a different posture – and it leads to different decisions.
