Listening Is Evangelization

by Josh Packard, Ph.D., Co-founder of Future of Faith

Pope Francis has called the Church to walk the path of synodality—a journey of communion, participation, and mission rooted in listening. Not just listening to doctrine or authority, but listening to one another. To the joys and wounds of the People of God. To the Spirit alive in the margins.

For campus ministers, this call could not be more urgent or more practical.

At Future of Faith, we recently conducted a national study with over 1,100 teenagers to understand how listening shapes spiritual development. What we found affirms and sharpens the vision Pope Francis has been articulating for more than a decade: listening is not preparation for ministry—it is the ministry.

Sixty-seven percent of teenagers told us they experience deeper faith when someone listens to them without judgment. Only 33% said the same about hearing a sermon. The takeaway is clear. In a generation marked by distrust in institutions and uncertainty about religious belonging, listening becomes the most credible form of proclamation.

The impact runs deeper still. Nearly three-quarters of teens say that being listened to helps them process spiritual challenges—grief, doubt, disillusionment. These are not abstract topics. These are the real struggles that emerge in dorm rooms, late-night walks, and impromptu office visits. Listening turns those moments into sacred ground.

Even more striking: 73% of teens become more open to spiritual conversations in the future when they feel heard in the present. This is accompaniment in action—exactly the kind of patient, relational ministry Pope Francis has consistently championed. It requires no programs, no platforms, no polish. Just the choice to be present.

Our study also confirmed that trust has not vanished; it has relocated. While institutional trust has eroded, 76% of teenagers report high trust in people they know personally. And when we asked what builds that trust, they named what you might expect from a good friend or spiritual guide: remembering details from past conversations, asking thoughtful questions, and resisting the urge to jump in with solutions. Eighty-four percent said attentive listening strengthens their relationship with the conversation partner.

Pope Francis often speaks of a Church that listens before speaking, that accompanies before instructing. This study puts data to that vision. When teens experience this kind of accompaniment, faith becomes possible again. Not because we argued them into belief—but because we made space for them to be seen, known, and loved.

In a synodal Church, listening is not a task for the few. It is the posture of the whole Body. Pastors, peer ministers, faculty, and students alike can participate in this sacred work. It is quiet, often invisible, and profoundly countercultural. But it is also the kind of ministry that renews trust and deepens belief.

If the Church wants to reach the next generation, we must not rush past the simple power of a listening presence. In a noisy world, listening stands out. It signals that the Church is not clinging to power, but offering relationship. And that may be the most evangelical act we can offer.

This is one way to honor the legacy of Pope Francis—a Church that walks with, listens to, and accompanies every person, especially those who are young, searching, and skeptical. If we are serious about that vision, listening is where we begin.