Oxford, UK | Healing the Connection Crisis

“Growth companionship”—spaces where young adults can be known, mentored, and invited into simple communities that explore deep, authentic faith in Jesus.

There’s a lot of buzz about revival among young adults in the UK—especially in Oxford. People are moving there to be part of what’s happening, and churches are sharing exciting stories of faith springing up among students and young professionals.

Novo staff Thomas and Rachel, who moved to Oxford in 2018, have witnessed this. But they’ve also seen something else: a profound “connection crisis.” Many young adults don’t feel truly known. They’re hungry for authenticity, tired of shallow answers, and longing for a faith that reaches both their minds and their hearts. Thomas believes this surge of young adults coming into the city reflects their desire to encounter God in a real way.

To meet this need, Thomas and Rachel offer “growth companionship”—spaces where young adults can be known, mentored, and invited into simple communities that explore deep, authentic faith in Jesus. They provide relational discipleship where “more is caught than taught.”

This is bearing sweet fruit. When Thomas met Alice*, she described herself as spiritual but had never felt safe enough to explore it deeply. He invited her to a simple faith gathering in the park—two families, a meal, and a Discovery Bible Study. She came, read scripture aloud, and shared questions. Now, months into her faith journey, she’s experiencing a peace she’s never known and discovering that her struggles don’t define her. She remains a vital part of the simple faith community in their home.

Even young adults who are already leading in ministry express this same need. Thomas recently met with student leaders of a prominent church’s discipleship ministry—one seeing incredible responses to the gospel. As the leaders described all they were pouring out, Thomas asked who was pouring back into them. They went quiet. One young woman finally shared, “I feel known for what I can do, but I'm longing for someone to know who I am... I actually feel more distant from God while working in ministry than before I came to Oxford.”

As the leaders described all they were pouring out, Thomas asked who was pouring back into them. They went quiet.

When Thomas and Rachel came to Oxford, they hoped to help sow a gospel movement. But they recognized that the connection crisis was a barrier. Movements spread along relational lines—and without healthy relationships, a movement can’t take root. Through their ministry of growth companionship, they’re laying the relational groundwork so young adults in Oxford can finally experience deep connection, discipleship, and the beginnings of a sustained gospel movement. It’s slow work, but full of promise.

*name changed