Fuller Youth Institute

What Fuller Youth Institute does

Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) is a Pasadena, California-based non-profit research institute operating as an innovative branch of Fuller Theological Seminary, founded in the early 2000s. The organization employs approximately 18 core staff plus a 15+ person national speaker network and translates longitudinal academic research into practical resources for churches, youth ministry leaders, and parents of teenagers. Its core product portfolio spans proprietary research-based frameworks (Growing Young, Sticky Faith, 3 Big Questions, Growing With, Faith Beyond Youth Group) delivered as books, curricula, digital courses, the Certificate in Youth Discipleship, the 60-question Growing Young Assessment, free research reports, and a 13-season podcast.

FYI's business model combines freemium content marketing with diversified monetization. Free podcasts, blog content, and downloadable research reports (e.g., The FYI on Gen Alpha, Youth Leader Burnout and Wellbeing) build a community-led top-of-funnel, which converts into paid offerings through shop.fulleryouthinstitute.org, Amazon, and the Fuller Seminary learning platform. Revenue streams include one-time book and curriculum sales, recurring digital courses and certificate cohorts ($1,500 for the 9-month Certificate in Youth Discipleship), professional services consulting engagements ($1,000 coaching to $5,000-$10,000 longer-term contracts), speaking fees ($1,000-$6,500 per event), assessment tools ($50-$100), and denomination-level bulk sales with custom webinars ($350-$750).

The organization serves five primary customer segments: youth ministry leaders, church senior leaders, parents of teenagers, young adult ministry leaders, and denominational/network leadership, plus a multicultural ministry segment with Spanish, Korean, and Mandarin resources. Distribution runs through e-commerce, direct enterprise sales (Growing Young Workshops, consulting), event-based speaking, and channel/reseller bulk arrangements.

Name

Fuller Youth Institute

Legal name

Fuller Youth Institute

Website

https://fulleryouthinstitute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fuller Youth Institute is a non-profit research institute affiliated with Fuller Theological Seminary that converts longitudinal research on adolescent faith into books, curricula, digital courses, assessments, and consulting for youth ministry leaders, church leaders, and parents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Ministry Resources and Training

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth ministry resources
• Church leadership training
• Faith formation research
• Family discipleship materials
• Theological education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Pasadena

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Book and Curriculum Sales: Physical and digital books including Growing Young, 3 Big Questions, Sticky Faith series, Faith Beyond Youth Group, Growing With, Young Adult Ministry Now, and curriculum materials. Sold through shop.fulleryouthinstitute.org and Amazon.
2. Digital Courses and Certificates: Self-paced online courses including 6 Growing Young Essentials, Sticky Faith Innovation, Becoming a Keychain Leader, and Parenting in a Digital World. Certificate in Youth Discipleship costs $1,500 for cohort format (9 months) or available for self-paced study.
3. Church Consulting Services: Customized consulting engagements with 18-month focused journey. Shorter-term coaching packages beginning at $1,000; longer-term consulting starting around $5,000-$10,000. Includes Listen, Dream, Do three-phase approach.
4. Speaking Engagements: National speaking team available for conferences and training events. Typical rates for 1-2 day events range from $1,000-$6,500 plus travel and lodging.
5. Regional Leader Programs: Growing Young Workshops for denominations and networks with bulk book rates. Customized webinars at $350-$750 per session. Speaker certification at $1,000 per year.
6. Assessment Tools: Growing Young Assessment starting at $50-$100 for 5 people. Free individual assessment available. 60-question survey generates 30-page report.
7. Podcast and Content: The FYI on Youth Ministry podcast (13 seasons) provides free content to build community and drive product awareness. Free downloadable research reports and blog posts attract audiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) translates longitudinal academic research on adolescent and emerging-adult faith into practical ministry resources for churches, youth leaders, and parents. It sells research-based books, curricula, digital courses, assessment tools, and certificate programs, and delivers paid church consulting, workshops, and a national speaker bureau. Free content (podcast, blog, research reports) feeds a community-led funnel that converts leaders into paid offerings.

Product overview

Fuller Youth Institute (FYI) is a research-based ministry resource organization that turns academic research into practical resources for youth ministry, family ministry, and church leadership. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services including: books (Growing Young, Sticky Faith, Growing With, Faith Beyond Youth Group, 3 Big Questions, Future-Focused Church, Young Adult Ministry Now, Faith in an Anxious World, Every Parent's Guide to Navigating Our Digital World); curriculum products (Who Do You Say I Am?, On-the-Go Youth Leader Curriculum, Multicultural Conversation Toolkits); digital training programs (Certificate in Youth Discipleship, 6 Growing Young Essentials, Sticky Faith Innovation Online Team Training, Becoming a Keychain Leader, Parenting in a Digital World); assessment tools (Growing Young Assessment); research reports (The FYI on Gen Alpha, Youth Leader Burnout and Wellbeing); a podcast (The FYI on Youth Ministry); church consulting services; speaker bureau; and cohort-based training programs. The organization also provides free resources including Youth Ministry 101. FYI operates as a division of Fuller Theological Seminary and focuses on helping churches engage young people and build lasting faith.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sticky Faith: Research-based movement and resources focused on building lifelong faith in young people, preventing the trend of students walking away from church after high school graduation
• Growing Young
• Growing With
• 3 Big Questions
• Faith Beyond Youth Group
• Multicultural Youth Ministry
• Navigating Our Digital World

Products and services

• Growing Young Book A research-based book and national movement providing six essential strategies to help churches engage young people ages 15-29 and grow spiritually, emotionally, missionally, and numerically.
• Sticky Faith Book and Research Movement A research-based movement with 14+ books and video resources equipping parents and leaders with theological frameworks and practical ideas for developing long-term faith in teenagers, based on studies of 500+ students and 50 families.
• 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager A book and curriculum based on landmark research with 2,200 diverse teenagers, offering practical conversations to help teenagers answer their three biggest questions: Who am I? Where do I fit? What difference can I make?
• Growing With A parent's guide to helping teenagers and young adults thrive in their faith, family, and future, showing parents how to help kids keep their roots even as they spread their wings.
• Faith Beyond Youth Group A book identifying why youth ministry often fails both short-term and long-term, offering five ways adult youth leaders can cultivate character for a lifetime of growing closer to Jesus.
• Future-Focused Church A book providing practical insights on leading effective church change and crafting a roadmap to grow thriving, sustainable ministry in a rapidly changing world.
• Young Adult Ministry Now A practical guide offering tips and strategies to amplify young adult ministry, uniting fresh wisdom on ministry innovation with FYI's Growing Young insights.
• Every Parent's Guide to Navigating Our Digital World A practical guide helping families think and talk differently about digital media, addressing pressing tech-related dilemmas with 100+ practical tips, ideas, and discussion questions.
• Who Do You Say I Am? Curriculum A 6-week high school curriculum exploring identity, ethnicity, race, community, and faith, helping students discover their unique God-given identities in Christ.
• Faith in an Anxious World Curriculum A 4-week high school curriculum series that empowers leaders with language and tools to respond to young people in their care.
• On-the-Go Youth Leader Curriculum Short, easy-to-use youth group discussion guides and prayer activities based on FYI research, designed for relational connection without stressful planning and prep.
• Multicultural Conversation Toolkits Comprehensive guides for adults to engage in conversations with young people about culture, immigration, and race, available in multiple languages including Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and English.
• 6 Growing Young Essentials Digital Course A digital course teaching how to define the six core commitments of Growing Young, identify how each commitment might look in context, and determine next steps.
• Sticky Faith Innovation Online Team Training A 6-session, self-paced online training that guides teams to compassionately listen to young people, respond creatively with fresh ideas, and implement a new purposeful approach in ministry.
• Becoming a Keychain Leader Digital Course A digital course exploring the first core commitment of Growing Young, showing how to more effectively involve young people in leadership roles in church.
• Parenting in a Digital World Digital Course A digital course helping parents understand the digital landscape and start conversations with their kids about healthy media usage, including videos, conversation starters, and downloadable resources.
• Certificate in Youth Discipleship A 6-course digital program that strengthens calling by learning to lead ministry with confidence, nurture volunteers, equip parents, and plan action steps to disciple teenagers for faith that lasts; available as 9-month cohort ($1,500) or self-paced.
• Growing Young Assessment A 60-question academically-validated survey tool providing vital insights about a church's effectiveness with young people, generating a 30-page downloadable report. Free for individuals; priced from $50-$100 for groups.
• Church Consulting Services Research-driven consulting helping churches move from almost-change to lasting transformation through faith-centered guidance in youth, family, and church-wide ministry; delivered as 18-month customized engagements.
• Speaker Bureau National speaking team of 15+ Friends of FYI speakers available for conferences, training events, breakout sessions, or smaller group sessions on topics including Growing Young, Growing With, Sticky Faith, multicultural youth ministry, and digital navigation.
• Growing Young Cohorts Yearlong cohort programs where churches commit to the Growing Young journey together, working with FYI experts to implement strategies for engaging young people; 130+ churches committed to cohorts.
• The FYI Report on Gen Alpha Research report highlighting findings from nearly 3,000 surveys and interviews with teens ages 13-17, providing practical ministry-ready insights for shaping programming and equipping volunteers.
• The FYI Report on Youth Leader Burnout and Wellbeing Research report shedding light on common contributors to burnout among youth leaders and top practices recommended to prevent burnout and promote wellbeing.
• The FYI on Youth Ministry Podcast A podcast bringing together groundbreaking research, practical advice from ministry experts, and heartfelt stories from diverse church leaders and young people to equip faithful young people; 13 seasons published and available free.
• Youth Ministry 101 Free Resource A free 7-part guide for new youth ministry leaders covering questions about young people, deeper conversations, stress, and doubt about faith.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% of students walk away from church after high school graduation, but research shows parents are the #1 spiritual influencers of young people
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Fuller Theological SeminarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFYI is an innovative branch of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA. FYI partners with faculty from both of Fuller's graduate schools to create tools for youth ministry. The organization operates as part of Fuller's leadership formation initiatives and offers certificate completion credit toward advanced degrees at Fuller Seminary.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Auxano: Church consulting and vision clarity services for established congregations. Comparable as a consulting peer to FYI's church engagement practice, with a broader church-wide scope.
• The Unstuck Group: Church consulting firm focused on church health, vision alignment, and growth. Comparable on the church consulting and strategic transformation axis, but broader than youth-specific.

Direct peers

• Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU): Research-driven organization focused on adolescent culture, parent resources, and youth ministry training. Closely comparable in combining research, parent resources, and youth-leader training.
• Dare 2 Share: Produces evangelism and disciple-making curriculum and events for youth ministries. Comparable as a direct-to-church youth ministry resource provider with training programs.
• Group Publishing: Long-established producer of youth ministry curriculum, VBS programs, and training events for churches. Direct competitor in curriculum and training products targeting the same youth-leader buyer.
• RightNow Media: Streaming video library used by churches for discipleship, including youth and family content. Comparable in delivering digital, on-demand ministry content to the same church customer base.
• Barna Group: Research firm tracking faith, church, and cultural trends in the U.S. Closely comparable research-to-insights pipeline serving church leaders and ministry professionals.
• Youth Specialties: Provides youth ministry training, events (National Youth Workers Convention), books, and resources. Highly comparable on the youth-leader training and resource axis.
• Orange (The reThink Group): Orange produces research-informed curriculum, conferences, and strategy tools for children's, youth, and family ministry. Directly comparable to FYI on the youth/family ministry resources and consulting axis.

Emerging players

• Rooted Ministry: Catholic-focused adolescent ministry resources and research for parents and ministry leaders. Comparable on parent/adolescent ministry research and resources, but serves a distinct Christian tradition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/fulleryouthinstitute
• Facebookfacebook.com/fulleryouthinstitute
• Instagraminstagram.com/fulleryouthinstitute
• TikToktiktok.com/@fulleryouthinstitute
• Xx.com/fullerFYI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fuller-youth-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fuller Youth Institute