Pizza helping bring more and more young people to faith
Published on 20 October 2026 4 minutes read
One of the most beloved foods in the world is helping a congregation connect young people with God.
The Pizza Church project at Cowal Kirk in Dunoon on the west coast of Scotland brings together people of all ages to explore the Good News of Jesus Christ in a tasty and enjoyable way.
More than 100 people gather to tuck into their favourite flavour combinations every month in a relaxed and informal setting that has led to "genuine faith development".
They eat, pray, sing, listen to a short gospel message, and have fun together.
The success of Pizza Church led to the congregation launching another project called Plug-In Church, which provides space for people to ask deeper questions about Christianity and what following Jesus looks like and means for them.
The inspiring community outreach projects are discussed in episode two of the Church of Scotland's new Thriving Church Lab podcast, which has launched today.
Growth
Rev Everisto Musedza, minister of Cowal Kirk, chats to host Hannah Sanderson about how his congregation is reaching out to young people and making new disciples.
Asked how Pizza Church began, he said: "It started with recognising a need in our community.
"We sensed there was a need to bring all generations together, somewhere families could laugh, play, and grow together.
"There wasn't any doubt that the need existed.
"Once we agreed the need was there, we felt we had to do something about it rather than just acknowledge it.
"So, we decided to give it a try and see where the journey would take us.
"First, there was recognition within the congregation that we're an ageing congregation and our numbers are dwindling.
"People often ask, ‘where is the next generation?'
"My response was that the next generation isn't missing, they're already here.
"We have primary schools, secondary schools, and young people all around us.
"So, we brought together a team - our families worker, myself, the session clerk, and a few people who were genuinely excited about reaching younger generations.
"Together we said ‘the young people are here, what are we going to do about it?'
Memories
Hannah asked: "So there was a shared vision?
Everisto replied: "Exactly.
"My role was often just to get people into a room and ask, ‘what do you want to do?'
"It wasn't one person coming in with all the answers. It was people exploring possibilities together."
Hannah asked about the importance of developing an intergenerational church.
"It's fundamental," Everisto replied.
"When families go on holiday, they don't split up into separate groups.
"They experience things together, they play games together and they create memories together.
"I think it's important for people of all generations to experience God together in the same space.
"Children learn by watching and observing; what a blessing for a toddler to watch their granny worship God.
"When everyone experiences the same message and the same gathering, they can continue the conversation afterwards.
"They can talk about what they saw, heard, and learned.
"At Pizza Church, our goal is to keep people together whenever possible.
"We don't want to split the group up and we're seeing really positive results from that approach."
Everisto said Pizza Church has grown in popularity among young people since it started.
"Our average attendance is over 100 people every month, and it's been consistently around that level for nearly two years," he said.
"What's really exciting is that young people invite their friends.
"Primary school children and teenagers are telling their classmates, ‘come along, come and have fun at church'.
"We're also seeing genuine faith development.
"Recently a child came to me after a holiday club and asked, ‘what do I need to do to be baptised?'
"Within days we were talking with their family about arranging a baptism.
"It's those moments that are really exciting."
Connection
Everisto explained how Plug-In Church grew out of Pizza Church.
"At Pizza Church we pray together, sing together, hear a short gospel message, eat together, and have fun together," he said.
"Over time, some people began asking deeper questions, they wanted more.
"They wanted to go further in their faith.
"People were saying, ‘I've enjoyed Pizza Church, but where do I go next?'
"We never wanted Pizza Church to be a way of funnelling people into Sunday morning worship whether they wanted that or not.
"Instead, we wanted to ask ‘how can we help people deepen their faith where they are?
"As we thought about it, it felt like people needed to be recharged.
"They wanted more energy, more depth, more connection.
"So, we asked ‘where can people plug in, and that's where the name came from."
Pizza Church is held on the last Friday of every month and Plug-In Church takes place on the first Sunday of every month, from 4pm to 5pm.
Everisto said more than 60 people attended the first session of Plug-In Church when it launched on 4 April 2026.
"One thing we're constantly reminding ourselves is that it's not about us," he explained.
"Rather than telling people how they should experience God, we're asking them what are you looking for?
"We're trying to listen and fill those gaps rather than assuming we already know all the answers."
Listening
Asked how Plug-In Church differs from a normal Sunday service, the minister said: "In a traditional service, I'm often choosing the hymns, preaching, and leading most of what happens.
"At Plug-In Church, we're deliberately creating more space for participation.
"We ask people: ‘what are you experiencing?
"What questions do you have?, what do you think God is saying?
"Sometimes people raise things completely spontaneously.
"At one gathering, someone said during a prayer time ‘I sense that we need to pray for somebody here, but I don't know who'.
"I responded by saying ‘well, if that's what you're sensing, let's test it., is there anyone here who would like prayer?'
"We decided not to dismiss what had been shared, we gave it space.
"What I loved was that the person felt safe enough to share what they sensed, even though they didn't have all the answers."
To hear more about the exciting work Cowal Church is doing to connect with people, listen to the podcast.