Our Story

In October 2020, with Jeremy R. Smith as a common denominator, a group of Christian pastors, professors, and professionals locked arms to help churches reach, train, and retain more young people. Soon after, ReThink315’s mission, vision, and values were established, its bylaws codified, and it became an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Since then, we’ve partnered with hundreds of churches and institutions through student surveys, consulting, training, events, summer camps, student retreats, and apologetics conferences.

Our Mission & Vision

Mission:
To increase the number of Christians clearly and confidently sharing the gospel and reduce the number of professing Christians—especially young people—leaving the church due to unanswered (or poorly answered) questions.

Vision:
We envision a world where more churches and individual believers create space for better conversations, offer better answers to difficult questions, and engage both non-Christians and struggling Christians with gentleness and respect.

What Does ReThink315 Mean?

As Christian apologists, we are committed to offering a defense, an answer, and “a word back” to those with pressing questions and deep doubts. Inspired by 1 Peter 3:15, which calls us to always be prepared to give a reason for our hope, we also challenge Christians to ReThink popular interpretations and applications of this verse.

What Are We ReThinking?

As one of our board members says, “The apologist’s task is not less than offering good arguments for God’s existence—but it is so much more than that.” We encourage Christians of all ages to ReThink Peter’s exhortation by not only offering an apologia but doing so in a way that honors Christ as Lord and reflects genuine gentleness and respect.

Our Ministry Philosophy

We’re excited to see a growing interest in Christian apologetics, especially in youth and young adult ministry. Peter’s call to defend the faith is as relevant today as it was in the first century. However, applying 1 Peter 3:15 requires us to embrace the full scope of the verse:

1. Sanctify Christ as Lord – Peter first calls believers to “sanctify Christ as Lord” in their hearts. Like the old Harvard mission statement, we aim to “lay Christ in the bottom” as the only foundation for education and engagement.

2. Be Prepared with a Defense – We are called to offer a thoughtful, verbal defense (apologia) to anyone who asks, giving a clear and reasoned response to objections.

3. Maintain Gentleness and Respect – While we must speak truth, we are commanded to do so with kindness and humility.

These three elements must reinforce each other. Tragically, defending Christianity without a Christ-centered foundation or without gentleness and respect undermines our claims and weakens our witness. If our approach to apologetics lacks Christlikeness, it isn’t truly “Christian” apologetics.

But don’t take our word for it—just ask the teens and young adults in your life. They’ll tell you that skepticism about the Christian faith is widespread, and distrust of the American church is increasingly common. These trends impact us all, but the toll on young people is particularly concerning.

How You Can Help

1. Pray for Us: Prayer is essential to our health and fruitfulness. Email us at info@rethink315.com to join our prayer chain. Put “prayer chain” in the subject line.

2. Join our Support Team: As a donor-supported ministry, we rely on investors like you to fund our unique programs. Also, we’re always looking for kingdom minded corporate sponsors to offset our event costs. 

3. Subscribe to our E-newsletter: In addition to event updates, you’ll receive our WYSR (What You Should Read) emails highlighting good answers to common questions about Christianity. 
   4. Make Introductions: Connect us with your pastor, youth pastor, friends, or family. We offer services and programs for anyone passionate about Christian apologetics, evangelism, and discipleship.