Churches are key actors in the value system of many Western societies. However, they face a significant loss of relevance and credibility among their members and within society. For churches to maintain (or regain) cultural and social relevance, it is therefore crucial to understand which values are personally important to individuals. In autumn 2024 we conducted a representative survey of 2,035 German and 2,094 Czech citizens asking about drivers of credibility of churches. The younger the respondents, the more important are values like adventure, high living standards, creativity, personal success, but also religion. Health, justice, respect for others, security, and family are the most important across generations, while religion is the least important. Our findings indicate that pastoral attention for the person and her individual life is the strongest impetus for a positive evaluation of the church. This means that churches have a lot to gain in focussing more systematically on the younger generations.