We have been exploring over the last several weeks characteristics about the new youth culture known as Gen Z (born 1998 to 2015).  The oldest in this group are now in college, and they have a decisively different view of the world, themselves, their family, and the Faith.  Today, we’ll take a look at their sense of identity, life goals and what they deem as priorities for their own “life fulfillment.”  Knowing these trends can greatly help church leaders devise outreaches that can possibly attract them into their congregations for evangelism and discipleship.

In their works, Gen Z and Barna Trends 2018, Impact 360 Institute and the Barna Group outline for us several intriguing, even disturbing characteristics that paint a portrait of a new generation that is moving further away from established norms and institutions of the past (family, church, etc.) in pursuit of their own “self-identity-fulfillment.”  When 13-to-18-year-olds were asked about specific personal goals and things that they deem as “life valuable,” 66% want to finish their education and to establish a solid career by the age of 30.  Related to this statistic is the strong desire to “become financially independent by 30” (65%). While this “success path” initially sounds commendable and laudable (especially to many parents who are footing their college education!), often today’s youth leave spirituality and the Christian Faith in the dust, with only 34% viewing spirituality as important, and then only 16% having the goal to become spiritually mature (Gen Z, page 38).  The pursuit of hobbies and relationships with friends are clearly more important to them than blood-family members (hobbies important 42%; family important 34%), with only 20% saying that a future goal is “getting married before 30.”

A telling distinction between Gen Z and Millennials occurs over what they view as “the primary mark of adulthood.”  For Gen Z’ers, it is “financial independence” (42% of them compared to only 25% for Millennials), and for Millennials, it is “emotional stability” (49% of them compared to only 23% for Gen Z’ers).  Add all these statistics together, and they put together a “life spreadsheet” for our current youth generation that is saturated with individual-absorbed views of self-centeredness and self-pursuits that lack faith, family, and mercy-charity (only 9% of Gen Z’ers thought “care for the poor and needy was important).  So, how should we respond to this from a ministry point-of-view?

Rather than sit in despair and wipe your hands clean, I believe ministry to this new Gen Z culture offers great possibilities for evangelistic impact and discipleship.  The answers to reaching this culture lie in figuring out the “keys” that will unlock their curiosity, interest, and needs.  If the attainment of a stable career by 30 is valuable to them, have your church host a job fair, and get a number of your members whose companies are looking for employees to set up booths to talk to them.  Better yet, get your church involved in creating its own “job bank,” with members supplying job openings in their companies so that Gen Z’ers can access them.  While these are going on, create seminars that discuss topics such as, but not limited to, “how to find the right career for you”, “how to get your personal finances in order,” and “things you can personally do to make yourself job-ready.”  In those seminars before a captive audience, strategic churches can offer small group Bible studies that address the spiritual needs that Gen Z’ers have (discussed in previous blogs).  The moral of this ministry principle: oftentimes you have to create a natural interest to a need (the job fairs and seminars) in order to bridge into the spiritual life of a Gen Z’er.  I believe following the apostle Paul’s example of “becoming all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) applies to this ministry approach to the Gen Z population, and I pray that churches and their leaders will consider it.