Worldview

November 22, 2019

Biblical Submission in Marriage: Practically Speaking, Three Things It Means for Husbands

Wives, biblical love from submission is possible when your husbands realize that they are the freest when they follow Christ and when they see that God has a mission for them that centers around YOU.
October 17, 2018

Youth Ministry to Gen Z Teens: Are we Hitting the Mark?

In our continuing series, we’re reviewing research from the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute over the trends emerging in the Gen Z culture (those born from 1998—2015).  Last time, we examined how a sizable number of parents felt ill-equipped to disciple their teen children, and how the church must disciple the parents in order to reach their children.  Today, we’re going to review research examining youth ministry to today’s Gen Z’ers.  Is it effective and impactful?  What can we learn? The authors and editors at Impact 360 Institute (their book, Gen Z) surveyed a number of parents and youth […]
October 11, 2018

Discipling Parents to Disciple their Gen Z Teens

For a number of weeks, we have reviewed current research outlining the trends/patterns of belief and practice among the new Gen Z culture (born 1998-2015). To an age that struggles with identity, lives with anxiety over their financial future and the prospects of a stable employment, and often hides behind technology and social media as a “screenager,” parents often find themselves ill-equipped and under-resourced in discipling their Gen Z’ers to live responsibly in the world.  It is here that the church can have one of its greatest ministries: disciple and equip the parents of Gen Z youth so that they […]
October 4, 2018

Why are we losing more Gen Z males?

We have been exploring over the last number of blogs new research documenting the trends and moral preferences of the Gen Z youth culture (those born from 1998-2015).  We see that a sizable percentage of this new generation views the Christian Faith and absolute Truth (with a capital T) as out-of-date and unimportant.  While that thought alone is alarming, what really strikes close to home in my review of this generation’s trends is the larger percentage of Gen Z males (over females) that see little pertinence and relevance in Christianity, the church, and morality. Using the good resources from the […]
September 20, 2018

Gen Z, Church preferences, and influence: What turns them on and off

In our continuing series of blogs highlighting the characteristics of the new youth culture, Gen Z (those born from 1998-2015), we have previously outlined their views on identity, self-fulfillment, gender, worldview, and life goals.  Today, we’re going to peek at how they view the church and their participation in it.  What makes this striking is that their image of an exemplary church differs significantly from what is often seen in our world today, and ministry leaders and pastors better take notice of it. Using the excellent resources from Impact 360 Institute (the book Gen Z) and the Barna Group (their […]
August 31, 2018

Gen Z and Their View of the Church: a Love/Hate Relationship

We have been exploring in a series of blogs what our new youth culture, Gen Z (born 1999 to 2015) thinks about life, God, the world, gender identity, and truth.  Today we take a few moments to see what they think about the Church.  There are positive things that Gen Z’ers see in the Church, but there are also deeply disturbing issues within them about the Church that should sound the alarm for any church leader seeking to reach and to disciple them in the gospel. I’m grateful for the resources from the Barna Group (their book Barna Trends 2018) and Impact […]
August 23, 2018

The Consequences from Parenting in a Gen Z Culture: Where has this taken our Youth?

In this rapidly changing, post-Christian culture, we are exploring in a series of blogs the world of the Gen Z (those born from 1999–2015), the earliest of which are now freshmen and sophomore students in college.  In this “screenage” population where deep anxiety, diversity, gender-confusion, and personal safety/security are top issues, how have their Gen X parents attempted to parent them through life? More importantly, how has this parenting affected the Gen Z worldview and what does this mean for evangelism and discipleship of Gen Z’ers? As with past blogs, I continue to highlight research from two primary “think-tanks” in […]
August 16, 2018

Sexuality and Personal Identity in a Gen Z World: Changing Perspectives

In the last several blogs, I highlighted a number of key findings on the new Gen Z population (those born from 1999-2015) dealing with this new youth culture’s worldviews, obsession with technology and social media, and understanding of relationships with a new meaning of “family.”  But nothing stands out greater in this new generation than their confusion over gender, sexuality, and personal identity.  In this environment where misunderstanding and perplexity abound, the Church must speak with clarity about sexuality, evangelize with compassion, and disciple with intentionality. Impact 360 Institute and the Barna Group’s research (the books Gen Z and Barna […]
August 7, 2018

Discipleship in a Gen Z “Anxiety Culture”: Key Realizations

In previous blogs, I have highlighted some important new research on the Gen Z population (those born between 1999-2015) given to us by the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute. They paint the portrait of a new generation that struggles with their own identity, swims in an ocean of moral relativism powerfully influenced by social media and YouTube, and often hides behind devices (phones, tablets, etc.) rather than connect directly with others in interpersonal ways. Today, we look at another central element that defines this culture: ANXIETY and how the Church can disciple them. Gen Z “screenagers” have never felt […]
February 14, 2018

Understanding the Worldview of the Gen Z, Post-Christian Culture: Astonishing Findings

Last week, I began a new series of blogs highlighting the recently released research of the Barna Group and Impact 360 on our newest generation (born 1998 and after) called “Gen Z” and their beliefs, perspectives, and outlook on life.  In this blog, I want to spotlight the shifting worldview that this new teenage and early-college era generation possesses, and what this means to reaching and discipling this new population (and by default, their parents and grandparents) with the gospel.  I will first highlight the culture-at-large, then zoom-in to Gen Z. Of the total population, in Barna Trends 2018 (available at […]