community

November 1, 2018

Is There Hope and a Future for Gen Z Youth with the Church?

Today we conclude our series of blogs on Gen Z culture (those born 1998-2015), asking this central question: based on all the emerging research on this new youth generation, will the church be able to reach them?  Twenty or more years from now when they are adults, bringing children into the world (if Jesus tarries), will the church be there or extinct?  Is there a hope and a future for them and the church? Using research from the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute (their book, Gen Z, 103-106), we find that in some ways the church possesses opportunities to […]
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 […]
March 7, 2018

Penetrating the Walls of the Gen Z “Do Not Disturb Me” Persona: Gospel Opportunities

My new series of blogs highlights recent research by the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute on our culture’s newest population group: Gen Z (those born since 1998) with the prayer that we will be challenged to see gospel opportunities to reach this new youth culture (and subsequently, their parents and grandparents).  In this blog, I want to focus on the prevailing persona of this culture that desires not to render moral judgments or opinions on controversial issues, whether they be social, political, religious, or racial.  How do you impact a generation that prefers “safe spaces” (The World According to Gen Z, […]
May 26, 2017

What Post-Christian Thinking People Want: 8) Personal Problem-Solving

“I got problems.  You’ve got problems.  All God’s children got problems.”  It seems that problems and difficulties are a common denominator in the human experience.  But it is how those problems are addressed and resolved that gives Christians enormous opportunities for gospel witness and persuasive leverage towards post-Christian thinking people. A generation or two ago, our western society found many answers to their life problems either in their own nuclear family, broader family, or close-knit neighborhood relationships.  Those were the days when far more marriages and families were kept intact, and where people received “community-wisdom” to the life issues challenging them. […]