4 Strategies to Increase Theology in Next Gen Ministry
We have a crisis in our generation. The crisis is that we are serving a God we do not know.
One of the most alarming research discoveries in the U.S. over the last 5 years is the plummeting adherence to Christianity and the dramatic loss of a biblical worldview among the last four generations.
It doesn’t take much effort to see the decline of Christianity and the biblical worldview in the last 4 generational sets.
Especially looking at Generation Z, the present teenagers and college students, where there is almost no biblical worldview (4%) and the highest number of atheists (13%) in any generational set.
In multiple research findings from Barna, Pew, FEED, and the American Worldview Inventory, 84% of the silent generation, or the older grandparents today, claimed to be Christian.
Then they had children that we call Generation X, or adult parents today, and the research found that only 67% of Generation X claims to be Christian.
We saw the statistics continue to spiral when Generation X had their first set of children, the millennials, who are about 24-38 years of age today. The Millennial set were found to be about 49% Christian.
Finally, research shows that the present generation of teenagers and college students we call Generation Z, the youngest set of kids from Generation X and the younger brothers and sisters of the Millennials, now consists of about 34% that would call themselves Christian.
So, in four generations we drop from 84% in the grandparents, to 67% in the parents, to 49% of older millennials, and now to the 34% of grandchildren who profess to be Christian in America.
The faith handoff from one generation to the next has failed miserably over the last four generations.
For example, the youngest children of Gen X, Gen Z teenagers today, spiraled into a 4% biblical worldview. This capped off a four-generational slide from a 65% biblical worldview in the silent generation and the reason for this book.
Look at the following revealing statistics from this latest research:
• 27% of US population is Gen Z
• 35% of Gen Z consider themselves atheist, agnostic, or no religious affiliation
• 13% of Gen Z claim to be atheist as opposed to 7% of Millennials
• 50% of Christian teens in the U.S. believe Jesus was raised from the dead
• 32% of Christian teens in the U.S. believe Jesus is active in the world today
• 46% of Christian teens say they never read the bible
• 45% of Christian teens believe all religions have equally valid truths
• 39% of Gen Z attend church weekly
• 16% of Gen Z say becoming spiritually mature is a goal in their life
• 4% of Gen Z has a biblical worldview
When it comes to the faith of the next generation, youth ministry in America needs a missiology, or, a plan.
We need a new missiology concerning Faith and Theology in Next Gen ministry.
I believe part of the problem is that we are doing youth ministry in a Nickelodeon way while our teenagers are living in a Stranger Things world.
It’s like the church treats young people two years younger than they actually are - with programming like gaga ball, nine square, pizza parties, solely relational small groups without theology discussions, and sermonettes on The Avengers.
While the public school system treats them as young adults – demanding their understanding, discipline, teamwork, and punctuality.
I believe young people can handle theology. I believe they can handle the deeper things of God‘s character and nature. I believe they can understand the Scriptures as easily as they can understand reading, writing, and arithmetic.
Do not underestimate the ability and the willingness of teenagers to grasp Christianity and a biblical worldview. The spiritual formation of a generation is dependent upon this.
The Grand Canyon
We have a crisis in this generation. That we are serving a God we do not know.
Think about that. It is like seeing pictures and movies and hearing people tell stories about The Grand Canyon all of our lives.
We get this picture in our mind and have an illusory understanding of one of the 7 wonders of the world. Maybe we even have an emotional connection with the thought of The Grand Canyon.
But, in reality, if we have never stood on the rim of The Grand Canyon, we have never seen The Grand Canyon.
All of our lives we have seen the social media posts and the vacation photos and the advertising pictures of one of the 7 wonders of the world. We have watched movies and news reports and seen National Geographic or other television or magazine documentaries of one of the most spectacular iconic places on the planet.
But, in reality, if we have never stood on the rim of The Grand Canyon, looking at this iconic place as far as the eye can see, we have never seen The Grand Canyon.
Now, relate the Grand Canyon analogy to this present generation in America and their relationship with Christianity and God.
A generation who has mostly never seen the photos, watched the movies, or heard the stories. A generation who has mostly never had an emotional connection to Christianity.
Maybe even a generation who have mostly never been to church or youth group. And, in reality, a generation who has mostly never stood face to face with God and seen Him.
We have a crisis in this generation. That we are serving a God we do not know.
4 Strategies to Increase Theology in Next Gen
If we are to reverse the spiraling 4% biblical worldview presently in Gen Z, we need a new missiology. These strategies will change that 4% biblical worldview in Gen Z to a higher percentage in the next generation (Alpha Gen).
1. We need a renewed commitment to discipleship and faith formation.
2. We need a renewed commitment to the works and demonstration of God.
3. We need to challenge teenagers in the church with greater content than we have given them in the past.
4. And we need a renewed commitment to defining the Character and Nature of God in youth ministry.
As youth leaders our work right now must be to create a setting that encourages a relationship between Gen Z and God without borders, with no ceilings, and no fences.
To create a place where students can go on a wide open run through the scriptures without boundaries to discover who God really is.
We need to bring them to the rim of the Grand Canyon and let them see for themselves. There’s so much more to God than this generation has ever seen.
We simply must introduce Him to this generation so they can get a pure picture of God. And so, presenting teenagers with an accurate biblical perspective of God is the answer to the crisis in this generation.
Finally
I believe the only teenagers who do not serve God are teenagers who do not know Him. Because once they know Him they will serve Him.
The responsibility of the family, the church, and spiritual leaders is to define and demonstrate the faith of God to the next generation.
As we have seen, over the last 80 years and four generations, we have done a poor job of that faith handoff. I believe this resource will help all of us create a better biblical worldview in the lives of the young people that we lead.
What we do next will determine the fate of the generation coming behind teenagers today. The younger brothers and sisters of Gen Z that we now call Alpha Gen