Gen Z & Alpha Gen Traits
“The soul of the citizens is so soft that, in the presence of the slightest suggestion of serviture, they feel irritated and can't stand it. And in the end, you know that they no longer care for laws, written or unwritten, so as no longer to have anywhere any master. What is to become of the young people?”
-Plato, The Republic, Book 8, 375 BC
“We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self-control."
-Inscribed on a 6,000-year-old Egyptian tomb
"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets, inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"
-Plato remarks from The Republic, 4th century BC
"The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint ... As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."
-Peter the Hermit, 1274 AD
Historically, every generation has downed youth. The negative reports of YTH is widely reported over the years. There’s a name for it. It’s called ephebiphobia, or, the fear of youth.
Sociology is the study of societies and culture and people groups. I believe that youth leaders should be God’s sociologists. With that in mind, and, looking at Gen Z and Aloha Gen, here are 10 traits for the future of Next Gen ministry.
10 Traits for the Future of YTH Ministry to Gen Z & Alpha Gen:
1. Contextual Youth Ethic
•Helping students serve God in their world. We must raise students who would rather be the church and not just go to church.
We must get students to understand that they can serve God in the context of their world. That will include their family, their schools, their teams, in the places where they hang out.
A missional mindset of every youth leader must be to be present in the setting of students and teenagers. God is present in all things in and outside of the church building!
2. Neutral-site Ethic
•Helping youth ministries take the faith into the adolescent works. This is where the future of youth ministry must be more than a gathering.
It must take place in neutral-site settings. Similar to the contextual ethic, this ethic will require youth ministry being in context also. And not just our students.
Every youth leader must become a sociologist and understand culture and subculture. Having youth services and events outside of the church building will create missional students. This will make youth ministry more public. After all, 71% of Gen Z would go to church if asked.
3. Diversity Ethic
•We have an opportunity to rewrite the future of race relations in the world today
Gen Z and Alpha Gen are the largest nonwhite generation in American history. At this point 50% of Gen Z is non-white. That is historical. And this must shape the way we do youth ministry in the next 25 years.
We could be on the verge of re-writing the race relations narrative in the church and ultimately culture if we continue with this healing, unity, diversity valuation, inclusion, anti-biases, and anti-discriminatory trends. It is undeniable. And this diversity narrative must include new language and terms and action.
4. Theology Ethic
•Theology is the missing foundation of Gen Z and Alpha Gen
Another Gen Z & Alpha Gen trait that should influence the future of youth ministry is that only 4% of this generation has a Biblical worldview. So, this ethic must reverse the Atheism in Gen Z - right now the highest percentage than any generation (13%).
It cannot be a very encouraging trend that we have created more atheists than any time in American history. We must see a renewed emphasis on theology in youth ministry. Including preaching, teaching, small group, worship songs, and social media posting.
5. The Sexuality Ethic
•The young person who understand their sexuality is the strongest in the room
Identity among the Gen Z and Alpha Gen set is confusing at best. I say this because there is so much re-definition going on as it relates to gender. I last counted over 50 gender type names that have been created just in the past few years.
It is stunning to see the variety of ways that young people define their sexuality. If youth ministry is going to have a voice in this latest 21st century sexual revolution, we must define a biblical identity for teenagers today.
They cannot get their identity definition from culture. Yet, this ethic is not just about identity. It is about purity. And that is going to require practical training to help teenagers protect their principles.
Culture V Scripture
Popularity V Principle
Emotions V Ethics
Feelings V Faith
A thorough theological application from scripture will combat and change the progressive message being pressed in culture.
6. A Family Ethic
•With the disintegration of the family in America, we need a revival of Next Gen ministry modeling a family vibe that is inter-generational
The family is the one institution that exists everywhere globally. There may not be a government, a school, a business, or an entertainment industry in every neighborhood. But the family is the one constant in every neighborhood, village, city, nation, and continent. The family is what shapes every society on earth.
The family table, family recreation, family devotions, family laughter, and family conversation must become a priority before we lose another generation.
7. Community Involvement
•Gen Z & Alpha Gen love a cause. They are the cause generation and want to make a difference. Human trafficking, wells, food poverty, racism, or other humanitarian causes have captured the heart of Next Gen.
Doing glocal involvement is a great education in the home. Maybe you go to a local shelter or a food kitchen to help serve the homeless. Or maybe you volunteer at a local nonprofit. There are all kinds of ways for a family to be present in the community where they live.
Our family committed to providing meals at Thanksgiving. We would go to the grocery store and let the kids choose the groceries and then deliver them to a family in need.
Another great way to have an impact on the community is to be involved in government at the national and local level. The national involvement might look like voter responsibility, prayer for our leaders, and discussion on the issues. The local involvement might be with sports teams, fine arts programs, or club involvement to make it easy to attend events where our children are involved already. Try getting involved with the local schools and meeting other parents, teachers, coaches, and even your neighbors.
8. A Leadership Movement
•Students love leadership development
Watching youth Leaders across the country is encouraging. There is a major lean to leadership development and delegation. Because the Church is the largest volunteer organization on the planet, we must create a culture of training and core competency improvement of our volunteers.
If we do not train these leaders, we are going to fail. The sustainability of the Church is critically dependent upon the children’s and youth ministry departments of the Church.
One of the things that I share most often is the percentage of volunteers who are running youth Ministry. Most of the statistics prove that around 75 to 80% of youth Ministry in America is run by non-paid staff. With that in mind, we must address leadership development. We cannot continue to haul water to the sea by focusing solely upon paid YTH Ministry staff in the larger Church.
9. A love of the supernatural - The Book of Acts and the Holy Spirit upon a generation
•Young people love the supernatural - the number 1 show globally for a decade was Supernatural. And the supernatural is a key trait of Gen Z
The Holy Spirit is for every generation. From the 1st century, through the dark ages when the church’s voice was being hidden by crusades killing Christians, and into the 21st century today in America.
The Holy Spirit is in the revivals of the last 2 or 3 centuries: The Great Awakenings, the Azusa Street Outpouring, the Jesus Movement, the South American healing revivals, the African crusades with millions in attendance. What better way than the supernatural to reach a generation!?
Prophetic Signs of the Holy Spirit Today
(The following are futurist signs that many believe will be marks of this next generation)
Look at some of the significant markers:
•It will be a time of harvest and hostility in Christianity
•It will be a time of new media technology will help spread the gospel globally
•It will be a time of Christians helping the helpless and becoming task and cause-oriented
•A time of young leaders stepping into place in every segment of society with leadership shifts in government, education, corporate, science, and entertainment industries
•A time of internal Government affairs and failure causing the gospel to spread at the highest levels of power in our nation
•It will be a time of Jewish and Muslim leaders and then nations following declaring their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord
•A time of theology and the arts blending to create a deeper expression of worship and faith
•It will be marked by the church worldwide becoming more interconnected than ever
•It will be a time of miracles, signs, and wonders being done outside the church and in the marketplaces that will draw people to Christ
We need an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to appeal to young people.
10. The Value of Integrity
•Maybe one of the most important traits for the future of Next Gen is our genuiness
Who are you behind closed doors? It’s easy to project a persona or a reputation publicly, but, who are you when nobody is looking?
Are you only ‘on’ in a large group? What about the times when you are in a smaller group? Students want to see us following God closely and having integrity every where we go. Not just in the youth setting at church.
What are you like at home or when you are not at the church? These are the important kind of things students are looking for. Integrity and consistency.
We need to see youth leaders who do not simply love the platform, but, they love the people!
11. Collaboration and teamwork is a core value of Gen Z & Alpha Gen
•Teenagers love teamwork, group study, and proximity of the peer group
Collaboration is a critical step from becoming stale. Collaboration is positive and constructive Group Think.
Valuing the backgrounds and framework of others. There is a university of learning and ideas all around us. Keep close proximity with a creative team that has both students and adult leaders.
Finally
The traits of a generation should be the driving force in youth leadership. Understanding youth trends and traits will help youth leaders define healthy Next Gen Ministry.