Has God Left the Window Open?

It is easy to be discouraged about the future when we hear some of the statistic when it comes to today’s teens.  The social group identified as Gen Z’s does seem to do most of their communicating through their mobile devices.   Their world also seems to revolve around social media.   Their values often do not match up with what we view as God’s desires.  While it is true that less than 4% of today’s teens have a biblical world view, what happens if we focus on the minority who do believe in Jesus and have made a commitment to follow him? There is a pretty good chance these are the teens that attend our church and participate in our youth group. 

The research on Generation Z done by the Barna Group indicates church-going teens are holding to traditional Christian beliefs.   Ninety nine percent (99%) of engaged Christian teens believe that “Jesus is the divine Son of God.”  They also believe that “Jesus was a real person who was crucified by Rome and was actually raised from the dead” (94%).  The also hold to the belief that “faith in Jesus is the only way to God” (96%).  They also share some of the same beliefs on moral issues as older adult Christians.  In response to the statement “Marriage should be a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman” 91% agreed.  On the issue of abortion, 80% of engaged Christian teens agreed.  They also believe that “lying is morally wrong” (77%) and “Sex before marriage is morally wrong” (76%).  As a point of comparison, only 14% of unchurched teens viewed “sex before marriage” as wrong and only 35% believed that “marriage should be a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman.”

There are some other things that we know about this generation of teens. 

Having grown up post 9/11 they are driven to make a difference.  They want to make the world a better place.

Many are already charting their future education and careers beginning in middle school.  They often have a vision of where they want to be in five years.

They value history and want to learn from previous generations.

Unlike previous generations, they enjoy hanging out with their parents and families. 

As a result we have a unique window of opportunity.  Over the next ten to twelve years we have a chance to change the direction of the church.  I truly believe this is the generation of teens who could potentially reverse the years of decline.  The challenge comes in how we equip engaged Christian teens to be disciples .  I am not just referring to training professional church workers.  We are going to need young people to move into all kinds of positions from lawyers to plumbers.  I think the future lies in equipping them to be disciples of Jesus wherever they serve.  It involves training them to not only defend their faith but to relate to the world in an evangelical manner that leaves unbelievers want to know more about what makes us tick.  Where exactly is our hope found?   They need to see the Jesus in us.

I recently previewed a new presentation: Why I am Excited about the Future of the Church.  My target audience is older adult Christian.  My challenge to them is to step up and pass the torch of faith to this generation of teens.  Get to know them.  Listen to them.  Focus on building a relationship that will allow us to share our story and mentor them in their faith.  It also means making sure youth and children’s ministry remains a high priority within our congregations.

God has left the window open.  I am praying for a fresh wind of change will blow through the church.  Pass the torch.