REFOCUS reaches into Gen Z population

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) — Challenges as well as opportunities exist in not only reaching the Gen Z population, but in mobilizing that demographic for the cause of Christ. Both facets were involved in a REFOCUS event Tuesday, Jan. 28, that will be repeated at several Kentucky Baptist locations later this week.

Tim McKnight, associate professor of missions and youth ministry and director of the Great Commission Center at Anderson University, led a session at the Kentucky Baptist Convention Building on Tuesday.

One reason, he said, is that youth groups can serve as a parachurch organization, and as youths that generation is not involved in “big church.” He said those individuals “may graduate from high school and go into college, but they are never part of the big church. They may get engaged in campus ministry but not the local church.”

He also noted the youth focus tends to be on events and the talk focuses on how many attend an event, yet those students are not in church for Sunday worship or Wednesday night.

Discussion also involved looking at how effective is the church in helping parents disciple their children, and what can the church do to help equip those parents?

Next, McKnight said Gen Zers “are dialed in — they are on their cell phones, they are technologically savvy — they are so focused on technology that their interpersonal relationships suffer. The more than are on technology, the more depressed and anxious they are.”

“Anxiety and depression for this generation is off the charts — there are more mental health issues (with Gen Z) than any generation we know of. They struggle with issues of identity and anxiety.” He said their feeling of insecurity is based on war, recession and Covid. “Those things have caused them to focus on their safety. That has had a positive impact in some ways because they don’t use alcohol as much and they are not as involved in premarital sex.”

He said the church can speak to identity, citing Genesis where the Bible speaks to gender identity.

“If they are looking for self-identity, technology is a struggle for them because they see perfect images on social media. Girls 13 years old have the fastest rate of suicide — but we have a message of hope.”

McKnight observed that “in some ways, they (Gen Z) are growing up too fast, and in other ways too slow. Too fast because of pornography — they are bombarded by so many images. And too slow in the sense that they often don’t get their driver’s license until age 18 or later. Often parents are engaged in their schoolwork, even doing their homework for them. Parents are over engaged in places where they shouldn’t be and under engaged in places where they should be engaged. That crosses over to the Christian life — we’re told only 27 percent of students in the church say their parents have engaged them in a spiritual conversation.”

The tendency for Gen Zers to be entrepreneurial provides opportunity. “What if the largest generation would be believers and have a call to missions — we would have global revival. Every major revival in the U.S. has started with people ages 18 to 22. Gen Z has tremendous potential if we give them a passion for the gospel and they say ‘yes’ to God. We have the potential, that if they are mobilized for the mission, that every unengaged people group could be engaged in the gospel.”

McKnight stressed the importance of parents passing their faith to the next generation. “Right belief comes from being immersed in the word of God. We need to help parents know how to read and study the Bible. We don’t just teach students, but we teach parents as well.”

Also is the need to stress “certain habits that grow our love for God — Bible reading, prayer, journaling, Scripture memorization — these habits grow our love for God to where we are open to what God is doing in our lives.”

McKnight stressed “right practice” — saying the most loving thing someone can do is share the gospel. “Eighty percent of students will lead someone to Christ if they see an adult do it. What would happen if parents would model having gospel conversations?” he asked.

Multi-generational small groups was suggested, with youth ministries working alongside adult ministries “to reach students and families. When you reach families you have parents who can disciple their children.”

McKnight cautioned “to be careful and not judge because they (Gen Z) are different. “They are open and eager to hear the gospel. You can’t assume they know the gospel. I have been preaching in youth camps the last eight years and seeing more students come to Christ than the entire time I have been in ministry. They are hungry for the gospel.”

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This story first appeared in Kentucky Today.