First person: Impacting Generation Alpha

Generation Alpha — born between 2010 and 2024 — is poised to become the largest generation in history, with more than 2.8 million children entering the world each week.

As the Church looks to the future, reaching this young generation with the gospel is not just an opportunity — it’s an urgent necessity. In a culture where secular influences are shaping values and beliefs from an increasingly young age, the Church has a unique and critical responsibility to lay a solid spiritual foundation for Generation Alpha.

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Investing in their spiritual growth equips them with a moral compass and fosters a deep, lifelong relationship with God. By engaging with them early, the Church can plant seeds of faith that will guide them throughout their lives, influencing their futures and the future of the Church and society as a whole.

Practical ideas

Here are eight practical ways you can impact Generation Alpha:

1. Pray specifically for God to send children to your church. Camden Baptist Church had prayer warriors dedicated to asking God to fill their empty nursery. Today, that nursery is overflowing, and they’re praying for more workers.

2. Value them. Mike Dawson, former pastor of Central Baptist Church in Decatur, made it a point to stop whatever he was doing to kneel down and engage with children. They matter and showing them they do makes a lasting impression.

3. Learn their names. When you interact with children, call them by name. It shows them that they are seen, known and cared for.

4. Invest in them. My wife encouraged me to participate in the children’s programs and chaperone trips. Once, I rode my motorcycle to Shocco Springs and gave rides to all the kids whose parents permitted it. Experiences like these build lasting connections.

5. Pray for them. Make a list of the children and parents in your church and pray for them regularly. Consider dedicating one day each week specifically to focus on Generation Alpha.

6. Give the parents a night out. When our daughter Abigail was young, Rick Lance (executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions) and his wife, Pam, would babysit Abigail and give us a night out. Try it. Parents will love it, and you can invest in these young people’s lives. Abigail still cherishes those moments.

7. Involve children in the service. Talk to the church’s leadership and encourage the children to be involved in the service. It may be handing out bulletins, reading Bible verses, taking up the offering, etc. From an early age, we want the children to be involved in worship instead of spectators.

8. Equip parents to disciple their children. Invest in training the parents to disciple their children. Making disciples must first begin in the home.