Sharing the gospel might be challenging when attempting to reach each new generation that comes along, but Dustin Bruce says Scripture is clear that it must be done.
“Two primary passages are Deuteronomy 6: 4–9 and Psalm 78:5–8,” said Bruce, dean of Boyce College of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. “We have a responsibility to share the gospel despite the challenges of reaching new generations.”
Bruce, who led the “Next Gen: Who They Are and How to Reach Them” break-out session at the State Evangelism Conference on Jan. 27, focused on the two newest generations.
Gen Z represent those born between 1995 and 2012, and Gen Alpha represent those born between 2013 and today. The latter group, he said, are pre-teens or younger and the research is yet to be done, but these children won’t remember much before COVID-19.
In contrast, much is known about Gen Z who are in their teens or nearing age 30.
Five characteristics
First, “technology has shaped Gen Z,” he said. “In 2012, half of Americans had smartphones, but this year 91 percent have them. The average age at which a child gets a smartphone is 11.6, and most parents having given their children phones at early ages later say they wished they’d not done so. A flip phone is probably sufficient for younger teens.”
A second characteristic of Gen Z is the disruption of gender and sexuality.
“One out of 18 in this generation identify as something other than male or female, and one in six identify as something other than ‘straight,’” he said.
“The convergence of these two phenomena brings ‘porn into my pocket,’ since pornography is readily available online and the average exposure to this is age nine.”
A third characteristic is the “slowing” of maturity, Bruce said.
“Gen Z is less likely to have jobs, drink alcohol, which is especially interesting, and less likely to get married or have children,” he said. “Work is not as meaningful, and they don’t believe a job should consume their every waking moment. They expect meaning and fulfillment from work, not just a paycheck.”
A fourth characteristic of Gen Z is declining mental health, and those in this age group are sometimes labeled as “the anxious generation.”
“This generation only sees success posted on social media, not failure, so they believe they don’t measure up,” he said. “If there’s a party and they’re not invited, they know it. Anxiety diagnoses doubled between 2010 and 2018, and emergency room visits due to self-harm also increased.”
A fifth characteristic of Gen Z is identification with changing religious beliefs.
“One-third of them are ‘unaffiliated,’ or ‘nones,’” Bruce said. “Sometimes they say they are spiritual but not religious and that their faith is ‘unbundled.’”
Churches have a great evangelistic opportunity as they emphasize the “beauty and goodness” of the Christian faith, he said.
“Gen Z is riddled with anxiety, and their belief system doesn’t help,” he said. “They’re lonely and we make the case for faith in the context of community.”
Consider mentorships
Bruce said “cross generational mentorship” is another outreach tool since Gen Z may not know how to write checks or change their oil.
“We shouldn’t avoid ‘creational norms’ such as marriage, parenting and work,” he said. “Scripture commends them all as worthy goals and the church teaches this.”
Bruce also suggested Christians “be themselves” in authenticity, not believing they must necessarily speak the new idioms of Gen Z.
Bruce, a native of Monroeville, graduated from Auburn University, Southern Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and served for two years at the University of Mobile before assuming his current position at Boyce College.
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