Today’s teenagers and 20s make up the first truly biblically illiterate generation. Tim Alford explores how the Church can best communicate the gospel to this unreached people group
What is the faith of the next generation worth to us? Because what we are doing isn’t working. Analysis of the English Church Attendance Survey revealed that, on average, churches are losing 140,000 young people aged 14–16 every single week, and nearly half (48 percent) have fewer than five under-16-year-olds. Nick Shepherd, former chief executive of the Institute for Children Youth and Mission, points out that unless we change that trajectory, “those churches with fewer than five young people can literally be said to have no future”.
Imagine you were commissioning a missionary from your local church to take the gospel to an entirely unreached people group. You would tell them to learn the language of the people and try to understand their customs and rituals. You’d probably encourage them to translate the scriptures, particularly the message of the gospel, into a language they understand. You would want them to build every cultural bridge possible in order to effectively communicate. Why is it, then, that the same missiology we would take for granted overseas, seems so foreign to us in our own land, where– in every respect – Generation Z are an unreached people group? Generation Z (those born between 1995-2012) are right in front of us. They’re in our homes, our city centres and our schools. Yet, in large part, they’re absent from our churches.
Generation Z are not only the largest generation in modern history, they are arguably the most influential. They have lived through unprecedented social and cultural change and as such are discontinuously different from the generations that preceded them.
It’s important to note the oldest Gen Z’ers are now 24 years old and left their youth groups a long time ago – so this is not simply a youth work issue. It should matter to all of us, whatever our age or area of ministry. We should also note that the following seven hallmarks of Gen Z are not signs of youthful immaturity that this age group will eventually grow out of; they are deeply embedded generational paradigms that will shape the nature of the UK Church and its ministry in the years to come. Premier Christianity.
