As transition continues within the political landscape of America, most would agree that we live in a day of uncertainty, with many shifts occurring in how we see and understand the world. This is true particularly of youth and young adults as they navigate their current reality and future. On one hand, researchers point to the current generation as being the most “anxious” population in recent history, while at the same time noting that more than 70% of Generation Z speak about an entrepreneurial aspiration, demonstrating a mixture of optimism and pessimism coexisting simultaneously. Such a reality raises the question about how older generations (parents, grandparents, educators, youth pastors, coaches, etc.) are preparing these emerging young adults to step into leadership positions while navigating the chaos of a confusing world.
While much could be discussed about parenting styles, and particularly the impact of helicopter or snowplow parents, this will not be the focus of this opinion piece. Rather, I’ll focus on the saying that it “takes a village to raise a child” and consider how churches, while existing in most communities, have become a spectator on the sidelines of adolescent development, caught in cultural lag and largely absent in fostering an environment where teens and young adults can become agents of flourishing.
Statistically, the church in America has been in decline for at least a half-century or better. While many factors point to the decline, one outcome is what some call a post-Christian America, where living as a Christian is viewed with indifference or at times hostility. Various researchers tend to land at differing viewpoints regarding this, but for the sake of this piece, would you agree that the influence of the church has diminished.
Such diminished influence is impacting younger generations as well. In a March 2022 article entitled “Generation Z and the Future of the Church”, Daniel A. Cox highlighted the religious disaffiliation occurring from generation to generation. He notes that 34% of Generation Z is disaffiliated, compared to 29% of Millennials, and 25% of Generation X. This trend continues to highlight that younger generations are experiencing declining confidence in terms of the church having anything positive to offer life.
As a lifelong youth pastor, this concerns me, given my belief that the church can and must have a significant impact as a community participant in supporting teens and young adults. However, with the diminished church role in parents and their teens, parents have largely lost a critical support component in helping their teens navigate spiritual formation. This reality has not only left parents believing that the church will offer little help, but it has left scores of teens and young adults with a shallow faith framework to navigate life’s choices and challenges.
It is my opinion that unless the church prioritizes and addresses the disconnect occurring, we’ll continue to spin young people into adulthood with a limited context to navigate life. This will likely result in increased anxiety and depression as teens and young adults experience hopelessness when the pursuit of this world leaves them empty and unsatisfied.
How should we then address this concern? As a new author and advocate of a needed paradigm shift, I offer the following:
- Churches must admit that we are failing our youth, having abandoned parents in one of their most critical times of needed support. Through such admission, we must name our failures and begin reimagining and reshaping ministry approaches that help young people not only survive the challenges of adolescence but thrive as they are readied and prepared for adulthood.
- Churches must admit that “outsourcing” youth ministry to a paid professional is not the answer. For at least four decades, the trend has been for churches to “hire” a young youth pastor who can do the work for them. A shift must occur with every church stakeholder, recognizing that all of us have a responsibility to raise teens. This will require a giant swing, and one that will require time and patience; however, it is necessary should we have any possibility of re-establishing youth ministries that help young people flourish.
- Churches must commit to a collaborative relationship with parents, embracing them as the number one spiritual influencers of youth, while engaging in more intentionality, providing valuable and helpful resources to parents.
- Churches must engage in a cultural shift. The perception of the church, as viewed by many young people, must shift from an institution with a set a dos and don’ts, to a living organism that has the capacity to help them embrace and implement a God-size vision for life. This must begin with evaluating how we treat each other. If Generation Z continues to witness faith professing believers attacking each other on social media and other platforms, most emerging young adults will want little to do with the church.
- Churches must embrace a collaborative community mindset that communicates clearly that the church exists to care for the needs of the community. While volunteerism among Generation Z is leveled off, an emerging passion to “make a difference” with one’s life emerges in many conversations and surveys. Young people need this model. If churches continue to exist as self-serving entities, today’s youth and young adults will look elsewhere. We need a renewed commitment to community engagement that invites young people to come alongside caring adults in living the gospel through radical caring and generosity.
- Churches must cultivate environments where meaningful relationships are fostered. Research shows that today’s generation is starved for authentic relationships. While young adults have multiple social media connections, few have authentic relationships they can trust in helping to guide them with life’s decisions. The church provides one of the best contexts for young people to find a mentor, someone they can meet monthly and receive valuable support.
- Churches must step outside the traditional box, recognizing that if we have a generation of youth excited about entrepreneurial opportunities, we must be at the forefront of creating these opportunities. Sadly, the church today is largely absent from the marketplace, missing out on positive opportunities to create “business as mission”, launching businesses that serve the greater good of the community. How can we equip and empower young people to step into such opportunities?
These are just a few of the potential solutions that are unpacked in “Unstoppable Youth Ministry: Empowering Young People as Agents of Flourishing”. Copies are now available on Amazon or at local bookstores. Additionally, copies can be ordered at unstoppableyouthministry.com.
While much concern can be expressed regarding the trends of Generation Z, we should be encouraged. Great opportunity exists for the church to reimage and reshape relational ministry that positions us as part of the “village that raises a child”.