At this year’s Harbor event at Pepperdine, I taught a class entitled: Aha! Five Surprising (and Encouraging) Insights on the Next Generation. The class was well attended and seemed to be well received. When the recording is available, I will post it here.
I’m convinced the best way to identify trends and, more importantly, inflection points, is from the ground. One of my former professors, Rita McGrath of Columbia University Business School, is regarded by most as the leading expert on inflection points in the world. She is adament that, “snow melts from the edges.” That is, significant changes or disruptions often begin at the periphery rather than the core. Survey data can tell you where things are, but we need also to study other trends, and gather data from the margins.
Here are the five insights, with just a quick point or two under each. You’ll need to listen to the entire class to get a more full representation of why I see these trends pointing to an inflection point in spiritual life among the next generation I believe will lead to a period of, “revival.” However, I thought I’d share the bullets with you.
While identification with Christianity is down, conversions are up.
This is reported across churches and campus ministries around the country. One example is the UniteUS ministry, which has seen overwhelming attendance and baptism counts everywhere they’ve gone. Hundreds of baptisms at a time—or even more. It matches my experience at Pepperdine, on a smaller scale. Identification is down. Conversions are up.
The next generation doesn’t want their own thing, they want to be part of the main thing.
Response rates are much higher when next gen-ers are invited to own what’s happening. They don’t just want to watch. They want in.
They embrace intergenerational ministry—even hunger for it.
Gen Z responds well to challenge from people they trust.
Emphasize: People they trust.
In their immensely helpful book, Leadership and Self-Deception, the Arbinger Institute researchers note this (memorize it, get a tattoo of it, and write in on the walls of your house): "No matter what we're doing on the outside, people respond primarily to how we're feeling about them on the inside. And how we're feeling about them depends on whether we're in or out of the box concerning them."
How we feel about the next generation matters. Our influence upon them is likely to be proportionate to how we feel about them. Our lack of impact may have as much to do with our cynicism, judgment, and generational caricature as anything. How can we expect to have influence with people we don’t respect?
People tend to live into what they are told about themselves.
If a child is told, from birth and throughout his or her life that they are no good, dumb, ugly, etc. They come to believe the story they are told about themselves. Alternatively, if they are told they are depressed, sad, crazy, self-centered, soft, pre-occupied with their phones, aspiritual, faithless, etc., they will have a greater tendency to fulfill those prophecies.
We not only need to change our perspective on the next generation—we need to tell them what their future is in Christ. We need to speak life to them. Not because they are the center of the universe, but because Christ is, and we are people of Good News. We are about the ministries of reconciliation and hope. Don’t worry, the tough stuff will come for them. But they will be in a better position to deal with the trials of life from a position of health than hopelessness.
And so will we.
We are losing young men rapidly, but they are open, and the church can be a key solution.
This may be the most urgent emerging reality the church faces. Young men are checking out of life—not just church.
For the first time, middle-aged men no longer have the highest rate of suicide. It is now Gen Z males 20-24.
Part of the problem is fatherlessness.
For some young men, their dads have become Joe Rogan, Jocko Willink and Jordan Peterson.
Another problem is a broader societal, more anti-male narrative in which they have been raised. It’s not just what we say, it’s what they hear. What they are hearing is a toxic message.
We really don’t want churches or a society without strong, godly men. That’s where we are heading.
We need to call the best out of men. They are hungry for it.
The next generation is stronger than we think.
We love to joke about being, “soft.” However, there are many things they’ve endured that prior generations haven’t. We are exposed daily to the marginal few who make the generation look bad. My experience and that of many colleagues is they are tougher than most think they are. We just tend to ask less of them.
Again, these are just bullets without tons of explanation. I’ll post the entire class when its available. Until then, grace and peace, my friends.