As a Gen Z (albeit an older one), with experience of someone coming alongside me and of getting alongside others in my generation, I have noticed that we often approach faith curiously and with many questions. In walking with people for several years, sharing with one another deeply and wholeheartedly, I have come to discover certain traits and qualities of my generation that shape the way we make disciples amongst those born between 1997 and 2012.

True Gen

Gen Z desires authenticity – 80% look for this in a leader (Deloitte study). We have witnessed a lot of dishonesty and deception – through politics, high-profile scandals and social media – so in all relationships we unintentionally make assumptions about whether a person feels trustworthy.

Surrounded by such uncertainty, it's counter-cultural when someone shares openly. I’ve been shocked when someone alongside me has shared things in a way that felt unfiltered – their words raw, challenging, and yet inspiring.

It’s seeing this in others that brings people into a safe space to authentically share themselves.

Zoomers

With all the rapid advances in technology, life runs at a fast pace. Making time to meet up with someone can be a challenge, especially as we are a generation who value efficiency and wide impact.

We’re used to consuming a lot of information and influences quickly, so we sometimes expect short, snappy answers to complex issues. We can reduce our lives down to problems for which we just need a simple solution.

Gen Z, unlike preceding generations, has grown up with access to a bounty of online Christian resources – podcasts, sermons, commentaries. Yet this can limit faith to soundbites learned from Bible ‘experts’, rather than training young people to engage with the Bible for themselves and discern what God is saying to them.

The work of the heart is time-consuming. We need to slow down to experience God and let him transform us from the inside out. We get to invite Gen Z to put the brakes on and reflect on what God has been saying to them in one area, so they can see what’s going on at the roots. This seemingly inefficient method is much more loving in the long run.

Next Gen

As a generation, we are willing to try new things, but when trial and error includes actual errors, we have learnt to fear getting things wrong. Pushing a Gen Z to do something they’ve never seen done before won’t end well. Instead, we can come alongside and let that person see into how we engage with God.

Having someone sit with me and show me how they connect with God created a helpful springboard for me to explore my own relationship with God. As I do this with others, it is such a joy to see young people grow in confidence in hearing God’s voice as they engage with scripture.

Gen Z are an ‘all in’ people. We are spiritually hungry and diligent. We want to be invested and committed, seeing our words align with our actions. We want to see our faith seep into all areas of life. We need people to come alongside us, to bring to the surface all the fruitful qualities God has planted in Gen Z, to take the time to see these grow and to show us how to grow them in the next generation.