There is a lot of noise in evangelical circles around Gen Z [15-30 years old] and Gen Alpha [12-14'ish years old]. So much so that both the sacred and secular worlds are taking notice; everyone from political pundits to the NYT is weighing in. Moments in cities, in churches, and on college campuses are making headlines [often led by athletes].
My hope is that all this activity is leading to transformation—that regeneration is taking place. And I believe it is.
At what pace and to what extent, I do not know.
A few years after the 'revival' at Asbury College, someone returned to observe the 'climate' on campus. They ask the dean of theology at Asbury, "Do you really think a revival took place here?" I love the dean's response—he paused and said,
"I don't know, come back and ask me in 20 years..."
Time is the great test of transformation.
Yet, I am hopeful. I believe transformation is happening. The question is, what do we do with it? Let's assume thousands, tens of thousands of young Millennials and Gen Z men are coming to faith. What is next? Who is going to guide them?
Multigenerational discipleship is still non-existent in most of our churches and Christian circles. And until my older Millennial, X'er, and Boomer brothers wake up and step up, nothing will change.
The work God has called us to is more than proclamation, it is formation. I once heard a young man say,
"Coming to know and experience Christ was the loneliest I have ever been... Everyone wanted me to know Jesus, but no one wanted to walk with me after..."
Brothers, we should do everything in our power to ensure that this is never said again. I often think about Philip's encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. The question the eunuch asks Philip haunts me,
"How can I [know], unless someone guides me?" [Acts 8:31].
Find Out Where God is and Join Him
How are you responding to the young men coming into your church? To the young men in your community? To the interns and first-year noobs in the office? To the guy wanting to date your daughter? Your granddaughter? To the spiritually curious, the Bible-hungry? To the directionless men without a guide that populate our churches, towns, cities, and country? Like desert wandering eunuchs, young men are crying out, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" How are you responding?
This reminds me of the simple but challenging principle Henry Blackaby promoted for years through his Experiencing God course. Blackaby would oft say, "Find out where God is at work and join Him there."
This principle guided Blackaby’s life, so much so that he built seven realities around it:
God is always at work around you [are you aware?].
God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
God invites you to become involved in His work [are you listening?].
God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances and the church to reveal Himself, His purposes and His ways.
God's invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action [will you trust and take action].
You must make significant adjustments [in your life] to join God in what He is doing [dying to your will and living for God's].
You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you [experiencing God].
Generational Replacement
If we are unwilling to find out where God is working and join Him there, the church will experience another cycle of generational replacement. Ryan Burge , a researcher and thought leader around religious trends/statistics, recently discussed generational replacement. According to Burge:
1. The rise of the Nones has hit a plateau recently [this is what the evangelical world is currently celebrating]
2. That won't last. Gen Z is 45% Nones. Boomers are 28% [this is why the evangelical world should not be celebrating].
Generational replacement means the Nones will continue to rise, and the church will be worse off [not better] in the coming years. Unless... We transition back to multigeneration discipleship: older men showing younger men a faith that works. Older men telling younger men, "Follow me, I know the way."
The Bible and spiritually curious seem to be showing up in droves. Praise God. How are you responding?
— Harp