Reaching Generation Z
Update, 9-23-2023: Starting in September, we have been posting clips to three popular GenZ sites. Click a link to view or subscribe to one of our channels (the same content goes to all sites): YouTube shorts, TikTok, Snapchat Reels
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Update, 1-15-2023: We conducted a trade study and boiled it down to three (3) platforms where we'd like to eventually post: Snapchat, Twitter (now X) and TikTok, and we're also reconsidering Instagram Reels.
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From our 11-27-2022 bulletin: Generation Z, born between 1990-2010, have several key attributes that differentiates them from previous generations. Pew Research identified and reported six aspects that most Zoomers share: three hold immediate relevance and deserve greater focus.
They Are Our First “Digital Natives”. Whereas Millennials were considered “digital pioneers,” who bore witness to the explosion of technology and social media, Gen Z was born into a world of peak technological innovation — where information was immediately accessible and social media increasingly ubiquitous. For instance, they believe everyone has an iPhone. They spend 4 hours doing homework and 31 hours online.
They Have Mental Health Challenges. Mental health challenges are a sad characteristic of Gen Z, which has been referred to by some as the “loneliest generation,” as their endless hours spent online can foster feelings of isolation and depression. More time spent on smartphones or watching Netflix means less time spent cultivating meaningful relationships. Additionally, many young people fall prey to the “compare and despair” trap that social media presents. Gen Z kids also find their mental health affected by the world’s turbulent state, since global events shape their perspectives. As Gen Z’s political activism has increased, many Gen Z‑ers have internalized the unrest surrounding issues like gun control, police brutality and climate change — leading to increased levels of stress.
They Are Politically Progressive – Even On The Right. Most generations tend to be more left leaning than the previous, and Gen Z is no exception. They are the most politically progressive generation yet. They are the least likely to approve of President Trump’s leadership and are the most likely generation to see the advancement of LGBTQ rights as a positive development. Even among Republicans, Gen Zers take a more progressive stance on social issues: they agree Blacks are treated more unfairly in this country, the government should play a greater role in solving problems and they are more likely to attribute climate change to human activity rather than natural patterns.
Let’s consider this description through the truth of God’s Word. Gen Z seems thoroughly set in a wrong path, and like it or not, Gen Z is the next generation of men and women, leaders and workers, voters and politicians. If they live up to their expectations, they will plunge towards, as Proverbs says, “a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Is there no hope for them? Are we to simply shake our heads and watch them destroy themselves, this country, and your own posterity, and finally watch them fall into the hands of an angry God for all eternity? In other words, is there no balm in Gilead or a Great Physician?
Our God holds out hope! “Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation… Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good; and our land shall yield her increase. Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps.” (Psa. 85:7,13). My friends, I pray that one day, Gen Z will be set in the way of His steps.
But how do we get there? First and foremost, it is “not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zec. 4.6). We shall get there if the Lord wills. Secondly, “how then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent…” (Rom. 10:14-15). For anyone to be saved, they must hear the words of life, and that, through the preaching of the cross.
To carry out evangelism, one must find where people congregate. In old times, this would have been public commerce centers, entertainment venues, and social events. Today, things are a little different. The internet makes all three public experiences possible, and often preferred, to be online. Though Gen Z often engages in online amusement, we as Christians cannot stand back and stay silent as the devil busily works to send and amuse the hearts of men to hell. We want to shine the Light in darkness, to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
We are in the formative process of analyzing ways to regularly post gospel teaching into Gen-Z's diet by extracting portions of our sermons into readily digestible chunks of time. We covet your prayers and, in the days to come, your answer to any call for your talents and skillsets to enable our online evangelistic efforts.
Gabriel Kluth is a member of Gen Z and serves as MBC’s sermon broadcaster.
