Take young people seriously and be prepared to get alongside them, were key messages that emerged from a recent conference, “Are We Ready? Co-creating a response to the quiet revival”.
Read the report and access the conference papers and videos:
https://ctbi.org.uk/.../listen-to-gen-zs-concerns-urges.../
The event, hosted by the United Reformed Church in London, was organised by Youth Ministry Roundtable – a network of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
In what was a unique gathering, denominational leads for youth and young adult ministry from fourteen UK denominations gathered to discuss how local church members can respond to the concerns of Generation Z (currently aged 14 to 29). They asked what it is that is drawing young people to church and faith considerations – a phenomenon sometimes known as “the Quiet Revival”.
Keynote speaker Benjamin Hoyte, Church Engagement Manager at Bible Society, which was responsible for the Quiet Revival research, outlined the challenges for churches to welcome, engage and disciple young adults who come to church with no previous connection. He highlighted a generation exploring a spiritual marketplace, wanting to wrestle with questions, having encounters they need to unpack somewhere, and looking for authenticity and community.
He mentioned in particular young men, coming with a sense of purposelessness and loneliness, encouraged by social media, and said the challenge for churches is not to convey theological permission for them to be who they already are, but to share a gospel of transformation and love.
It was a point emphasised by other speakers, including Erica Lees-Smith, an intern with the ecumenical Joint Public Issues team, who said that young people are bringing into church a “culture war language that doesn’t align with Christ-like principles”. She said young people are often unaware of the Church’s “long tradition of welcoming the stranger, centring the marginalised, and caring for the environment”. However, Erica, who is herself part of Gen Z, said, “We’re looking for forums where our anger or frustration can be heard”. She cited the difficult jobs market, the climate crisis, and racism and said, “Young people need to be heard and taken seriously.”
Lydia Gilbertson of the Evangelical Alliance agreed that “this generation isn’t drifting, it’s wrestling”. She said recent research confirmed that many 18-24-year-olds “have been shaped in a hyper individualistic culture. To follow Jesus in that context is countercultural”. And Luke Smith, from the student mission organisation Fusion, said that above all young people “need someone to sit with them and work through their stuff, work through the things in their life that they can’t figure out”. “How do we disciple those people who speak a different cultural language to the one that we spoke?” he asked.
The conference gathered a range of responses to the needs and questions shared during the day. They included: creating “a culture of apprenticeship in faith”, shifting social media to “doing faith” content and working ecumenically, and remembering that personal communication is vital – church members “don’t need new resources, but more confidence in nurturing and being alongside others in their questions”.
The day was organised by Dr Sam Richards, the URC’s Head of Children, Youth and Intergenerational Discipleship, with Dr Carolyn Edwards (Church of England), Meg Prowting (Methodist Church) and the Revd David Howell (Churches Together in England and The Conversation).