In Depth:  Gen Z

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6,000 young people in London mobilised for mission

6,000 young people in London mobilised for mission
Milla Ling-Davies Milla Ling-Davies

This summer, the stands of Wembley Arena, normally filled with fans singing football chants, were instead filled with 6,000 young people singing the praises of God.

This was the launch event of The Send UK & Ireland - a new collaboration between churches and mission agencies for the purpose of inspiring teenagers and young adults to live missionally in five key areas: secondary school, university, family life, workplaces and the nations.

Can a Gen Z work ethic advance the gospel?

Can a Gen Z work ethic advance the gospel?
Graeme Shanks Graeme Shanks

Working nine to five? What a way to make a living. Working life has moved on a lot since Dolly Parton first released her catchy and timeless 1980s hit, 9 To 5. Indeed, fast forward a few generations and it would appear that flexibility has trumped security as the key thing that Gen Z’ers are prioritising when it comes to employment.[1]

Have you noticed that recruitment firms are now fronting their adverts with their ability to perfectly match people to a job that fits with their lifestyle? Have you read about the companies experimenting with a four-day week, complete with flexible start and finish times, a nine-day fortnight, and compressed hours?[2] The desire for flexibility with our employment, it would seem, is here to stay.

Gen Z in Europe: more devout than their elders?

Gen Z in Europe: more devout than their elders?
Milla Ling-Davies Milla Ling-Davies

A survey shows that Europeans born after 1997 are more spiritual than their elders.

The Global Religion 2023 survey, conducted by market research service Ipsos, interviewed 19,000 people in 26 countries. It has revealed that ‘in countries where religious practice is high, older adults tend to engage in it more than the young, while in countries where religious practice is low, young people tend to have higher engagement.’

Baby-boomers to Generation Z?

Baby-boomers to Generation Z?
Charlotte Mayhew

How do we bridge generational divides to make Jesus known together?

The recent London City Mission ‘Diaspora Conference’ was an opportunity to bring Christians together from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and elsewhere, to explore this vital question. With no easy answers to the complex tensions that often exist between generations in our church communities, we focused on listening and learning from each other’s experiences.

Evangelical Alliance asks: Can church reach ‘manifesting’ Gen Z?

Evangelical Alliance asks: Can church reach ‘manifesting’ Gen Z?
en staff

Young people are ‘open and spiritually curious’ – but it is ‘manifesting’ rather than Christ currently capturing their imagination, new findings show.

Katherine Brown, part of the Evangelical Alliance ‘Being Human’ team, says that the survey – on popular dating app, Tinder – reveals that though many people in their twenties (often labelled ‘Gen Z’ if born after 1997) claim to be atheists, ‘they believe in the power of the universe’.

Influencers: yay or nay?
culture watch

Influencers: yay or nay?
Milla Ling-Davies Milla Ling-Davies

When someone says ‘social media influencer’ do you think of a teenager dancing and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower? Picturing this, it can be easy to write influencers off as immature or vain. But is this the whole story?

An influencer is a normal person, like you or me, who has ‘built a large social media following typically due to their expertise on specific topics’ (Influencer Marketing Hub). They share videos and photos about subjects like parenting, food or travel, and can have millions of people listening in. They have, surprise surprise, influence.

Understanding Generation Z

Understanding Generation Z
Crispian Oates

Book Review THE XYZ OF DISCIPLESHIP: Understanding and Reaching Generations Y & Z

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Gen Z: what now… and where do we go from here?

Gen Z: what now… and where do we go from here?
Peter Brierley

If there was a prize for the number of key people you’ve influenced before you are 18, Greta Thunberg would probably be a strong contender. She has had an extraordinary time in the last year, speaking at major conferences, going to key places, and meeting so many important world leaders. It’s sometimes hard to remember she will only be 18 later on in 2020. She is part of the Gen Z generation.

The large numbers of people born after the end of the Second World War, especially in the US and the UK, caused the phrase ‘baby boomer’ to be popular for a while, quickly shortened to just ‘boomer,’ and usually taken for simplicity as those born between 1945 and 1963. Those coming afterwards were far fewer in number; they ‘stopped the boom’, or ‘busted’ it, and so for a while were called the ‘baby busters’. This is a disparaging title, however, and when Douglas Coupland published his book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture in 1991 his phrase instantly stuck and they became ‘Gen X’ (born 1964 to 1982) from then on.

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