One of the biggest shifts in Generation Z and Generation Alpha is that they are generally distrustful of leaders or institutions. Younger generations have seen leaders in many arenas be untrustworthy. They have seen institutions fail the people they claimed to serve. Their consistent exposure to these broken leaders and systems leads to general skepticism.
Older generations may be annoyed by this shift, which seems to call into question structures they built or were raised to trust implicitly. Experienced leaders may struggle when young people no longer listen and follow directions without question. Generation Z and Generation Alpha need you to earn your right to speak.
It is no longer sufficient for adult leaders or even parents to simply encourage spiritual practices and living out vocation simply because we say so. We must be ready to talk about why it is important. As we give youth opportunities to serve and lead, they are going to ask many questions and come with some wariness. Experienced leaders should be ready to be honest about success and failure and be clear about purpose. Dismissing their questions or attempts to share their opinions will only reinforce their skepticism about leaders and institutions.
Generation Z and Generation Alpha are growing up in a world where they hear the brokenness of the church being scrutinized. Youth leaders should be honest about ways that sinners in the church have failed in their vocations. When youth leaders make mistakes, they should be quick to lean into confession and absolution. This reminds youth that God’s promises are real and vital for us every day. It also helps set an example that our faith in God is deeply important, not just something taught in a quick twenty-minute lesson that is easily forgotten by the time they get to the car.
In recent years, we have seen a rise in what some call apatheism, especially in our teens. Apatheism is a term coined for those who believe faith is irrelevant. The question of if God exists doesn’t particularly matter because it doesn’t seem to have any bearing on life. This is different than atheism, which is when someone actively believes there is no God, or agnosticism, which is when someone actively questions the existence of God. Apatheistic attitudes say that even if I believe in God, it doesn’t matter to me, and I don’t care about what others may believe.
This is particularly dangerous because it can be difficult to spot in young people. These are youth who are not antagonistic or looking to argue against God. We may see them regularly in church and youth ministry. Yet for them, God simply holds no significance or meaning. They would respond that even if what we teach and preach is true, it doesn’t matter to their daily lives. Thus, it doesn’t take any priority in their identity or choices. Often, these youth slowly disconnect over time or leave home with no intention of ever looking for another church home.
Youth leaders may need to own some of what leads to apatheism. Youth ministries sometimes actively work to make faith “easy” for youth and families. Expectations are lowered. Programs are full of casual fun in an attempt to keep attendance numbers up. If congregations limit their demands on people’s time and fail to challenge them to live out their faith, apatheistic attitudes may result. There are times when engaging a greater audience can help you connect youth to supportive adults or to God’s Word. But if we aren’t intentionally working toward goals, we may instead teach them that faith in God simply isn’t that important.
Challenge in youth ministry means reminding youth consistently that what they believe means something. It may be counterintuitive, but teens want something worth sacrificing for. Many of the other activities they are engaged in make high demands of them, like early practices, late-night rehearsals, and ongoing training. Shouldn’t their spiritual lives demand a lot of them as well?
In His Word, God reminds us that being His children means sacrificing things, being pushed aside, and losing out on what the world says is important. Vocation teaches us that our whole lives are not out own but are subject to God. These can be tough teachings. Challenge is not always received well in our church or in our communities. Yet God can use those moments to guide away from apathy and into a deeper faith.
To read more about this, you can find it in the book Seven Practices of Healthy Youth Ministry.
© 2023 LCMS Office of National Mission—Youth Ministry. Published by Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.
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