THE MISSING GENERATION

Alex Isn't Waiting for a Better Show

Picture a twenty-seven-year-old named Alex. I’ve made up his name, but his situation could be true. Alex grew up around church. There were youth trips, worship songs, Bible verses on T-shirts, and enough Christian vocabulary to know the difference between VBS and Bible Drill. Then came college, work, a move, a pandemic, a few disappointments, and a steady drift.

Alex isn’t an atheist; on a bad night, he still prays: "God, if you're there, help me." A clip from the series "The Chosen" might be viewed on his phone. He leaves his Bible app open for three days, then forgets it for three weeks. Although Alex distrusts institutions, is worn out by the political shouting, and certainly disillusioned by Christians not living the faith they claim to follow.  Yet Alex is also lonely and longs for friends who will stay, for a life with meaning, and, for some reason, to believe that the future will be more than just work, bills, scrolling, and trying to hold everything together.

One day, a coworker says, “A group of us from church are getting dinner Thursday. You ought to come.” No stage. No fog machine. No sales pitch. At the table, people ask Alex’s name and remember it. Someone admits a struggle without pretending to have it all together. Another person talks naturally about Jesus. Nobody panics when Alex asks a hard question. Nobody waters down the answer either.

This situation may be much closer to the actual front door of the next-generation ministry than you may think. It’s not always a major event or the most recent program that opens the door—sometimes it is a simple dinner invitation and someone remembering your name.

Missing Doesn’t Mean Closed

The idea of a "missing generation" might give the impression that members of Gen Z and the Millennials have packed their bags, abandoned their faith, and thus moved permanently out of the church's reach. In fact, the research is more complex and offers a more hopeful outlook.

The Pew Research Center's 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study shows a long-term generational trend toward a decline in traditional religious identity and practice. Basically, what this means is that younger adults are less likely than older adults to describe themselves as Christian, to attend worship services, or to pray every day. However, the study also found that the gap in responses between age groups narrows when broader spiritual questions are asked. Seven out of ten youngest adults say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, and 82 percent believe people have a soul or spirit that exists beyond the body. They aren’t materialists. For adults aged 18 to 24, only 28 percent of those brought up in highly religious households still attend weekly worship and say religion is very important in their lives. This indicates a serious retention problem. But it is not the same as indicating spiritual indifference.¹

Barna’s more recent findings make the opening figure even more remarkable. In 2025, 66 percent of adult Americans reported having made a personal commitment to Jesus that remained important to them—a 12-percentage-point increase from the low point reached in 2021. It was younger adults who were the main force behind this rise. Moreover, Barna discovered a point that ought to concern people like pastors and me: some people who do not identify as Christian still say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus. In short, Jesus may be attracting interest before people are ready to place their trust in the organization which bears His name.²

On the other hand, more younger Christians are turning up in church nowadays. In September 2025, Barna stated that the average Gen Z person who attends church goes about 1.9 weekends each month, and the average Millennial churchgoer about 1.8. Both figures are higher than those of older generations and nearly double what they were during the pandemic. This is positive news, but it also serves as a warning: even among younger people who consider themselves regular churchgoers, attendance is less than half of the weekends in a typical month.³

What They’re Carrying into the Room

Before rewriting the playbook to reach this “missing generation”, it’s necessary to get a good understanding of the people in front of us. I believe most of us understand that generations are not uniform. A twenty-two-year-old single college student in South Fulton, a thirty-six-year-old mother in Fayette County, and a forty-two-year-old father who commutes from Coweta County might be in the same generation, but have no other similarities. Yet the research points to a number of pressures that occur frequently enough across all of these differences to be significant. I’ll give you what I see as the top four.

1. They Are Carrying Uncertainty and Loneliness

Barna discovered that 39 percent of members of Gen Z frequently feel uncertain about the future, 29 percent frequently feel lonely, 26 percent frequently feel isolated, and 29 percent frequently report anxiety when it comes to important decisions. These figures don’t apply to every young adult, but they do indicate a certain cultural trend.⁴

The Harvard Making Caring Common (MCC) project also found a deeper sense of dissatisfaction among young people aged 18 to 25. Fifty-eight percent stated that they had felt a lack of meaning or purpose during the previous month, 44 percent said that they did not feel they mattered to anyone else, and 34 percent experienced loneliness. The researchers suggested that meaning should be fostered, durable relationships developed, and opportunities to care for others should be provided.⁵

That ought to make every church leader stop and think. We’re not just up against Sunday brunch, travel ball, Netflix, or the snooze button. We are called to minister to people who might have a thousand online friends and still feel like nobody really knows them. Isn't this a major part of what a small group ministry should be about? 

2. They Want Belonging, but They May Not Know How to Build It

Barna's 2025 study of church relationships showed that churchgoers in the Gen Z group were far less likely than Boomers to say they had conversations with others at church—32 percent compared with 73 percent. On the other hand, regarding small groups, Barna's research found that those groups that fostered a sense of belonging and had deep relationships—described as feeling like family—were strongly linked to people believing that their church creates a meaningful community and helps them understand their purpose in life.⁶

That mix is important. Young adults may crave community but still need a little help figuring out how to build it. Just announcing, “We have a young adult class at 9:45,” won’t cut it. A room is not a relationship, and a spot on the calendar isn’t the same as belonging. I could say more, but this blog is already long enough, and I think you get it. 

3. They May Be Active before They Are Deep

Lifeway Research’s 2026 State of Discipleship analysis of Protestant churchgoers found several encouraging patterns among Gen Z. Compared with older generations, Gen Z tended to score relatively high in terms of sharing their faith and building up relationships; they were more likely to report having taken part in one-to-one mentoring, going on mission trips, attending Bible study, and engaging in community service. However, the same report also highlighted serious shortcomings in their spiritual formation. Just 62 percent said that the Bible has authority over all areas of their lives; 53 percent said that they hesitate to tell their Christian friends about their own doubts and spiritual struggles; and 42 percent agreed with the false statement that Jesus was a sinner just like us.⁷

That paints a picture of spiritual drive running ahead of theological depth. A church may send a young person on a mission trip and give them a volunteer badge, yet the major issues concerning Jesus, the Bible, sin, grace, and obedience can still remain unaddressed in the back row. While activity is not the problem, it by no means replaces true spiritual formation. I think this point is worth a pause and some careful thought that leads to action.

4. Many Who Leave Are Not Gone Forever

The 2025 Lifeway The Way Forward report serves as a reminder that two out of three young adults who regularly attended a Protestant church as teenagers discontinued attending for at least a year between ages 18 and 22. However, the report also states that seven out of ten of those who had left the church eventually returned to some degree of attendance. Young adults who had remained connected were more likely to report feeling connected to student ministry and that small-group Bible study had been relevant to their lives. Among the factors that assisted in people's return were invitations and changes in their personal circumstances.⁸

The church needs to hear both sides of that story. Yes, many leave. Yes, many come back. We should bemoan the drift, but let’s not act like it is a prophecy of permanent loss. I was in that group as a University student. What moved me back into church in the 1980s was exactly the things mentioned in 2025. 

What We May Have Misread about “Attractional” Ministry

A clean building, good music, a website that functions properly, clear signage, a safe children’s ministry, strong preaching, hot coffee, and a service that concludes on time are all good. Sloppiness shouldn’t be considered a spiritual gift. For some, excellence is merely a way of showing love.

The trouble arises when we mix up attraction with transformation. A church may draw a large crowd by offering an experience that people enjoy. Yet, It’s only through the gospel—made active by the Holy Spirit through the Word and shown in the way the people of Christ live—that disciples can be made.

For years, some churches acted like reaching the next generation meant they had to chase the next new thing: newer music, newer tech, newer logos, newer stage lights, newer lingo. But let’s be honest—today, a twenty-five-year-old with a smartphone can find better production before the first song is over. We’re not going to out-entertain an entertainment industry that has more money than we can imagine, and Jesus never told us to try.

The church’s real strength is not putting on a show. It is being a people who know God, love each other, tell the truth, practice repentance, support each other in our difficulties, open our doors to others, serve our neighbors, and are able to explain why the death and resurrection of Jesus makes a difference.

Rewriting the Playbook: Seven Shifts Worth Making

Once we understand these four pressures Gen Zers and Millennials are carrying—and recognize that the way in probably isn’t a cooler stage, better coffee, or one more clever ministry social media post—we can start talking about the playbook. The real opportunity is found in the regular, ongoing, decidedly unglamorous work of really getting to know imperfect people, caring for them, and loving them over the long haul. Imagine that.

I’m not suggesting we throw everything out and start over. Most churches have had enough “new and improved” programs to last a lifetime. What I am suggesting is that we make seven intentional shifts—shifts that can gradually reshape a congregation's culture and help us recover something that looks more like the kind of church described in Acts 2:42–47.

Shift 1: From Impressing People to Knowing People

Instead of first asking, “What event will young adults be attending?” ask, “Who knows their names?” “Who has invited them to a table?” “Who would notice if they disappeared?” Hospitality is not merely greeters at the door. It is the movement from anonymous attendance to a genuine relationship.

Hey, a church with under thirty people can do this. In fact, a smaller church may have the upper hand if it stops apologizing for not being a megachurch and instead uses its size to provide what large churches must put extra effort into offering—visibility, access, family, and genuine personal care. So get with it, my smaller-in-attendance church brethren!

Shift 2: From Avoiding Hard Questions to Creating Honest Conversations

Young people have no need for a church that is embarrassed by its biblical convictions, nor do they need a church that regards every question as rebellion. There is a distinction to be made between welcoming a question and giving up on the answer.

Here’s a radical idea. Set up situations in which people can explore issues of suffering, sexuality, hypocrisy, science, politics, the reliability of Scripture, other religions, unanswered prayer, and hurt within the church. Teach leaders to respond by saying, “That is a reasonable question; let’s examine what the Scripture says,” rather than becoming defensive. Doubt should not be discipled by TikTok just because the church had been too afraid to discuss these topics.

Shift 3: From Age-Compartmentalized Ministry to Intergenerational Friendship

Sure, young people in their twenties need friends of their age, but they also need spiritual mothers and fathers, older couples, experienced single people, craftsmen, teachers, business leaders, retirees, and ordinary saints. These are the ones who have followed Jesus long enough to have some scars and some stories.

Here’s another radical idea. Make sure that the "young adult ministry" doesn't become a place where all those over forty vanish. Incorporate mentoring and table fellowship into the very structure of your church. Have five reliable older adults learn the names of five younger adults and invite them to share meals; encourage them to discuss topics such as work, marriage, singleness, money, failure, prayer, temptation, and how God appeared when things didn't turn out as expected.

Shift 4: From Attendance as the Goal to a Visible Discipleship Path

This shift is directly linked to the earlier blog, Beyond the Splash. There is no need to diminish Christ's call for younger adults; what is needed is for the way forward to be made clearer and for support to be strengthened. In many churches a person can be spiritually curious, attend the worship service twice a month, and yet still have no idea what the next step is, or that there is even a next step. I sincerely hope that is not true for your church. 

Provide them with a straightforward route: hear and understand the gospel, profess Christ, be baptized, join the church, study the Scripture and learn to pray, build genuine relationships, serve, share Christ, grow in obedience, and start helping other people. The aim should be Christlikeness, not the completion of the program. Sure, this messes with your schedule. This changes your priorities. But wouldn’t you rather make a shift to be more in line with New Testament metrics than the traditional Southern Baptist metrics of baptisms, budget, buildings, and butts? 

Shift 5: From Consumer Seats to Meaningful Responsibility

As noted in the research, younger adults are looking for meaning. Don’t wait five years before you invite them to contribute. Give appropriate, supervised, real responsibility. Let them serve neighbors, welcome guests, help with children, work on a local ministry project, participate in mercy ministry, learn evangelism, or help solve a genuine problem in the community.

Giving responsibility sends a message: “You are not just a customer here. You are part of the body, and God can use you to bless someone else.” That is a far cry from just trying to keep a certain age group entertained. It also makes the world a better place in the name of Jesus.

Shift 6: From “Come to Our Thing” to Relational Presence in Their World

The church still gathers. We shouldn’t apologize for that, and the next article in this series will make the case for the irreplaceable power of the physically gathered Christian community. But evangelism can’t depend on a young adult deciding, without invitation, to walk into a building full of strangers on Sunday morning.

One more radical idea. Yeh, I’m just full of them. Teach church members how to build real friendships with coworkers, neighbors, parents and grandparents at the ball field, college students, young professionals, and young families. Encourage personal testimony and ordinary gospel conversation. A social post may introduce your church. A livestream may reduce anxiety about a first visit. But trust usually grows through people. It’s a face. A name. A handshake or a hug. It's the connection. 

Shift 7: From Defending Preferences to Guarding Convictions

Every church has traditions. Some are beautiful. Some carry memory and identity. Some are simply the way things have always been done. I’m not trying to pick a fight, but the difficulty arises when we bestow on a preference the same authority as that which is held in a doctrine—or when we treat a biblical conviction as though it were no more than a preference. Do you understand? Okay, read on. 

The kind of music can change, the times for services can change, what people wear can change, the names of the ministries can change, the ways of communicating can change, a classroom can turn into a home group, a committee can become a ministry team, and a church can learn to express an old truth in new and easier-to-understand language.

The gospel remains the same; Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who became flesh, lived without sin, died for our sins, was buried, and was raised bodily from the dead. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ. The Bible is the ultimate authority. Jesus urges people to repent, to believe, to follow Him, to live a holy life, to love His church, and to make disciples of all nations (1 Cor. 15:3–4; Eph. 2:8–10; 2 Tim. 3:16–17; Matt. 28:18–20). These are not merely the preferences of different generations. They are Christian convictions.

Just make sure that when we consider and debate changes, we understand the difference between biblical convictions, traditional practices, and personal preferences. 

One Baptist Association, Many Front Doors

This matters in our own Baptist association, since there is no single 'Gen Z strategy' that applies to all congregations. Our churches extend from East Point and College Park through Riverdale, South Fulton, Fairburn, Palmetto, and Chattahoochee Hills, and go southward into Tyrone, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Senoia, and Sharpsburg. This coverage includes established communities, growing suburbs and exurbs, commuter areas, a variety of ethnic cultures, and churches that differ greatly in size and history.⁹

The church in College Park might need a front door different from that of the church in Senoia. The congregation in Chattahoochee Hills could develop relationships differently from those of the one in Peachtree City. A church having twenty-five active members should not attempt to copy a church with five hundred members—and it shouldn't.

But each church can ask the same basic questions: Which younger adults has God already placed among us? Where do they work, meet, serve, study, parent, and struggle? Who in our church is capable of building trusted relationships with them? What unnecessary barriers have we created? What biblical convictions must we state more clearly? What would it be like for a young adult to be known, guided, and given significant responsibilities in this church?

That is what contextualization should be like: rather than adapting the gospel to suit the culture, it involves eliminating unnecessary barriers so that the culture can clearly come upon the gospel.

A Sign of Hope

According to a Barna survey conducted in 2026, 45 percent of Protestant senior pastors reported that engagement among Gen Z had increased in their church over the previous year, and 42 percent reported the same for Millennials. It doesn't mean that every church is experiencing a surge of young adults, but it does indicate that many pastors are already noticing younger people becoming more involved.¹⁰

The real question is, will we know what to do when they show up? Bingo.

Change the Playbook, Not the Gospel

The church has done this before. We have changed the architecture, the hymnals, the instruments, the Sunday school arrangements, the means of communication, the methods of transportation, the schedules, the ministry titles, and a thousand other practices as the surrounding cultures have changed. And we’ve had people against every change. We did it anyway. The healthiest of these changes took place not because the church had become less Christian, but because it was trying to be faithful in a new setting.

We shouldn't ask ourselves, 'How can we make Christianity more appealing to Gen Z and Millennials?' for the cross will always meet human pride, and repentance will always involve a cost; Jesus will never become a mere lifestyle accessory. The right question is, 'How can we ensure that people are tripping over the genuine claims of Christ rather than over our unnecessary traditions, institutional programs, cold relationships, or our failure to listen?'

Younger adults do not need us to out-entertain Netflix, out-brand Apple, or out-scroll TikTok. What they need is a church that knows Jesus, speaks the truth, keeps its promises, shares its meals, bears the burdens of its members, welcomes sincere questions, practices repentance, looks after its neighbors, and invites people into a way of life worth giving oneself to.

Even though the generation might be absent from some of our pews, that doesn't prove they are out of Christ's reach. It might only mean that it's time to rewrite the playbook and then go look for them.

Endnotes

Scripture quotations and references are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

1. Gregory A. Smith, Alan Cooperman, Becka A. Alper, Besheer Mohamed, Chip Rotolo, Patricia Tevington, Justin Nortey, Asta Kallo, Jeff Diamant, and Dalia Fahmy, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off,” Pew Research Center, February 26, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/.

2. Barna Group, “New Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults,” April 7, 2025, https://www.barna.com/research/belief-in-jesus-rises/.

3. Barna Group, “New Barna Data: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance,” September 2, 2025, https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/.

4. Barna Group, “Gen Z’s Emotional Challenges: A Unique Opportunity for the Church,” May 13, 2025, https://www.barna.com/trends/gen-z-emotions/.

5. Richard Weissbourd, Milena Batanova, Joseph McIntyre, and Eric Torres, with Shanae Irving, Sawsan Eskander, and Kiran Bhai, On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges (Cambridge, MA: Making Caring Common, Harvard Graduate School of Education, October 2023), https://mcc.gse.harvard.edu/reports/on-edge.

6. Barna Group, “Fostering Relationships: A Key to Meaningful Church Engagement,” March 13, 2025, https://www.barna.com/trends/fostering-relationships-at-church/.

7. Lifeway Research, State of Discipleship Generation Z Analysis (June 2026), 1–8, https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Generation-Z-Summary-of-Results-for-Release.pdf.

8. Lifeway Research, The Way Forward: Insights Report—Charting 5 Priorities for the Church (2025), 22–23, https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/The-Way-Forward-Insights-Report.pdf.

9. Fairburn Baptist Missionary Association Inc., Association Church List, report supplied by the association, 2026, 1–2.

10. Barna Group, “Are Young Adults Engaging More at Church? What Pastors Are Seeing,” March 9, 2026, https://www.barna.com/trends/young-adults-church-engagement-pastors/.