Modified Research Question

Name

Institutional Affiliation

Modified Research Question

What is the responsive model for Generation Z to increase church involvement, grow the Body of Christ and manifest their importance to the Good Shepherd Baptist Church. Richmond, Virginia?

Components of the Research Question:

Summary of Literature Review: Increasing Generation Z’s Church Involvement and Manifesting their Importance in the Church

Good Shepherd Baptist Church VA

Benjamin Yeanay

Regent University

Faculty of the School of Divinity

Summary Literature Review

The review of literature seeks to answer the question, “What is a responsive model for Generation Z to increase church involvement, grow the Body of Christ, and manifest their importance in the Good Shepherd Baptist Church in St. Richmond, Virginia?” Addressing the question will reveal information on the participation of Generation Z in church; specifically, it will address their involvement, spiritual development, and service within the church. In an ideal situation, the church should have an active youth membership for the sustenance of its future. The current youths, specifically Generation Z, are the future adults in the church. A study by Chap Chan found that many youths would stop attending church services if they are not actively encouraged to engage in church activities.[footnoteRef:1] The study indicates that as generations change, the preceding generations were more active in church issues than the current generation. Chan’s projection shows that many youths would disengage from their role in the church unless measures are taken to change the situation.[footnoteRef:2] The trend of disengagement and leaving the church is influenced by cultural, societal, and economic factors. Marion Diane Jones denotes, “social changes, shifting cultural values, and the tremendous impact of technology all contribute to significant differences in lived experience between ages.”[footnoteRef:3] These transitions when not well addressed, make the youth lose the significance of attending church services and opt for other activities that best suit their desires.[footnoteRef:4] Comment by Dana Cavallaro: This needs a footnote. [1: . Chap Chan, Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations Into the Family of Faith (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016), 10.
] [2: . Ibid., 15.
] [3: Marion Diane Jones Youth Decline in Church Growth and Attendance. Liberty University, 2020, 124
] [4: .Ibid,]

The Word of God has a central location in all theological literature. In reviewing Generation Z’s participation in church activities, it is crucial to understand the literature on the subject from a variety of fields. Besides literature from doctrinal definitions, decisions, and disciplinary canons of councils of Churches form another category of theological literature, other resources from anthropological sources, sociological sources, and psychological sources shall be reviewed to provide an all-around knowledge. The biblical-theological framework is necessary to comprehend the drastic shifts taking place and create a suitable plan for the church’s future, particularly in attracting and engaging Generation Z’s participation in church events. Examining the current research works and literature on Generation Z’s involvement in church issues is necessary. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: We generally lowercase generation names such as baby boomers and millennials, but we capitalize generation names that include letters, such as Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z.

The Trend of Generation Z in Church

Maria-Cristina Iorgulescu acknowledges the definition of Gen-Z as adopted by previous authors – Gen-Zs are individuals born after 1995.[footnoteRef:5] Michael Dimock on the other hand adopts the definition of Pew research center, that Gen-Zs are individuals born after 1996.[footnoteRef:6] Mark Griffith extends this gap by considering Gen-Z and individuals born between 1997 to 2015.[footnoteRef:7] This ministry project defines individuals born between 1997 and 2012, who are currently between 10 and 25 years old, as Generation Z. Chan’s research indicates that, in the United States of America, Generation Z is 20.2% of the country’s population.[footnoteRef:8] This means it is a generation that cannot be underestimated in church activities. It is a generation born during the digital age; it has experienced rapid globalization. Iorgulescu denotes that, “Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse adult generation in the nation’s history, yet the next generation – Generation Z – is even more diverse.” Hence it is the most sexually, ethnically, and racially diverse generation compared to preceding generations.[footnoteRef:9] [5: . Maria-Cristina Iorgulescu. “Generation Z and its perception of work.” Cross-Cultural Management Journal 18, no. 01 (2016): 47-54.
] [6: . Michael Dimmock. “Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins.” Pew Research Center 17, no. 1 (2019):.
] [7: Mark Griffiths. “The missing generations: The Church in Wales and young people.” Missiology 49, no. 1 (2021): 83.
] [8: . Chap Chan, Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations Into the Family of Faith (GrandRapids: Baker Academic, 2016), 10.
] [9: . Iorgulescu, 4.
]

Examining the current trends of Gen Z helps to understand whether the involvement of Generation Z in the church is increasing or decreasing. The impact of Gen Z on the future of the church can be viewed through their current participation. Chan’s research on youth involvement in the church found that most youths would stop attending church services if the programs set in church reduce or if the youth are not actively encouraged to participate in the existing ones.[footnoteRef:10] Chan reports, “Failure to encourage youth to participate in church activities creates an impression of insignificance in the activities.”[footnoteRef:11] The impact of this is that more young people will lose interest in the activities and fail to participate, leading them to a monotonous single program of only listening to preaching. The subsequent impact is failure to teach the new generation the significance of the activities in the church. That means that a ten-year-old currently attending church might not participate in weekly church services when he is twenty-two years old because they may not attach any significance to it. The futuristic findings reveal that many youths would disengage from church activities unless the trend changes. Chap believes that changing the trend requires addressing the reasons for the trend.[footnoteRef:12] [10: Chan,10.
] [11: Ibid., 10.
] [12: Ibid., 15.
]

The trend of disengagement and leaving the church is influenced by cultural, societal, and economic factors. For instance, Jones notes that “In churches with relatively little cultural diversity among their members, … the influence of culture can become effectively invisible,” thus greatly impacting the Gen-Z youth who tend to be more diverse.[footnoteRef:13] This cultural gap can lead to less church attendance because the generation feels left out. Belle Liang and Sharon Galgay Ketcham studied college students in New England who were actively engaged in church responsibilities; however, they saw a gradual shift and a growing passiveness towards church activities.[footnoteRef:14] “Purpose is an essential component of youth thriving, yet few empirical studies have explicitly explored how purpose forms in young people,” most of which have proved that youths decline in church participation due to the inability to find purpose in the activities offered in church.[footnoteRef:15] The research done in America titled National Study of Youth and Religion between 2003 and 2005 showed that in as much as youths are theoretically comfortable with the Christian faith, they are less concerned with it.[footnoteRef:16] Taylor notes, “Some may start inactivity in high school and never return.” Also that “Others may become inactive as they graduate high school, move away from home, and fail to find a new church community. ”.[footnoteRef:17] Naomi Thompson notes that the relaxations in engagement arise from the antagonism between society and the youths in church.[footnoteRef:18] Thompson also believes that youths were more active in church matters in the early 20th century than in the 21stcentury because of the changes in the social environment.[footnoteRef:19] The social environment affects the interest of youths in church activities. In addition, the developments in education, technology, and social and economic principles influence the interaction of the church and the youths. [13: . Jones, 123.
] [14: Belle Liang, and Sharon Galgay Ketcham. “Emerging adults’ perceptions of their faith-related purpose.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 9, no. S1 (2017): S22.
] [15: Ibid, S22
] [16: Andrew Taylor. Looking Back to Move Forward: Youth Ministry and its Effect on the Faith and Christian Practices of Today’s Adults (Doctor of Ministry Thesis, 2017), 238.
] [17: Ibid, 238.
] [18: Naomi Thompson, Young People and Church Since 1900: Engagement and Exclusion. (London: Taylor and Francis, 2017), 82.
] [19: Ibid, 82.
]

The Perception of Generation Z towards Church

Generation Z prefers interacting with the church, according to Thompson, and engaging with their faith under their terms, which is not tolerated in mainstream churches.[footnoteRef:20] Furthermore, Generation Zs are increasingly reducing in the church because of a lack of opportunities to actively engage in evangelizing, teaching, changing perceptions, and showing direction. The problem is broader because Generation Z is more individualistic, yet share global concerns. The research by Alex McFarland and Jason Jimenez shows part of the reason for the lack of opportunity is the conservativeness of the church in the exercise of religion.[footnoteRef:21] Conservative churches bar youths from engaging in some dance styles and from wearing certain types of apparel, which concern the youths, repelling them from the church and its activities.[footnoteRef:22] The current trends in dressing and conduct seem to be ‘contra-church’ such that conservative churches consider them either sinful or associated with worldly acts that are not in line with the biblical teachings. The youth are the biggest champions of these trends and if placed in a situation to choose between church and pursuing their desires, the latter usually prevails causing them to walk away from the church. Taylor denotes, “others may see God as belonging to their personal sphere but not at work in the real world, and thus attach less importance to church attendance.”[footnoteRef:23] The religious behavior of youths embraces feel-good, do-good spirituality, which is not focused on the Triune God; as such, it does not align with the Christian tradition.[footnoteRef:24] Furthermore, the behavior has nothing to do with loving Jesus Christ. [20: Thompson., 95.
] [21: Alex McFarland and Jason Jimenez, Abandoned Faith: Why Millennials Are Walking Away and How Can We Lead Them Home (New York: Tyndale House Publishers. 2017), 100.
] [22: Ibid, 100.
] [23: Taylor,238.
] [24: Ibid., 100.
]

Generation Z’s Christian Behavior

Generation Z has the energy and the commitment to engage in anything of interest to them. McFarland and Jimenez state that young people have different perceptions and ideas from previous generations.[footnoteRef:25] Consequently, they can influence the community based on positive thoughts. Eugene Baron notes that, as youths, Generation Z can actively engage in transformative functions at the church level, such as composing new songs and playing instruments using new rhythms that make the church service lively.[footnoteRef:26] The different functions of the youths in the church are manifestations of their behavior. McFarland and Jimenez indicate that creativity is one way Generation Z can reflect the Creator. Also, more importantly, they are willing to learn; as such, they are committed to studying the Bible to gain the wisdom of God.[footnoteRef:27] The knowledge gained is transferred to peers and the aged by teaching. Furthermore, the knowledge gained helps shape their perception of things, which enables them to guide others toward the way of God. James Franklin and Allen Jackson explain that Christian youths are also willing to be mentored to be servants of God; they love other Christians in accordance with Christian teachings.[footnoteRef:28] [25: Ibid.
] [26: Eugene Baron.The Role of Church Youth in the Transformation Agenda of South African Cities (HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 73(1), 2017) 1-15.
] [27: McFarland and Jimenez, 100.
] [28: James Franklin and Allen R. Jackson, Youth Ministry: A View from the Ground (Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, 13(1), 2016), 49.
]

Youth Ministry and Generation Z

The role of youths in the church is defined by the youth ministry, which is the practice in which volunteers and professionals inspired by the Christian faith work with youths to learn, discover and experience the Gospel. In this case, Jos de Kock, and Bård E. Hallesby Norheim, suggest that the role of youths is geared towards discovering, learning, and experiencing the Gospel through various activities such as evangelizing, singing, and visiting the sick, helping the orphans, visiting prisoners, among others.[footnoteRef:29] Engaging in these roles enhances the youths’ spiritual life. Douglas J. Davies and Michael J. believe that the conduct of Christians shapes their moral selves; that means that whereas the social norms may define moral behavior differently, Christian works focus on spiritual development.[footnoteRef:30] In addition, de Kock and Norheim indicate that part of youth ministry is fostering personal and spiritual growth for other youths and teaching parents about discipline and love.[footnoteRef:31] Paul G. Kelly writes that youth ministry started during the 17th century when youths were actively involved in discipleship, Bible study, and evangelism to other youths.[footnoteRef:32] According to Kelly, “The American church has developed strategies to address the spiritual needs of youth at least since the colonial period of the 1600s.”[footnoteRef:33] In this case, there was formal involvement of the youths in the various church activities to address their needs. However, “the shifts in culture and the new understanding of adolescence of the twentieth century led to the church formulating new responses to the spiritual needs of young people—modern youth ministry.”[footnoteRef:34] As time went by, the inability of the church leadership to meet the spiritual needs led to disinterest in church affairs. The assigned roles were abandoned. Regardless of the failures of some of the youth ministries the church’s survival is based on the leadership of the younger generation. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: What kind of activities were taking place in the 15th century? The Protestant Church was birthed in the 16th century. You have to make clear what kinds of activities took place in the 15 century. The Church was pretty corrupt. [29: Jos de Kock, and Bård E. Hallesby Norheim, Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical. (International Journal of Practical Theology, 22(1), 2018), 69.
] [30: Douglas J. Davies and Michael J. Thate, Monstrosities: Religion, identity, and belief. (Religions, 8(6), 2017), 3
] [31: Jos de Kock, and Bård E. Hallesby Norheim, Youth ministry research and the empirical. (International Journal of Practical Theology, 22(1), 2018), 69.72
] [32: . Paul G. Kelly. A theology of youth (Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, 13(1), 2016), 3.
] [33: Ibid,
] [34: Ibid,
]

Expected Outcomes for Gen Z in Church

Youths in the church are expected to demonstrate a godly behavior characterized by being patient, loving, trustworthy, honest, faithful to their words, and knowing God. Importantly, they should be committed to the works of God. The expected behaviors of Gen Z in church help them carry on with God’s works. Andrew Taylor indicates that “Christian youth ministry seeks to encourage lifelong faith in the Triune God that is undergirded by practices of worship, Bible study, prayer, fellowship, and service.”[footnoteRef:35] Significantly, as guiders in the works of God, youths also influence the faith of adults based on the foundation led and the lived experiences. They have a role in influencing positive behavior among their peers in church, resulting in enhanced involvement in church activities. The church has a role in cultivating and nurturing the expected behavior for the future ministry. [35: Andrew A. Taylor. Looking Back to Move Forward: Youth Ministry and its Effect on Today’s Adults’ Faith and Christian Practices (Doctor of Ministry Theses, 2017). 2
]

There should be a way of evaluating the development of the expected behavior. The evaluation of youths in the church is dependent on the community. Whereas Christianity is a uniform doctrine regardless of the culture and societal values, some values are localized and emphasized by communities. For example, among the ways of assessing the effectiveness of youths in their roles is assessing their biblical knowledge not by giving examinations but by observing their conduct in line with the biblical lessons. Joo Wang denotes that among the observations is the connection between the youths, which is one of the valued attributes among most communities.[footnoteRef:36] Notably, the evaluation of youth behavior should also be contextualized generationally. The Study by Andrew A. Taylor shows that the practice of faith among generations born in the 1950s is different from those born in the 1970s, which is also different from those born in the 1990s.[footnoteRef:37] Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Introduce this with an author. I am not sure by the footnote what the author’s whole name is. [36: Joo Whang. Taste the youth ministry: Cultivating Organic Faith in Korean American Youth Ministry (New Jersey: Praise Presbyterian Church, 2014), 65.
] [37: Taylor, 47.
]

Challenges Affecting the Participation of Youths in Church

Alienation of Generation Z from church affairs that are considered to be meant for adults contributes to the crisis. Nancy Heffernan’s research shows that the crisis affecting youth ministry in the church is caused by the isolation of the youth from adult affairs and the world in the church.[footnoteRef:38] Churches struggle to attract and maintain youths; among the reasons for the decline is the lack of leadership and preaching from the older adults, who should show direction and guidance on godly conduct. Heffernan denotes that, “if the main church services have failed to deliver the message of good news today, then how will the youth ever know that it is crucial for them to be part of the main church services.”[footnoteRef:39] The youths in the church are taught to believe in the triune of God, behave as Christians by offering service to others, reading the Bible, and engaging in prayer and worship. They are also encouraged to belong to Christian congregations. Heffernan denotes that the challenge is that a majority of youths no longer believe in God; they do not behave like Christians, nor do they belong to Christian congregations.[footnoteRef:40] Generation Zs are sometimes not engaged in the church issues because of shallow, repressive, boring services. Dwindling youth engagement in church activities affects church functions. Nancy indicates that whereas Gen Z lay a foundation for their future service to the church, most of them fall out of the way due to life’s experiences, lack of support and mentorship, and changes in environmental influences.[footnoteRef:41] The millennial youths leave the church service because of the perceptions of postmodernism, which seem to challenge the traditional way of worship. Taylor indicates, “one of the key questions for postmodern Christians is the question of authority, particularly how Scripture functions as an authority in their individual lives”.[footnoteRef:42] Catherine Kagwira denotes that, “The church’s future leaders are unprepared”, hence predicting a “void in church leadership.”[footnoteRef:43] Charles Eugene Sumpter understands that “ Millennials questioned church traditions and whether it was deviating from the gospel and preaching the same message that Jesus preached”[footnoteRef:44] indicating a higher level of skepticism among this generation. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Paragraphs should not be introduced with a quote or ended with a quote according to Dean. Bekker. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Introduce by author. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Introduce by author. [38: Heffernan, N. Why is There a Decline of Young People in the Main Church Services? (Dissertations 2018-2019), 6
] [39: Ibid, 30.
] [40: Ibid, 6.
] [41: Ibid, 6.
] [42: Taylor,.12
] [43: Jacqueline Hanna. Dynamics of youth engagement in the local church (A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Worship Studies 2020), 22.
] [44: Charles Eugene Sumpter. “Declining church attendance: Five reasons why millennials have stopped attending church.” (2019), 96.
]

Elderly mentorship lacks among the youth. Sumpter notes that whereas Christian youths have admirable attributes that should be nurtured in service to their God, they lack elderly mentors who think about God.[footnoteRef:45] Franklin and Jackson point out that existing elders discount youths as unable to carry out God’s work because of the differences in perceptions.[footnoteRef:46] Christian youths should be facilitated to carry out their ministry in their ways as long as the focus is on Jesus Christ. Other challenges, according to research done by Katherine Kagwira, include environmental factors such as technological shifts that result in lifestyle changes, lack of parental commitment to their children’s lifestyle, secularism, and the inability of the church to change with the times.[footnoteRef:47] There are however remedies researched and some tried out to try remedy the situation. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: This sentence and the ones that follow are important, but should go in the Challenges Affecting the Participation of Gen Zs in the Church. This way it does seem like you are repeating yourself. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Introduce by author. [45: Ibid, 49.
] [46: Franklin and Jackson, 49.
] [47: Kagwira, M Catherine. Factors that influence youth participation in church growth and development: A case study of Runogone Circuit, Kaaga. (Thesis for Masters in Counseling at Kenya Methodist University, 2012), 85.
]

Model to Impact Gen Z in Good Shepherd Baptist Church

The youth should be encouraged to serve God in their various capacities. Importantly, they should be educated on the effects of environmental factors, drug abuse, and hostile behavior on their lives. Importantly, parents have a more prominent role in teaching responsible behavior to their children to nurture responsibility in them. Dimmock notes that Generation Z is success-oriented and career-driven.[footnoteRef:48] It is less religious and most captivated with technology.[footnoteRef:49] Furthermore, it is willing to accept different perceptions of sexuality.[footnoteRef:50] In this case, it is slightly different from the preceding generations, which are relatively conservative. As such, the Body of Christ should focus on ways of attracting this generation to actively participate in church issues. Among the ways suggested by Barna Group is using technology in evangelizing and guiding them. This generation is known as the screen-agers, meaning it is always on the internet and smartphones; therefore, the internet is a suitable platform for attracting Gen Z to church activities.[footnoteRef:51] Barna argues that technology gets people who are far away closer. The church can use the internet to teach these youths the way of God.[footnoteRef:52] [48: Dimmock, No. 1.
] [49: Dimmock, No. 1
] [50: Dimmock, No. 1
] [51: Barna Group. Young Adults Reveal their Goals for the Next Decade. (Web, 2013).
] [52: Ibid, para 15.
]

Jones established that separate services that are meant for youth should be introduced in church.[footnoteRef:53] According to her research, a large proportion of the youth advocated for “a separate service that is distinct from adults and children,” which was “supported by 95%, although a section of 5% of the youth did not find this necessary.”[footnoteRef:54] Such a measure could encourage attendance as it captures most of the factors that swayed the youth from the church such as the culture gap issue. Deja Erin McGhaw advocates for utilizing social media platforms to reach out to the youth. According to McGhraw, “Churches can grow and capture young people by communicating with their congregation on social media effectively.” [footnoteRef:55]These advancements that have taken the generation by a storm can also be used as a platform to reach out to them. [53: Jones, 112
] [54: Ibid.
] [55: McGhaw, Deja Erin. “Churches can increase membership among Millennials and Generation Z by using social media.” (Lindenwood University.2020),15.
]

Furthermore, to maintain youths in the church, Taylor indicates that the church should change its ways of sharing and teaching the Gospel to suit the 21st-century perceptions, and among the suggested ways include focusing on consequential faith.[footnoteRef:56] Taylor uses Kenda Dean’s work to advocate “for youth ministry that models a “consequential faith,” which grows by confessing a creed, belonging to a community, and pursuing God’s purpose and hope.”[footnoteRef:57] Consequential faith develops by belonging to a community, confessing a creed, and pursuing God’s purpose. In this case, the church should keep pace with the changing culture and technology. Comment by Dana Cavallaro: Introduce by author. [56: Taylor, 50
] [57: Taylor, 47]

Summary

The reviewed literature reveals information on the trend of youths in church engagement; the reducing concentration, particularly among Generation Z, indicates a need to change the approach to youth ministry. Information provided by the articles from theological journals, and various other academic journals encompassing the fields of sociology, and psychology have further revealed that the decline of Gen-Z in the church is majorly contributed by the reduced participation and promotion of church activities among the youth. In addition to this, the emerging trends in the world, like the internet and fashion, have led to a controversial and rather repulsive nature of the church among the generation. This is especially in the conservative churches that are strict in the traditions of the church that were seemingly believed to be in alignment with the Bible writings.

Proposing a model that solves the reduced participation of Gen-Z in the church is the main objective of this research. Following previous research conducted, an inquiry into the church activities, church conventions, and trends in the society form important areas to investigate and include in the model. The model will address GenZ’s involvement, spiritual development, and service within the church with the ultimate goal of increasing the cohort’s participation in the church.

Bibliography

Barna Group. Young Adults Reveal their Goals for the Next Decade. (Web, 2013)

Baron, Eugene.The role of church youth in the transformation agenda of South African cities (HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 73(1), 2017).

Chap Chan, Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations Into the Family of Faith (GrandRapids: Baker Academic, 2016).

Davis, J. D, and Thate, M. J Monstrosities: Religion, identity, and belief. (Religions, 8(6), 2017)

Dimock, Michael. “Defining generations: Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins.” Pew Research Center 17, no. 1 (2019): 1-7.

Franklin, J, and Allen, R. Jackson. Youth Ministry: A View from the Ground (Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, 13(1), 2016).

Griffiths, Mark. “The missing generations: The Church in Wales and young people.” Missiology 49, no. 1 (2021): 83.

Heffernan, N. Why is here a Decline of Young People in the Main Church Services? (Dissertations 2018-2019).

Hanna, J. Dynamics of Youth Engagement in the Local Church (A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Worship Studies 2020).

Iorgulescu, Maria-Cristina. “Generation Z and its Perception of Work.” Cross-Cultural Management Journal 18, no. 01 (2016): 47-54.

Jones, Marion D. Youth Decline in Church Growth and Attendance. Liberty University, 2020. 124.

Jos de Kock, and Bård E. HallesbyNorheim, Youth Ministry Research and the Empirical. (International Journal of Practical Theology, 22(1), 2018).

Kagwira, M Catherine. Factors that Influence Participation of Youth in Church Growth and Development: A case study of Runogone Circuit, Kaaga. (Thesis for Masters in Counseling at Kenya Methodist University, 2012).

Liang, Belle, and Sharon Galgay Ketcham. “Emerging adults’ Perceptions of their Faith-Related Purpose.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality 9, no. S1 (2017): S22.

McFarland, A and Jason, J. Abandoned faith: Why Generation Zs are Walking Away and How Can we Lead them Home (New York: Tyndale House Publishers. 2017).

McGhaw, Deja Erin. “Churches can increase membership among Millennials and Generation Z by using social media.” (Lindenwood University.2020),17.

Paul, K. Kelly. A Theology of Youth (Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry, 13(1), 2016).

Sumpter, Charles Eugene. “Declining church attendance: Five reasons why millennials have stopped attending church.” (2019), 96.

Taylor, A. Andrew. Looking Back to Move Forward: Youth Ministry and its Effect on the Faith

and Christian Practices of Today’s Adults (Doctor of Ministry These, 2017).

Thompson, N. 2017.Young People and Church Since 1900: Engagement and Exclusion. (London: Taylor and Francis, 2017).

Whang, J. Taste the Youth Ministry: Cultivating Organic Faith in Korean American Youth Ministry (New Jersey: Praise Presbyterian Church, 2014).

Outline of the Literature Review

In support of the project’s thesis, which is, what is the responsive model for

Generation Z to increase church involvement, grow the Body of Christ, and manifest their

importance to the Good Shepherd Baptist Church. Richmond, Virginia?

The literature review is segmented into five parts covering areas that address the thesis statement. These segments are categorized in two sections namely, The outline of the literature review and the summary of the literature review.

Outline of the Literature Review

I. The Trend of Generation Z in Church

A. Different definitions of Generation Z.

B. Generation Z form around 20% of the population in the USA.

C. The Generation is more ethnically and culturally diverse.

D. Failure to engage Gen-Z in church activities discourages them from attending church.

E. Finding the purpose of engaging in church activities is important among Gen-Z

II. The perception of generation Z toward the Church

A. Gen-Zs have a unique way of participating in Church that is rarely tolerated.

B. There are fewer opportunities for youth engagement in church.

C. Conservative churches do not embrace the cultural transitions among Gen-Z

D. The priority of participation of the youth lies where their interests are well addressed.

Generation Z’s Christian Behavior

Generation Zs are responsible for most transformations in church activities.

Passing down knowledge and skills is best done by the generation.

III. Youth Ministry and Generation Z

A. The youth ministry is one of the ministries that defines the role of youths in the church.

B. Engaging in the various ministries such as the choir or bible study enables the youth to experience the gospel.

C. Failure of the church leadership to embrace the various ministries contributes to disinterest in the church activities.

IV. Challenges affecting the Participation of Youths in Church

A. The crisis affecting youth ministry in the church is caused by the isolation of the youth from the adult affairs in the church.

B. There is a lack of mentorship from mature members; the expectations and perceptions of Generation Z are different from that of the elderly.

C. There are few elders to mentor the generation appropriately.

D. The church leadership is sometimes conservative, unwilling to change or adapt; hence, the church services are boring, discouraging Generation Z.

V. Model to positively impact Generation Z within the Church

A. Education on various social issues such as Drug abuse should be given to the youth.

B. Technology is more prioritized among the youth.

C. The trends in technology should be used to bring the youth to church.

D. Social media is the most effective tool to serve the purpose of bringing the youth to church.

E. The church should change its way of teaching the gospel.

F. Consequential faith should be pursued to encourage more involvement of the youth in the church.

G. The church should cope with changing trends and find ways to incorporate them into church activities.