The Anxious Generation Goes to Church: What the Research Says About What Younger Generations Need (and Want) from Your Church

Pastor Ranier (The Post-Quarantine Church) argues in this impassioned treatise that churches must reach out to unaffiliated members of Gen Z, a generation that attends church at lower rates than any other but might benefit from it most. Drawing on Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation—which argues that the rise in technology has led young people to feel increasingly disconnected, overwhelmed, and burned-out—Rainer contends that the church is an ideal resource to fill those gaps with belonging, purpose, and community. Simultaneously, the potential influx of new members can serve as a “shot in the arm” for declining churches starved of purpose and vitality. Arguing that Gen Z isn’t actively hostile to going to church but simply haven’t been given good reasons to go, he outlines how Christians can invite Gen Z and Gen Alpha members to church in intentional and personal ways. Rainer constructs an innovative case for the ways in which churches and the “disconnected” generation can be mutually beneficial but too flippantly dismisses reasons why some are hesitant to go to church. For example, he suggests responding to concerns about religious hypocrisy by acknowledging that “sometimes our actions and words don’t match our beliefs. But that doesn’t excuse our failure to be obedient through faithful church attendance.” Still, this gives church leaders plenty to consider. (Aug.)