Mobilizing Gen Z: Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Age of Missions

By Jolene Erlacher and Katy White

A God-Designed Generation for a God-Given Task 

 

The scale and scope of the global, technological, and cultural changes of the past two decades are unprecedented. For the first time in history, American churches and agencies are mobilizing from a post-Christian cultural context and to new collaborations with a global mission force. Amidst these rapid changes, how can mission leaders continue to ensure that we fulfill the Great Commission mandate to disciple Christ-worshippers from every tribe, tongue, and nation? 

 

In Mobilizing Gen Z, Jolene Erlacher and Katy White blend leading research with the voices of current mission practitioners to unpack the dynamics behind our changing culture and the resulting impact on the church. And perhaps not-so-surprisingly, they reach the conclusion that God has already provided a solution for such a time as this—Gen Z (b. 1996– 2010).  

 

Through an i

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Carey Publishing
• Release date: Aug 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781645083160

Jolene Erlacher

 Jolene Erlacher (EdD) is a next gen researcher, speaker, and consultant at Leading Tomorrow (leadingtomorrow.org; [e-mail]). She teaches graduate courses at several Christian universities, equipping ministry leaders serving in a variety of contexts. Jolene grew up as a missionary kid and has been researching leadership and generational trends in ministry contexts for over a decade. She regularly speaks at missions conferences and consults with mission agencies and other ministries on how to equip and retain young leaders. Jolene lives in North Carolina with her husband and daughters. 

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Endorsements

This is a must-read for those who care about both the future of missions and the Generation Z goers who can lead the way to a humble partnership with the global church. Jolene and Katy’s approach is research-based, compassionate, and never settles for easy answers. Most importantly, it’s hopeful.

REBECCA HOPKINS

Award-winning journalist and former global worker

In Mobilizing Gen Z, Jolene Erlacher and Katy White help move us beyond the shocking reality that everything has changed and continues to change in the world of missions mobilization to a place of hopeful reengagement fueled by a vision of something new, something beautiful. They offer insightful views of the challenges and the opportunities inherent to mobilizing Gen Z as whole-life, whole-world disciples.

RUTH HUBBARD

Vice President, Urbana, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

If we want to see the name of Jesus made famous in every tongue, tribe, people, and nation, we must send more missionaries. In order to do that, we will have to contextualize the missions message to the next generation of believers. Erlacher and White not only conducted the research but share from their experience as well in this masterfully written book. It will revolutionize the way you mobilize Gen Z.

DAVE JACOB

Director of Mobilization, World Gospel Mission

Founder and Director, Center for Missionary Mobilization and Retention

As a Gen Z goer myself, I recommend this book to all who find their hearts wrapped in the Great Commission and yet baffled by how to move forward. Katy and Jolene have articulated an insightful vision of today’s missional landscape that helps me understand, and adapt to, the cultural moments we find ourselves in. I’ve seen first-hand in my own journey the unique challenges facing this generation and how the mobilization strategies outlined in this book have served to propel me forward—for such a time as this!

JENNA

Gen Zer serving in East Asia

I want to see a copy of this book in the hands of every mission leader and mobilizer I know. The authors weave intense, scholarly research into the fabric of an engaging read. They balance an honest look at Gen Z’s strengths and weaknesses with an understanding and appreciation for that generation. They present a realistic yet inspiring picture of what Gen Z can bring to the cause of missions—but not only that. They also provide the tools other generations need for mentoring Gen Z to take the same commission, the same glad message and bear the torch … proclaiming that Jesus died and rose.

DON JOHNSON

Assistant to US Director, SEND International

Board Chair, MissionWorks

The baton of the Great Commission is being handed to the emerging leadership of Gen Z, and Jolene and Katy’s book comes at the right time. Mobilizing Gen Z provides critical insights for leaders to better understand and prepare Gen Zers for the unique challenges and opportunities of what lies ahead. The authors bring a passionate and clear message characterized by sound research and Spirit-led discernment that reveals the incredible potential and fit for Gen Z in God’s global mission. I highly recommend this book to leaders who are influencing this generation to reach the world with the gospel.

DARIN KINDLE

Vice President of Academic Affairs, Bethany Global University

Insightful. Hope-filled. Visionary. Jolene and Katy offer a compelling reimagination of the future of missions within a post-missions culture in where Gen Z will lead this global everyone to everywhere movement with the marks of awareness, humility, and collaboration. As Christians wrestle with trends in missions, this book on Gen Z is absolutely essential, offering a culturally attuned and compelling vision for tomorrow.

JESSE KROEZE

Executive Director, Touch the World

Jolene and Katy do a great job of unpacking critical insights into the challenges faced by Gen Z and their journey toward being goers. Mobilizing Gen Z is a must-read for parents and leaders of both the church and mission organizations if we are to successfully disciple Gen Z toward effective ministry, especially in the overseas context. Don’t miss out on being a part of how God is working through Gen Z to show his mercy to the world he dearly loves!

RACHAEL STONER

Mother of Four Gen Zers

Pilot and Aviation Engagement Manager, JAARS, Inc.

In this timely book, Jolene and Katy provide global mission organizations with much needed clarity and advice as we seek to draw Gen Z into action on the field. They have done a masterful job of laying the foundation for understanding current generational struggles with clear strategies for addressing their needs. This book does not skirt hard issues nor does it seek to give simplistic answers; rather, it encourages us to love a new generation that is being raised up for such a time as this.

ERIC KELLERER

Director of Waypoints, Mission Aviation Fellowship

We all struggle to understand young people in the context of missions. How refreshing to read a book that synthesizes the historical and modern realities impacting the thinking of Gen Z. Even more, what a joy to read about a future in missions where we harness the strengths of the very people we are seeking to understand. God has a plan and has provided people of each generation to carry the gospel to the world. Jolene and Katy help us comprehend and see past the challenges of today, and that it is not about the demise of missions, but about revising how we do missions to reach still more for generations to come!

BRIAN HEERWAGEN

CEO, MissionWorks.global

From the perspective of a Millennial missionary, I appreciate how the book Mobilizing Gen Z by Jolene and Katy clearly expresses their desire and intention to help raise up the next generation of missionaries. Their writing both challenges and inspires me to actively engage and fulfill my role in shaping, coaching, and encouraging the generations that follow. I feel empowered and equipped to come alongside Gen Zers in their journey into global missions, in the hopes of one day handing off the baton as they carry on the legacy of building up a global force that brings all nations, tribes, and tongues to a knowledge and love of the one and true God.

ALLY LEE

Missionary with South America Mission

Mobilizing Gen Z: Challenges and Opportunities for the Global Age of Missions

© 2022 by Jolene Erlacher and Katy White. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission from the publisher, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.

For permission, email [e-mail]. For corrections, email [e-mail].

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, represented by Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

Published by William Carey Publishing

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William Carey Publishing is a ministry of Frontier Ventures

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Cover: Mike Riester

Interior Designers: Mike Riester and ProjectLuz.com

ISBNs: 978-1-64508-314-6 (paperback)

978-1-64508-316-0 (epub)

Digitial Ebook Release 2022

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022942260

Contents

Introduction

Part 1: A Changing Missions Context

Chapter 1: Cultural Shifts

Chapter 2: Post-Christian America

Chapter 3: Post-Missions Priorities and Perceptions

Chapter 4: The Global Age of Missions

Part 2: Understanding Gen Z

Chapter 5: Introduction to Gen Z

Chapter 6: Trends Influencing Gen Z

Chapter 7: Gen Z Mindsets and Goals

Chapter 8: Gen Z Identity and Sexuality

Chapter 9: Gen Z Faith and Ministry Perspectives

Part 3: Mobilization Strategies

Chapter 10: Tangible Relationships

Chapter 11: The Coaching Approach

Chapter 12: Coaching Conversations

Chapter 13: Communication and Language

Chapter 14: Motivation and Calling

Part 4: A Vision for the Future

Chapter 15: Beyond Mobilization

Chapter 16: Global Collaboration

Chapter 17: Leading Innovation

Chapter 18: For Such a Time as This

Appendix A: Resource List

Appendix B: Snapshot of Gen Z

Appendix C: Mobilization Assessment Guide

Appendix D: Mobilization Question List

Bibliography

About the Authors

For all the young people who are courageously making

the counter-cultural choice to pursue a life

of sacrifice and obedience to God.

Introduction

The work of mobilizing the next generation for global ministry is one of building the bridge as we walk on it. Our world has seen rapid and widespread change over the past several decades, resulting in new challenges and opportunities as we consider what it looks like to encourage, equip, and send young people to share the message of life in Jesus Christ with those who do not know of his love and sacrifice.

We live in a moment of profound transition. America continues to experience one of the most significant cultural shifts in its history. At the same time, globalization and technology are transmitting experiences, values, and worldviews across borders and giving rise to a global youth culture. Younger generations today often share more in common with young people from different backgrounds than they do with older adults in their own families or cultures. Intergenerational relationships can prove challenging in this context where, perhaps more than ever, young people need the wisdom, encouragement, and guidance of experienced adults.

Christianity is also changing, as the majority of Christians no longer live in Europe and North America but in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. This shift in Christianity has significant implications for the future of missions. As churches in America seek to understand their role in an increasingly post-Christian context, global missions is often relegated to the background when the urgent needs and challenges of local contexts take priority. This can create a dynamic in which understanding the need for global engagement is lacking.

Generation Z young people (born between 1996 and 2010) are growing up during this tumultuous time of change and are seeking to understand their place in the world amid increased uncertainty and complexity. Connected by technology since childhood, this generation of young people has watched the tragedies, conflicts, and changes in the world play out on screens that they carry in their pockets or tuck under their pillows at night. Their friends who are struggling with depression, as well as bullies who can attack with anonymity, have access to them 24/7, resulting in stress and anxiety from sources often invisible to mentors, parents, and teachers. Social media feeds full of highlight reels depicting success and happiness in the lives of others result in heightened comparison, self-criticism, and competition. Increased discontent, anxiety, and indecision can threaten their ability to pursue what is most important.

Despite the challenges they face, Generation Z is driven, pragmatic, and skilled. They want to make a unique contribution to the world around them. They are learners and desperately need trusted mentors to walk with them as they prepare for the future. This generation is poised to be equipped and challenged to participate in what God is doing globally.

Gen Z needs committed parents, teachers, mentors, and other leaders who are humble, intentional, and discerning to encourage and inspire them. This critical task requires understanding of the context in which they live, willingness to learn new ways of connecting and communicating, and patience as we discern together God’s purposes and plans in a new season.

This book is divided into four parts. Each of these presents critical understanding or helpful strategies as we seek to mobilize Generation Z for their place in global missions. The first part of the book is focused on the contexts in which young people are being mobilized and where they are going to serve. These chapters examine the postmodern, post-Christian culture in America today and the unique challenges young believers must navigate as they pursue a life of faith and service. Changes in the American church and in global Christianity are also discussed, along with implications for young adults who are considering involvement in missions.

The second part of the book examines generational traits and trends. We will look at the influence of culture, education, and technology in the lives of Generation Z. Trends in mental and emotional health, technology use, and spiritual formation will be addressed. An overview of the strategic perspectives and strengths that position young people to contribute uniquely in missions contexts will provide encouraging insights as we consider how to mobilize and equip them.

The third part offers practical strategies for mobilizing the young people God is calling into missions. We will propose important considerations for a new era of mobilization, explain how to coach a young person who is considering missions through the entire process, and suggest various components in the mobilization pipeline to increase our effectiveness in sending Gen Z to the nations.

In the final part of the book, we offer insights and implications for the future of missions. As teams, churches, agencies, and mission boards consider the generational, cultural, and global changes occurring today, they are discovering exciting opportunities for innovation and growth. The final chapters look at some of these opportunities and present leadership strategies for adapting to the needs and purpose of a new generation.

Thank you for your commitment to mobilizing and equipping young people for the global work God is calling them to. We hope and pray you find the following chapters informative, encouraging, and inspiring as you engage Generation Z for their part in the story of global missions.

PART 1

A Changing Missions Context

In 1985, my (Jolene’s) parents moved us from our family farm in the Midwest to language school in McAllen, Texas. One year later we moved to Mexico to begin our life as missionaries. Growing up as a missionary kid in the 1980s and 1990s, I experienced missions in a very different cultural and global context than what exists today. The worldview and perspectives of those going to serve as missionaries today, primarily Millennials (b. 1980–95) and members of Generation Z (b. 1996–2010), are often quite different from those of Baby Boomers (b. 1946–64) and Gen Xers (b. 1965–79), the generational cohorts that were the focus of mobilization efforts several decades ago. The concerns and priorities of individuals, churches, and agencies partnering with and sending missionaries today are evolving and adapting to new cultural realities in America and the West. Furthermore, the global context into which global missionaries are going to serve has changed dramatically over the past twenty to thirty years, with profound implications for mobilization efforts.

As we consider the challenges and opportunities that exist as we mobilize Gen Zers, it is critical that we understand the cultural climate that is informing their worldviews and capabilities. We will begin this chapter with a brief overview of some of the major cultural shifts that have impacted America, as well as many other parts of the world, in recent decades. These shifts are bringing to light new concerns, perspectives, and priorities regarding global missions that we must effectively navigate as we mobilize Generation Z.

Postmodernism

Much has been written and discussed regarding postmodernism and its impact on our culture over the past several decades. Nonetheless, it is valuable to begin with a brief review as we consider the context in which young people today have been raised and educated. Our cultural climate, influenced by postmodern claims, has had a significant impact on the values and perspectives of Generation Z.

In 1993, management consultant and author, Peter Drucker, wrote,

Every few hundred years in Western history, there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society—its worldview, its basic values, its social and political structures, its arts, its key institutions—rearranges itself. Fifty years later there is a new world. And the people born then cannot even imagine the world in which their own parents were born. We are currently living through such a transformation.¹

In his 2001 book The End of the World … As We Know It, Chuck Smith Jr. reiterates this reality, describing the culture quake occurring in America:

We are living on a cultural fault line between two epochal periods. Under our lives huge sociological plates have met and created the disturbances we have felt in our everyday lives and culture. These two periods are the modern era and the postmodern era, and we are living in the transitional stage as the former gives way to the latter.²

The shift from the modern era to the postmodern era represents the cultural quake we have been experiencing. So, what exactly is postmodernism? Since entire books have been written in an attempt to answer this question, we will not discuss the topic fully here. However, we do want to summarize some of the key ideas that specifically impact young people and inform some of their concerns regarding global missions.

As its name indicates, the postmodern era follows the modern era, rejecting and challenging many of modernity’s premises. The ideas of postmodernism have been around for over a century. Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher in the late 1800s who has been called the patron saint of postmodern philosophy, said, What, then, is truth … in short a sum of human relations, which have been enhanced, transposed, and embellished poetically and rhetorically.³ At its foundation, postmodernism rejects the modern premise that there is absolute truth which can be known through science, reason, and broad cultural metanarratives or stories that legitimize truth claims.

In the 1960s and 1970s, postmodern thought began to move out of philosophy and academia into broad sectors of society,