Book review: ‘Mobilising Gen Z’
Former CMS missionary (and current CMS SANT mobilisation leader) Tamie Davis reviews a book about the next generation: Generation Z.
I’m a millennial, and I’ve just turned 40 and returned from 10 years on location with CMS. If you think of millennials as the ‘up and comings’, think again! That title belongs to Gen Z. Born between 1996 and 2010, the oldest of them are about to turn 30 and many are engaged in tertiary study or finding their first jobs. Many millennials, and indeed Gen Xers and Boomers, faithfully serve on location with CMS. But when it comes to mobilising Gen Z for global mission, a different approach is needed. I have recently enjoyed reflecting on this by reading Mobilizing Gen Z by Jolene Erlacher and Katy White. Erlacher and White are American, so their research must be taken with a grain of salt for Australians, but their description of Gen Z will be useful for anyone trying to get their head around this demographic.
Gen Z are pragmatic, tech-savvy and collaborative. They are diverse and tolerant, easily connecting with others of different backgrounds, and they naturally understand the need for humility in cross-cultural interactions. These attributes mean they are well suited for service in God’s global mission. However, they are also risk-averse. Over-protective parents and lawsuit-avoidant schools and governments have insisted on their safety, giving them few opportunities to learn from experience. Meanwhile, they are embroiled in life online where polarisation and ‘cancel culture’ also create a culture of fear. With so few opportunities to build resilience, Gen Z experience unprecedented levels of anxiety and depression. While Gen Z intuitively have many of the cross-cultural skills required of missionaries, they are not personally prepared to go.
So, what will it take to mobilise Gen Z to global mission? Let me highlight three things.
First, discipleship is key. Gen Z have grown up in a post-Christian world where Christian faith is rejected, even as society has been shaped by Christian values. In this kind of world, it can be hard to see the how faith relates to life or how the Bible is relevant and a source of nourishment for their life’s journey. Yet, they also long for mentors who will take a personal interest in them and actively encourage them in their faith. There is a great opportunity here for older generations to model and share how a heart for mission is an essential part of Christian discipleship. Jesus does not merely call his followers to repent and believe; he also sends them out.
Second, missiology must be part of discipleship. Erlacher and White say, ‘Young people, in general, tend to be more troubled by the history of missions than older generations.’ (p.20) They are more likely to associate mission with colonialism or a lack of cultural awareness. While Gen Z believe people need Jesus, they also believe that many current mission strategies are inadequate to communicate Christ effectively. Thus, calls to share Christ across cultures can fall on deaf ears, because that call is associated with cultural imperialism. However, Gen Z are open to hearing about and innovating new models of mission. A linear path of ‘hear the call to mission, then work out the model’ will be ineffective for this generation: in order to hear the call, they need to know that there is a viable model. Those discipling this generation will therefore need to skill up on missiology, or access the expertise of mission practitioners, if Gen Z is to be mobilised for mission.
Third, mobilising will be long term and relational. Gen Z find the language of a ‘ministry pipeline’ offensive because it sounds industrial and impersonal. Erlacher and White say, ‘Gen Z Christians are not lining up to go; you need to cultivate them.’ (p.89) They advocate a coaching approach which gives the individual a chance to explore issues rather than pushing them towards a resolution. Starting with who the person is as an individual is far more appealing for this intuitive, creative generation: who has God made them to be? What gifts has he given them? How can they grow and expand and flourish in God’s world? This is not to say we can’t challenge Gen Z towards service and self-denial, but even those challenges will need to be tailored to the individual, growing out of a deep knowledge of them, and giving them the opportunity to reckon with them over time.
My prayer is that we would care about God’s global mission enough to pursue mobilising Gen Z in an appropriate, contextualised manner.
