Gen Z on Fire

By Macy Shipman

In June, I was honored to join about 50 current and future Gen Z leaders of the church at the first-ever Next Gen 10:2 Gathering in Columbus, Georgia. The conference focused on Luke 10:2, which states, “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

We were mentored by 20 current elders and leaders in the Free Methodist Church and heard from several speakers. Every single one of these mentors and speakers spoke life into us, whether through our assigned groups, with whom we spent the weekend conversing and praying, or through one-off conversations. I left the conference full and excited to do ministry with these amazing people.

As a lifelong Free Methodist, it was a joy to reconnect with friends I have known for years through Free Methodist Bible Quizzing and other activities, and it was exciting to meet new friends and colleagues. The whole purpose of this conference was to give us connections with other leaders in the church our age and with mentors who have been in ministry for many years and can offer us wisdom and support.

One of the biggest topics that was addressed was how to step into what God is calling us to and how to lead well. I think one of the biggest struggles of Gen Z, especially in pastoral leadership, is that we have this fire — this hunger to serve God and His kingdom — but we often lack the confidence that we are worthy and capable of what the Lord is calling us to. I believe this is a leading contributor to Gen Z burnout in the church.

I just received my Bachelor of Science in Worship Arts from Greenville University. Over the past four years, I have been shaped and molded by some amazing faculty, and they have shown me how to lead within the context of our ministries on campus.

In almost all of my classes, we discussed what it means to be not only a faithful follower of Christ, but also how to be a leader in the church and make true disciples of the Way. I was equipped with knowledge and wisdom of those who have gone before me, and practical ways that I can be the light of Christ, but as is much too common the case, I was filled with the fear of inadequacy.

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 “I think one of the biggest struggles of Gen Z, especially in pastoral leadership, is that we have this fire — this hunger to serve God and His kingdom — but we often lack the confidence that we are worthy and capable of what the Lord is calling us to.”

On the very first night of the conference, Pastor Ta’Tyana Leonard — who spent the weekend preaching from Joshua — handed us sticky notes and invited us all to write a prayer to God, naming our fears and naming our areas of struggle, then bringing it to the altar and leaving it there. Later that night, she and the bishops took all of our sticky notes, read them, and prayed over them.

As it turns out, the majority of us felt the same way: we are not worthy enough. This fear radiates throughout Gen Z. We have spent our whole lives looking up to our own spiritual mentors and leaders, and now suddenly it is our turn. But as Pastor Ta’Tyana mentioned the next day, God says, “Who told you that?”

How to Proceed

At GU, I had the amazing privilege to be a Vespers staff member. Vespers is a completely student-led service, with student speakers, student worship leaders, and, of course, it is planned and executed by a small group of students. Through this amazing ministry, I have seen firsthand how on fire our generation is for the Lord.

In fact, studies show that Gen Z is the most churchgoing generation. Yet we are seeing a decline in Gen Z leadership in the church. How are we to respond?

I think the best way to respond is how Jesus would have. Matthew 14:27 says, “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”

This is the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. The disciples are on their boat and in the middle of a terrifying storm. When they see Jesus walking toward them, they are frightened. As we know, later on in the story, Jesus calls out to Peter, calling him to walk toward Him.

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 “In fact, studies show that Gen Z is the most churchgoing generation. Yet we are seeing a decline in Gen Z leadership in the church. “

Throughout this entire conference, this story kept ringing in my head. Of course, we want to follow the Lord. Of course, we want to go where He is calling, but we worry about the logistics. 

But Jesus says, “Fear not.” Peter didn’t know the logistics of how he was going to walk on water; he just trusted His Savior.

How to Reach a Generation

So, how are we to reach a supposedly “unreachable” generation? I would propose it is not through trending social media posts, flashy lights, or, honestly, even the most up-to-date Brooke Ligertwood song, although I do love her.

It is through the act of being genuine. Not that any of those things are bad; in fact, they do work quite well, but in proportions.

Yes, we love to have fun dancing along to Elevation Rhythm and playing games, but we also want conversation. We long for community.

When the pandemic hit, Generation Z ranged from third grade all the way to recent graduates of college. I was a sophomore in high school. These are fundamental years of our lives that we had to spend in isolation.

We want to know the realness of the church; we want to be involved. We don’t completely shut out tradition either. In fact, the older I have gotten, the more I have come to cherish and love our liturgy in the FM Church. The Collect that is written in our Communion Liturgy is my favorite prayer.

All of this to say, we do love the modernity that 2026 offers us in the church. I went to the Passion conference this past January, and it still is a highlight of the year.

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 “We want to know the realness of the church; we want to be involved.”

But we also love the tradition that the church has to offer us. It connects us to thousands of years of history that we have in the church. It would be a shame if we were to ignore it.

We also long for community. I applaud the bishops and all those who have set up the 10:2 conference. It has put me in contact with some amazing mentors and friends with whom I get to do ministry. You have shown us what it means to live in community with each other and realize that we are not alone after all. A truth that we can all live by is that wherever God calls, He will provide.
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