By Laura Riddle
This generation is different than any before it. Members of this generation have grown up with technology, social media, and many other things that were not part of most of our upbringings. I love that the church is asking this question, but the problem I struggled with was this: While I know a lot of older Gen Z (I was born in 1995, making me a millennial on the cusp), I knew very few in the 18–25 range.
As this topic was discussed at our annual conference in 2025, I found myself saying, “Lord, how am I supposed to engage with this generation when I do not really know anyone in this generation?”
Little did I know, God would place several 18- to 25-year-olds in my life over the course of the next year, and I found myself learning from them more than I was teaching them.
A Generation on Fire
Over the course of this past year, I have seen Gen Z people who are on fire for Christ. They crave God’s Word and desire to know Him and make Him known.
I spent a week speaking at Somerset Beach Campground. While there, I stayed in the lodge with the female staff, all of whom were under the age of 25. I got to see them not only when they were working, but also in their free time.
They were often seen using their free time to read their Bibles and other Christian materials. After I shared the gospel message on Wednesday night, these young men and women stayed behind to pray over any kid who wanted it. They prayed Scripture over them, declared truths, and sang God’s praises.
_
“Over the course of this past year, I have seen Gen Z people who are on fire for Christ. They crave God’s Word and desire to know Him and make Him known.”
It is wonderful and filling to see anyone do those things, but to see those younger than me doing those things, it gives me hope in the future of the church. Their love for Jesus was evident, and it flowed into how they spent their free time and how they prayed over these students.
A Hunger for God
I have seen Gen Z seek intimacy with God. I joined what was supposed to be a young professionals group at the Global Methodist Church in the next town over from mine. Because the church has an 18–25 group, I assumed the young professionals group would be more around my age. I was surprised to find that at the ripe age of 30, I would be the oldest in the group by over five years.
But I stayed, because I saw in them a hunger for God (and the extrovert in me desperately needed community). I walk out of group each week learning something new about God.
These young men and women have such a deep knowledge of His Word. They ask hard questions. They seek answers and to rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). They are ministering to those around them. Many of them serve in campus ministries at the nearby University of Michigan, and it has been so cool to hear stories of students coming to know the Lord and being discipled by these young adults.
They are prayer warriors. Each week we gather for an hour of prayer. These young adults are asking God to make Himself known to us, lifting up those in need, and seeking the will of the Lord. It is refreshing and encouraging, and it has been impactful on my life. That time spent praying with others gives life to my soul. I have seen my walk with the Lord changed because of the influence of those younger than I am.
Next Gen 10:2
Back in June, I found myself at the Next Gen 10:2 Gathering. I have no idea how I ended up there apart from that I was asked to go, and so I went. I found myself surrounded by people who read about 9/11 in history books and were born the same year I got my braces taken off.
I frequently found myself asking, “God, why am I here?” But I believe He brought me there to show me how He is working in this generation. He wanted to show me leaders are rising. I do not need to worry about what the church will look like in 20+ years. God is raising up a generation on fire for Him. We do not need to worry.
I saw young adults who did not let the fact that they were still discerning their calling stop them from doing the Lord’s work while they wait. They desire to make God’s name known in their secular universities, with the customers they encounter, and around the world. They have great ideas about how to be the hands and feet of Jesus and a level of boldness I most certainly did not have at their age. God speaks to them, and they are eager to listen. Those of us who are not in Gen Z should be taking notes.
This generation gives me hope. They are future leaders. Whether they are in ministry or working in the corporate world, they are shining the light of Jesus.
_
“I saw young adults who did not let the fact that they were still discerning their calling stop them from doing the Lord’s work while they wait.”
As I reflected on how to phrase this article and the overarching theme, the words of 1 Timothy 4:12 kept coming to mind, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
These young adults are doing just that, and it is having a rippling effect on both the older and younger generations. The future of the church is bright.
+
Laura Riddle serves as the associate pastor of children and family ministries at New Harvest in Dexter, Michigan. She is an ordained elder; a Greenville, Illinois, native; and a Spring Arbor University grad. You can probably find her reading a book, baking something sweet, or coordinating a social gathering.
Great Writing + Discipleship Materials
