In 21st-century Canada, the church is no longer a central part of society and has been pushed instead to the periphery. We are now post-Christian, grappling with declining church membership and wondering how to engage the next generation. This is not necessarily bad news, and we must trust God that his plans are never at the whim of a specific cultural moment. What is God saying to us at this moment in history? How is the Holy Spirit speaking to generation Z and young millennial Christ-followers, and are we as boomers and gen-Xers seriously listening to his voice through them?

These were the questions underlying the research for my thesis project, “Generation Z: Following Jesus in 21st-Century Post-Christendom North America,” as part of a master of theological studies degree. In this four-part series over the coming months, I will share some of what I found.

Generations

Let’s begin with a brief overview of the different generations in our churches today. How have we as followers of Jesus been inevitably shaped by our cultural norms? The attitudes of baby boomers, gen-Xers and millennials—the grandparents, parents and siblings of generation Z— naturally make an impact on how young followers of Jesus see the world.

I acknowledge up front that if you put five boomers—or people of any generation—in a room, you will have five different individuals, some exemplifying the “spirit” of their age, others not at all. But it is helpful for us to see how demographers, anthropologists, sociologists and psychologists describe generations in broad terms, painting an overall picture that makes sense as we look back over the last 100 years.

Baby boomers (born 1946-1964), self-assured and competitive, are shaped by their parents’ survival of the Great Depression and Second World War. Beginning in the spring of 1945, as soldiers began returning from war, and continuing until 1964 (much longer than demographers expected), 76 million babies were born in the United States.

Some of the most notable happenings of this generation are the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 (just before boomers were born); the establishment of the first American nuclear power plant in 1957; the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; sending of American troops into Vietnam; the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy (1963) and Martin Luther King Jr. (1968); and the first moon landing in 1969. With boomers dominating culture at every stage of their development, they are sometimes dubbed “a generational tyranny.”

In Generations, noted psychologist and researcher Dr. Jean Twenge writes: “When they were children in the 1950s and early 1960s, the country was child-focused. When they were rebellious teenagers, the nation was roiled by social change in the 1960s. When they were soul-searching young adults, the culture experienced a fascination with the mystical in the 1970s. When they were building careers and families in the 1980s and 1990s, the country favoured stability and stoking the economy … of the last five U.S. presidents, four have been boomers (all except Biden), with three (Clinton, George W. Bush and Trump) born in a single year: 1946.”

Generation X (born 1965 to 1980) are affected by the bold confidence of their boomer parents who embraced life radically differently in their age of economic possibility and freedom of individual thought. As such, generation X, while skeptical of the optimism of their boomer parents, passed on independent thinking and the value of diversity to their millennial and generation Z kids. Among the most notable occurrences of this generation are the AIDS crisis of the 1980s; the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989; and the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm) of 1991.

As a gen-Xer myself, it has been interesting to read that we are sometimes referred to as the forgotten generation, “sandwiched between two larger ones … slippery and hard to define,” according to Twenge. Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, many of us were latchkey kids, coming home to an empty house, making our own dinner and spending hours unsupervised. As a result, some gen-Xers did a 180-degree turn when we became parents: becoming overbearing and involved in every aspect of our children’s lives, gaining the unflattering label of helicopter parent. Studies show that over-parenting can contribute to anxiety and depression, something we see too much of among young adults today. Whether overbearing or extending freedom, generation-X parenting emphasizes openness and involvement, with hopes that our kids (many of today’s gen-Zers) will talk to us about anything.

Digitally speaking, gen-Xers “have a unique role to play as ambassadors between the pre-digital boomers … and post-digital gen-Zers ... understanding both the benefits and drawbacks of our technologically saturated culture,” says Twenge. As we will see throughout this discussion, technology is front and centre when it comes to understanding young followers of Jesus.

Millennials (born 1981 to 1996), the quintessential young leaders and professionals of modern North America, are racially and ethnically diverse and the first generation to grow up with the internet explosion. Among the main events to shape this generation are the attack on the Twin Towers (9/11); the rise of social media, beginning in the early 2000s; and the cultural discussion around gay marriage. Whether as parents of generation Z or the Alpha generation (born 2010- 2024), millennials have the awesome task of raising children in a digital age with near constant change. Unlike gen-Zers, millennials are old enough to remember the world before smartphones and social media platforms. While digital technology has obviously shaped the lives of millennials, they remember times of simply hanging out with people apart from the virtual world.

Millennials and gen-Zers are often lumped into the same category as “today’s young adults.” That’s a mistake. While millennials are digital pioneers, gen-Zers are digital natives. While millennials are diverse, gen-Zers are passionate about diversity. Millennials are anxious, but generation Z is writing the book on mental health. It is important to see how generation Z Jesus followers are increasingly raising their voices, distancing themselves from yesterday’s young people.

Now to the star of our conversation: generation Z (born 1997 to 2012). These young adults are growing up with a smartphone in their hands and a whole new way of looking at the world. They are globally connected, more politically aware than previous generations were at their age, often passionate about caring for the planet, extraordinarily tolerant of diverse lifestyles, and often disregard previous generations’ understanding and acceptance of traditional structures.

Generation Z is considered the least religious generation, with many now identifying as “nones”— those who are non-religiously affiliated, whether atheists, agnostics or unsure. According to American statistics, nearly half of generation Z now say they have no religious affiliation at all (a staggering 48 percent as of 2022—and most researchers say these numbers will increase). Although Canadian statistics show steady church decline, precise numbers about generation Z are harder to get. (For more information, see “The Shifting Landscape of Faith in Canada"). 

What are we to make of this complex generation of teens and young adults? We would be remiss to underestimate the blend of the secular and the religious in the minds and hearts of the young Christians still attending our churches.

In the next article in this series, we will look more in-depth at generation Z. Who are they? How are they different than their parents and grandparents were at the same age? Is there something unique about this generation that sets them apart? 

A Crucial Moment

As we will discuss, generation Z is growing up in a drastically different world than the one boomers and gen-Xers knew. In fact, they are increasingly distanced even from the world of millennials.

Are the conditions a perfect storm that will push generation Z farther from faith? Or, precisely because of this perfect storm, are we about to witness something that will mark today’s young Christians as a profoundly resilient generation?

I believe there is something crucial happening at this moment in history. In the articles to follow, we will look at how generation Z may be poised to challenge what it means to follow Jesus in our rapidly changing world, seeking him in ways that will wake us all up as kingdom people in post-Christendom Canada.

But be prepared: I am not about to market something new and flashy to offer our young ones. In fact, I believe more than ever that if we are to embrace the way of Jesus in our context, the way forward is to look back—way back to the gift of our 2,000 years of Christian tradition. Let’s be surprised together at what we’ve taken for granted, and what we continue to miss.

Major April McNeilly is the corps officer at Burlington Community Church, Ont.

Photo: Todor Tsvetkov/E+ via Getty Images