Where Does Gen Z Turn for Spiritual Guidance?
By Movieguide® Contributor
A new study from Barna revealed that Gen Z feels less comfortable with church small groups and are most likely to turn to their mother when seeking answers for a spiritual question.
“Compared to older generations, younger generations are more likely to say they aren’t in a small group because they don’t think they would fit in, are intimidated, fear getting hurt and worry people won’t like them,” the Barna researchers said, per Christian Post. “These patterns are true for both men and women, though young men especially feel they wouldn’t fit in or even that people wouldn’t get along with them, while young women especially say, ‘I don’t know anyone who goes to a small group and I don’t want to go alone.’”
While this generation’s hesitation for small groups is concerning, studies continue to show that Gen Z remains more interested in religion than Millennials or Gen X. In fact, a recent study found that 77% of Gen Z is at least “somewhat motivated” to learn about Jesus.
However, rather than turning to group discussions with their peers to grow their faith, they rely on one-on-one conversations with authority figures, or they seek the answers on their own.
READ MORE: HOW OPEN IS GEN Z TO FAITH? STUDY REVEALS SURPRISING ANSWER
The study revealed that 39% of Gen Zers trust their Bible with their spiritual questions, 34% trust their moms and 28% trust their priests or ministers. Furthermore, 80% of Gen Z Christians believe the church has equipped them to approach the problems of today from a Biblical perspective.
“Among practicing Gen Z Christians, the majority feels equipped to live out the faith daily (59%), with many noting that their religious beliefs are central to their sense of self (65%) and motivate them to make a difference in the world (62%),” the researchers said.
“This data suggests that while Gen Z’s approach to faith guidance evolves with age, households and faith community continue to play a crucial role in their spiritual development,” the researchers continued. “The challenge for church leaders and parents comes in bridging the gap between external, mentoring influences and this generation’s attraction to self-directed spiritual exploration, especially as they get older.”
READ MORE: THE BIBLE IS TRANSFORMING GEN Z
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