RELEVANT CHILDREN'S MINISTRY

America's spiritual slide has been happening for decades.  Each succeeding generation has seen more and more people who identify themselves as "nones."  "Nones" are people who say they have no religious affiliation.

The latest findings from Barna reveal that Gen Z is continuing this downward spiral.  (Gen Z is today's kids - born between 1999 and 2015).

Gen Z is the first truly "Post-Christian"  generation.  More than any previous generation, Gen Z does not associate with any religious identity.

The percentage of Gen Z that identifies as atheist is double that of the adult population.  The percentage of Gen Z kids who say they are atheist is 13%.  This is compared to 6% of all adults.

What is causing the next generation to turn to atheism?  Surveys among Gen Z reveals the big reasons.

• 29% - I have a hard time believing that a good God would allow so much evil and suffering in the world.

• 23% - Christians are hypocrites.

• 20% - I believe science refutes the Bible.

• 19% - I don't believe in fairy tales.

• 15% - There are too many injustices in the history of Christianity.

• 12% - I used to go to church, but it's just not that important anymore.

• 6% - I had a bad experience at church or with a Christian. 

 Here are some more eye-opening findings about Gen Z...

• 37% believe it is not possible to know for sure if God is real.

• 58% believe many religions can lead to eternal life.

• 46% say they need factual evidence to support their beliefs. 

• 49% says the church seems to reject much of what science tells us about the world.

• 27% say the church is not a safe place to express doubts.

• 24% say the teaching they are exposed to is shallow. 

Did you see the last few stats I listed?  We are failing the next generation.

While Gen Z kids are growing up in a post-Christian culture, we are giving them lessons that are shallow and lack the substance that will sustain their faith.

While Gen Z kids desperately need to know why the Bible is true, we are teaching them character traits.

While Gen Z kids are internally asking the hard questions about Christianity, we are not creating safe places where they can openly grapple to find the answers.

While Gen Z kids want to know why they should trust a God whose world is ravaged by war, violence, injustice, natural disasters, pain and suffering, we are giving them cute, Christianese responses that aren't sufficient.

While Gen Z kids need a discipleship pathway that will guide them to a solid faith foundation, we are taking them on fun trips to the local water park.

Our cute lessons won't enable kids' faith to survive the science class in their freshman year of college.

Our cute lessons won't empower kids to be a difference maker in their workplace one day.

Our cute lessons won't give kids the answers they need to the hard questions they are pondering.

Our cute lessons won't help them live for God in a world that says He doesn't exist.

If we are going to see Gen Z grow up to love Jesus, then we've got to...

Help kids discover the true nature and character of God.  When kids understand the heart of God and know Him personally, they will trust Him.

Be strategic in what we teach.  More than ever, we have to have a strategic plan that will take help kids develop a solid faith foundation.

Equip kids to be able to defend their faith.  If they are going to escape the doubts that will be pushed their way, they must be able to defend why they believe what they believe.

Walk kids through the hard questions now.  We must be proactive and help them find the right answers before they hear the wrong answers.  A great place to start is with the Pranksters series, where kids face the hard questions about the Bible and find out why we believe it is true.

Move beyond just having kids memorize verses to helping them understanding what the verses really mean.  It would be better to have kids memorize and understand 1 verse than to have them rapidly memorize 10 verses that they do not understand.

Not be afraid of letting science and the Bible intersect.  We must show kids how the Bible is backed up by science.  And if there appears to be a variance, how the Bible is true and reliable.

Behind the stats, are kids in your community and mine, in your church and mine, in your family and mine, who are in the process of deciding what they believe.

Kids who want to know if the Bible can be trusted.  Kids who are questioning if science and faith can be compatible.  Kids who are trying to figure out who Jesus is and why they should follow Him.  Kids who are looking for answers to the hard faith questions.

Are our cute lessons turning kids into atheists?  May this be a wake-up call for all of us.

A few weeks ago, a girl who had been brought to our church by a friend, told us she is an atheist.  She was very clear that she did not believe in God or what we were teaching.

This is not as uncommon as you might think.  Atheism is on the rise...even making it's way into the hearts of kids.  This is due to four primary factors. 

#1 - Parental influence.  The number one influence in a child's life is his or her parents.  1 out of every 4 unchurched adults are agnostics or atheists.  As the percentage of adults who are atheists goes up, the natural outcome is the percentage of children who are atheists goes up.  Add to that the fact that the largest percentage of atheists are under 30.  These young adults are and will be the parents of the next generation of kids.  As goes parents...so goes children.

#2 - Rejection of the Bible.  Interesting enough, a large percentage of skeptics had some regular exposure to the Bible as children.  But at some point in their life they have chosen to reject it as God's Word and not submit to its authority in their lives.

#3 - Lack of trust for the local church.  Interesting statistic - 2/3rds of skeptics have attended church in the past...most for an extended period of time.  But church scandals and abuse has turned many of them away from belief in God.  Since the church is a tangible expression of faith for most people, when it becomes overtly flawed, it flaws their faith.

#4 - Cultural reinforcement of a secular worldview.  This is a huge factor.  Humanism and postmodernism engulfs many children through media, school, celebrities, friends, social media, political messaging and more.  The website www.kidswithoutGod.com is a great example of kids being targeted by atheists.
 
Recently, the area of the country I minister in was voted the #1 "never-churched" area in the country. We are surrounded by kids and families who are not believers...and so are you.   

So how are we going to reach them?

We must keep our focus outward.  The issue is not how many people attend your church.  The issue is how many people in your area do not attend church anywhere.  That's the number that should keep us up at night.  Yes...we have a lot of people attending our church...but it's a drop in the bucket when you consider the 1.5 million people in our area who do not attend church anywhere.  If we are going to reach unbelievers, we must focus our attention on the Great Commission.  The Gospel still works, if we will work the Gospel. 

Our campus in New York City actually meets in an atheist church building...right across the street from Central Park.  Yes...you read it right...an atheist "church."  I guess they get together to talk about "nothing."  Anyways, they meet on the 3rd floor and we meet on the 2nd floor.  Cool thing...several atheist have accidentally walked into our service, stayed and came to faith in Jesus! 

We must reach parents.  As previously stated...atheist kids come from atheist parents.  Reach parents and you will reach their kids.  I talk more about how to reach parents in this previous post.

We must equip our kids to share their faith and bring their unbelieving friends to church.  Kids can reach kids who are unbelievers.  Just this past weekend, an elementary boy was baptized who had been brought to church by his friend.  Kids can reach kids if we give them the tools they need.

We must pray.  Prayer can melt a heart of unbelief through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I have see Him do it.  I am thinking right now of three people who were hardened atheists that I have personally seen come to faith in Christ.  

Will you join me in praying for the little girl I told you about at the beginning of this post?  Will you join me in praying for kids and families across the country and around the world who do not believe in Jesus yet?

Yes...kid atheists exists...I've met them...and yes...they can be reached.