Disciple: They Have Things to Teach Us

By Summerlee Walter

For as long as I have worked for the Diocese of North Carolina—12 years now—I have heard the same question at every convention, clergy conference and other gathering of Episcopalians: How do we reach and keep young people in the church? At the start of my time with the diocese, I was one of those young people: a millennial. Now, though, when we talk about engaging middle school-, high school- and college-aged young adults, we’re talking about an entirely different cohort: Generation Z, born in the shadow of 9/11, an epidemic of school shootings and mass gun death, global climate destruction, financial upheaval and a full-blown mental health crisis. They came of age during the disruption of COVID-19 and have lived their entire lives online.

Gen Z is the most racially diverse population in U.S. history—their generation is 50% white and 50% not white for the first time—and the causes they support inform every aspect of their lives. We’ve also heard that Gen Z is full of nones: atheists, agnostics and people who just don’t care about religion. The reality is more nuanced, however. Only 36% of Gen Z trusts religious organizations, in part because they feel they cannot bring to church friends who are not white or who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. At the same time, 60% of unaffiliated young people say they are at least slightly spiritual. Nineteen percent of them attend religious services at least once per month. And the causes this generation embraces—mental health, anti-racism, poverty, gun violence, animal rights, gender equality and education all rank within the top 10—are causes The Episcopal Church has supported visibly on the international, diocesan and local levels for decades.*

In many ways, The Episcopal Church is uniquely positioned to engage with members of Gen Z. Because Gen Z wants the organizations with which they interact to engage explicitly with the causes they support—even if those organizations have not done so in the past—the church needs to talk directly to Gen Z about the work we’re already doing. Consider some of Gen Z’s top 10 causes.

Mental health is at the very top of the list. The Diocese of North Carolina has an entire committee dedicated to young people’s mental health, the Children, Youth and Mental Health Committee, and most of our congregations include lay people and clergy who are mental health professionals. We believe in mental health care, and we can communicate our concern by having open, honest conversations about mental health, including our own struggles as adults. Members of Gen Z crave real connections and honest conversations, so clergy people, youth formation leaders or other trusted adults sharing their stories of dealing with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm or disordered eating allows for a powerful connection.

Also in Gen Z’s top 10: anti-racism work. Racial Reckoning, Justice & Healing is the first priority in the diocesan mission strategy, and so many churches are engaged in faithful examinations of local racial history; anti-racism training; book studies of the works by the likes of Ibram X. Kendi, Howard Thurman and Michelle Alexander; and collaborative work with churches whose members are predominantly from different racial backgrounds. Members of Gen Z want to talk about how their spiritual lives help them navigate real-world problems, so talking openly about race and racism in the context of the church is another important signal that the church cares about the same things as young adults. Showing our willingness to engage with the church’s complicity in white supremacy and to work toward redressing past wrongs is appealing to a generation that wants to see people and organizations change for the better.

Tackling concrete problems like poverty, homelessness, hunger and education is also important to this generation. How many Episcopal churches in North Carolina founded, host or partner with organizations that address hunger, homelessness and other basic human needs? And how many partner with local schools to provide direct services, donate backpacks full of food and supplies, or offer tutoring services? (We highlight several of them on pages 18 and 32 of this issue.) Members of Gen Z are more likely to consider community service and advocacy acts of spirituality than church attendance, so planning regular youth-friendly volunteer opportunities or partnering with a local school are excellent entry points.

Animal rights rank highly on Gen Z’s list of preferred causes. In many churches, the Feast of St. Francis and Blessing of the Animals are already community-friendly, externally facing events, and in recent years many congregations have started to invite outside vendors to participate. Why not invite the local animal shelter or conservation group to participate in this year’s blessing?

Unsurprisingly given Gen Z’s diversity, gender and LGBTQ+ equality are extremely important. Twenty-one percent of Gen Z identifies as members of the LGBTQ+ community. The Episcopal Church, unlike many denominations, ordains and celebrates the ministries of women and LGBTQ+ people. We promote marriage equality and generally lean progressive on issues of reproductive rights and women’s health care. As with our commitment to anti-racism work, churches will benefit from explicitly stating their commitment to gender and LGBTQ+ equality—on their websites, in sermons and formation groups, and in the places the church shows up. Representation also matters. On the leadership page of your website, are women represented? In pictures of families on the formation page or couples on the wedding page, are same-gender couples and families represented?

For a generaton that grew up in shadow of mass shootings, gun violence is an important issue. The diocese has an active Gun Violence Task Force, and both the bishops and members of the clergy regularly speak out about mass shootings and other forms of gun violence. As with the other causes Gen Z supports, churches will benefit from advocating publically for specific actions to reduce gun violence.

If The Episcopal Church is so well-positioned to speak to the needs of Gen Z, why do we seem to struggle to connect with people under 40? One answer is that we’re not talking to members of that generation about our work or ourselves. Because they seek real connection and conversation, the best way to engage with Gen Z is to show up where they are and talk to them. Host authentic conversations about real topics on neutral ground, like a coffee shop. Find adult mentors who are willing to share difficult stories from their own personal experiences and who won’t become defensive when young people criticize the church. Despite the common narrative, Gen Z as a whole does not support “cancel culture” and seeks connection and common ground rather than discord and division.

Churches also can be more visible in their support for different communities and causes. Many congregations already participate in local Pride events, and celebrating other heritage events, like Juneteenth, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, whether in person or online, demonstrates support for diverse communities. Additionally, members of Gen Z want to see diversity in leadership and membership, as well in the images an organization chooses to represent itself. This commitment to diversity includes race, gender expression, body type, age and disability. It is worth performing an audit of the church website and social media presence to make sure the people who are represented reflect the breadth and depth of the congregation.

Finally, it is important to understand that many members of Gen Z embrace alternative spiritual practices, like tarot cards, horoscopes and crystals, and they do not see them as incompatible with Christianity. Similarly, they increasingly want to mix and match pieces of different religions to create their own spiritual practices, or at the very least want everyone to get along. Many Episcopal churches have strong interfaith connections in their communities, which is appealing to Gen Z, if they know these relationships exist. Personality tests are also a popular form of spiritual exploration and personal understanding, so something like an Enneagram workshop might appeal to young adults.

Ultimately, engaging members of Gen Z is not any different than welcoming anyone else into a deeper relationship with the church. Meet them where they are, take their concerns and ideas seriously, and be authentic and open about who you are and where you stand. And be prepared that how young adults understand and engage with religion is markedly different than how previous generations interacted with the church. But they have things to teach us.

* This article is informed by research from Y Pulse and Springtide Research Institute, two youth intelligence agencies, that was shared during a workshop hosted by TryTank Experimental Laboratory.

Summerlee Walter is the communications coordinator for the Diocese of North Carolina.