Why evangelizing the nations must start with American Gen Zers

The US and Europe have been world leaders in global evangelism for decades and continue to send 53% of cross-cultural missionaries today. The United States alone is estimated to send two million short-term missionaries a year. However, repeated studies have shown that American Christianity, and its interest in evangelism, is in decline, especially among younger generations.

A 2021 Gallup poll found that church membership has now dropped below 50%, and the Pew Research Centre has repeatedly found that Gen Z is the nation’s least religious generation, with about a third having no religion at all. In addition, 47% of practicing Christian Millennials believe evangelism in today’s society is wrong, and 51% of US churchgoers say they don’t know the term “the Great Commission.”

If nothing is done to address this, we will lose our place as the global leader in Christian evangelism and our claim to being the world’s most Christian nation. It is that simple. How can we evangelize to the world if we cannot even evangelize at home? We can’t expect to export what we don’t live out locally.

The Bible itself is pretty clear on this, originating the term ‘get your house in order’ (Isaiah 38:1-5). Replicating past generations of American missionaries will require new generations of missionaries, and that means evangelizing to the future of our churches — Gen Z.

However, evangelizing to Gen Z is easier said than done, and sometimes the idea itself can feel daunting even to those of us who regularly evangelize to them like I do. We know that we can be met with hostility, treated as irrelevant, and even be made out to be immoral in our beliefs. But Romans 1:16 tells us not to be ashamed of the Gospel. If we truly love someone, we can’t help but tell them about Jesus, and how He has transformed our lives.

Many of us may avoid evangelizing to younger generations out of fear that it will only further alienate them from God. But I believe that it’s not evangelism that alienates younger generations, but politics. When we prioritize talking and strategizing about politics in our preaching instead of sharing the Gospel, it can alienate the lost and young, and distract from the true message of Jesus. It is from the Gospel that our politics should flow, not the other way around.

The desire that younger generations feel to disassociate themselves from Christianity, I believe, is also a product of not having taught them a biblical worldview. If we aren’t sharing the Gospel with them, then they won’t know their Bible, the source of truth, and young people will instead gravitate to what sounds good rather than what is good and true.

Sometimes the truth hurts. Sometimes the truth isn’t what we want to hear. Don’t have sex until marriage. God created us male and female. God instituted marriage between one man and one woman. These truths are truth whether we want them to be or not. God’s truth keeps us safe. His truth leads to healthy homes. His truth leads to a productive and fulfilling life. We must preach, teach and disciple young people in the Truth of the Word of God so they can filter out the lies of culture and society today.

Because of this, we mustn't abandon the preaching of the Gospel just because it isn’t culturally or societally accepted. When speaking about the Gospel to young people I often use humor, as I find that it breaks down their defenses and opens their hearts to receive. I also speak into current issues they face and relate them to biblical truths that can help them. For me, my personal testimony is a big way I connect with young people, and that goes for all of us. It is hard to argue with a personal story of transformation through Christ. Gen Z can spot disingenuous Christians. They are not interested in hype; they are looking for a real God with real answers. We must be authentic.

As my story is so visual, having no arms or legs, Gen Z can see my brokenness visually. It helps me as I connect with them and their internal brokenness. It helps them trust that I can sympathize with and understand what they are going through. And I’m not the only one. Hope for the Heart — whose Hope Together Conference I will be speaking at this September — have created a Keys for Living library with short, helpful books speaking into over 100 real-life issues that we face, providing clear answers from God’s Word to help those who feel broken.

Though our culture has changed dramatically in the last 50 years and become far more digital, preaching the Gospel to large groups of people will always be effective. Jesus ministered to people both one-on-one as well as to crowds. That being said, we do have to be aware of generational, cultural and communication issues and adjust our approach appropriately when we preach to crowds. At NickV Ministries we have leaned into digital evangelism, both directly through our ministry and with evangelism partners. We are finding many people coming to Christ and being encouraged through different media platforms. But we also haven’t stopped preaching to crowds.

This is actually the most fruitful season we have ever experienced in preaching both to live audiences and broadcasting the Gospel to entire nations. Since December 2023, 45 million people have heard the Gospel and 47,000 have given their lives to Christ in person.

Sharing our faith with others should be a joy not a burden. Certainly, we need to train Christians to defend their faith, refute false religions, understand the pure Gospel, memorize key Scripture verses, and to prepare to share their personal testimony. But in the end, the greatest thing we can do to spur on the Church in evangelism is to fall more in love with Jesus.

Jesus came to earth as a man, to be with us, relate to us, and die as one of us — both fully God and fully human. If we live our lives as authentic followers of Christ and are bold in preaching the Gospel and sharing our story, we will see Gen Z in the US and the world come running to Jesus. The Gospel, Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection, is the most powerful message ever told — we just need to keep telling it.

If you are looking for biblical training and resources to aid and equip you for evangelism, sign up for September’s Hope Together Conference, and visit www.hopefortheheart.org.