When we think about evangelism, we naturally think of people living in remote and unreached areas or countries where sharing the gospel message is difficult. However, the fact is that more and more, many areas of the Western world need to hear Jesus’ message.
There was a time when the West was saturated with the Christian message, and many could communicate the gospel—even if they chose not to heed it. Things have changed. A study from Pew Research has found that the “Nones,” a group without a religious affiliation (including atheists, agnostics, and people who identified their religion as “nothing in particular”), is the largest religious category in the United States.
Younger generations in the West are increasingly unfamiliar with the gospel. Countries that once received missionaries from the West are now sending missionaries to the West.
So, while we’re focused on reaching the many people groups around the world who desperately need the gospel, we’re mindful that many of our neighbors need to hear about Jesus too. And if we really want to make an impact, we’ll focus on reaching upcoming generations.
If we want to reach Gen Z (1997-2010) and Gen Alpha (2010-2024), we’ll need to be equipped. Here are some tips for communicating the gospel to these generations.
1. Identify and celebrate the good
Every generation tends to criticize those who come after them. It’s pretty easy to internalize those critiques and develop our own biases. But people will pick up on our negative attitudes about them, and we don’t want those attitudes associated with the gospel. Jesus’ message is much more easily understood and embraced by someone when we present it as God’s expression of their worth and value.
When we practice looking for and communicating the best qualities in other people and generations, we help reorient ourselves toward them. They don’t feel defensive, and focusing the discussion on God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice becomes much easier.
2. Be passionate and genuinely yourself
When it comes to communicating, sincerity is the key, no matter what generation we’re talking about. There can be a real temptation to try to come across as more contemporary and hip. But you don’t have to worry about understanding or using youthful lingo or trying to connect based on current pop culture references. It’s too easy to get it wrong, and it can come across as a little disingenuous and forced.
Authenticity wins the day. People easily connect across cultures and generations when we communicate from our passion and interest. You will forge a much better connection by reaching out while communicating genuine warmth and care; these are qualities that always translate well.
3. Pay attention to the questions the generation is asking
If you’re a Baby Boomer or a member of Generation X, many of the apologetics you experienced answered questions aimed at people with some knowledge of the Bible, Jesus, and the gospel story. It was often about convincing someone why Scripture was trustworthy and why we believe Jesus was God.
As the culture gets more secularized, we can’t assume that people will be asking questions about who God is and or what faith to trust. Religious questions aren’t often even on their radar. One of the critical things Gen Z is asking is whether anything is true and, if so, how can we know? Relativism has eroded a lot of the common ground that previous generations would have used to start a conversation about God. This means we have to be tuned into the questions they’re asking, and we need to be flexible in how we approach the discussion.
Remember, this isn’t about disparaging upcoming generations. They’re not worse or better than the previous generations; they’re just different. And we need to meet them where they’re at if we want them to discover Jesus.
Lean into the tools available
Jesus Film Project® is all about communicating Jesus’ story with everyone everywhere. We have plenty of resources to help you reach the generations around you, and the Jesus Film Project mobile app is a perfect example. It features more than 200 full-length movies, mini-series, and short films in multiple languages that can communicate the story of Jesus, answer tough questions, and generate deep discussion.
Get the free app from Google Play or the Apple app store.
