Answering young people’s questions can halt Church decline

If the Church is serious about engaging the next generation, we need to answer their deepest questions, says Alanzo Paul. The gospel of Jesus Christ offers a narrative of redemption that they desperately need to hear

As I’ve traversed the diverse landscapes of the UK, every heartfelt conversation I have with young people reveals a consistent, poignant truth: their souls are awash with deep-seated questions of identity and the profound mysteries of existence.

In our digital era, where TikTok influencers often shape cultural narratives as powerfully as intellectual giants, the foundational tenets of secular thought, echoing figures like Friedrich Nietzsche who infamously declared the “death of God”, pose challenges to the Christian gospel.

Simultaneously, as theologian NT Wright elucidates, the good news beckons with a promise of a robust identity rooted in the redemptive narrative of Jesus Christ. The intersection of these two worldviews brings forth many essential questions. One that looms especially large is: “Why should church leaders prioritise nurturing faith in the next generation?”