Gen Z is spiritually hungry. Try these 3 questions to move the conversation closer to God

Drawing on years of youth outreach, Darin Stevens shares three simple yet powerful questions that can guide today’s seekers toward an encounter with God

Stories of spiritual renewal are pouring in from across the country. Gen Z is more spiritually open than preceding generations and it seems the noise from the ‘quiet revival’ grows louder by the day.

From openness to encounter

Christians on the front lines of sharing faith feel ecstatic to see the Spirit move so visibly after a long season of slogging it out. However, we could miss the opportunity to help this generation find full and free life, if we don’t know how to help them shift from spiritual openness to seeking the Son of God. 

My wife and I have been asking young people if they are spiritual for over a decade now. It all started when we responded to the Spirit’s nudge, moved to a small Oxfordshire market town, and began to reach out to youth in the schools and community. 

We quickly realised that the teenagers we came into contact with had very little history with the Church and very little residue of the Jesus story left in their subcultures. We knew we needed to build trusting relationships to serve as a bridge to the gospel and we grew excited as dozens of youth responded to our initial invitations to explore the Christian faith. 

But it didn’t take long for the excitement to turn to frustration. As the weeks went on, it seemed like we were answering questions young people simply were not asking! And it could have been the sugary drinks and biscuits on offer, but it felt like we were shouting the gospel, rather than sharing a message that sounded like good news.