How Can We Engage Them with the Good News?
Who is Generation Z? Yes, they are the individuals who were born between the early ’90s and mid-2010s, but for Christian Union, they represent one of our primary mission fields.
As a leadership development organization, Christian Union exists to develop this demographic of young people and current college students into bold, mature Christians who will go into the world as ambassadors for Christ. But in order to minister to them well, we must first understand who they are, what they believe in, what they struggle with, and what they value. 
In this conversation on the First Things Podcast, Mark Bauerlein and Dr. Josh Packard discuss the social experience of Generation Z and young millennials. These young people report the highest levels of loneliness ever recorded, higher even than the demographic of elderly people who typically report the highest degrees of loneliness.
Social media has dramatically shaped the relationships of Generation Z, creating nebulous interactions between peers rather than deep friendships in which they are known. Another part of the loneliness for this young generation is a lack of confidence in older people; almost none of them have a mentor, or even a parent, whom they can turn to in trust and vulnerability. They feel utterly alone, navigating a world without guidance, but it is guidance that they crave.
These same young people reported a desire for parental figures, people who can lead them, teach them, and help them on their way. This is exactly what Christian Union aims to do for this generation as they enter college through our Universities’ ministries, as they graduate and move into the workforce with our Alumni and Cities ministries, and as they deepen in their spiritual lives through CU Day and Night.
By God’s grace, we can come alongside this lonely generation, meet them with the good news of Christ, give them the mentoring and leadership development they need, and send them out among their peers to radically transform our culture.
