Gen Z and Church: Skip Out or Show Up?

Nicole Brown-Dominguez
a few seconds ago
6 min read

GUEST AUTHOR:

Nicole Brown-Dominguez

Member, Hinsdale SDA Church

Imagine a college student sitting at the end of their dorm bed. It’s the end of a brutal week. The days felt like a conveyor belt of essays, endless reading, and assignments forgotten just before the due date. Now it's Friday, and a choice looms: do you attend church tomorrow?

Our college student has options. After all, just because they aren’t in the pews means they’re “skipping” Sabbath. In chatting with some young adults, I asked them whether they attend church, and if so, why. Some students collect to go on hikes, blaring praise music on the way there. Other students listen to a livestreamed service from the comfort of their beds. A few students find a park bench and begin an informal bible study.

Gen Z are now in high school and college. Older Gen Z are getting a taste of life on their own. If they were raised in the church, they are no longer required by parental figures to regularly attend. If they grew up never attending church regularly, they can incorporate it into a budding routine. This is a season to indulge in curiosity and navigate their relationship with God.

But let's return to the dorm room. What is it that encourages a young person to attend church? What factors lead them to forgo the weekly ritual? When discussing the topic with college students, the answer is fairly simple. They attend church for a sense of community and to develop a deeper connection with a God they feel too busy to sit with during the week.

Thanks, but no thanks.

So what are the factors that lead young people skip church in favor of a Sabbath in bed (after all, it is a day of rest)? When asked, some students admit they prefer to spend the day in nature with friends, or maybe staying in and watching a livestream service. Others feel so burnt out that the idea of waking up early again to dress in their Sabbath finest to attend church is an obligation they cannot face. However, many students also note the exhaustion of finding a church they want to attend. This is not an age-exclusive problem. One study by Dr. Brad Harrub asked, “What was the biggest factor in your decision to leave the church?” The answers go beyond cosmetic issues and cut across generations. He notes in a post about his study that “Over and over, respondents pointed to hypocrisy, failed leadership, personal hurt, legalism, and a deep sense of disillusionment. These aren’t surface-level grievances. In some cases, they are alarm bells.” This information is not new. If not from articles, studies, or word of mouth, we know from experience. Younger generations are rejecting the “grin and bear it” mentality, recognizing that if the broken system cares more about maintaining the status quo than healing for the next generation, they can leave.

Kate Wallack, a college sophomore, recalls visiting churches around her university and being surprised when a well-known church in the area failed to be welcoming. “An immediate turn off, as in ‘I’m never coming back here,’ is if I walk in and feel like I’m out of place or not welcome.” Another student, a 21-year-old mechanical engineering major, shared how, though shy, they notice the absence of acknowledgement or a welcoming atmosphere.

Megan Stapel, an Illinois native and junior at Southern Adventist University, reflects that Sabbath is the time during the week for her to foster a connection with God that had been pushed to the wayside due to a hectic schedule. The effort to connect with God is interrupted if the church environment prioritizes things other than Jesus. “You can usually sense it if a congregation is conservative or legalistic, because there’s a difference to me.” Megan continues. “You can be conservative with your dress and how you believe and the things that you choose to eat or not eat, but still reflect the character of Christ. And then you can have all the conservative qualities and legalism, and it feels like you’re walking into a cold prison cell.”

Eager to Take Part

So what encourages our college student to sit in the pews? There is a common misconception that young people are not attending church regularly. Conjecture has been lobbied that they lack the discipline for serious faith. Conversations with many Gen Z reveal otherwise. What draws and deters them is not some hidden x-factor but a want that draws most of us. Younger generations have communicated a hunger for church community and sound theology. Megan states:

“I feel like if sermons were based, not on a philosophical level that will go over our heads, but a deeper theology than ‘Jesus loves me, His grace covers me, and my sin is clean’, it might entice younger generations because everyone is struggling right now…I think that would entice more people because it's getting to the heart of the matter and not glossing over the hard things, but being willing to talk about them.”

One student reflected on their home church, which had numerous weekly events to engage young people. Some were spiritual in nature, others were planned activities, and others were simply environments to connect. The alternate, informal options for pre-teens, teenagers, or college students removed the pressure of presentation and prioritized engagement and deeper study. Another student admitted that having these alternative options encouraged them to attend the Sabbath services because it removed the fear of being out of place. Kate recalls her home church, which has a special service for the younger generations with topics relevant to their generation.

Gen Z are actively choosing to attend church, not out of obligation, or upkeep for moral hygiene, but as a means to refresh and reset emotionally. Megan admits that “If I’m emotionally drained, I have a higher probability of going to church.” For many, “going to church” is not a virtual experience, but an in-person engagement.

“I try to go every week. I feel like, for me, if I didn’t go, I would fall into the habit of never going,” admits the 21-year-old mechanical engineering student. “I don't trust my brain enough to provide my own church experience, because I know on the days I don’t go to church, I’m not watching a livestream. I’ll listen to Christian music, but I’ll just forget. Plus, I enjoy going to church, depending on the church.”

What Does This Mean?

Our college student is still sitting on the edge of their dorm bed. Perhaps the weight of the week leads to a Saturday in bed. Perhaps they avoid church because experience has left a bad taste in their mouth. Or perhaps their exhaustion is the catalyst to find emotional respite, hungry for the word of God. Younger generations want to show up for their church, so how can we, as the body of Christ, show up for them?

The feedback from Gen Z is neither new nor revolutionary. Aside from a desperate desire for churches to update their website to make them more user-friendly, the virtual engagement is minimal. Digital media is not a substitute for the richness of unpacking the scriptures in-person with fellow believers. Glitzy events are not needed to maintain the attention of the younger generation. The reason they choose to show up is achingly simple, and beautifully universal. Feedback from younger generations prompts a deeper question: have we overcomplicated things? Have we made Gen Z and younger, a mystical unknown generalized by an unknowable youth?

Every generation is defined by cultural markers that exist in a historical context. The kids who saw Vietnam and the kids who grew up in the internet age during a global pandemic are distinct, but not completely different. They’re still human, and they’re still young adults. And they, like the generations before and the generations after, will continue their pursuit for a church that encourages a deeper understanding of an infinite God and guidance in how to live the gospel.

Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.

Naturally, the opinions of the author are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Illinois Conference office.

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