An opportunity to share the gospel
A recent survey in the Times showed that a quarter of Gen X (those born between 1965 and 1980) identify as atheist while this figure falls to 13% among Gen Z (those born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s). Additionally, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge has noted an 87% increase in purchases of the Bible between 2019 and 2024. And according to a study by Fusion (a student mission organisation) 33% of non-Christian students are open to reading the Bible with a friend. They found half of all students felt that the Bible is relevant in today’s world and has something to say to them, with 26% of non-Christian students saying they have found it personally helpful.
Overall, the research suggests Gen Z is more open to the idea of God and faith than the older millennial generation. Increasingly, this generation is breaking stereotypes and is more interested in finding truth than their predecessors.
This provides a unique opportunity and challenge for the church. If this generation is open to new ideas and experiences to discover truth, then one of these ideas and experiences is the gospel. This should give us greater confidence in sharing our faith with this younger generation who are more likely to be receptive than we may have thought.
Easter presents an excellent opportunity to do this. The commemoration of Jesus’s death and the celebration of his resurrection isn’t just for Christians to mark as part of their worship calendar; it’s a time for sharing this good news with others, and when we do, we may find that find that the Holy Spirit has been working ahead of us.
In Christian love,
Barry Robinson
About the Writer:
Barry Robinson is the Deputy National Ministry Leader for GCI in the UK & Ireland