The Shocking Insights into Gen Z Evangelism: Here's What Works

The Shocking Insights into Gen Z Evangelism: Here's What Works | BTYR Podcast • Ep 71

Ellen Hembree • February 25, 2025

Reaching Gen Z: The Challenges and Opportunities of Evangelism

Check out the podcast here!

Evangelism is changing, and Generation Z is at the center of this shift. While previous generations viewed sharing the gospel as a vital part of their faith, new research shows that many young believers today see it differently. In a recent episode of the Beyond Youth Room podcast, Ryne and Keith explored Barna’s Reviving Evangelism report, which highlights how Gen Z perceives and practices evangelism. Their findings present both challenges and opportunities for youth ministries aiming to equip young Christians to share their faith.

A Changing Perspective on Evangelism

One of the most eye-opening statistics from the report is that 38% of Christian Gen Z respondents believe it is wrong to share one’s faith with the intent of conversion. This marks a significant departure from older generations. In 2019, nearly 60% of young Christian adults (ages 18-35) felt it was appropriate to respectfully share their beliefs in hopes of persuading someone to follow Christ. The decline in this conviction suggests that Gen Z may view evangelism more as a conversation than a call to decision.

Additionally, 59% of Gen Z Christians believe the best outcome of an evangelistic conversation is simply gaining a better understanding of each other’s perspectives. This matches closely with the 63% of non-Christian Gen Z respondents who share this view. These findings indicate that, for many in this generation, evangelism is not about winning someone over but rather fostering mutual understanding.

The Influence of Culture and Church

This shift in perspective raises an important question: Why does Gen Z see evangelism this way? One possible explanation is the cultural emphasis on personal truth—“What’s true for you isn’t necessarily true for me.” Many young people have grown up in environments where religious tolerance is highly valued, sometimes at the expense of gospel urgency.

At the same time, many churches focus heavily on helping students understand their own faith but may not prioritize equipping them to share it with others. If evangelism isn’t emphasized in youth ministry, young believers may feel uncertain or even reluctant to share their faith. In some cases, churches may not be addressing evangelism at all, leaving cultural narratives to shape how Gen Z views faith-sharing.

Redefining Evangelism: Invitation vs. Gospel Sharing

Another key finding is how Gen Z defines evangelism. Many young Christians equate evangelism with inviting someone to church rather than personally sharing the gospel. While inviting friends to a service is valuable, it isn’t the same as explaining the message of Jesus and calling someone to faith. This distinction is crucial for youth ministries to address.

Moving Forward

If we want to see Gen Z engage in evangelism, we need to equip them with the confidence and tools to do so. This means:

Teaching them why sharing the gospel matters.
Providing practical training on how to engage in faith conversations.
Emphasizing that evangelism isn’t just about inviting someone to church—it’s about sharing Jesus Himself.

The Power of One-on-One Conversations

Recent research among unchurched, self-identified non-Christian Gen Zers revealed fascinating insights into how they prefer to engage in spiritual discussions. While the highest response was “none of these,” the most positively received option (at 25%) was engaging in a one-on-one conversation with a friend. This far outpaced attending an in-person church service with someone (14%) and even a digital one-on-one spiritual conversation (the second-highest response).

These findings highlight the power of personal evangelism—one-on-one conversations are the most effective way to reach Gen Z with the gospel. Digital conversations also provide a significant opportunity, suggesting that texting or messaging a friend about spiritual matters can be impactful. Even more than attending an online church service alone (16%) or with someone else (13%), the data suggests that direct, personal engagement is key.

Encouraging Students to Engage

Given these insights, how can we equip students to engage in one-on-one evangelism?

Encourage lunch invites: “Hey, come sit with me at lunch.”
Suggest intentional meetups: “Let’s hang out after school.”
Leverage existing relationships: Conversations with classmates, teammates, or friends can naturally turn spiritual.
Use digital opportunities: Starting a faith-based conversation over text or social media can be just as effective.

One major takeaway is that many students are already having these conversations—we simply need to help them recognize and lean into those opportunities. Rather than trying to force a new strategy, we should affirm and support what’s already happening.

The Role of Digital Evangelism

Interestingly, in-person classes designed to explore Christianity (11%) were just as effective as Christian podcasts or webinars (also 11%). This reinforces the idea that digital media is a valuable tool. Some churches are shifting to online content for this reason—reaching far more people with podcasts and webinars than they ever could with in-person classes.

However, while online resources are valuable, they should serve as a catalyst for one-on-one engagement. For instance, instead of just listening to a Christian podcast alone, what if students watched it with a friend and discussed it afterward? The same applies to online church services—inviting a friend to watch and discuss a message can be more impactful than a solo experience.

Prioritizing Evangelism Methods

Based on the data, the top priorities for evangelism should be:

In-person one-on-one conversations – The most effective way to share faith.
Digital one-on-one conversations – An easy and accessible approach.
Watching an online church service alone – A potential entry point.
Attending an in-person service with someone – Still valuable but less preferred.

This shift aligns with a growing trend: Many young people identify as “spiritual but not religious.” While the structure of the church remains essential, evangelism today must focus more on personal, relational outreach than just inviting people to a service. The “come and see” approach is losing ground to the “go and tell” method.

Training Students for Gospel Conversations

To equip students for effective evangelism, we use the “Ask, Admire, Admit” approach:

Ask thoughtful spiritual questions (e.g., “What do you believe about God?” rather than “Do you go to church?”).
Admire what you can about their faith (e.g., acknowledging their morality or values).
Admit that we all need Jesus—we aren’t speaking from a place of superiority but from shared need.

We also train students in the Life in 6 Words gospel framework:

God created us to be with Him.
Our sins separate us from God.
Sins cannot be removed by good deeds.
Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Everyone who trusts in Him has eternal life.
Life with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.

This method ensures students can clearly and concisely articulate the gospel.

A Real-Life Example

One Saturday, during our monthly “Go Share Day,” a student struck up a conversation with a BMX rider. He noticed the rider attempting a trick and used it as an entry point. After engaging him in conversation, the student shared the gospel using the Life in 6 Words framework. The rider not only understood but had already been reading the Bible on his own. Right then and there, he prayed to receive Christ.

This encounter reminds us that God is already working in people’s lives—we just need to be available and faithful in sharing. You never know when the right moment will come, but when it does, a simple conversation can change someone’s eternity.

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5 Warning Signs Your Youth Ministry Needs a Revamp

By Ellen Hembree • July 8, 2025

Is Your Youth Ministry Stuck in a Rut? Five Warning Signs It's Time for a Revamp Are you a youth pastor or leader feeling uninspired, overwhelmed, or just going through the motions? You're not alone. A recent Barna Group study revealed that only 16% of Christian teens in the U.S. have a strong understanding of their life's purpose connected to their faith. This statistic, combined with many leaders' struggles, signals a clear need for re-evaluation in youth ministry. This post will explore five warning signs that your ministry might need a revamp and offer actionable steps to turn things around. Think of these as dashboard lights for your ministry – ignoring them won't make the problems go away! 1. Your Students Don't Know the "Why" Imagine walking into your youth group and asking the average student, "Why do you meet?" What would they say? Would they talk about fun and friends, or a deeper mission? If the "why" isn't clear, students often feel like they're just "meeting until they graduate... then meeting until they die, move, or graduate." As Michael Hyatt says, "People lose their way when they lose their why." Action Steps: Set a Bold Vision: Clearly define the purpose and mission of your youth ministry. What is God calling your specific group to do? Communicate Constantly: Use visual reminders, consistent messaging, and empower students by handing them the mission. Don't just invite them; challenge them to own it. Secret Shop Your Ministry: Consider having trusted (even non-believing) individuals or teens from outside your group "secret shop" your ministry to get honest feedback on clarity and impact. 2. You're Not Excited to Go to Youth Group (and You're Not Sure Why) We all have off nights or exhausting weeks. But if you find yourself regularly dreading youth group without a clear reason, it's a red flag. This isn't about faking enthusiasm, but recognizing a deeper issue. Ryne shared a recent experience where focusing on tasks instead of connecting with students drained his excitement. Action Steps: Evaluate Your Life Holistically: Burnout often stems from imbalances. Examine your physical, emotional, relational, and financial health. Is ministry becoming an idol? Talk to a Trusted Mentor: Share your feelings with someone who can offer perspective and ask insightful questions. Schedule Vision Retreats: Take time away, even if it's just a few hours, to get alone with God, re-evaluate your calling, and plan for the next season. Resources like retreathood.com can help connect you with free retreat spaces for ministry leaders. Reflect: When was the last time you walked into youth group with passion instead of pressure? Has it become more of a job than a calling? 3. Prayer is a Last Resort, Not Your First Oswald Chambers famously said, "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work. Prayer is the greater work." If you're constantly rushing through tasks and prayer becomes an afterthought, your ministry might be running on fumes instead of divine power. Action Steps: Study Jesus' Prayer Life: He modeled consistent, intentional prayer, even amidst intense ministry. Pray for Students by Name: Implement a system to regularly pray for individual students and specific schools or areas within your community. Make Prayer a Part of Your Ministry: Dedicate time during programs for collective prayer and teach students how to pray. Linger with the Lord: Beyond daily rhythms, seek extended times of prayer and communion with God. 4. You're Just Copying What Works Elsewhere Are you reacting to popularity or listening for purpose? While borrowing methods isn't inherently bad, exclusively copying other successful ministries without discerning God's unique call for your context can lead to an inauthentic and less impactful ministry. Ryne shared the "cutting the ends off the roast" analogy – doing things simply because they've always been done that way, or because someone else does them, can stifle true innovation and purpose. Action Steps: Ask "Why" for Every Activity: Go through your weekly activities and programs and genuinely ask why you do each one. Are they serving your unique mission? Embrace Your Ministry's Uniqueness: What is God uniquely positioning your church and youth ministry to do? Are you reaching an overlooked group or addressing a specific need in your community? Utilize Spiritual Assessments: Tools like the "four-tier assessment" can help you measure spiritual growth in your students. This helps determine if what you're doing is actually working and aligning with your goals, rather than just copying a trend. 5. You've Lowered the Bar Just to Keep Them Coming This warning sign manifests in various ways, from avoiding discipline with disruptive students to shying away from deeper biblical truths to attract more people. Lowering the bar not only alienates serious students but also communicates a lack of vision for growth. Just as you wouldn't use "baby talk" with a child forever, you shouldn't "dumb down" biblical truth. Action Steps: Define and Uphold Your Standards: Clearly articulate the behavioral and spiritual expectations for your ministry. Prioritize Growth Over Popularity: Focus on discipleship and challenging students to grow in their faith, even if it means a smaller initial attendance. Address Issues Directly: Don't avoid difficult conversations or disciplinary actions, as this can lead to a loss of respect from other students. If any of these warning signs resonate with you, it's a sign to pause, pray, and re-evaluate. Remember, God has a unique purpose for your ministry, and by addressing these areas, you can lead a more vibrant, effective, and fulfilling youth ministry. Which of these warning signs hits closest to home for you, and what's one small step you can take this week to address it?

5 Youth Ministry Myths YOU Probably Believe

By Ellen Hembree • July 1, 2025

Five Youth Ministry Myths Busted: Unpacking Hidden Assumptions for Deeper Student Growth Check out the podcast here . For years, many of us in youth ministry have held onto certain "truths" that seemed foundational. But what if these deeply ingrained beliefs are actually hindering the spiritual growth, leadership, and impact of our students? In this post, inspired by a recent discussion with Ryne , we're diving into five common youth ministry myths that might be negatively impacting your work and revealing the liberating truths behind them. Myth 1: Students are the Church of Tomorrow This is a common refrain, but it's a limiting one. While students certainly will lead the church in the future, the more critical truth is that students are the church of today . This isn't just about giving them roles; it's about recognizing the Holy Spirit's immediate work in their lives. As Ryne highlighted, there's "no junior Holy Spirit." A seven-year-old who trusts Christ has the same Spirit living within them as any adult. Think of King Josiah, who began his reign at just eight years old and became one of Israel's most faithful kings. Or consider Jesus's instruction to "let the little children come to me, for such as the kingdom of heaven." If our primary goal is to make disciples, and we know that most people make a decision for Christ during their youth, then investing heavily in kids and student ministry isn't just a good idea—it's essential for the church's health now and in the future. We need to equip them to be the church today, not just someday. Myth 2: You Need a Large Youth Group to Make a Difference Many youth pastors feel the pressure to grow their numbers, believing that a larger group equates to greater impact. However, this is a pervasive myth. The reality is that God moves through the faithful, not necessarily the large groups . The average youth group size is often cited as around 12—a number with some interesting biblical parallels! Think of the impactful stories of D.L. Moody and Billy Graham, both of whom were led to the Lord by Sunday school teachers with only a handful of students. David Livingstone, the missionary, saw only one convert in his lifetime of faithful service, yet his groundwork laid the foundation for widespread Christianity across Sub-Saharan Africa. God's increase may not always be visible in your lifetime, but faithfulness in the small things often yields exponential, unseen results. Myth 3: Students Need More Theology Before Being Used This myth suggests that students need to accumulate a vast amount of biblical knowledge or attend countless classes before they can truly live out their faith or share the Gospel. The liberating truth is: If they know enough to believe, they know enough to share. Consider the woman at the well, who immediately went to tell her town about Jesus after their conversation, or Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, whose encounter in a chariot led to the spread of the Gospel in Ethiopia. Even the slave girl who told Naaman about Elijah—she had "bad theology" in the sense that it was God, not Elijah, who could heal him, yet her simple faith led to Naaman finding God. When students are encouraged to share their faith, even with incomplete knowledge, it often deepens their dependence on the Lord and prompts them to seek answers to questions they didn't even know they had. Students, especially those in public schools, are surrounded by thousands of peers daily—a mission field far larger than most adults encounter regularly. Leveraging this time for them to share their faith can lead to incredible growth and impact. Myth 4: Youth Ministry Success Equals Church Attendance After Graduation While we certainly desire for students to remain connected to the local church after they graduate, measuring youth ministry success solely by post-graduation attendance is a false metric. The true goal is lifelong transformation and a genuine commitment to living for Christ. Studies have even suggested that a significant portion of regular churchgoers may not have a true relationship with Christ. The church isn't successful when it's full; it's successful when it's faithful. Our aim isn't to create lifelong "consumers" of church services, but to equip students to be active, growing, and serving members of the local body of Christ. Are they serving? Are they growing spiritually? These are better indicators of lifelong transformation than mere retention. Myth 5: Students Don't Want Authority In an increasingly uncertain world, it's a myth that students inherently reject authority. In reality, they crave guidance . What they reject is hypocrisy. Post-COVID studies revealed a significant decline in trust in institutions like government and healthcare, but one group that maintained high trust among teens was "elders"—those older than them. Students are looking for authentic, relational authority figures who will speak truth to them, even if it's challenging or uncomfortable. They want to know what's true, and they will flock to those who are willing to share it with love and integrity. These five myths have perhaps been unknowingly shaping our approaches to youth ministry. By shifting our perspective and embracing these truths, we can better equip and empower our students for genuine spiritual growth and impactful lives for Christ, today. What myths have you believed that have been busted in your ministry journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below!