Verne Hill
Teens suggest that Jesus still matters (Barna)
“Tremendous opportunity to share Jesus” to our culture.
Reality: Since 2000, the number of practicing Christians in the U.S. has nearly dropped in half. The Church in the U.S. has seen a dramatic shift within the last ten years including a decline in attendance and the rise of “religious nones”.
BUT, a recent Barna study shows that a majority (nearly 75%) of adults still have the desire to ‘grow spiritually’ and close to half (+40%) of people are “more open” to God. Large numbers of people say they believe in “God” or “a higher power” and nearly half say they are “more open” to God today than before the pandemic.
According to this recent Barna study, overwhelmingly, Christian teens today say that Jesus still matters to them!
More than 80% of Gen Z and Millennials believe a supernatural dimension exists. And while “supernatural” doesn’t always mean faith or Christian-based, it does mean that the church has a clean slate, according to David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna
“The teens in our study are not jaded or cynical. Today’s teens are confronting the church with something that I think we haven’t seen before—a kind of blank slate; a chance to imagine a different future.”
“In a culture that has generally downgraded the reputation of Christians and all but dismiss Sunday worship attendance and other church-related activities, teens remain refreshingly open to Jesus as an influence in their lives…” -David Kinnaman, CEO of Barna
