Your congregation is surrounded by young people asking big questions about faith, and they want to learn how to answer them.

When researcher Tanita Tualla Maddox asked Gen Zers what they wish church leaders understood, the responses weren't about worship styles, small group gatherings, or service length. Instead, they were asking to be equipped. Overwhelmingly, Gen Z responded that they want to learn how to have real conversations about faith with their friends.

One Gen Zer put it plainly: "The only evangelism we are being taught is to invite our friends to church. We aren't being taught how to share the gospel over a conversation with our friend at a coffee shop." 

Maddox also found that when young people have questions about faith, many turn to TikTok, YouTube, and ChatGPT because they don't know where else to go or they're embarrassed to ask. They haven't been told by their church, clearly enough, bring your questions here.

The spiritual openness we talked about last week isn't passive. Gen Z is actively searching, and many of them are already in your orbit. They are curious, and your church can be a place where that curiosity is welcomed and developed. Equipping young people for real faith conversations opens pathways for your whole congregation to engage more meaningfully with the people around them. Three steps to act on this week:

Why VBS Might Be Your Most Strategic Move This Summer | Lifeway Research

Last week we talked about Gen Z reaching for faith out of genuine need. This summer, the kids in your community are facing the same pressure, and VBS is one of the most underrated tools you have to meet them. Lifeway's 2026 research notes that half of Americans believe Jesus was a great teacher but not God, which means the children sitting in your neighborhood are already absorbing a distorted picture of who He is. VBS is concentrated, intentional discipleship at a moment when curiosity is high and the cultural noise is loud.

This week: Confirm your VBS dates and identify three families outside your congregation you could personally invite. The relational ask always goes further than a flyer.

Most Churches Have No Plan for AI, and That's a Leadership Problem | Barna

Church leaders are using AI in their personal lives, but only 33% say their church is using it in any ministry capacity, and just 5% have any formal guidelines in place. Barna's State of Church Tech 2026 report shows leaders' top concerns are data privacy (83%), plagiarism and message integrity (51%), and loss of authenticity in preaching (49%). The technology isn't going away. Churches that wait for a perfect policy may find the decisions getting made for them by default.

This week: Spend 30 minutes drafting three simple guardrails for how your staff can and can't use AI in sermon prep, communications, and pastoral care. Clarity now prevents confusion later.

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