• All Sites:
  • Pastors
  • Leadership
  • Kids Ministry
  • Student Ministry
  • Groups Ministry
  • Women's Ministry
  • Worship Ministry
Lifeway

Group Ministry

Conversations on Group Practices

  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Bible Study Insider
  • Groups Resources
  • Free Bible Teaching
Group Leadership
December 29, 2015

Preparing Your Group Ministry for Generation Z

By Rob Tims

I recently had the privilege of sitting in on a meeting led by a social media expert. The purpose of the meeting was to help people like me understand at a broad level the things that make Generation Z unique. Generation Z is the one coming behind the Millennials and could include people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, depending on whom you ask. In fact, the title “Generation Z” is a matter of debate.

I was particularly drawn to the parts of the talk focused on how people of this generation learn and some of the dangers they face.

When it comes to learning, members of Generation Z:

  • Are graphically driven.
  • Dislike lectures, tests and classrooms.
  • Are constant multi-taskers.
  • Value instant feedback.
  • Generally do not take the time to determine the reliability of information.
  • Thrive in collaborative environments.
  • Are wired for fast delivery of content.
  • Desire a customized education experience.

I’m finding it to be a helpful exercise to think through how this generation’s characteristics might impact the small group experience. For example, consider the following questions:

  • What role can art or video-driven storytelling play in a small group?
  • Are the days of a lecture-driven educational environment on Sunday mornings in their twilight?
  • Are we equipping group leaders to confidently and comfortably lead a generation of people who will talk as much as they listen in a small group?
  • If this upcoming generation generally does not take the time to determine the reliability of information, how will they respond to the authority and inerrancy of the Bible?
  • Are there resources that allow churches to customize their discipleship materials for this generation? (For some assistance, check out smallgroup.com and discipleshipincontext.com, Lifeway’s excellent resources for customization.)

Time will tell, but the time is now for thinking through how Generation Z will change your group ministry.


Rob Tims has been married to Holly for nearly 15 years. They have four children: Trey (10), Jonathan (9), Abby (1), and Luke (born April 10). He has served in the local church for 20 years as a children’s pastor, student pastor, and senior pastor. He currently serves on a team at Lifeway Christian Resources that develops customized Bible studies for groups and teaches two classes for Liberty University School of Divinity Online. He is the author of the book Southern Fried Faith: Confusing Christ and Culture in the Bible Belt.

You may also like -

  • 10 Common Factors in Fast-Growing Sunday School Churches10 Common Factors in Fast-Growing Sunday School Churches
  • A Letter to Small Group Pastors: Why It’s Important to Count Your NumbersA Letter to Small Group Pastors: Why It’s Important to Count Your Numbers
  • What’s the Deal With Personal Study Guides?What’s the Deal With Personal Study Guides?

Filed Under: Group Leadership Tagged With: Group Dynamics, Growth, Leadership, Training

Comments

  1. Linda Lucero says

    February 22, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Our church small group is looking for a study on Generation Z. We are the grandparents of gen z’ers and would be interested in an educational and inspired way to connect and share our faith with this generation.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Group Ministry

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

previous arrow
next arrow
Slider

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidby EmailRSS

Follow Group Ministry on Instagram

…

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

Follow Group Ministry on Facebook

All Ministry Sites

Pastors
Leadership
Kids Ministry
Student Ministry
Groups Ministry
Women’s Ministry
Worship Ministry

Digital Resources

Ministry Grid
Lifeway Worship
Digital Church
KidEvent Pro
MyCurriculum Manager
Simulcast Manager
Lifeway Reader eBooks
Generosity
WORDsearch
SmallGroup.com

Lifeway Network

Lifeway Research
B&H
Ridgecrest

Copyright © 2021 · Lifeway Christian Resources · All Rights Reserved