A key listening tool is research, whether we like it or not. There is more Christian led research than ever before in Europe and globally.
Photo: [link]Nimish Pastaria[/link], Unsplash, CC0.
Who are we trying to reach with the gospel? How well do we know them? Do we understand them? When it comes to the younger generations we must understand who they and where they are in life.
Gen Z are now oldest of 30 years, Gen Alpha are oldest of 15 years old, therefore Gen Beta are being born this year or last year, pending who you talk to or read. Which means Gen Z are having kids and they are called Gen Beta (Yes, some millennials or Gen Y are still having kids too but you get my point).
All Evangelical Focus news and opinion, on your WhatsApp.
So, to understand how we see young generations impacted with the gospel we must prioritise understanding them the best we can. Steven Covery said, ‘Seek first to understand then to be understood.’ Framed in the ancient scripture of 1 Chronicles 12:32, it talks about the men / women of Issachar who understood the times and knew what to do.
When we talk about understanding the times we don’t just mean inanimate things but people. These people of Issachar knew what to do: their understanding led to action. Their understanding wasn’t just for the now but for the future too!
Karl Barth said, ‘preach with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other’ - maybe it is now the phone or tablet. We need to understand societal culture through a biblical lens.
There are nuances between each generation. We can see seismic shifts in each generation and many people come to Jesus. Maybe you want to see culture shift so the opposite of this verse is true: “After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” Judges 2:10 NIV.
To understand, we need to ask the right kind of questions.
What are the generations (years born)?
We need to ask key questions to help us understand them, and empower each generation in Kingdom advancing work that is fruitful in their generation and other generations.
We seek to understand so we can more effectively communicate the gospel and empower them to make disciples.
To understand the times and people - we need to that fine-tuned ear…
Culture: What culture is currently emerging? What are the foundations of it? How is what has been shaping the now?
Current: What is the fruit we are seeing right now? What isn't working? What is God currently doing?
Cusp: What is beginning to emerge? Sparks of new things God is doing? Warning signs?
A key listening tool is research, whether we like it or not. There is more Christian led research than ever before in Europe and globally. Research is pragmatic and prophetic - statistics are not flat things but help understand what is and what is to come. Most importantly, stats are people!
Can I encourage you to wrestle with research and use it as a tool to listen which leads to greater understanding. Some examples would be: Open Generation by Barna, Global Youth Culture by One Hope, Patmos by Bible Society… Listening well and developing how we listen builds a platform in our lives for greater understanding!
Here are my 3 simple thoughts:
1. Prayer: How is our prayer life? We lean into the Spirit to know what to do and know how He is leading.
2. Presence: I believe in presence ministry. But 2 types: yes the presence of God with us by His Spirit ministering to people. But then also being present, let’s keep showing up in faithfulness in people people’s lives.
3. Partnering: With what God is up in each generation, as we understand what He is up in each generation. Not one size fits all - same message, different methods. Let's not just repeat the same stuff or what we think is best or they need… but partner with God on what He is doing and the way He is doing it!
We seek first to understand so we can more effectively communicate the gospel and empower these young people to make disciples. The most open generations to receive help in this and joining this vision are the younger generations. Gen Beta is here. But their parents, the Gen Z are still young. Let’s bless all of them.
Dan Randall, Nxt Move team co-leader for Europe, a member of the Senior Leadership Team of Life Church Lancashire and a director of The Way.
[analysis]
[title]Join us to make EF sustainable[/title]
[photo][/photo]
[text]At Evangelical Focus, we have a sustainability challenge ahead. We invite you to join those across Europe and beyond who are committed with our mission. Together, we will ensure the continuity of Evangelical Focus and our Spanish partner Protestante Digital in 2025.
Learn all about our #TogetherInThisMission initiative here (English).
[/text][/analysis]
Las opiniones vertidas por nuestros colaboradores se realizan a nivel personal, pudiendo coincidir o no con la postura de la dirección de Protestante Digital.
Si quieres comentar o