Recent research indicates that Gen Z is undergoing a mass exodus from the church and traditional Christianity. For instance, Lifeway Research found in 2017 that 66% of regular church-going teens left the church after graduating high school, and this percentage has remained steady. In 2024, Barna Research shows that only 16% of Gen Z members attend church weekly, while 14% attend monthly. Finally, the Pinetops Foundation discovered that by 2050, 35 million youth raised in the church will disaffiliate from Christianity.
Yet, Gen Z is not simply leaving the church. Those who remain have beliefs that do not align with historic creedal Christianity. According to Barna, 67% of practicing Christians believe that if a person is generally good and does good deeds, they will get to heaven. The Ligonier State of Theology reported last year that among evangelicals aged 18 to 49, 62% believed God accepts worship from all religions, 56% believed God learns and adapts to different situations, and 52% believed Jesus was a great moral teacher but not God.
I believe these statistics are connected. Gen Z is leaving the church because they have not been discipled through the historic doctrines of the faith found in the Scriptures and reiterated in the church’s Creeds. Therefore, I will argue in my presentation that the solution to helping Gen Z embrace Christianity and remain rooted in their faith is to implement the Apostle’s Creed as part of a catechesis for discipleship. Utilizing the Apostle’s Creed as a means of discipleship for Gen Z will help them stay grounded in the faith in three ways. First, it will promote their growth in holiness. Second, it will connect them to the historic roots of their faith. Third, it will equip them to combat the heresies of our culture that have existed since the time of the apostles.
My presentation contributes to the field because it gleans upon recent research depicting the epidemic of Gen Z leaving the church in our day and provides solid answers through catechesis, which the church has been implementing since the time of the apostles. As evangelicals, we must return to our historical roots and teach the next generation how their faith did not arise in a vacuum but has existed for thousands of generations. We must help them confess, believe, and practice the faith of our fathers.