My friend Rick Warren famously wrote about the purpose-driven life, but before that, he wrote about the purpose-driven church. In The Purpose Driven Church, he contends that the church has a five-fold purpose—worship, ministry, evangelism, community, and discipleship—and should therefore be driven by those purposes, as opposed to common drivers such as tradition, money, programs, personalities, or events.
The idea of an organization being “purpose-driven” is not only strategic but essential for capturing the attention of the youngest, largest generation on the planet: Generation Z. I explored this in my book Meet Generation Z, and ongoing studies continue to confirm how vital this alignment is. Understanding Gen Z church needs and Gen Z outreach considerations is crucial for any church seeking to connect with this demographic.
The 2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Gen Z Purpose Study examined the generation’s expectations regarding social and environmental involvement. The findings reaffirmed that these young people are deeply committed to making a tangible mark on the world, suggesting that a church’s mission must resonate with their desire for authentic social impact to remain relevant.
The lessons held for the church are important. For example, 94% are tired of the “divisive narrative that has taken over the national news” and want to see the country come together to make progress on important issues. This sentiment runs so strongly that “85% would rather focus on the positive progress we’ve made rather than the negative.”
This is an important reminder to churches that seem to be known more for what they are against than what they are for. So little surprise when nearly 9 in 10 “are inspired when their peers like Emma Gonzalez and Greta Thunberg take stands on issues” (respectively, gun control and the environment).
Generation Z does not simply want to make a difference personally. The vast majority (90%) “also believe companies must take action to help social and environmental issues. And they’re holding these organizations accountable. More than 9 in 10 (93%) say if a company makes a commitment, it should have the appropriate programs and policies in place to back up that commitment and three-quarters (75%) will do research to see if a company is being honest when it takes a stand on issues.”
The bottom line? “Companies that demonstrate authentic purpose to this astute demographic will be rewarded, as Gen Zers use purpose as a core filter in deciding which companies to associate with.” As Alison DaSilva with Porter Novelli/Cone notes, “companies need to clearly communicate how they are making an impact to appeal to this driven but discerning generation.”
Clearly a purpose-driven church is needed now more than ever. But do our purposes align with theirs in a way that would prove attractive? You might be surprised.
The top priority they would like to see companies address is the environment (26%), followed by poverty and hunger (19%) and human rights (19%).
When it comes to cultural headlines, again their greatest concerns might surprise. Job-creation at 91% is at the top of the list, followed by racial equality (90%), sexual harassment (90%) and women’s equality (89%). Religious freedom and tolerance came in at 83%, higher than immigration, gun control or LGBTQ rights.
In other words, what they would like to see organizations purpose to address, and what they are most personally purposed to see addressed, are all biblical purposes that the church should be known for purposing itself.
After all, we are called to be stewards of creation, caregivers to the poor, fierce advocates for justice and passionate believers in the innate worth and value of every human being. That pretty much covers all of their concerns.
So why isn’t the church attracting more Generation Zers?
Perhaps we need to get back to being a little more purpose-driven—particularly in regard to what the purposes of the church are supposed to be producing.
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This article originally appeared on ChurchAndCulture.org and is reposted here by permission.