Gen Z is coming of age in a world saturated with change—social, digital, and spiritual. There are several profound challenges shaping this generation: low biblical literacy, high levels of anxiety, life lived extensively online, and a growing sense that church is irrelevant. But despite that many young people may not “know the Bible” in traditional ways, they remain deeply curious about Jesus—open to exploring who he is and how his story connects with their own. In their anxiety, there is a longing for peace and presence. And in their doubts is an opening to rediscover a faith that is relational and incarnational.

Across communities, youth and parents alike are discovering that doubts, questions, and struggles aren’t signs of lost faith but evidence of a living one—faith that stretches, seeks, and grows. Gen Z’s search for a Jesus who is just, inclusive, and present in the mess of real life invites us all to practice patience, honesty, and courage as we learn what discipleship looks like in this moment of history.

For parents, this means walking alongside your student as a partner in discovery. When we resist the urge to control the process and instead nurture exploration, we join our young people in the sacred work of becoming—trusting that the Spirit is already at work, drawing all of us deeper into the story of Jesus.