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The UniteUS movement has been sweeping across college campuses over the past two years, bringing tens of thousands of students into arenas for worship and producing impressive visuals and testimonials. Some of those are from the university at which I work. Pickups pulled into our football stadium, and students were baptized in truck beds until after midnight. Stories supporting the idea that Gen Z has decided to return to the Christian faith seem to surface every week. Looking at the data, however, Gen Z remains a decidedly secular age group. Despite all the vibes and anecdotes of a religious resurgence among young people, Ryan Burge and others have pointed out that, at best, we’re seeing a leveling off of the decline of religiosity. A far cry from a shift that could be called a revival. That’s not to say that nothing has shifted culturally. The way people (and young people especially) talk about religion seems to be changing. Whether it’s TikTok-viral Catholic Mass pizza parties or influencers announcing they’ve decided to follow Jesus, many young people in America are reaching for something greater than what they’ve found on their phones. I myself am a son of the internet who came to faith after years of hedonism and selfish ambition that I learned online. While my generation isn’t yet characterized by widespread revival, I think some key aspects of my story offer insight into how the Spirit may be working among my peers. When Did It End? Some of Gen Z’s most formative years began in the spring of 2020, with the onset of COVID-19. Alongside isolation and technological dependence, the pandemic seemed to produce disillusionment for young people. In a time where truth—about vaccines, police brutality, public health policies—was constantly shifting and changing, questions arose that our cultural gatekeepers weren’t prepared to answer completely or even honestly. This dissatisfaction still lingers in the air of the culture today because, as Paul Ainleitner points out, there was no concrete endpoint to the pandemic. Though schools reopened, our culture lacked closure to this divisive and deadly time. This pandemic hangover is still felt in distrust for institutions, but not always of the cynical stripe. Instead, many insist something steadier and more unmoving is out there, if only we knew how to find it. Before the pandemic, I felt mostly inoculated from the vitriol of politics and the pain of health crises. Once exposed, I wanted answers. Many young people are right where I was—they want the truth, and they suspect real truth isn’t blown about by the winds of cultural or political change. They’re seeking, open to ideas about how they should move through the world. But where do they look? The place that the pandemic taught them to depend on: the internet. Voices Crying Out My search began with political podcasts. I was a daily listener to many conservative-leaning shows that sold an alternative view of the state of the country than that presented by mainstream media. From there, my algorithm on YouTube or Instagram served up videos that focused on cultural issues like the latest movies or celebrity drama. Many young people are right where I was—they want the truth, and they suspect that real truth isn’t blown about by the winds of cultural or political change. Day after day, I returned to this well for solutions, thinking that if I knew all the right information, I wouldn’t be blindsided the way I was with COVID-19. While scrolling, I stumbled on content produced by Christians. At first, I’d watch, distantly interested in their presentations of the gospel. But the Spirit used these channels to soften my heart and set it on fire for Christ. Soon enough, I tangibly felt the shift Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians 1:18, and joined the minority of those my age who’ve decided to follow Jesus. The criticism of “Christian influencers” isn’t hard to understand. Their platforms have produced their share of scandals, cover-ups, and false prophets, and it’d be foolish to celebrate anyone who claims to be a Christian—no matter how radical or hateful the message. The algorithm that serves up these voices makes no distinction between the transcendental and the conspiratorial; it drops them both into our timelines side by side. So yes, discernment is required, and not every self-appointed voice deserves an audience. But set the worst cases aside and consider the impact these voices have when they’re faithful. I’m one of the people they reached. When I turned to the internet looking for answers to life’s biggest questions, it was Christians boldly proclaiming their faith in that digital wilderness who exposed me to the gospel. For a generation that is chronically online—and being marched toward the despair that waits at the end of every road of disillusionment—those faithful voices are a lifeline. Their work matters precisely because that is where this generation already is. Among all the voices competing for the attention of young people, one of them will win. If we want Gen Z to see Jesus as the truth, can we as the church get behind the ones crying out, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”? Missing Piece I wouldn’t say my decision to follow Christ came solely from what I watched online. That was where it started, but looking back, my Christian life didn’t really take root until I first walked into a church as a young adult. First came weekly meetings with a local college pastor. Then irregular attendance at different churches on Sundays. Once I found a church home, I began attending weekly and serving in different ways. It wasn’t until I took everything I was learning about God and applied it in how I lived that I learned what it meant to take up my cross. This is perhaps the missing piece when we talk about revival. A General Social Survey study found that among those aged 18-to-34 at the time of the survey, weekly church attendance was in decline. Another study which has been recording data since 1973 revealed that the percentage of those possessing “hardly any” confidence in organized religion is at one of its highest points. There may be good evangelism happening online, but churches overall aren’t seeing more Gen-Z congregants. Until we help the people of my generation see the value of embodied, personal faith practice, revival will remain an online rally cry rather than a reality. Hebrews 10:25 sets a clear standard. We’re called to regular meetings with the body of Christ. Neglecting to meet with one another is how we remain siloed and subject to whatever our algorithms decide to feed us next. Without one another, who are we meant to encourage to good works, to care for in their time of need, to love? Maybe a better question: Who are we meant to receive all of these things from? Isolation is the way of the world. Community is the way of the cross. Two Ways When telling people my testimony, I often borrow Ernest Hemingway’s line about bankruptcy. How did I become a Christian? “Two ways. Gradually and then suddenly.” Isolation is the way of the world. Community is the way of the cross. The gradual exploration of ideas and exposure to clear online presentations of orthodoxy led to sudden growth in faith once I started consistently sitting in a pew every Sunday. Young people are thirsting for truth, just as I was. If a Gen-Z revival surges in this country, it’ll be through mature believers acknowledging their desire for truth, and helping them see it can be found most directly through a life lived in community with fellow believers—in the service of a God whom they can trust.

Zeal for missions grew in my heart after reading John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life as a teenager. I even told my parents we should downsize our home and give the money to missions. Not surprisingly, we didn’t. But after finishing seminary and getting married, I finally made the move. Almost a decade ago, my wife and I said our tearful goodbyes to family and friends, then packed up our belongings (mostly books and clothes) into seven tubs and boarded a 16-hour flight from Dallas to Dubai. We were moving to the Middle East to be missionaries. To get to that point, I had to answer a lot of questions: What is a missionary? Who should be a missionary? And could I become a missionary? I pieced together answers from various resources—some helpful, many not. Looking back, I wish I’d had a trusted guide like The Path to Being a Missionary: A Guide for the Aspiring by Ryan Robertson and Matt Bennett. Both authors combine academic expertise with significant missions experience and service as church elders. Robertson serves as the president of Reaching & Teaching, a missions organization. Bennett is a professor of missions and theology at Cedarville University. The authors set out to help those trying to discern whether they should serve as missionaries. Rather than providing a broad overview of the history and theology of Christian missions, they offer a “launch pad into conversations” (3). And those conversations between church leaders and missionary candidates aren’t primarily about logistics; they’re about character, conviction, and competency. The result is the best book I’ve encountered for aspiring missionaries. Missionary as a Mature Disciple Missions doesn’t begin with a desire for adventure or a willingness to sacrifice. It begins with a grand vision of God’s glory. That’s where Robertson and Bennett start. They argue, “If man’s lostness is our primary motivation, then our methods will inevitably be changed. We must all be motivated by what God is motivated by—his glory” (12). While cultivating evangelistic zeal is important, we can’t forget to devote ourselves to sound doctrine by giving time and effort to “investigate the early creeds and confessions of faith” (81). After all, the authors observe, “the first job of a missionary is to speak about God, and God has spoken first about himself” (87). The path for aspiring missionaries doesn’t begin with learning the language of an unreached people group but with learning about the God who is worthy of the glory of the nations (Rev. 7:9). Furthermore, missions doesn’t end with a new convert or scattered sheep throughout a city. It ends with disciples gathered into local churches. The local church is the means and ends of missions, so missionaries need a healthy ecclesiology. The local church is the means and ends of missions, so missionaries need a healthy ecclesiology. On the mission field, many workers are devoted to making disciples. But sadly, fewer can define or describe what a healthy church looks like. We can’t plant churches if we don’t know what the Bible says a church is. Robertson and Bennett insist that “the most important thing about any particular church is not what makes it unique from other churches but what it has in common with every true church throughout time” (98). Central to knowing what makes a church healthy is being a functional member of a local church before going to the field. The authors ask, “Does your local church observe today the same gifts you seek to use overseas in the future?” (38). No plane ride is long enough to transform a reluctant evangelist into a bold preacher or a shallow Christian into a mature disciple maker. Missionary as a Wise Traveler Many aspiring missionaries major in zeal. But often they minor on wisdom. They’re eager to see a new church planted but may not themselves be ready to plant. They’re ready to share the gospel with those who have never heard but may not understand the culture well enough to be clear. In many cases, missionary candidates don’t even know what questions they should be asking. No plane ride is long enough to transform a reluctant evangelist into a bold preacher or a shallow Christian into a mature disciple maker. All missionaries will need to learn a new culture, and most will need to add a new language too. Missionaries must be flexible and adaptable, curious and attentive. Therefore, aspiring missionaries can prepare for the field by testing their language-acquisition ability. They can also use overseas internships to gain on-the-field experience and oversight from seasoned missionaries. While recognizing that God often uses people in unexpected ways, candidates can benefit from figuring out what sort of mission enterprise they’re best suited for. There’s a big difference between the skills needed to train national pastors and those required to serve at an English-speaking church in an international city. Trying to plant a church among people with a minority language is much different from working with those who speak a nation’s majority language. The more that aspiring missionaries think about these questions in advance, the more effective their preparation for the mission field can be. A year after arriving in the Middle East, my wife and I transitioned ministries. I joined the staff of our local church in Dubai. We made that transition because we realized our missionary team disagreed on ecclesiology. If we’d asked more questions up front, we would’ve saved a lot of time and energy. During our time overseas, we had a front-row seat to missionary arrivals and departures. Some left the country after a year or so. But others left the faith. Some who arrive on the mission field should never have been sent in the first place. If their churches had asked more questions, it would’ve saved precious resources. After seven years of ministry in the Middle East, my wife and I (with three children in tow) packed a series of suitcases, then boarded a 16-hour flight from Dubai to Dallas. Now, as I pastor aspiring missionaries in the United States, I’m always on the lookout for tools to help them succeed. The Path to Being a Missionary can equip churches and aspiring missionaries to more effectively accomplish the work of getting the gospel to the nations.