My generation is vulnerable to anything that offers purpose, value, validation, and comfort. At the touch of a finger, we are exposed to many different ideas and practices on how to live our lives, what we should accept, and who we should be. At first, the changes thrilled us and gave us choices on how to live our lives, but now we are tired. Every new trend leaves us jaded. Every new worldview leaves us hopeless.

We want meaning.

We want purpose.

We want substance.

How does this information help us understand effective ways to evangelize to Gen Z? Well, we must first acknowledge that there are other forms of peace that Gen Z is discovering. Most of my peers are influenced by new-age Christianity, horoscopes, postmodernism, spiritualism, feminism, LGBTQ+, and witchcraft. I have seen my friends live out some of these practices, which do nothing but damage, confuse, and traumatize them more. These false ideologies, religions, and secular movements do not provide eternal purpose, peace, or hope. Although it is hard to recognize and admit, this is the reality of many people in my generation.

So where do we go from here? How do we ultimately evangelize to a generation desperately seeking purpose and identity? What can we do to provide peace to a generation struggling with sexuality, anxiety, depression, addiction, and personality disorders? The simple answer is Christology; “Christology is the part of theology concerned with the nature and work of Jesus through his human and divine nature” (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christology).

Pastors, preachers, church leaders, and Christians must help Gen Z understand the role, the person, and the heart of Jesus. My generation needs to recognize that through the humanity of Jesus Christ He can relate to our grief and sadness (John 11:35), suffering and pain (Matthew 26:36-46), and our desire to help, serve, and love the people around us (Matthew 20:28) while having the divinity to love us perfectly (1 John 4:18), save our souls (Romans 10:9-10), and liberate us from the burdens of this world (Gal. 5.1).

The Lordship of Christ will offer Gen Z value as a son or daughter of the one true King, and they will no longer have to settle with the titles, names, or labels that society throws at them. The humanity of Christ will offer Gen Z validation in their questions and uncertainties, providing a safe place for their heart and soul.

This is the best and only approach to evangelism for my generation because my peers will recognize His Lordship while falling in love with His relatability.

It sounds so simple, but if Gen Z can grasp hold onto the character of Jesus Christ, they will see that He is better than the counterfeit religions and ideologies that the world offers them.

Below are five verses from the Gospel’s that display Jesus’s divinity and humanity that we can all start with when it comes to evangelizing to Gen Z

John 6:35,  ^“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty,”

Gen Z needs to understand that when they receive Jesus, they will no longer thirst or be hungry; Jesus fills every void that they so desperately need filled.

Matt. 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Gen Z needs to recognize that Jesus welcomes their burdens, pain, faults, worries and concerns about life. His gentleness, kindness, and love provide rest for their soul.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Gen Z does not have to fear death but look forward to every lasting life with God, the Father.

Luke 15:1-2 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Gen Z needs to experience the love of Jesus found in His sacrifice, His kindness, and His care for the marginalized. His heart is to INVITE ALL people into the kingdom of God, no matter their ethnicity, race, gender, or past.

2 Corinth. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here!”

Gen Z needs to see that through Jesus, they can be forgiven of all the wrongdoing they have done and will do. They can be new creations in Christ, and no longer living the wicked, unrighteous, and ill will life they were before.

John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Through Jesus they receive the way, the truth, and the life. Gen Z is looking for purpose, life, dignity, and meaning, and it is found in Jesus Christ.

This is what Gen Z needs and is so desperately looking for.

Jesus is the answer because He saves our souls. Jesus is the answer because He tells us who we are. Jesus is the answer because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Jesus is the answer because He is for ALL of humanity. Jesus is the answer because, through Him, we can experience a resurrected life.