300. How Churches Can Engage and Support Gen Z, with Tanita Tualla Maddox, author of What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God

What does it really mean to create a “safe space” for young people in our churches—not just a place free from harm, but a place where their deepest questions and unique experiences are genuinely welcomed?

In this episode, Tanita Tualla Maddox, National Director for Generational Impact for Young Life and author of What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God, helps us understand Gen Z’s core questions about faith, the meaning of safety and trust, and how churches and ministry leaders can communicate and lead adaptively in today’s cultural landscape.

THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Tanita Tualla Maddox describes Gen Z as digital natives who blend the physical and digital worlds, which shapes their outlook and identity.
• Stereotypes about Gen Z often paint them as weak, fragile, over-emotional, and self-centered.
• Tanita Tualla Maddox emphasizes that Gen Z has faced unique challenges such as growing up with social media, experiencing school shootings and lockdown drills, and living through a global pandemic.
• Social media exposes Gen Z to global comparison, leading many to wrestle with feelings of not being enough.
• The words older generations use about Gen Z—often negative—shape Gen Z's perception that they are disliked and not valued as they are.
• Tanita Tualla Maddox points out that generational miscommunication happens even when the same words are used, because their meanings shift between groups.
• Safety means more than just the absence of physical danger for Gen Z; it also encompasses emotional, psychological, and even comfort-based dimensions.
• Defining what makes a space or relationship "safe" often varies from person to person within Gen Z.
• Tanita Tualla Maddox suggests that churches should directly ask young people what makes them feel welcome and safe, rather than make assumptions.
• Spiritual leaders often answer questions that Gen Z is not asking, missing opportunities to address their actual concerns.
• The incarnation of Jesus can help Gen Z trust God, because it shows he experienced abandonment, public shame, betrayal, and other relatable human struggles.
• Trust for Gen Z is not automatically given to authority figures or institutions—they expect trust to be earned and proven.
• Safety is seen as a right by many in Gen Z, and the loss of safety can feel like a violation of that right.
• Truth has become highly individualized for Gen Z, with "my truth" and "speak your truth" surfacing as common phrases; this complicates their relationship to universal or absolute truths.
• Tanita Tualla Maddox encourages church leaders to treat generational differences as cross-cultural experiences, approaching Gen Z with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to ask questions and learn.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Tanita Tualla Maddox
  • tanitamaddox.com
• Books mentioned:
  • What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God, by Tanita Tualla Maddox
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
• Related episodes:
  • 35. God Wants

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