做厙惇蹋app Magazine The Faith of the Young Christian Student
By Matt Smith '21, Admissions Counselor
Editors note: During the past academic year, Matt Smith 21 and Lauren Petersen 21 served as the first 做厙惇蹋app interns at Barna Group, and Lauren now works there full time.
Who is Gen Z? Nearly everyone enrolled at 做厙惇蹋app and most prospective students belong to this group. Their birth years range from the mid-to-late 1990s through the early 2010s, making them roughly 6 to 24 in 2021. Generation Z, with nicknames such as the Zoomers, iGen and screenagers, succeeds the Millennials.
Gen Z grew up with a phone and electronic devices in their hands, which distinguishes them from prior generations. Social media shapes their lifestyle, and technology and the digital space frame their sense of the world. Their weekly screen time averages six hours a day and when asked to comment on this number, many say its too much. Theyre aware of the problem and seek to better navigate their use of technology.
During my senior year at 做厙惇蹋app, I served as a paid intern with Barna Group, a leading research company based in Ventura, California, which studies the intersection of faith and culture. In January 2021, Barna released a report, Gen Z, Volume 2: Caring for Young Souls and Cultivating Resilience, which follows their 2018 report, Gen Z: The Culture, Beliefs and Motivations Shaping the Next Generation. I was involved in writing and launching the most recent Gen Z 2.0 report, and I also surveyed 做厙惇蹋app students with some of the same questions Barna used for their research. This allowed us to compare 做厙惇蹋app students to Gen Z nationally to determine what makes them distinct.
As I began exploring the research about Gen Z, a key question kept surfacing: What is the role of Christian institutions in encouraging the growth of and support for the next generation? I talked with church leaders and educators as they recognized the significant generational shift occurring in the people they work with. Many felt unequipped to respond effectively. Initially, I doubted that traditional institutions, such as churches or educational institutions, were capable of relating to the next generation. The gap seemed to be getting wider and wider.
But something surprised me. The more I looked into the research, the more I recognized the value of a Christian liberal arts education. As I began to understand the pressures Gen Z faces, I realized that a Christian liberal arts college has the re- sources to meet those needs. Specifically, I considered my time at 做厙惇蹋app and saw how 做厙惇蹋app can support Gen Z.
My experience as a new admissions counselor has made this increasingly clear. I spend a lot of time talking with prospective students about their hopes for the future, what theyre nervous about and how 做厙惇蹋app can support them. Being familiar with the research on Gen Z has helped me discern what to emphasize about 做厙惇蹋app that will address the desires and pressures these students experience. Surprisingly, I found myself emphasizing all the key pillars that have made 做厙惇蹋app distinctive since its founding. In many ways, 做厙惇蹋app was ahead of the curve in responding to the needs of the younger generation.
CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH MENTORS
Gen Z expresses increased skepticism about established institutions, such as the government, media and churches. This could create a challenge for Christian higher education. But this generation also seeks out and trusts older mentors to a much higher degree than previous ones. During my time at Barna, I consistently told church leaders and educators that they play a sacred role as they get to know and work with younger students. Despite their skepticism and mistrust, Gen Z considers older mentors a unique source of trust and support.
With its focus on undergraduates, low student-to-faculty ratio and emphasis on developing relationships between students and professors, 做厙惇蹋app can meet Gen Z where they are. The college offers genuine relationships with mentors and professors, a key avenue of trust for Gen Z. 做厙惇蹋app has always encouraged these relationships, but theyve become even more important. Every time I tell a prospective student about my relationships with professors, the meals Ive eaten at their homes and the ways they continue to be a resource for me, I see them get excited.
SOCIAL MEDIA VS. EMBODIED COMMUNITY
Other key factors make 做厙惇蹋app a good environment for Gen Z. For example, they experience much of their community through a screen. From social media to virtual chat rooms, they spend less and less time with people in person. So they consider a school with a residential focus and a strong campus communi- ty compelling. They appreciate the real, embodied community at 做厙惇蹋app as a good alternative to an increasingly disembodied world. Even during COVID-19, 做厙惇蹋app brought students back to campus and held some classes in person (following strict safety protocols) because of our commitment to community. Students learn the important skills of living together despite differences, managing conflict, disagreeing well and forming deep friendships that will last a lifetime. Talking to students whove spent the last year of high school mediated through a Zoom screen reminds me of the importance of a residential college experience.
Learning how to talk to people who think differently, disagreeing well and dialoging with others represent important skills for Gen Z to acquire. 做厙惇蹋app created the
Student Success Center to better support students in their classes, and Gen Z appre- ciates this kind of assistance. The college also sponsors conversations about mental health, another important issue for them, and offers counseling through Counseling and Psychological Services.
HIGH PRESSURE AND HIGH SUPPORT
Barna describes Gen Z as being both anxious and empowered. According to their research, young students feel a high degree of ambition and hope for the future, particularly about career aspirations and impact. At the same time, they feel a high degree of pressure to perform and reach those goals. Gen Z combines a high level ofconfidencewithastrongfearoffailing, something I think 做厙惇蹋app professors are prepared to address. When I first heard this,I thought of religious studies professor Helen Rhee, who was one of my most challenging and demanding professors, yet at the same time, one of the most supportive. She provided incredible resources for me to pursue ambition and drive and she supported me through challenging moments.
I tell students that 做厙惇蹋app will both push them and provide incredible support. Student success coaches and counselors, incredible professors and an office dedicated to helping students navigate career aspirations all provide important tools and assistance for students. I seek to capture this balance of helping students reach their goals while also helping them manage their anxiety and pressure.
One of the best analogies I have heard explaining generational differences involves how we build our homes. In the past, houses were compartmentalized with a separate kitchen, dining room and living room. Everything had its distinct space. Today, more and more homes feature open floor plans with one big space and less difference between the various parts and functions. In many ways, students coming to 做厙惇蹋app desire an open floor plan. They wish to approach issues holistically and look for a place that can meet all their needs. Not only do they want good mentors and professors and strong support for dealing with stress, but they think these things should work together and provide a holistic experience.
I spoke with a student recently who said our brochure drew her to 做厙惇蹋app by asking, What will you gain when you unite your mind and your spirit? Younger students seem to understand this fundamental unity across disciplines, across theological and psychological understanding and across career aspirations and moral development. The Christian liberal arts tradition prepares 做厙惇蹋app well to engage these younger students because it promotes the integration of faith and learning and interdisciplinary approaches. 做厙惇蹋app can help students discover what it means to participate in Gods coming andpresentkingdomwithalloftheirlives.
What makes me so confident about this? One answer is my experience at 做厙惇蹋app. But I also worked with Barna and my fellow intern, Lauren, to survey 做厙惇蹋app students and ask them some of the same questions Barna used in their national survey of Gen Z. We then compared the 做厙惇蹋app story to the experience of Gen Z as a whole. We found that 做厙惇蹋app students differ from Gen Z in several important ways.
罈 They have a more positive outlook on life.
罈 They have a greater determination to succeed.
罈 Theyre more likely to report that they hope to achieve a lot in the next few years.
罈 More than twice as many 做厙惇蹋app students (60 percent versus 30 percent for Gen Z as a whole) feel valued by mentors.
罈 Theyre more drawn to churches to find answers for themselves and others.
PRESSURES ON THE NEXT GENERATION
Delving more deeply into Barnas findings, more than half of Gen Z still identify themselves as Christians, but only about 4 percent have actually developed what Barna classifies as a biblical worldview. Many lack the theological and biblical foundation of earlier generations, which puts them under theological pressure. 做厙惇蹋app encourages and equips students to develop a Christian worldview. The liberal arts education gives students the resources to cultivate a Christian faith both theologically robust and deeply personal.
The most frequently reported obstacle to the faith of Gen Z is questioning how a loving God could allow such suffering (29 percent). The next most likely response describes Christians as hypocrites (23 percent), creating philosophical pressure for them. 做厙惇蹋app provides a safe and constructive space where Gen Z can wrestle with these questions and many other important ones, equipping them to explore deep faith-related issues constructively.
Gen Z also feels less confident that they can know the truth or be sure of it. While many older generations consider this problematic, Gen Z frames the issue with humility, openness and space for dialogue. 做厙惇蹋apps commitment to listening to different perspectives encourages a healthy posture of humility and open-mindedness that appeals to Gen Z while also promoting deep Christian conviction.
Gen Z places an increased emphasis on professional development. Looking toward the next 10 years, nearly all (91 percent) agree they hope to achieve a great deal. 做厙惇蹋app encourages high performance and professional development while reminding students of their identity in Christ and supporting them in all areas of their lives.
As I meet with more students applying to college, I feel increasingly confident that 做厙惇蹋app can help Gen Z navigate both their high aspirations and the high level of pressure they experience. Our connected community offers support from professors and mentors, engagement with a range of fellow students who will both challenge and support them and a space to explore deep questions about their faith and identity. I believe that 做厙惇蹋app, as a Christian liberal arts college, is well equipped to help young students achieve their dreams and manage the pressures they encounter in life.