If Gen Z is coming back to church, the real work is just beginning

In a new op-ed for Religion News Service, “If Gen Z Is Coming Back to Church, the Real Work Is Just Beginning,” our executive minister Russ Ewell makes an important distinction: a rising number of young people walking into church is good news, but it isn’t the finish line. The real work is forming a faith in them that’s whole enough to actually sustain an entire lifetime.

We’re not waiting to find out if we believe that. We already put it into action. On August 23rd, we held our annual Special Contribution specifically to fund the training of future leaders from the millennial and Gen Z generations. Our church’s response was overwhelmingly faithful, with people giving far beyond our goal. That response was a statement: We don’t just want Gen Z showing up to church. We want them raised up to lead it.

In this article, Russ names four building blocks that create the whole formation Gen Z needs: devotion, conviction, vision, and impact. If those words sound familiar, it’s because they’re the same four frontiers explored in our New Frontier series. 

And we’ve already seen it start to work. The 65 young leaders who stood on the Shoreline stage this summer are vision and impact in motion—young people raised up and trusted with real responsibility. Ten new disciples baptized that weekend are devotion made visible. Now, with Special Contribution behind it, that same commitment has the resources to grow.

Make sure you read this piece from Religion News Service to fully appreciate how the BACC is building a church that will raise up future generations to lead and to thrive.

Here are four key things you will learn:

1. Why a growing number of Gen Z attending church isn’t the win by itself—it’s the beginning of the real work.
2. The four building blocks of whole formation—devotion, conviction, vision, and impact — and what each one actually requires from a local church.
3. Why relationships with mature mentors matter more than any single program or event for making faith durable.
4. What genuine spiritual maturity looks like in practice—from personal conviction to real opportunities to lead and serve.

Read the full op-ed here: Religion News Service.