Popular social media channels were used to lead nearly 200,000 young people to Christ last year by Groundwire, which ministers to Millennials and Generation Z youth.
“We’re not going after the atheists,” Seth Dunn, the organization’s president says. “The media would want us to believe that everybody’s an atheist, but truthfully, 71 percent of Millennials and Gen Z believe that God’s a real being. What we’re really good at doing is interrupting them on their entertainment — on their small screen — and bringing to light their need, their purpose.
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“We don’t need to convince them that God’s real. We need to remind them that he’s relevant, and he becomes relevant when he intersects that point of need in their life.”
Sixty-eight percent of young people believe in heaven, 65 percent rarely or never attend church and 39 percent lack a religious affiliation, according to the ministry’s website. Additionally, 65 percent of youth profess to be Christians, and fewer than one in five can tell others how to become one.
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Groundwire uses social media to reach youth, because most of them spend their day online. “We can’t get them to go to church, but we can’t get them to put down their phones,” he said. “So what we do is use Hollywood-produced content.”
The ministry seeks to pique young people’s interest with short videos and then connect them with their team of mentors. Groundwire then points them to Christ with sites such as JesusCares.com. Dunn is grateful that God would use his ministry to draw so many young people to Christ.
“We’re humbled, because you recognize this isn’t happening because of us,” he said. “It’s happening in spite of us. Our job is to stay focused on him and to follow and say, ‘God, I need you to give us wisdom every step, every day, whether we’re creating new content, whether we’re figuring out how to market. We need your wisdom.'”
Studies conducted last year showed where Millennials and Gen Zers stand on matters of faith. For instance, a study released by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that most Millennials were indifferent to Christianity despite having a favorable view of Christ.