Each year, college acceptance becomes more and more competitive. The goal used to be a well-rounded application impressed universities. This grew into a need for teens to begin perfecting a craft from as young an age as possible so they could enter college already as professionals.
Today, 35% of high school graduates have taken at least one Advanced Placement (AP) class.[1] Gen Z reports the highest level of stress compared to all other living generations.[2] The pressure young people face comes from many places – their parents, their teachers, social media, peers. It is vital that young people have a place to play.
Play is essential in every single one of our lives – not just youth. We all need time to wind down and decompress from our days. Not too long ago, many of you may remember what it was like to have access to a ‘third place’ – a place to hangout outside of school or the home where you could play with your friends, even into teen years. Today, social media has become this third place. Our teens no longer have an in-person social outlet to experience the world, a place to grow, learn how to interact with their peers, and problem solve relationships in healthy ways.
When you combine these two struggles, it is evident how the church can help! The church can be a place for our teens to lay aside the pressure of success and achieve and learn how to engage their peers and adults in a grace-filled environment. Church can be a place for teens to get away from the pressures they face. They can learn about a life of peace and grace from Jesus. They can engage in fun activities that encourage them in their skills and gifts.
Studies have shown that since the COVID-19 Pandemic, teens struggle more and more with in-person interactions. They lost out on opportunities that we required in childhood and adolescent development that would teach them how to problem solve and even participate in daily rhythms of life with others. When you provide a secure, fun environment for your Gen Z youth at church, they can begin to develop these skills.
When they play organized games with others their age, they can learn how to work as a team, ask questions, and solve problems. When you allow them to engage in small group activities, they get up-close and personal interactions with their peers, allowing them to be vulnerable and gain empathy and encouragement. Even when you allow places for your teens to serve in your churches, they are playing! They are building relationships with people outside their peer group, teaching them life skills in a healthy, loving environment.
And, ultimately, you allow them a third place, away from the world, to discover who Jesus is. In reading Scripture and prayer, we hear God’s love, our brokenness, and our forgiveness in Jesus. We learn what it means for them to be His children, and how this interacts with the world they go back to. The Psalms remind us that it is good to play in our world and enjoy the gifts of creation God has given us – “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy (Psalm 33:3).”
As we play in our world, we can discover new ways God has gifted us to use our vocations to glorify Him. So, allow your churches to provide playful environments for learning and fun. Your Gen Z will develop great skills for sharing the Gospel, relationships of faithful support, and learn to enjoy life along the way.
[1] https://reports.collegeboard.org/ap-program-results/class-of-2021
[2] https://www.stress.org/teens
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