COMMENTARY

When you hear the word "evangelist," you might typically think of figures like Billy Graham or Luis Palau, speakers on massive stages, filling stadiums with sound. As an evangelist who trained under them, I know this well. I've traveled the world sharing the Gospel. I understand the immense power of that scale.

But today, there's a new wave of evangelism, particularly among Gen Z. And it looks a lot different than it did for older generations. They're typically not filling stadiums. They aren't evangelizing on TV or at mass rallies, like Billy Graham and other greats once did – and that's not a bad thing. 

Reaching people today means doing evangelism differently. Gen Z are digital natives. They're online, a lot. But this also means they're skilled and effective at using new tools and approaches to share authentic, powerful stories about Jesus to anyone who will listen. 

Gen Z evangelists are powerful, incomparable witnesses to their own peers. They unashamedly share their faith through personal storytelling, short videos, relatable posts, and honest conversations – often on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. 

They're making Gospel truths accessible in creative, everyday ways. Fluent in digital communication, they're showing that, in a connected world, the Gospel is changing lives where people scroll, watch and engage.

Not only is the method different – the approach is, too. 

Gen Z tends to distrust the institutional church, as a whole. They are radically authentic, asking raw, honest questions about life, identity, and truth. And while many are open to Jesus, many feel like the Church is silent on the hard topics they care about. Most turn to social media, the internet and friends to find answers.

That's exactly where Gen Z evangelists are meeting them, sharing Gospel truths and real answers, not fake or shallow responses.

While this may look and feel different to older adults, the truth is that one of our best hopes to reach young people today is using a generation to reach a generation. The Gospel message cannot wait. There is a growing hesitancy for the world to step into the doors of a church, and we need Gen Z evangelists to help reach the lost with the message of Jesus. 

While this generation is stepping into their calling with urgency and authenticity, they are also up against a tremendous challenge: it's easier to speak and harder to be heard than almost ever before. They're competing with countless other messages from countless other people – and doing spiritual battle against a culture that tells them they aren't enough, no matter what they do. 

The digital world has its dark side, too. They face unprecedented social and cultural pressures from the social media platforms that have shaped and informed their whole lives. The internet is messy. It's loud. Everything is public. Everything is scrutinized. They face the terrible and unrelenting pressure we all do to be online, informed, engaged at all times. 

Nobody's immune to that. Training up Gen Z evangelists requires taking the time to equip them specifically for those battles. They have to learn how to disconnect from the digital world and spend time with God. They need to be taught spiritual discipline and inner peace. 

We also know they want that. Every year at Pulse Evangelism, we train 100 emerging evangelists through our Pulse 100 program. The young men and women who are part of Pulse 100 consistently point to the offline retreat we host as the most impactful part of the year. 

We come alongside them and help them slow down in a world that pushes them to move faster every minute. We help them learn to develop their inner spiritual life, to enjoy and be enriched by solitude. 

And in turn this peaceful, strong center makes their digital ministry that much more powerful. When you know how – and when – to take time and turn to God, you can better handle public ministry. You can turn down the noise and tune into God. You can build a ministry that endures. 

Either we're running hard after this generation or we're sitting on the sidelines. As the Church, we need to give our young people everything we've got if we want to reach our world with the hope of the Gospel. 

We need a paradigm shift where our churches become sending centers, equipping young people to share Jesus with a world that's lost and hurting. This is what represents Jesus well. This is what builds trust. This is what advances God's Kingdom. 

There is unity around the harvest, no matter how diverse the workers may be. So talk to Gen Z. Listen to them. Pray for the young people you know. Become a spiritual mentor. Anyone, from any walk of life, can make this kind of investment.

Gen Z is the next generation of evangelists and spiritual leaders. They're powerful allies for the Kingdom. We owe it to them, and to everyone they'll reach, to equip them with the relationships, wisdom, and depth they need to share the message and love of Jesus wherever they go.

Nick Hall is an evangelist and the founder and president of Pulse Evangelism, an organization that exists to make Jesus known by reaching the lost and unleashing the evangelist.