The most urgent and destructive battleground in our culture today is the war on truth. This is a battle that’s being waged daily in the minds of our students.

While we gather in sanctuaries on weekends, students are being discipled the remainder of the time by TikTok, Netflix, and influencers who preach a gospel of self in the classroom.

Students are told that truth is relative, identity is fluid, and authority is oppressive. Often, they hear louder sermons from culture than from the Church.

Let’s be clear. This is not just a generational issue. It’s a discipleship crisis. And it’s time for the Church to wake up.

Barna’s State of the Church 2025 reveals that 66% of U.S. adults claim a lasting commitment to Jesus, up 12 points since 2021. That should shake us. God is stirring hearts, especially among millennials and Generation Z. The harvest is ready, but is the Church?

This is our moment. Not to panic, but to prepare. Not to retreat, but to rebuild. If students are searching for truth and identity, the Church must become the loudest, clearest voice speaking both.

1. Preach the Person, not just the principles. Our students don’t need vague spiritual encouragement. They need the real Jesus. Not a brand. Not a slogan. Not a vibe.

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). If we want to anchor students, we must preach Him, not as an accessory to their lives, but as their center. Truth is not an abstract idea it’s a living Savior.

Let’s stop outsourcing formation to the world. Let’s put Christ front and center again.

2. Teach identity as a gift, not a DIY project. Culture tells students they must create themselves. Scripture tells them they are already created, on purpose, with purpose.

The question isn’t whether this generation will be formed. But rather, who will do the forming?

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). Our students need to know they are not random, not irrelevant, not reinventable. They are handcrafted by God and called by name.

When we teach this from the pulpit, in small groups, and across our ministries, we release students from the crushing pressure to perform and give them permission to rest in who God already says they are.

3. Stop entertaining. Start equipping. The Church does not need to compete with entertainment. We are not called to be louder than YouTube, we’re called to be deeper than it.

Romans 12:2 commands us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That transformation doesn’t occur during a hype night. It happens through Scripture, community, and Spirit-led discipleship.

If we want students who can stand, we must first teach them how to kneel. Let’s stop settling for emotional highs and start forming theological roots.

4. Speak truth. All of it. In love. Silence is not compassion. Ambiguity is not grace. If the Church won’t speak clearly on truth and identity, culture will and already has.

Students are not looking for a watered-down gospel. They’re looking for someone who isn’t afraid to say what’s true and remain at the table when they struggle to believe it.

Ephesians 4:15 calls us to speak “the truth in love.” This doesn’t mean being soft. It’s being steady. Relationally present. Theologically grounded. Spiritually courageous.

The Church’s Assignment

The confusion of this generation isn’t random; it’s the result of discipleship gone silent for decades. And the only answer is a Church that refuses to stay quiet.

We must reclaim our role, not just as event planners, but as truth tellers. Not just as safe spaces, but as sacred places where young people encounter God, hear His Word, and discover who they are.

God is already at work. Students are already searching. Now it’s our turn to speak, to lead, to love — with clarity, compassion, and courage.