New England news & perspectives
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Happy birthday, Google: What you need to know about ministering to Gen Z
Did you know Google celebrated its 21st birthday last year? Wait, what?
The millennial generation may have grown up as technology made new strides, but Generation Z has grown up with the world being just a click away, thanks to technology. However, don’t picture today’s kids glued to their computers. Smartphones have taken over their world, and technology is mobile. They don’t follow their parents’ habits of going home and catching up on Facebook. Instead they inhabit a world of constant access to YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. It is estimated that Gen Z teens receive an average of over 3,000 texts a month!
Helping parents discuss racial issues with kids
During the past few months we have been having many different types of conversations with our children, including some that have been especially challenging. With the start of the pandemic, we needed to find the best ways to help our kids understand what was happening and why things in their world were changing without notice. Just as the pandemic began showing signs of dissipation, the country was talking about race and social injustices with the public killing of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. Public protests following Floyd’s death have given positive traction to issues we have talked about for some time with no substantial changes.
Not business as usual: Ministering to kids during quarantine
The COVID-19 crisis has done many things to our kids ministries. It has made us rethink, redirect and refocus the ways that we connect with kids and their families. In a recent online meeting with more than a dozen children’s ministry leaders in New England, the hands-down thing they miss most are the hugs and interaction they had with their kids on a weekly basis.
Kids these days: How culture affects Gen Z’s mindset
“Kids these days!”
It’s an expression many of us have either said or thought. They seem so different from the way we were at their age. And usually, it’s not in a good way. (Although if we’re honest, we probably need to question the reliability of our memory of our teenage lives.)