Preborn uses ultrasound to help pregnant women hear their baby's heartbeat
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Jeff Chamblee: The sonogram sealed the deal for me. My baby was like this tiny little spectrum of hope and I saw his heart beating on the screen and knowing that there's life growing inside. I mean, that sonogram changed my life. I went from just Candace to mom. Thank you. To everybody that has given these gifts. You guys are giving more than money. You guys are giving love.
: Preborn currently has clinics that do not have ultrasound machines. Would you consider a leadership gift and sponsor a machine? Today, these life Saving machines cost $15,000 more than most centers can afford. Your donation will save countless lives for years to come. Dial pound250 and say the keyword baby or go to preborn.com/AFR hello and welcome to the Doctor Nursemama Show Prescribing Hope for healthy families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of day getting to spend time with you prescribing Hope for healthy families. And families are made up of all different generations. I love studying about different generations. I am so grateful for the greatest generation who was so brave and really so primarily responsible for seeing the world through World War II. But they experienced a lot of trauma and they came home and they were told, you know, just be brave about it, be dignified, don't talk about it. And they didn't talk about it. And they raised the silent generation who really was raised to be seen and not heard. And I think looking back on that, we, we know now what triggers post traumatic stress and trauma. And that can definitely be the rambunctiousness that comes along with little kids. And then so the silent generation raised baby boomers who said, hey, we want to be loved. And I'm speaking in very broad generalities here, but there are stereotypes for a reason here, and there's something to be learned from each generation. Now we have baby boomers that raised the generation X that would be my generation, known as the latchkey kid generation, very independent. And then they said, hey, we're going to get engaged in this parenting thing. They raised millennials who love their parents and are sometimes mocked for that. Millennials said, hey, my parents were great. I want to be an even better parent. And we arrived to Gen Z and now we have Gen Alpha and Gen Beta. And we're watching this generational handoff happen in real time with this generational divide of a generation of parents and grandparents who did not grow up as digital natives trying to parent and grandparent generations who were born in the technology ecosystem. And for years, the church has devoted very significant attention to understanding and reaching millennials and increasingly Generation Z, which those people are now young adults and having their own families. And we've learned that every generation that comes of age comes of age within a particular cultural moment. That cultural moment of v. E Day, of JFK's assassination of the Challenger explosion of 9 11, and Gen Z's cultural inflection moment really COVID lockdowns. And culture shapes the way each generation asks questions, the way that they respond to pressure, the ways that they form relationships, and even most importantly, the ways they understand truth and identity. But now today, we're gonna talk about Gen Alpha. And this is a generation that we kind of say, yeah, yeah, they're, they're coming of age. They are starting in those middle teenage years now. And we even have Gen Beta babies. That's the, the name that's temporarily kind of the placeholder. I think it'll probably stick. That's behind them. But Gen Z is no longer simply the next generation. Those Gen Z young adults are entering the workforce. They're getting married, they're becoming parents, they're stepping into leadership. And now we've got Gen Alpha that's stepping up to lead. So who is Generation Alpha? How do we disciple them? Well, because Gen Alpha is not, is, is the first generation that is raised entirely within a technological age. And for many of them, technology isn't something that was continually added to their childhood. It's just been an expectation. They don't just expect technology, they expect good technology. They expect it to work for them. And everything in their ecosystem is impacted by this. Their friendships, their entertainment, education, information, identity formation. And there are enormous challenges for them. But with great challenge comes great opportunity. And that's why the church cannot simply recycle strategies we've used before for other generations. We've got to understand the generation in front of us, acknowledge the realities of what they're facing as much as we wish we could turn back time, I know some of you now are singing in your head and that's okay. While we still hold firmly to the timeless truth of the gospel. And today's conversation is going to give us an opportunity to do just that.
Shane Pruitt is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board
My guest today is Shane Pruitt. He is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board. And he has more than 20 years of ministry experience as a denominational leader, a, ah, church planter, a lead pastor, a student pastor. He's a traveling communicator, evangelist and Bible teacher. He speaks to more than a hundred thousand people a year about the truth of Jesus Christ. And he's the author of Reaching Generation Alpha, several other books, and co host of the Jen Send podcast. And today we're going to connect the big picture question of how do we reach Generation Alpha with the gospel with Shane's current work on the new CSB teen Study Bible. Now this is a resource that's designed to meet teens in those real questions they're asking, point them toward truth rooted in scripture. And this study Bible addresses issues, contemporary issues of today. So, Shane, this is no small, small task that you've stepped into, but I'm so grateful that you've said, yep, I'm, up for the challenge and that you've joined us today to talk about it. Welcome. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Shane Pruitt: Thanks for having me.
It's fascinating to study generational differences between generations
Dr. Peck, what a true honor. And the way you walk through each of those generational stages was incredible. That's amazing. You, you nailed it with each one. So what an honor to be on and talk to you today.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, I will take that. It is so interesting to me. I guess that's for me as a, a pediatric nurse practitioner and having a real family centered care model, like I believe that every kid needs a village and that village comes in the most. The best family relationships that you can have. So it's fascinating to me to walk and look at these dynamics and I see, you know, some hostility between generations. I mean every, every generation thinks theirs is the best, right? Like, you know, we all think, oh, that this, today's pop culture is so dumb. But mine, mine was really great. That's how we all think. And we see, you know, Jen, Gen Z be really hostile towards boomers and even use that as an insult. And boomers can, you know, be hostile towards Gen Z and say, oh, and any other generation honestly, and say they're snowflakes, they're weak, all of this. Tell us a little bit about your Perspective and background. How did you walk into ministry? What gave you a passion for reaching young generations for Christ?
Shane Pruitt: You're so right. And you know what I love about it is you can, you can read the Bible, the word of God from Genesis through the maps at the back. That's what my old pastor used to say. He goes, I believe the Bible's the word of God from the Genesis, you know, from Genesis through the maps at the back of the Bible. And what you're, you're right, you're not going to find in the Bible, you're not going to find terms like baby boomers and Gen Xers and Gen Z, you know, millennials, Gen zers, Gen Alpha, Beta generation. What you're going to find is people made in the image of God that desperately need to hear about Jesus, that need to be discipled, that need Christian community. and that's what you're going to find. Now it's important to study generations because there are differences between generations. and major differences, typically that shape a generation are changes in culture, which we've seen a lot of that, and changes in technology and advancements. Obviously we've seen a lot of that. But I also want to remind us of all ages, you know, all different ages and generations that are listening to this conversation is some of the things we say about young people today are the exact same things said about all the previous generations. one of the things I love to share when I'm teaching, teaching about Generation Alpha or even Gen Z is I love to share some quotes, that sound very similar to what's said about young people today. One, one quote is the now generation has become the me generation that basically young people just care about themselves. They're very self centered. People say that today. But what's interesting is that quote is actually from 1976 describing baby boomers when they were young. You know, another quote is, that, you know, the young people today, they crave entertainment more than success. You know, they'd rather hike the Himalayas than climb a corporate ladder. They're delaying getting married. and again, that's all the things that are said about young people today. But that was written in 1990 describing Gen Xers when they were young. and you can even go further back than that where it says young people today do not listen to their parents. They think they know more than adults. That was written by Socrates. So here's the point I'm making, is that all the things said about young people today are the same things said about all the previous generations. There's just something to be said about young people that just need guidance from older men, older women in the faith that just desperately need to be discipled. Titus, chapter two, Right. The older men take the younger men, the older women take the younger women. So these are things that are always been true. The word of God is always relevant. I tell people, if you've been bought by the blood of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit, then you have the greatest next gen leader there is living inside of you. The spirit of the living God he's been reaching generation after generation for a very long time. And then here's also good news. The same gospel that has been saving people for a, couple of thousand years still works today. So, you know, share the gospel. So those are some things that are similar. Now there's a lot of changes that I think we see in generation Alpha and we'll definitely talk about that as well.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I so appreciate hearing your encouragement in that because, you know, Solomon wrote, the wisest man who ever lived. There's nothing new under the sun. And I think a lot of times, you know, we see parents and grandparents today who have so much fear and because we're constantly, you know, given the message that this is unprecedented. That was one of the words of the year in 2020, you know, picked by dictionary societies. And they think, oh, there's no way that my parents can understand this. Their, their parents can't understand this. I'm alone. This is overwhelming. The world has overtaken the gospel. But just simplify it and just say what has always been will always be and culture is always going to change. Culture is always going to be chaotic. But the word of God is trustworthy and it is timeless. And God has given us everything we need to parent this generation and even the next. That's really encouraging.
Shane Pruitt: Gen Alpha is all those born between 2010 and 2024
So, Shane, let's, let's dig down on Gen Alpha because I think people are pretty familiar with Gen Z characteristics. How do you see Gen Alpha being different and differentiating themselves from Gen Z even?
Shane Pruitt: Sure, yeah. And we could, you know, there's a lot of similarities obviously, but one thing we definitely want to point out is the differences. So I'd say first of all, who is Generation Alpha? you know, according to most definitions, it's all those born between the years of 2010 and 2024. So as the time of this conversation, think of those that are 2 through 16. If you're thinking of a local church context, it's all those that are in children's ministry, preteen ministry, middle School ministry, and now in high school ministry. And before you blink too long, they'll be in college and young adult ministry. And then like you said, Jen Bader, are those that are born in 2025 and moving forward. So Generation Alpha is a massive generation. Over 50 million of them live in the United States, 2 billion worldwide.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Wow.
Shane Pruitt: Now, those are big numbers, but each of those numbers represents a soul, so it matters. I would say one of the biggest differences you'll see in Gen Z and Gen Alpha is Gen Z, and I'm going to say this word, intentionally impacted by social media. They were impacted by screens, impacted by technology. Because if you think of Gen Z is currently those kind of 17 to 30. So you look back and go, okay, 30 years ago, 17 years ago, that's when, you know, social media started really hitting technology. Screens, cell phones. So they were impacted by screens, technology, social media. But here's the difference between Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Where Gen Z was impacted by it, Gen Alpha has been formed by it. Meaning from day one, they have not known a world without cell phones. They have not known a world without tablets. They have not known a world without screens. And I think even a secular, for lack of a better term, space, has noticed. Right? We had a movie this summer come out that was a massive movie. Talk about how technology has taken over homes. Instead of playing in imagination, it's screens and tablets. you know, a lot of public schools now are going, all right, cell phone free zones. Even some schools are talking about, let's get off the Chromebooks. So even the secular space is noticing. We must notice. So here's Gen Alpha going, okay, they've been formed by screens and technology. My wife and I, we have five kids. and we, if there's a regret that we have, Dr. Peck, is probably that we put tablets in their hands too soon. We put screens in their hands too soon. I think most parents would say, so what happened is you had tablets be babysitters for Generation Alpha. So here's the big thing we have to look at. Used to, when we would look at young people and go, all right, how many young people are being discipled? Maybe you had even asked that at church, how many of our young people are being discipled? And that's the question we used to ask. Is it a third of them? Is it half of them? How do we raise that bar? There's a different question that has to take place today. The question is not how many of our young people will be discipled. You need to understand this. They're all being discipled. 100% of them are being discipled. So the question no longer is, are they being discipled? They are. The question now is who or what is discipling them? So it's almost like a discipleship war. Because of tablets, because of screens, because of technology, because of smartphones. Many of them are being discipled by algorithms. They're being discipled by culture. They're being discipled by TikTok. They're being discipled by their favorite social media influencer. They're being discipled by an entertainer. And it's forming how they think about the world, how they see the world, how they feel about the world, how they view God. So they're all being discipled. So here's what we got to say. As ministry leaders, as parents, grandparents, godly teachers, godly coaches, we have to step into this because if we don't disciple Generation Alpha, the world is more than happy to do that, and we don't want that to happen. We're not going to like the results. We want young people to be discipled in the Word. That's why the CSB Teen Study Bible is so important. We talk more about that in a moment.
Dr. Jessica Peck: we are, but we'll talk about that. I'll hold you right there because we are already our first break. Shane, I can't believe it. I have so many more questions and I know my listeners do too, so don't go away. We're going to be right back with more from Shane Pruitt and talk about how we, we can look at the world that Gen Alpha is facing and help them to be disciples of Christ. You won't want to miss it. We got a lot of help and hope and encouragement right on the other side of this break.
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2 Step The Enemy by Forrest Frank, Lost & Found and Zac Lawson: My boots been feeling heavy My tank's been on empty yeah the demons gonna try but they better know me Cuz I won't dance with the devil But I'll two step the enemy yeah the only spirit I need is the holy one and I don't need Jack and Daniels Cuz spirit's living in me and moving through my feet all night long My
Dr. Jessica Peck: welcome back, friends. That is 2 Step the Enemy by Forrest Frank. And hey, this Texas girl approves of that song. And Forrest Frank is a Christian music artist who is really taking his call to minister to Gen Alpha very seriously. I saw him in an interview asking about using explicit lyrics in his songs or if that's ever something he would consider being edgier, and he said no. He sees the Gen Alpha kids that are looking up to him and he feels very convicted about being a good role model for them. And while no human on earth is perfect, I certainly appreciate everything that he is doing to be a role model and influence music, Christian music, especially for Gen Alpha. And when we look back at generations, we, one of the biggest takeaways is we shouldn't stereotype and label every generation, every kid, every if it's the same. Really what we need to do is use those points of cultural connection to learn to connect with kids to see the realities they're growing up in so that we can communicate with them effectively the timeless truth of the gospel in ways they can actually hear and understand. Not changing the truth of scripture, but really changing our strategy to meet them where they are. This is so important as competing voices enter in. And my guest today, Shane Pruitt, he has already said that our kids, Gen Alpha is being discipled. We just need to be intentional. And who they're being discipled by, that it'd be being discipled by Christ, by us. Are we stepping in as parents, as grandparents, or are we letting culture fill that void? Because Generation Alpha is not growing up in a cultural vacuum. They're being handed answers left and right every day about who they are, what their worth is, where they should find meeting. And that's what we are talking about. I see Gen Alpha and even Gen Z asking questions that are age old, like who am I? What is truth? Where do I belong? What gives my life meaning? And we're, we're, we're promoting today a reference that Shane helped to produce called the CSB Teen Study Bible. And it was specifically developed around some of those questions. And so Shane, let's jump back in and talk some more about identity you talked about.
Parents need to think carefully about stewarding their kids' digital footprint
I want to, I want to follow up on two things that you said before the break. One is you talked about Gen Alpha growing up. They were already. They're being formed by technology. One of the things that I think is really hard for parents is that Gen Alpha is growing up and they already have a digital footprint often before they're born. And that digital footprint is the what their parents post on social media and their parents start to tell a story about their life. Now used to that story was, was smaller. Right. It was like the little album with the yellow pages and the sticky stuff on it that you might, you know, bring out, like when somebody brings a new boyfriend or girlfriend around, like, oh, let me tell you the story of their childhood. But parents are curating that and I think that plays into some of Gen Alpha's perception of their identity because as parents we're being pressured to produce our kids as these marketable, marketable product to the world and we really need to think carefully about stewarding their digital footprint. So I just want to invite you to step on that soapbox with me for a minute, if you would be so kind. Did you have any thoughts about that?
Shane Pruitt: Absolutely. And you know, like I mentioned earlier, so we have six kiddos, you know, five here on Earth, one that went to be with the Lord, three a little over three years ago. We, had a son adopted from Uganda and really severe special needs. And he lived longer than our medical professional study would. He's a fighter. He went to be with the Lord. But we also have five kids here on earth. We have a 20 year old in college, a 15 year old that's in high school, we have a 12 year old in middle school, and then we have a 10 and 9 year old in elementary. So I say we have a, you know, a, children's ministry, youth ministry and college and young adult ministry all the, at the same time. And, and I, and I want to say this, I'm not, not preaching at anyone. I'm just including myself in this. Yeah, I think today what social media has done, even for parents, I think when we talk about social media, we mainly talk about young people. But here's what it's done for parents is if we're not careful, we'll present our kids as trophies. Instead of valuing them as treasures from God. And to like, to truly see our kids as treasures from God, we'll almost present them as trophies. Right? Like, and I mean even social media, I mean think about it. And we've been guilty of it too. Our kids, our you know, several of our kids are athletes and very good athletes. And we'll put together the highlight videos and we'll, you know, put out like all their kind of trophy moments, you know, that their award from school, you know, or they were recognized for this. And if we're not careful, in telling that story and a lot of it is in a good place because we're proud of our kids, you know, but if we're not careful, don't even feel the pressure that they're more of a trophy that we're presenting to people to say, look at how awesome my kid is. Which is really a reflection of how awesome I am as a parent versus really seeing them as a treasure from God. To go, hey, even when you fail, even when you mess up, you know what? Instead of highlights, you had nothing but low lights in that game, meaning you made a lot of mistakes. You're still seen by God, you're still loved by God. Like, he doesn't love you more or less by how you play a ball game. And you know what? As your dad, I don't love you more or less by how you played a ball game or, you know, whether you got recognized, you, know, in school as award or, you know what, you worked really hard for that c. You know, to really say, like, you are loved, you're valuable. And I think that has to come from us as parents, because if we're not careful, even out of trying to be a proud parent, we'll just show them off as a trophy instead of valuing them as a treasure from God.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm right there with you. And I have struggled with that. And it really was a jarring moment for me realizing, like, oh, I am the steward of their digital footprint. And I hadn't thought about that very intentionally because I didn't have one until I was, you know, like, way into my probably late 20s, early 30s, before I started to have a digital footprint like that. And it's just something we're navigating that's new and it's hard. But all of those things go back to identity. Shane.
Gen Alpha kids face competing cultural messages over identity issues
All those things you're talking about go to identity. What do you see as the competing cultural messages that parents and families of gen Alpha kids are having to contend with over identity issues? Because I see an identity crisis. We all know that that's there. What's your perspective?
Shane Pruitt: It is. It's a major identity crisis. And it's not much different than what we experienced as young people. It's just, I feel like a lot more intense on the labels, right? Because, okay, my generation, when we were younger. Dr. Peck, you and I are probably very close in. In ages. So when we were younger, we felt the pressure of identity. I always said you could see identity take place in the lunchroom at school. Remember that? Because everybody would kind of segregate by tables, right? You'd go, okay, that table over there is all the joc that I was
Dr. Jessica Peck: not at that table, by the way. I was at the nerd table.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, right. And that table over there was all the skater kids, you know, and that table over there were all the grunge kids, you know, like we would say. And you almost felt the. The pressure to label or by what clothes you wore. You know, like, I wore this style of clothes. the same thing is happening with Gen Alpha, but the labels that they feel pressured to put on aren't even clothes labels or what they do as a sport. It's more of like a label, the pressure to identify as something with sexuality or the label of their struggle. Right. And I know you know this area certainly better than me, you know, in the medical field, to go, almost like your struggle becomes your identity, right? To go, oh, I struggle with anxiety, therefore I am an anxious person, or I struggle with depression, therefore I am a depressed person. It's almost like your struggle becomes your label, your I identity, and then it shapes how you see things, how you live. or, same thing with sexuality. The pressure of that, as a young person that is being pushed out and pushed on them by cultural agendas is really heartbreaking. not too long ago, I was preaching at a church on a Sunday morning, large church, multiple services. Between two of the services, a young man comes up and says, hey, you talked a lot about God's love and Jesus sacrifice on the cross, his victory at the resurrection. Does God love me? And I was like, absolutely, he does. And he goes, even though I'm bisexual and I could tell he was young. And Dr. Beck, I said, how old are you? And he goes, I'm nine. So that makes me go, who told him that?
Dr. Jessica Peck: Uh-huh.
Shane Pruitt: Because as a nine year old, you know what I mean? I was collecting football cards and playing with GI Joe. So who told him at 9 that he was bisexual? Somebody did, right? Or some kind of agenda did, or some kind of social media did. To say, if you fell off, it's probably because of this. And so there's a lot of pressure for them to identify themselves as some kind of label. And I think even sometimes as parents, grandparents, ministry leaders especially, is a lot of times we want to argue with that label instead of seeing the soul behind that label. And to go, really? There's a lot of confusion behind that label. And if we're not careful, we'll argue with the label instead of reaching the soul behind that label.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I agree with you so much. And. And to you know, layer my healthcare perspective on that. I think that this comes from a trend where we saw in previous generations we did not talk about anxiety or depression. And you can see that. I mean, look at the stigma that surrounded war veterans that came back, particularly Vietnam war veterans who came back, you know, with post traumatic stress and the shame and the stigma that was put upon them. And now we've learned more about how God designed our brains. We know that our brains are designed to process trauma in a way that protects our bodies in some way. And so we've learned more about that. And so we've seen the pendulum swing where we're saying, okay, you know what, we had too harsh of a perspective. But now my perspective is we've gone to the over medicalization of everything. So that's a lot of times what I hear. Gen Alpha will come in and they will ask me exactly what you're saying, Shane. They'll say, I'm feeling, I feel anxious. Does that mean do I have anxiety? And then you have to explain like it's normal to have human emotions. And here's the spectrum of normal human emotion. And there is a way, you know, end of that spectrum where you can get to, where you rise to the level, level of a diagnosable disorder that really needs some intervention. But for the most part, kids are just looking for identity. And it just goes back to that identity question, Shane. That's what I see. I see parents and grandparents and myself included making the mistake of, of telling what we're fighting for and we're fighting, you know, fighting against in the public square. Like we're fighting against, you know, the encroachment of parental rights and, and we talk about policies and that. And I want to know what teachers are saying to my kids and I want to know what healthcare providers are saying to my kids, kids. But we're giving away those rights and spades at home by letting them have unfiltered access to media, to thousands of strangers coming into their bedroom, giving them messages about identity. And I feel like we need to go in a positive direction and tell them more who they need to be who they are already created in the image of God instead of not this identity that they need to find and discover and create and make. So I don't know, that was, that was a lot right there. But man, you got my, my brain going. I'll let you react and respond on.
Shane Pruitt: No, I love it and I couldn't agree more. That's why I think it's so important to get into God's word, with your kids and your grandkids. Because at the end of the day, that's the message we get to share in the most positive light. They go, it doesn't matter what the world tries to say about you or the world says you are. All that matters is what God's word says that you are and who God says that you are. But the only way to know that is to get in God's word. And again, you know, that's why I love even that CSB Teen Study Bible is a lot of times as parents and grandparents, we're like, I don't know how to have conversations with my kids or grandkids. Right. So anxiety, you know, to go, man, Dr. Peck is she knows she's equipped to have those conversations. Me as a parent, grandparent, I don't feel equipped. And that's what's great. Even in that csc, CSB Teen Study Bible is you got the scriptures, but throughout, you have different articles that teenagers deal with, like an article on anxiety, an article on depression. What does God's word say about that? And what that is is just common ground for parents to be able to have conversations with their young people or grandparents to be able to have conversations with their young people, going, all right, we're gonna meet in God's Word. We're gonna see what God's word says. But there's also tools within the CSB Teen Study Bible to help you even have those natural conversations.
Shane Pruitt talks with Dr. Nurse Mama about the Christian Standard Bible
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, give us a little more information about the CSB Teen Study Bible. Tell us what CSB stands for, first of all, because I know there's probably people wondering and just tell us how it came into development and where people. Because I know there's a lot of people who. Who are listening, who are really invested, Shane. They really want to help, but we just feel like sometimes we just don't know what to do. So giving them a practical tool like this is really helpful.
Shane Pruitt: Absolutely. Yeah. So CSB stands for Christian Standard Bible, which is an amazing translation. What I love about the Christian Standard Bible is it's a word for word translation. So it's trusted. You know, it's a direct translation from the. The original Hebrew, which the Old Testament was written in, and the original Greek, which the NewSong Testament was written in. So it's a trusted translation. In fact, I was a big proponent of a different translation that I would teach from, preach from, write from for a very long time. And about five years ago, I shifted to the CSV. So this is My personal reading Bible I use. It's the Bible I preach out of. Because what I love about it, it's a trusted translation, but it's also easy to read read. It's easy to understand. M. It's great for the senior adult, all the way down to a young person who can read it and understand it. It's the Bible my kids use. It's the Bible I preach from and teach from. and then just bringing this Bible together is to go, okay, what I love about this study Bible aspect of the teen study Bible is here's the scripture, but at the bottoms notes of, hey, here's what these verses mean. Also, it's a great common ground for. For devotionals with families or grandparents when they engage their grandkids. all throughout are just discussion questions. So they're questions that a, teenager can answer, almost like a journal if they're reading it by ourselves. But it's also great discussion questions that can be used by families or grandparents over the dinner table as they talk about scripture together in God's word. And then, like I said, all throughout are, just different articles that teenagers are dealing with. Because again, I think a lot of times parents go, man, I love my. My young person grandparents are like, I love my grandkids. I just don't know how to talk about these things. And I'm telling you, if parents and young people are talking about scripture together and God's truth, grandparents and their grandkids are talking about scripture and God's truth. That's how the world has changed. Like, that's what matters. and that's where we'll see, really, the Alpha generation become the revival generation.
Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, it's. It makes me smile so big, Shane, because I hear a lot of pessimism about younger generations. But whenever I talk to people, ministry leaders who are working boots on the ground with Gen Alpha, with young people, they all use that revival word. I hear revival from literally every single one I've interviewed the. The leaders of. See you at the poll of Moms in Touch International. I mean, just any. Any college leader, any youth pastor, they're. They're like, this generation rocks. Okay, Now, I just dated myself by saying, using some of my own generational vernacular, but that's okay. Okay, maybe baby boomers would say, this generation is really sharp. They're sharp as tacks, you know, whatever it is. But this generation has leaders. And when we come back, we'll talk more with how to reach Gen Alpha. We're talking with Shane Pruitt about the CSB teen study Bible. And when we come back, we'll talk about moving from just information overload to, discipleship. It used to be, how do we get our hands on information now we've got to filter that information and really be careful in helping our kids know who to listen to, who to trust, and primarily, really, really pointing them toward the truth of God's word. We'll have much more right after this break.
: A, discipleship minute with Joseph Parker.
There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God
Joseph Parker: He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him I will trust. Psalm 91, verses 1 and 2. In a perilous world, so many people are afraid. They're fearful. In a world where inner cities and many other communities are just simply dangerous places to be, we see the drug trafficking, human trafficking, muggings, murders, physical and sexual abuse. There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God. It's found in that secret place, that intimate relationship with God. No one can protect you like God can. But it's important for us to do our part to appropriate, to place ourselves in that secret place. Praying Psalm 91. Every day is a very wise thing for all believers to do. No one can protect you like God can.
Up + Up by Colton Dixon: Even though I walk through the valley Sometimes it feels like a crawl through the valley but I gotta promise, promise that I hold on tight too I can't lose when I'm right beside you yeah God know the plans you have for me when my cup is overflowing so all I'm in the end between imma live my life nowhere if I get down you pick me up from the ground you give me love and don't give up no condition you lift me up and up again no matter who surrounds I let my hallelujah get by like a.
CSB Teen Study Bible designed to help gen Alpha develop resilient faith
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is up + up by Colton Dixon and I am convinced that is the gym. The direction that generation Alpha is, is headed. We're talking about Gen Alpha today. This is like mid teenagers like the 15 to 16 years old down to about 2 years old. We are talking about this generation. I'm talking with Shane Pruitt. He is the national next gen director for the North American mission board and today he's here to talk about the CSB teen study Bible to help gen Alpha develop a resilient faith that will stand the test of time and culture. And how do we raise up a new generation of leaders who are going to follow Christ and do and help others do the same. And the CSB Teen Study Bible uses a framework called Learn, Love and live, designed to connect biblical truth with the way that teenagers actually live. And Shane, before the break I was just saying that any ministry leader I speak to who is boots on the ground, who is actually face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart with Gen Alpha, they see revival happening. And you were just sharing with m me during the break, you actually shared something pretty amazing and unbelievable in your perception about revival occurring. But I'm not going to steal your thunder. I'm going to give it to you and let us tell you, let you tell us about it.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, absolutely. It's true. You know, one of the major things I do is travel and speak all over the nation and it doesn't matter if I'm in the south, the north, east, west. God is moving amongst young people. I primarily speak to teenagers, college students, young adults, adults. And this is true. Dr. Pegg, I've seen more young people, teenagers, college students, young adults make professions of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and save their life in the last six years of ministry compared to the previous 20 years of ministry combined. And not just salvation, but also students surrendering to a calling, a ministry mission, saying I want my life to count for the glory of God. Also students just getting hungry for the word. One of the things I'm really excited about with Gen Alpha and Gen Z. It started with Gen Z but it's poured down to Gen Alpha to too is the ones that love Jesus and have the Holy Spirit of God, they love doctrine and theology in the Bible. In fact, one of the things I do is I do a lot of coaching for next gen communicators or youth pastors or college pastors, children's pastors. And one thing that I've been telling next gen communicators is hey, it should have never been this way. But the fact that it was is a reality. The days of just opening your Bible in front of me on people, reading some Bible verse out of context and then setting your Bible down and telling a bunch of funny and emotional stories for 30 minutes, those days are over. Like no one will reject that faster than young people. Like my own 15 year old hates that. My 12 year old hates that. like those of it just teach the Bible. Like don't shy away from doctrine and theology. And Dr. Peg, I mean you're extremely well educated. I mean even think about what our kids are learning at school Compared to what they learn at church, sometimes at school, they're learning very complex things. my son is a football player, he's in sixth grade. He's already learning some very complex offensive schemes for football and defensive schemes. And then when they go to church, we almost teach them like they're three year olds, like they can handle it. I say this all the time. If they can handle some algebra, they can handle some doctrine in theology. You know, if they can order a drink at the coffee shop, they can handle some doctrine of theology. You got no Greek and Hebrew to do that.
Dr. Jessica Peck: My husband can't even order a drink at the coffee shop.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, they can handle it. They can handle it. So, yes, meet them where they are, but also don't, don't be scared to take them to the deep end. They can handle it.
Gen Alpha and Gen Z learned about Jesus much earlier than previous generations did
so there is an excitement taking place there and I kind of trace it back to 2020. Honestly, Dr. Peck because if you think about what happened in 2020, the pandemic shelter in place, what that did for Gen Alpha and Gen Z as well is they learned at a much earlier age than probably our generations did. Did they learn that the world is broken and they're broken now. I think we all understand that as we get older, but they learned it at a very early age, very formative. They looked at the world and go, man, the world is broken, I'm broken. And what they started doing at a much earlier age is they started seeking. So now they're seeking hope, they're seeking answers, they're seeking truth. And when they don't find those in the world, because they're not, then guess what happens. Anxiety rates go up, up. Depression rates go up, Suicide rates go up, suicide attempts go up. And that's where we have a very strategic opportunity as the church, as parents, grandparents, to slide into those conversations and say, listen, you're looking for hope, you're looking for answers, you're looking for truth. You're actually looking for someone because hope has a name. The truth has a name. The answer has a name. It's the name above every name. It's the name Jesus Christ. And that's where there's a big difference, I think, between Gen Alpha and previous generations is used to, especially if you lived in the South. South. You live in Texas, I live in Texas. Used to, you would almost have to convince people they were lost before you could tell them how to be found, right? Because a lot of people thought they were Christians just because they were culturally Christian or they grew up, you know, Going to a church or grow up going to Christian events. But they didn't have a relationship with Jesus. So you almost had to convince them they were lost before you could tell them how to be found. I found that Gen Alpha today. They know they're lost. So, yes, when we are sharing the gospel, you talk about sin because the Bible does. But I say get to the cross really fast because they already know they're broken. They already know something's messed up. They already know something's missing. So get to the cross really quickly and tell them about Jesus and tell them about real hope, real joy, real peace, real love. Who is Jesus?
Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, Shane, I'm giving you amens from the choir loft. Like Amen, Amen and Amen. Preach it, preach it, preach it. Because I see this, for me as a nurse practitioner, I see we, we do tend to underestimate what kids are capable of. I see this even in context of, you know, kids who are diagnosed at a young with diabetes and they can start to self manage their insulin, their injections, those kinds of things. This absolutely applies to a spiritual sense. And I think as Christian parents, one of their, our greatest fears is that our kids are going to walk away from their faith. That is a very real fear. It's a justified fear. But we're also not doing anything to change it. We're, we're trying to manage their behaviors when they're kids. You go to church, you do the right things, you do your devotional, here's your spiritual checklist for all the right things to do. But we're not helping them wrestle earlier with those complex things. Teaching them apologetics, teaching them about their faith, not being afraid of their questions. As Lee Strobel and I had a great conversation about that God is big enough for their questions so that when they do reach that developmental age of abstract thinking, they're ready to do that.
One of the movements of the church now is to emphasize that parents are disciplers
And that's one thing you and I just talked about during the break is one of the movements of the church now is to really emphasize that parents are disciplers. Parents should be the primary disciplers of their kids. But what if you don't feel equipped for that? And you saw a really fascinating generational link in this that I want you to share.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, absolutely. And it was, you know, we wrote a whole chapter in our new book, Reaching Generation Alpha, Dr. Amelia and I did, on Generation Alpha and their parents and authority, worldviews, those things. And here's what we found is if you think about it, even generationally, the parents of, Gen Alpha are mainly millennials, right? Some older Gen Alpha, their parents might be younger Gen X or the real young Gen Alpha. Their parents might be the older end of Gen Z, as Gen Z is now in their, you know, mid to late 20s. But the majority of parents for Gen Alpha are millennials. Now, go back in time a little bit. If you remember when millennials were like teenagers, college students, young adults, unfortunately, they were one of the largest generations to kind of walk away from the church. That's where we even got some of those terms that we've talked about in recent years called deconstructionism. And they started deconstruct their faith. They started walking away from the church, church. Now many of them have gotten married and they have kids and they've come back to the church. Praise the Lord for that. One of the fastest growing generations in churches today are millennials, because they say, you know, I was raised in church. I want my kids to be raised in church. But what that did for them is in those kind of formative college and young adult years is they missed out on Christian community. So instead of being like, you know, maturing in their faith or moving from milk, to me, they missed out on those years. And so they're coming back, for lack of a better term, a little delayed, spiritual, spiritually or some, you know, like, realize they wouldn't even believers, and now they're followers of Jesus. So they're like brand new believers as millennials, or they're coming and seeking and they're not believers yet. So here's what we've been saying, at churches, it sounds good behind the pulpit, sounds good at conferences, or sounds good on a social media post. But we'll say this, hey, parents, as ministry leaders, we shouldn't be the primary discipler of your kids. You should be. So we are saying that, that, but we got to move beyond just saying it to doing it. Because here's what's happening is parents are hearing that. And Dr. Peck, I don't know about you, but I haven't ran into too many parents who love Jesus and are filled with the spirit when they hear that go, nah, not interesting. Most of them are, yeah, right. Most of them go, I know. I just don't know what to do. Because what we're doing now is we're asking people who have never been discipled themselves to disciple their own kids. So if we really want to impact Generation Alpha, we're going to have to impact their parents and grandparents to go, how, as ministry leaders, are we actually equipping. And empowering parents to be those disciple makers. How are we equipping and empowering grandparents to be those disciple makers? So that is my charge to ministry leaders to go, we got to move beyond just saying it as a catchy kind of social media post to actually, actually doing it. How are we actually equipping and empowering parents to do those things?
A lot of churches went online in 2020, due to COVID
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, one of the things you talked about at the beginning of the, of the show, Shane, was that concept of a, digital babysitter. And I had shared with you the, the term that we're using in in research is, is digital soothing, like just any uncomfortable emotion, you just, you know, you just get a screen. If you're bored, scroll. If you're angry, anxious, scroll. But one of the trends that I saw from 2020 from COVID was that a lot of churches went online and it was so strange, Shane, because it's like this curtain pulls back and everybody kind of sees what everybody else is doing for ministry. And there's this pressure for excellence and technology delivery to kids and this push where we have all of these new words like infotainment, edutainment. And even sometimes when they come into the church environment, we're telling them, hey, disciple your kids, but we're discipling them through a screen. If we're honest and have more emphasis on programs and people. And the intention is good. Like we want to reach Gen Alpha and we've been told that's the way to do technology. But the trend that I see with Gen Z and like you said, pouring down into Gen Alpha, they desire authentic relational connections. We see this resurgence and desire for analog and novelty and, and vintage and nostalgia. What words, what lessons can we learn from that to carry forward some of those practical tools that you're talking about?
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, I love that, Dr. Peck and you're spot on.
What does the future of next gen ministries look like?
So one of the questions I get a lot is what does the future of next gen ministries look like? If you go to a conference and you and that topic comes up, probably what you're going to hear about is artificial intelligence and helping a generation understand that digital ministry help them be, you know, digital missionaries. And all those things are valuable conversations. But here's what I found is that typically the next generation can educate us on those things. You know, I never feel more old.
: So true.
Shane Pruitt: I never feel more old than when I show my kids a video that I think is cool and they're like, dad, that's AI. You know what I mean? It makes me feel stone age in that moment. So I feel like they can educate us. Now. Here's where we can educate them. What, what we have now because of those screens, we, wrote a whole chapter in reaching Generation Alpha called Generation Alpha and their security blanket. And we use the example of Linus from Charlie Brown. He always had his blue, blue blanket. Security blanket. Well, the security blanket for a whole generation are screens. Think about this. Young people are very articulate, very confident on a screen. However, get them around real people in the real world, and it gets awkward real quick. We all know young people, they can't look you in the eye, they can't have a conversation with you. You can't shake your hand. And so they're like, okay, confident on a screen, awkward in person. So I think the future of ministry is not necessarily how we help them get better on screens. It's how do we disciple them to have real relationships with real people in the real world and have real conversations with people. Because a tragedy of the next generation could be this. They miss out on the beauty of the real and authentic around them because they're obsessed with the fake one online and on a screen. So young people, because of chat and AI and all those things, they have some answers, you know, to a lot of questions, but what they don't have is wisdom. So I always say this. They know a little bit about everything, but they don't actually know how to do anything. And that's where parents can step in, grandparents, ministry leaders, to go, let us show you how to actually live this out. Because even the book of James says, don't just be a hearer of the word, but be a doer of the word.
Dr. Jessica Peck: That is a resource that grandparents have that I say all the time. Grandparents often have the resource of time, time that maybe parents don't have, because you're just right in the thick of it and trying to do all the things to keep a roof over your head, keep food on the table, keep everybody where they need to go, keep everybody clothed and sheltered and those kinds of things. And really, I find Gen Alpha is very hungry for conversation about deep things. And you're so right in that, you know, they're really confident on the screen. And I'll watch a fifth grader on YouTube, you know, walk me through a problem with my iPhone. But then it's like when I ask my kids to call somebody for an appointment or to, like, go up, to a counter and order, they're like, oh, no, please don't make me do it. Don't make me do it. I can't talk to a real person, but we can do that. We can provide that. Shane, I thank you so much for all that you're doing to impact Gen Alpha. It is so encouraging to me. You know, when people ask me, how do I find hope in the world when I deal with abuse and trauma and human trafficking, all the worst of the dregs of humanity, I find such hope in people like you who are working every day to make the world a better place and to continue to carry forth the gospel and the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ. And you have really challenged us to see an opportunity today to ask people young questions, to give them biblical truth, to step into discipleship, even if it's not perfect and it's messy, and introduce them to Jesus. And the CSV Teens Study Bible was created with that goal in mind to meet students in the questions they're actually asking and point them towards scripture and a deeper walk with the Lord. And as you pray for and minister to the Gen Alphas around you, I pray as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
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Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite time of day getting to spend time with you prescribing Hope for healthy families. And families are made up of all different generations. I love studying about different generations. I am so grateful for the greatest generation who was so brave and really so primarily responsible for seeing the world through World War II. But they experienced a lot of trauma and they came home and they were told, you know, just be brave about it, be dignified, don't talk about it. And they didn't talk about it. And they raised the silent generation who really was raised to be seen and not heard. And I think looking back on that, we, we know now what triggers post traumatic stress and trauma. And that can definitely be the rambunctiousness that comes along with little kids. And then so the silent generation raised baby boomers who said, hey, we want to be loved. And I'm speaking in very broad generalities here, but there are stereotypes for a reason here, and there's something to be learned from each generation. Now we have baby boomers that raised the generation X that would be my generation, known as the latchkey kid generation, very independent. And then they said, hey, we're going to get engaged in this parenting thing. They raised millennials who love their parents and are sometimes mocked for that. Millennials said, hey, my parents were great. I want to be an even better parent. And we arrived to Gen Z and now we have Gen Alpha and Gen Beta. And we're watching this generational handoff happen in real time with this generational divide of a generation of parents and grandparents who did not grow up as digital natives trying to parent and grandparent generations who were born in the technology ecosystem. And for years, the church has devoted very significant attention to understanding and reaching millennials and increasingly Generation Z, which those people are now young adults and having their own families. And we've learned that every generation that comes of age comes of age within a particular cultural moment. That cultural moment of v. E Day, of JFK's assassination of the Challenger explosion of 9 11, and Gen Z's cultural inflection moment really COVID lockdowns. And culture shapes the way each generation asks questions, the way that they respond to pressure, the ways that they form relationships, and even most importantly, the ways they understand truth and identity. But now today, we're gonna talk about Gen Alpha. And this is a generation that we kind of say, yeah, yeah, they're, they're coming of age. They are starting in those middle teenage years now. And we even have Gen Beta babies. That's the, the name that's temporarily kind of the placeholder. I think it'll probably stick. That's behind them. But Gen Z is no longer simply the next generation. Those Gen Z young adults are entering the workforce. They're getting married, they're becoming parents, they're stepping into leadership. And now we've got Gen Alpha that's stepping up to lead. So who is Generation Alpha? How do we disciple them? Well, because Gen Alpha is not, is, is the first generation that is raised entirely within a technological age. And for many of them, technology isn't something that was continually added to their childhood. It's just been an expectation. They don't just expect technology, they expect good technology. They expect it to work for them. And everything in their ecosystem is impacted by this. Their friendships, their entertainment, education, information, identity formation. And there are enormous challenges for them. But with great challenge comes great opportunity. And that's why the church cannot simply recycle strategies we've used before for other generations. We've got to understand the generation in front of us, acknowledge the realities of what they're facing as much as we wish we could turn back time, I know some of you now are singing in your head and that's okay. While we still hold firmly to the timeless truth of the gospel. And today's conversation is going to give us an opportunity to do just that.
Shane Pruitt is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board
My guest today is Shane Pruitt. He is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board. And he has more than 20 years of ministry experience as a denominational leader, a, ah, church planter, a lead pastor, a student pastor. He's a traveling communicator, evangelist and Bible teacher. He speaks to more than a hundred thousand people a year about the truth of Jesus Christ. And he's the author of Reaching Generation Alpha, several other books, and co host of the Jen Send podcast. And today we're going to connect the big picture question of how do we reach Generation Alpha with the gospel with Shane's current work on the new CSB teen Study Bible. Now this is a resource that's designed to meet teens in those real questions they're asking, point them toward truth rooted in scripture. And this study Bible addresses issues, contemporary issues of today. So, Shane, this is no small, small task that you've stepped into, but I'm so grateful that you've said, yep, I'm, up for the challenge and that you've joined us today to talk about it. Welcome. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Shane Pruitt: Thanks for having me.
It's fascinating to study generational differences between generations
Dr. Peck, what a true honor. And the way you walk through each of those generational stages was incredible. That's amazing. You, you nailed it with each one. So what an honor to be on and talk to you today.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, I will take that. It is so interesting to me. I guess that's for me as a, a pediatric nurse practitioner and having a real family centered care model, like I believe that every kid needs a village and that village comes in the most. The best family relationships that you can have. So it's fascinating to me to walk and look at these dynamics and I see, you know, some hostility between generations. I mean every, every generation thinks theirs is the best, right? Like, you know, we all think, oh, that this, today's pop culture is so dumb. But mine, mine was really great. That's how we all think. And we see, you know, Jen, Gen Z be really hostile towards boomers and even use that as an insult. And boomers can, you know, be hostile towards Gen Z and say, oh, and any other generation honestly, and say they're snowflakes, they're weak, all of this. Tell us a little bit about your Perspective and background. How did you walk into ministry? What gave you a passion for reaching young generations for Christ?
Shane Pruitt: You're so right. And you know what I love about it is you can, you can read the Bible, the word of God from Genesis through the maps at the back. That's what my old pastor used to say. He goes, I believe the Bible's the word of God from the Genesis, you know, from Genesis through the maps at the back of the Bible. And what you're, you're right, you're not going to find in the Bible, you're not going to find terms like baby boomers and Gen Xers and Gen Z, you know, millennials, Gen zers, Gen Alpha, Beta generation. What you're going to find is people made in the image of God that desperately need to hear about Jesus, that need to be discipled, that need Christian community. and that's what you're going to find. Now it's important to study generations because there are differences between generations. and major differences, typically that shape a generation are changes in culture, which we've seen a lot of that, and changes in technology and advancements. Obviously we've seen a lot of that. But I also want to remind us of all ages, you know, all different ages and generations that are listening to this conversation is some of the things we say about young people today are the exact same things said about all the previous generations. one of the things I love to share when I'm teaching, teaching about Generation Alpha or even Gen Z is I love to share some quotes, that sound very similar to what's said about young people today. One, one quote is the now generation has become the me generation that basically young people just care about themselves. They're very self centered. People say that today. But what's interesting is that quote is actually from 1976 describing baby boomers when they were young. You know, another quote is, that, you know, the young people today, they crave entertainment more than success. You know, they'd rather hike the Himalayas than climb a corporate ladder. They're delaying getting married. and again, that's all the things that are said about young people today. But that was written in 1990 describing Gen Xers when they were young. and you can even go further back than that where it says young people today do not listen to their parents. They think they know more than adults. That was written by Socrates. So here's the point I'm making, is that all the things said about young people today are the same things said about all the previous generations. There's just something to be said about young people that just need guidance from older men, older women in the faith that just desperately need to be discipled. Titus, chapter two, Right. The older men take the younger men, the older women take the younger women. So these are things that are always been true. The word of God is always relevant. I tell people, if you've been bought by the blood of Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit, then you have the greatest next gen leader there is living inside of you. The spirit of the living God he's been reaching generation after generation for a very long time. And then here's also good news. The same gospel that has been saving people for a, couple of thousand years still works today. So, you know, share the gospel. So those are some things that are similar. Now there's a lot of changes that I think we see in generation Alpha and we'll definitely talk about that as well.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I so appreciate hearing your encouragement in that because, you know, Solomon wrote, the wisest man who ever lived. There's nothing new under the sun. And I think a lot of times, you know, we see parents and grandparents today who have so much fear and because we're constantly, you know, given the message that this is unprecedented. That was one of the words of the year in 2020, you know, picked by dictionary societies. And they think, oh, there's no way that my parents can understand this. Their, their parents can't understand this. I'm alone. This is overwhelming. The world has overtaken the gospel. But just simplify it and just say what has always been will always be and culture is always going to change. Culture is always going to be chaotic. But the word of God is trustworthy and it is timeless. And God has given us everything we need to parent this generation and even the next. That's really encouraging.
Shane Pruitt: Gen Alpha is all those born between 2010 and 2024
So, Shane, let's, let's dig down on Gen Alpha because I think people are pretty familiar with Gen Z characteristics. How do you see Gen Alpha being different and differentiating themselves from Gen Z even?
Shane Pruitt: Sure, yeah. And we could, you know, there's a lot of similarities obviously, but one thing we definitely want to point out is the differences. So I'd say first of all, who is Generation Alpha? you know, according to most definitions, it's all those born between the years of 2010 and 2024. So as the time of this conversation, think of those that are 2 through 16. If you're thinking of a local church context, it's all those that are in children's ministry, preteen ministry, middle School ministry, and now in high school ministry. And before you blink too long, they'll be in college and young adult ministry. And then like you said, Jen Bader, are those that are born in 2025 and moving forward. So Generation Alpha is a massive generation. Over 50 million of them live in the United States, 2 billion worldwide.
Dr. Jessica Peck: Wow.
Shane Pruitt: Now, those are big numbers, but each of those numbers represents a soul, so it matters. I would say one of the biggest differences you'll see in Gen Z and Gen Alpha is Gen Z, and I'm going to say this word, intentionally impacted by social media. They were impacted by screens, impacted by technology. Because if you think of Gen Z is currently those kind of 17 to 30. So you look back and go, okay, 30 years ago, 17 years ago, that's when, you know, social media started really hitting technology. Screens, cell phones. So they were impacted by screens, technology, social media. But here's the difference between Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Where Gen Z was impacted by it, Gen Alpha has been formed by it. Meaning from day one, they have not known a world without cell phones. They have not known a world without tablets. They have not known a world without screens. And I think even a secular, for lack of a better term, space, has noticed. Right? We had a movie this summer come out that was a massive movie. Talk about how technology has taken over homes. Instead of playing in imagination, it's screens and tablets. you know, a lot of public schools now are going, all right, cell phone free zones. Even some schools are talking about, let's get off the Chromebooks. So even the secular space is noticing. We must notice. So here's Gen Alpha going, okay, they've been formed by screens and technology. My wife and I, we have five kids. and we, if there's a regret that we have, Dr. Peck, is probably that we put tablets in their hands too soon. We put screens in their hands too soon. I think most parents would say, so what happened is you had tablets be babysitters for Generation Alpha. So here's the big thing we have to look at. Used to, when we would look at young people and go, all right, how many young people are being discipled? Maybe you had even asked that at church, how many of our young people are being discipled? And that's the question we used to ask. Is it a third of them? Is it half of them? How do we raise that bar? There's a different question that has to take place today. The question is not how many of our young people will be discipled. You need to understand this. They're all being discipled. 100% of them are being discipled. So the question no longer is, are they being discipled? They are. The question now is who or what is discipling them? So it's almost like a discipleship war. Because of tablets, because of screens, because of technology, because of smartphones. Many of them are being discipled by algorithms. They're being discipled by culture. They're being discipled by TikTok. They're being discipled by their favorite social media influencer. They're being discipled by an entertainer. And it's forming how they think about the world, how they see the world, how they feel about the world, how they view God. So they're all being discipled. So here's what we got to say. As ministry leaders, as parents, grandparents, godly teachers, godly coaches, we have to step into this because if we don't disciple Generation Alpha, the world is more than happy to do that, and we don't want that to happen. We're not going to like the results. We want young people to be discipled in the Word. That's why the CSB Teen Study Bible is so important. We talk more about that in a moment.
Dr. Jessica Peck: we are, but we'll talk about that. I'll hold you right there because we are already our first break. Shane, I can't believe it. I have so many more questions and I know my listeners do too, so don't go away. We're going to be right back with more from Shane Pruitt and talk about how we, we can look at the world that Gen Alpha is facing and help them to be disciples of Christ. You won't want to miss it. We got a lot of help and hope and encouragement right on the other side of this break.
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2 Step The Enemy by Forrest Frank, Lost & Found and Zac Lawson: My boots been feeling heavy My tank's been on empty yeah the demons gonna try but they better know me Cuz I won't dance with the devil But I'll two step the enemy yeah the only spirit I need is the holy one and I don't need Jack and Daniels Cuz spirit's living in me and moving through my feet all night long My
Dr. Jessica Peck: welcome back, friends. That is 2 Step the Enemy by Forrest Frank. And hey, this Texas girl approves of that song. And Forrest Frank is a Christian music artist who is really taking his call to minister to Gen Alpha very seriously. I saw him in an interview asking about using explicit lyrics in his songs or if that's ever something he would consider being edgier, and he said no. He sees the Gen Alpha kids that are looking up to him and he feels very convicted about being a good role model for them. And while no human on earth is perfect, I certainly appreciate everything that he is doing to be a role model and influence music, Christian music, especially for Gen Alpha. And when we look back at generations, we, one of the biggest takeaways is we shouldn't stereotype and label every generation, every kid, every if it's the same. Really what we need to do is use those points of cultural connection to learn to connect with kids to see the realities they're growing up in so that we can communicate with them effectively the timeless truth of the gospel in ways they can actually hear and understand. Not changing the truth of scripture, but really changing our strategy to meet them where they are. This is so important as competing voices enter in. And my guest today, Shane Pruitt, he has already said that our kids, Gen Alpha is being discipled. We just need to be intentional. And who they're being discipled by, that it'd be being discipled by Christ, by us. Are we stepping in as parents, as grandparents, or are we letting culture fill that void? Because Generation Alpha is not growing up in a cultural vacuum. They're being handed answers left and right every day about who they are, what their worth is, where they should find meeting. And that's what we are talking about. I see Gen Alpha and even Gen Z asking questions that are age old, like who am I? What is truth? Where do I belong? What gives my life meaning? And we're, we're, we're promoting today a reference that Shane helped to produce called the CSB Teen Study Bible. And it was specifically developed around some of those questions. And so Shane, let's jump back in and talk some more about identity you talked about.
Parents need to think carefully about stewarding their kids' digital footprint
I want to, I want to follow up on two things that you said before the break. One is you talked about Gen Alpha growing up. They were already. They're being formed by technology. One of the things that I think is really hard for parents is that Gen Alpha is growing up and they already have a digital footprint often before they're born. And that digital footprint is the what their parents post on social media and their parents start to tell a story about their life. Now used to that story was, was smaller. Right. It was like the little album with the yellow pages and the sticky stuff on it that you might, you know, bring out, like when somebody brings a new boyfriend or girlfriend around, like, oh, let me tell you the story of their childhood. But parents are curating that and I think that plays into some of Gen Alpha's perception of their identity because as parents we're being pressured to produce our kids as these marketable, marketable product to the world and we really need to think carefully about stewarding their digital footprint. So I just want to invite you to step on that soapbox with me for a minute, if you would be so kind. Did you have any thoughts about that?
Shane Pruitt: Absolutely. And you know, like I mentioned earlier, so we have six kiddos, you know, five here on Earth, one that went to be with the Lord, three a little over three years ago. We, had a son adopted from Uganda and really severe special needs. And he lived longer than our medical professional study would. He's a fighter. He went to be with the Lord. But we also have five kids here on earth. We have a 20 year old in college, a 15 year old that's in high school, we have a 12 year old in middle school, and then we have a 10 and 9 year old in elementary. So I say we have a, you know, a, children's ministry, youth ministry and college and young adult ministry all the, at the same time. And, and I, and I want to say this, I'm not, not preaching at anyone. I'm just including myself in this. Yeah, I think today what social media has done, even for parents, I think when we talk about social media, we mainly talk about young people. But here's what it's done for parents is if we're not careful, we'll present our kids as trophies. Instead of valuing them as treasures from God. And to like, to truly see our kids as treasures from God, we'll almost present them as trophies. Right? Like, and I mean even social media, I mean think about it. And we've been guilty of it too. Our kids, our you know, several of our kids are athletes and very good athletes. And we'll put together the highlight videos and we'll, you know, put out like all their kind of trophy moments, you know, that their award from school, you know, or they were recognized for this. And if we're not careful, in telling that story and a lot of it is in a good place because we're proud of our kids, you know, but if we're not careful, don't even feel the pressure that they're more of a trophy that we're presenting to people to say, look at how awesome my kid is. Which is really a reflection of how awesome I am as a parent versus really seeing them as a treasure from God. To go, hey, even when you fail, even when you mess up, you know what? Instead of highlights, you had nothing but low lights in that game, meaning you made a lot of mistakes. You're still seen by God, you're still loved by God. Like, he doesn't love you more or less by how you play a ball game. And you know what? As your dad, I don't love you more or less by how you played a ball game or, you know, whether you got recognized, you, know, in school as award or, you know what, you worked really hard for that c. You know, to really say, like, you are loved, you're valuable. And I think that has to come from us as parents, because if we're not careful, even out of trying to be a proud parent, we'll just show them off as a trophy instead of valuing them as a treasure from God.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm right there with you. And I have struggled with that. And it really was a jarring moment for me realizing, like, oh, I am the steward of their digital footprint. And I hadn't thought about that very intentionally because I didn't have one until I was, you know, like, way into my probably late 20s, early 30s, before I started to have a digital footprint like that. And it's just something we're navigating that's new and it's hard. But all of those things go back to identity. Shane.
Gen Alpha kids face competing cultural messages over identity issues
All those things you're talking about go to identity. What do you see as the competing cultural messages that parents and families of gen Alpha kids are having to contend with over identity issues? Because I see an identity crisis. We all know that that's there. What's your perspective?
Shane Pruitt: It is. It's a major identity crisis. And it's not much different than what we experienced as young people. It's just, I feel like a lot more intense on the labels, right? Because, okay, my generation, when we were younger. Dr. Peck, you and I are probably very close in. In ages. So when we were younger, we felt the pressure of identity. I always said you could see identity take place in the lunchroom at school. Remember that? Because everybody would kind of segregate by tables, right? You'd go, okay, that table over there is all the joc that I was
Dr. Jessica Peck: not at that table, by the way. I was at the nerd table.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, right. And that table over there was all the skater kids, you know, and that table over there were all the grunge kids, you know, like we would say. And you almost felt the. The pressure to label or by what clothes you wore. You know, like, I wore this style of clothes. the same thing is happening with Gen Alpha, but the labels that they feel pressured to put on aren't even clothes labels or what they do as a sport. It's more of like a label, the pressure to identify as something with sexuality or the label of their struggle. Right. And I know you know this area certainly better than me, you know, in the medical field, to go, almost like your struggle becomes your identity, right? To go, oh, I struggle with anxiety, therefore I am an anxious person, or I struggle with depression, therefore I am a depressed person. It's almost like your struggle becomes your label, your I identity, and then it shapes how you see things, how you live. or, same thing with sexuality. The pressure of that, as a young person that is being pushed out and pushed on them by cultural agendas is really heartbreaking. not too long ago, I was preaching at a church on a Sunday morning, large church, multiple services. Between two of the services, a young man comes up and says, hey, you talked a lot about God's love and Jesus sacrifice on the cross, his victory at the resurrection. Does God love me? And I was like, absolutely, he does. And he goes, even though I'm bisexual and I could tell he was young. And Dr. Beck, I said, how old are you? And he goes, I'm nine. So that makes me go, who told him that?
Dr. Jessica Peck: Uh-huh.
Shane Pruitt: Because as a nine year old, you know what I mean? I was collecting football cards and playing with GI Joe. So who told him at 9 that he was bisexual? Somebody did, right? Or some kind of agenda did, or some kind of social media did. To say, if you fell off, it's probably because of this. And so there's a lot of pressure for them to identify themselves as some kind of label. And I think even sometimes as parents, grandparents, ministry leaders especially, is a lot of times we want to argue with that label instead of seeing the soul behind that label. And to go, really? There's a lot of confusion behind that label. And if we're not careful, we'll argue with the label instead of reaching the soul behind that label.
Dr. Jessica Peck: I agree with you so much. And. And to you know, layer my healthcare perspective on that. I think that this comes from a trend where we saw in previous generations we did not talk about anxiety or depression. And you can see that. I mean, look at the stigma that surrounded war veterans that came back, particularly Vietnam war veterans who came back, you know, with post traumatic stress and the shame and the stigma that was put upon them. And now we've learned more about how God designed our brains. We know that our brains are designed to process trauma in a way that protects our bodies in some way. And so we've learned more about that. And so we've seen the pendulum swing where we're saying, okay, you know what, we had too harsh of a perspective. But now my perspective is we've gone to the over medicalization of everything. So that's a lot of times what I hear. Gen Alpha will come in and they will ask me exactly what you're saying, Shane. They'll say, I'm feeling, I feel anxious. Does that mean do I have anxiety? And then you have to explain like it's normal to have human emotions. And here's the spectrum of normal human emotion. And there is a way, you know, end of that spectrum where you can get to, where you rise to the level, level of a diagnosable disorder that really needs some intervention. But for the most part, kids are just looking for identity. And it just goes back to that identity question, Shane. That's what I see. I see parents and grandparents and myself included making the mistake of, of telling what we're fighting for and we're fighting, you know, fighting against in the public square. Like we're fighting against, you know, the encroachment of parental rights and, and we talk about policies and that. And I want to know what teachers are saying to my kids and I want to know what healthcare providers are saying to my kids, kids. But we're giving away those rights and spades at home by letting them have unfiltered access to media, to thousands of strangers coming into their bedroom, giving them messages about identity. And I feel like we need to go in a positive direction and tell them more who they need to be who they are already created in the image of God instead of not this identity that they need to find and discover and create and make. So I don't know, that was, that was a lot right there. But man, you got my, my brain going. I'll let you react and respond on.
Shane Pruitt: No, I love it and I couldn't agree more. That's why I think it's so important to get into God's word, with your kids and your grandkids. Because at the end of the day, that's the message we get to share in the most positive light. They go, it doesn't matter what the world tries to say about you or the world says you are. All that matters is what God's word says that you are and who God says that you are. But the only way to know that is to get in God's word. And again, you know, that's why I love even that CSB Teen Study Bible is a lot of times as parents and grandparents, we're like, I don't know how to have conversations with my kids or grandkids. Right. So anxiety, you know, to go, man, Dr. Peck is she knows she's equipped to have those conversations. Me as a parent, grandparent, I don't feel equipped. And that's what's great. Even in that csc, CSB Teen Study Bible is you got the scriptures, but throughout, you have different articles that teenagers deal with, like an article on anxiety, an article on depression. What does God's word say about that? And what that is is just common ground for parents to be able to have conversations with their young people or grandparents to be able to have conversations with their young people, going, all right, we're gonna meet in God's Word. We're gonna see what God's word says. But there's also tools within the CSB Teen Study Bible to help you even have those natural conversations.
Shane Pruitt talks with Dr. Nurse Mama about the Christian Standard Bible
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, give us a little more information about the CSB Teen Study Bible. Tell us what CSB stands for, first of all, because I know there's probably people wondering and just tell us how it came into development and where people. Because I know there's a lot of people who. Who are listening, who are really invested, Shane. They really want to help, but we just feel like sometimes we just don't know what to do. So giving them a practical tool like this is really helpful.
Shane Pruitt: Absolutely. Yeah. So CSB stands for Christian Standard Bible, which is an amazing translation. What I love about the Christian Standard Bible is it's a word for word translation. So it's trusted. You know, it's a direct translation from the. The original Hebrew, which the Old Testament was written in, and the original Greek, which the NewSong Testament was written in. So it's a trusted translation. In fact, I was a big proponent of a different translation that I would teach from, preach from, write from for a very long time. And about five years ago, I shifted to the CSV. So this is My personal reading Bible I use. It's the Bible I preach out of. Because what I love about it, it's a trusted translation, but it's also easy to read read. It's easy to understand. M. It's great for the senior adult, all the way down to a young person who can read it and understand it. It's the Bible my kids use. It's the Bible I preach from and teach from. and then just bringing this Bible together is to go, okay, what I love about this study Bible aspect of the teen study Bible is here's the scripture, but at the bottoms notes of, hey, here's what these verses mean. Also, it's a great common ground for. For devotionals with families or grandparents when they engage their grandkids. all throughout are just discussion questions. So they're questions that a, teenager can answer, almost like a journal if they're reading it by ourselves. But it's also great discussion questions that can be used by families or grandparents over the dinner table as they talk about scripture together in God's word. And then, like I said, all throughout are, just different articles that teenagers are dealing with. Because again, I think a lot of times parents go, man, I love my. My young person grandparents are like, I love my grandkids. I just don't know how to talk about these things. And I'm telling you, if parents and young people are talking about scripture together and God's truth, grandparents and their grandkids are talking about scripture and God's truth. That's how the world has changed. Like, that's what matters. and that's where we'll see, really, the Alpha generation become the revival generation.
Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, it's. It makes me smile so big, Shane, because I hear a lot of pessimism about younger generations. But whenever I talk to people, ministry leaders who are working boots on the ground with Gen Alpha, with young people, they all use that revival word. I hear revival from literally every single one I've interviewed the. The leaders of. See you at the poll of Moms in Touch International. I mean, just any. Any college leader, any youth pastor, they're. They're like, this generation rocks. Okay, Now, I just dated myself by saying, using some of my own generational vernacular, but that's okay. Okay, maybe baby boomers would say, this generation is really sharp. They're sharp as tacks, you know, whatever it is. But this generation has leaders. And when we come back, we'll talk more with how to reach Gen Alpha. We're talking with Shane Pruitt about the CSB teen study Bible. And when we come back, we'll talk about moving from just information overload to, discipleship. It used to be, how do we get our hands on information now we've got to filter that information and really be careful in helping our kids know who to listen to, who to trust, and primarily, really, really pointing them toward the truth of God's word. We'll have much more right after this break.
: A, discipleship minute with Joseph Parker.
There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God
Joseph Parker: He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him I will trust. Psalm 91, verses 1 and 2. In a perilous world, so many people are afraid. They're fearful. In a world where inner cities and many other communities are just simply dangerous places to be, we see the drug trafficking, human trafficking, muggings, murders, physical and sexual abuse. There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God. It's found in that secret place, that intimate relationship with God. No one can protect you like God can. But it's important for us to do our part to appropriate, to place ourselves in that secret place. Praying Psalm 91. Every day is a very wise thing for all believers to do. No one can protect you like God can.
Up + Up by Colton Dixon: Even though I walk through the valley Sometimes it feels like a crawl through the valley but I gotta promise, promise that I hold on tight too I can't lose when I'm right beside you yeah God know the plans you have for me when my cup is overflowing so all I'm in the end between imma live my life nowhere if I get down you pick me up from the ground you give me love and don't give up no condition you lift me up and up again no matter who surrounds I let my hallelujah get by like a.
CSB Teen Study Bible designed to help gen Alpha develop resilient faith
Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is up + up by Colton Dixon and I am convinced that is the gym. The direction that generation Alpha is, is headed. We're talking about Gen Alpha today. This is like mid teenagers like the 15 to 16 years old down to about 2 years old. We are talking about this generation. I'm talking with Shane Pruitt. He is the national next gen director for the North American mission board and today he's here to talk about the CSB teen study Bible to help gen Alpha develop a resilient faith that will stand the test of time and culture. And how do we raise up a new generation of leaders who are going to follow Christ and do and help others do the same. And the CSB Teen Study Bible uses a framework called Learn, Love and live, designed to connect biblical truth with the way that teenagers actually live. And Shane, before the break I was just saying that any ministry leader I speak to who is boots on the ground, who is actually face to face, eye to eye, heart to heart with Gen Alpha, they see revival happening. And you were just sharing with m me during the break, you actually shared something pretty amazing and unbelievable in your perception about revival occurring. But I'm not going to steal your thunder. I'm going to give it to you and let us tell you, let you tell us about it.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, absolutely. It's true. You know, one of the major things I do is travel and speak all over the nation and it doesn't matter if I'm in the south, the north, east, west. God is moving amongst young people. I primarily speak to teenagers, college students, young adults, adults. And this is true. Dr. Pegg, I've seen more young people, teenagers, college students, young adults make professions of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and save their life in the last six years of ministry compared to the previous 20 years of ministry combined. And not just salvation, but also students surrendering to a calling, a ministry mission, saying I want my life to count for the glory of God. Also students just getting hungry for the word. One of the things I'm really excited about with Gen Alpha and Gen Z. It started with Gen Z but it's poured down to Gen Alpha to too is the ones that love Jesus and have the Holy Spirit of God, they love doctrine and theology in the Bible. In fact, one of the things I do is I do a lot of coaching for next gen communicators or youth pastors or college pastors, children's pastors. And one thing that I've been telling next gen communicators is hey, it should have never been this way. But the fact that it was is a reality. The days of just opening your Bible in front of me on people, reading some Bible verse out of context and then setting your Bible down and telling a bunch of funny and emotional stories for 30 minutes, those days are over. Like no one will reject that faster than young people. Like my own 15 year old hates that. My 12 year old hates that. like those of it just teach the Bible. Like don't shy away from doctrine and theology. And Dr. Peg, I mean you're extremely well educated. I mean even think about what our kids are learning at school Compared to what they learn at church, sometimes at school, they're learning very complex things. my son is a football player, he's in sixth grade. He's already learning some very complex offensive schemes for football and defensive schemes. And then when they go to church, we almost teach them like they're three year olds, like they can handle it. I say this all the time. If they can handle some algebra, they can handle some doctrine in theology. You know, if they can order a drink at the coffee shop, they can handle some doctrine of theology. You got no Greek and Hebrew to do that.
Dr. Jessica Peck: My husband can't even order a drink at the coffee shop.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, they can handle it. They can handle it. So, yes, meet them where they are, but also don't, don't be scared to take them to the deep end. They can handle it.
Gen Alpha and Gen Z learned about Jesus much earlier than previous generations did
so there is an excitement taking place there and I kind of trace it back to 2020. Honestly, Dr. Peck because if you think about what happened in 2020, the pandemic shelter in place, what that did for Gen Alpha and Gen Z as well is they learned at a much earlier age than probably our generations did. Did they learn that the world is broken and they're broken now. I think we all understand that as we get older, but they learned it at a very early age, very formative. They looked at the world and go, man, the world is broken, I'm broken. And what they started doing at a much earlier age is they started seeking. So now they're seeking hope, they're seeking answers, they're seeking truth. And when they don't find those in the world, because they're not, then guess what happens. Anxiety rates go up, up. Depression rates go up, Suicide rates go up, suicide attempts go up. And that's where we have a very strategic opportunity as the church, as parents, grandparents, to slide into those conversations and say, listen, you're looking for hope, you're looking for answers, you're looking for truth. You're actually looking for someone because hope has a name. The truth has a name. The answer has a name. It's the name above every name. It's the name Jesus Christ. And that's where there's a big difference, I think, between Gen Alpha and previous generations is used to, especially if you lived in the South. South. You live in Texas, I live in Texas. Used to, you would almost have to convince people they were lost before you could tell them how to be found, right? Because a lot of people thought they were Christians just because they were culturally Christian or they grew up, you know, Going to a church or grow up going to Christian events. But they didn't have a relationship with Jesus. So you almost had to convince them they were lost before you could tell them how to be found. I found that Gen Alpha today. They know they're lost. So, yes, when we are sharing the gospel, you talk about sin because the Bible does. But I say get to the cross really fast because they already know they're broken. They already know something's messed up. They already know something's missing. So get to the cross really quickly and tell them about Jesus and tell them about real hope, real joy, real peace, real love. Who is Jesus?
Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, Shane, I'm giving you amens from the choir loft. Like Amen, Amen and Amen. Preach it, preach it, preach it. Because I see this, for me as a nurse practitioner, I see we, we do tend to underestimate what kids are capable of. I see this even in context of, you know, kids who are diagnosed at a young with diabetes and they can start to self manage their insulin, their injections, those kinds of things. This absolutely applies to a spiritual sense. And I think as Christian parents, one of their, our greatest fears is that our kids are going to walk away from their faith. That is a very real fear. It's a justified fear. But we're also not doing anything to change it. We're, we're trying to manage their behaviors when they're kids. You go to church, you do the right things, you do your devotional, here's your spiritual checklist for all the right things to do. But we're not helping them wrestle earlier with those complex things. Teaching them apologetics, teaching them about their faith, not being afraid of their questions. As Lee Strobel and I had a great conversation about that God is big enough for their questions so that when they do reach that developmental age of abstract thinking, they're ready to do that.
One of the movements of the church now is to emphasize that parents are disciplers
And that's one thing you and I just talked about during the break is one of the movements of the church now is to really emphasize that parents are disciplers. Parents should be the primary disciplers of their kids. But what if you don't feel equipped for that? And you saw a really fascinating generational link in this that I want you to share.
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, absolutely. And it was, you know, we wrote a whole chapter in our new book, Reaching Generation Alpha, Dr. Amelia and I did, on Generation Alpha and their parents and authority, worldviews, those things. And here's what we found is if you think about it, even generationally, the parents of, Gen Alpha are mainly millennials, right? Some older Gen Alpha, their parents might be younger Gen X or the real young Gen Alpha. Their parents might be the older end of Gen Z, as Gen Z is now in their, you know, mid to late 20s. But the majority of parents for Gen Alpha are millennials. Now, go back in time a little bit. If you remember when millennials were like teenagers, college students, young adults, unfortunately, they were one of the largest generations to kind of walk away from the church. That's where we even got some of those terms that we've talked about in recent years called deconstructionism. And they started deconstruct their faith. They started walking away from the church, church. Now many of them have gotten married and they have kids and they've come back to the church. Praise the Lord for that. One of the fastest growing generations in churches today are millennials, because they say, you know, I was raised in church. I want my kids to be raised in church. But what that did for them is in those kind of formative college and young adult years is they missed out on Christian community. So instead of being like, you know, maturing in their faith or moving from milk, to me, they missed out on those years. And so they're coming back, for lack of a better term, a little delayed, spiritual, spiritually or some, you know, like, realize they wouldn't even believers, and now they're followers of Jesus. So they're like brand new believers as millennials, or they're coming and seeking and they're not believers yet. So here's what we've been saying, at churches, it sounds good behind the pulpit, sounds good at conferences, or sounds good on a social media post. But we'll say this, hey, parents, as ministry leaders, we shouldn't be the primary discipler of your kids. You should be. So we are saying that, that, but we got to move beyond just saying it to doing it. Because here's what's happening is parents are hearing that. And Dr. Peck, I don't know about you, but I haven't ran into too many parents who love Jesus and are filled with the spirit when they hear that go, nah, not interesting. Most of them are, yeah, right. Most of them go, I know. I just don't know what to do. Because what we're doing now is we're asking people who have never been discipled themselves to disciple their own kids. So if we really want to impact Generation Alpha, we're going to have to impact their parents and grandparents to go, how, as ministry leaders, are we actually equipping. And empowering parents to be those disciple makers. How are we equipping and empowering grandparents to be those disciple makers? So that is my charge to ministry leaders to go, we got to move beyond just saying it as a catchy kind of social media post to actually, actually doing it. How are we actually equipping and empowering parents to do those things?
A lot of churches went online in 2020, due to COVID
Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, one of the things you talked about at the beginning of the, of the show, Shane, was that concept of a, digital babysitter. And I had shared with you the, the term that we're using in in research is, is digital soothing, like just any uncomfortable emotion, you just, you know, you just get a screen. If you're bored, scroll. If you're angry, anxious, scroll. But one of the trends that I saw from 2020 from COVID was that a lot of churches went online and it was so strange, Shane, because it's like this curtain pulls back and everybody kind of sees what everybody else is doing for ministry. And there's this pressure for excellence and technology delivery to kids and this push where we have all of these new words like infotainment, edutainment. And even sometimes when they come into the church environment, we're telling them, hey, disciple your kids, but we're discipling them through a screen. If we're honest and have more emphasis on programs and people. And the intention is good. Like we want to reach Gen Alpha and we've been told that's the way to do technology. But the trend that I see with Gen Z and like you said, pouring down into Gen Alpha, they desire authentic relational connections. We see this resurgence and desire for analog and novelty and, and vintage and nostalgia. What words, what lessons can we learn from that to carry forward some of those practical tools that you're talking about?
Shane Pruitt: Yeah, I love that, Dr. Peck and you're spot on.
What does the future of next gen ministries look like?
So one of the questions I get a lot is what does the future of next gen ministries look like? If you go to a conference and you and that topic comes up, probably what you're going to hear about is artificial intelligence and helping a generation understand that digital ministry help them be, you know, digital missionaries. And all those things are valuable conversations. But here's what I found is that typically the next generation can educate us on those things. You know, I never feel more old.
: So true.
Shane Pruitt: I never feel more old than when I show my kids a video that I think is cool and they're like, dad, that's AI. You know what I mean? It makes me feel stone age in that moment. So I feel like they can educate us. Now. Here's where we can educate them. What, what we have now because of those screens, we, wrote a whole chapter in reaching Generation Alpha called Generation Alpha and their security blanket. And we use the example of Linus from Charlie Brown. He always had his blue, blue blanket. Security blanket. Well, the security blanket for a whole generation are screens. Think about this. Young people are very articulate, very confident on a screen. However, get them around real people in the real world, and it gets awkward real quick. We all know young people, they can't look you in the eye, they can't have a conversation with you. You can't shake your hand. And so they're like, okay, confident on a screen, awkward in person. So I think the future of ministry is not necessarily how we help them get better on screens. It's how do we disciple them to have real relationships with real people in the real world and have real conversations with people. Because a tragedy of the next generation could be this. They miss out on the beauty of the real and authentic around them because they're obsessed with the fake one online and on a screen. So young people, because of chat and AI and all those things, they have some answers, you know, to a lot of questions, but what they don't have is wisdom. So I always say this. They know a little bit about everything, but they don't actually know how to do anything. And that's where parents can step in, grandparents, ministry leaders, to go, let us show you how to actually live this out. Because even the book of James says, don't just be a hearer of the word, but be a doer of the word.
Dr. Jessica Peck: That is a resource that grandparents have that I say all the time. Grandparents often have the resource of time, time that maybe parents don't have, because you're just right in the thick of it and trying to do all the things to keep a roof over your head, keep food on the table, keep everybody where they need to go, keep everybody clothed and sheltered and those kinds of things. And really, I find Gen Alpha is very hungry for conversation about deep things. And you're so right in that, you know, they're really confident on the screen. And I'll watch a fifth grader on YouTube, you know, walk me through a problem with my iPhone. But then it's like when I ask my kids to call somebody for an appointment or to, like, go up, to a counter and order, they're like, oh, no, please don't make me do it. Don't make me do it. I can't talk to a real person, but we can do that. We can provide that. Shane, I thank you so much for all that you're doing to impact Gen Alpha. It is so encouraging to me. You know, when people ask me, how do I find hope in the world when I deal with abuse and trauma and human trafficking, all the worst of the dregs of humanity, I find such hope in people like you who are working every day to make the world a better place and to continue to carry forth the gospel and the unchanging truth of Jesus Christ. And you have really challenged us to see an opportunity today to ask people young questions, to give them biblical truth, to step into discipleship, even if it's not perfect and it's messy, and introduce them to Jesus. And the CSV Teens Study Bible was created with that goal in mind to meet students in the questions they're actually asking and point them towards scripture and a deeper walk with the Lord. And as you pray for and minister to the Gen Alphas around you, I pray as I always do, that the Lord will bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you. I'll see you right back here tomorrow.
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Jeff Chamblee: opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
Shane Pruitt, National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), talks with Jessica about reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha and the upcoming release of the new CSB Study Bible for Teens.
https://giving.preborn.com/preborn/checkout/afa?sc=43490GF2022&campaign=404750
Chapters:
(00:00) Preborn uses ultrasound to help pregnant women hear their baby's heartbeat
(05:43) Shane Pruitt is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board
(06:51) It's fascinating to study generational differences between generations
(11:42) Shane Pruitt: Gen Alpha is all those born between 2010 and 2024
(16:25) American Family Radio is listener supported and without you, this podcast would not exist
(19:59) Parents need to think carefully about stewarding their kids' digital footprint
(23:43) Gen Alpha kids face competing cultural messages over identity issues
(30:09) Shane Pruitt talks with Dr. Nurse Mama about the Christian Standard Bible
(33:51) There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God
(35:40) CSB Teen Study Bible designed to help gen Alpha develop resilient faith
(39:22) Gen Alpha and Gen Z learned about Jesus much earlier than previous generations did
(42:27) One of the movements of the church now is to emphasize that parents are disciplers
(45:34) A lot of churches went online in 2020, due to COVID
(46:55) What does the future of next gen ministries look like?
(50:55) Preborn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion
Shane Pruitt, National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB), talks with Jessica about reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha and the upcoming release of the new CSB Study Bible for Teens.
https://giving.preborn.com/preborn/checkout/afa?sc=43490GF2022&campaign=404750
Chapters:
(00:00) Preborn uses ultrasound to help pregnant women hear their baby's heartbeat
(05:43) Shane Pruitt is the national Next gen director for the North American Mission Board
(06:51) It's fascinating to study generational differences between generations
(11:42) Shane Pruitt: Gen Alpha is all those born between 2010 and 2024
(16:25) American Family Radio is listener supported and without you, this podcast would not exist
(19:59) Parents need to think carefully about stewarding their kids' digital footprint
(23:43) Gen Alpha kids face competing cultural messages over identity issues
(30:09) Shane Pruitt talks with Dr. Nurse Mama about the Christian Standard Bible
(33:51) There is a place of safety in this world, and it's found in God
(35:40) CSB Teen Study Bible designed to help gen Alpha develop resilient faith
(39:22) Gen Alpha and Gen Z learned about Jesus much earlier than previous generations did
(42:27) One of the movements of the church now is to emphasize that parents are disciplers
(45:34) A lot of churches went online in 2020, due to COVID
(46:55) What does the future of next gen ministries look like?
(50:55) Preborn has rescued over 400,000 babies from abortion
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