YMI is conducting research on youth ministry practices. We are asking youth leaders to share what they are doing in three arenas: discipleship of teenagers, engagement with parents, and connecting teenagers to the congregation. You can take the survey at ymarenas.com

The numbers are just coming in from studies of younger teens, who are part of Generation Z (also know as "Homelanders," these kids follow Generation Y). They are part of a population who grew up post-911, where terrorism is part of the landscape, a sour economy is all they remember, and uncertainty defines our mindsets.

Gen–the generation following the millennials–is the least Christian generation to date, according to a new Barna study - 34 percent of Gen Z's religious affiliation is either atheist, agnostic, or none. In fact, teens 13-18 years old are twice as likely as adults to say they are atheist. And just three in five 13- to 18-year-olds say they are some kind of Christian (59 percent).

It was 1971 when I was a young teen like my grandson. Back then, we wrote our assignments in cursive, went home to houses that cost about $25,000 to build. Our parents paid 35 cents for a gallon of gas, while they earned about $10 thousand per year. No kid imagined having an iPhone. 

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The's another change since then. More Americans have no religious identity—many have no need for God.

Leading a small group Bible study is an important responsibility. Whether you lead a group on Sunday morning in your church or you meet at a local coffee shop or home, it's easy to think leading a group isn't that hard. In reality, there are a lot of dynamics that come into play when facilitating a small group. And while you might see a lot of blogs or instructions on "how to lead and effective small group," I want to take a slightly different approach on five ways you should NOT lead a small group. Whether you identify with these or not, you've probably experienced these kinds of leadership at one time or another. (Or it might be a good time to look in the mirror ans see if you're guilty of these!)

What do you need to know about the kids in Generation Z? Here are some of the most important things.

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1. They're everywhere. Gen Z—those born between 1996 and 2014—makes up 24.3 percent of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census estimates for 2016. That's more than millennials (22.1 percent), more than Gen X (19 percent), and more than baby boomers (22.9 percent). By 2020, The Washington Post says, Z's will have about $3 trillion in purchasing power.

Imagine Generation Z–the 70 million kids born between 1999 and 2015–and you probably picture them staring at their devices. A bunch of app-savvy, tech-addicted teens who never knew a time before smartphones.

The Best Youth Ministry blogs from thousands of top Youth Ministry blogs in our index using search and social metrics. Data will be refreshed once a week.

Two heavyweight investors say Apple should do more to combat iPhone addiction among young people. 

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The investors pointed to a number of studies highlighting the detrimental effects of smartphone addiction. They include being less attentive in class, insufficient sleep and a higher risk of depression and suicide.

Every generation can be described by narratives. Those narratives make up the way a generation thinks and acts,as adolescents and adults. For instance, while all Baby Boomers didn't smoke pot, enjoy free sex, participate in protests and love rock and roll, those components were integrated into the narrative of the youth population in the 1960s. It was a time of expanding self-confidence for youth. Generation X grew up after those Boomers, during the time of the birth control pill, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and rising divorce rates, hence embodying a more jaded paradigm as they entered adulthood. It was a time of skepticism and cynicism. You get the idea.

As the first generation to come of age in the era of the smartphone, ownership is near ubiquitous among the young.

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On an average day, they spend over 4 hours online on their smartphones, 98% say they own one and the smartphone is by far their most important connected device.

Congratulations, Gen Z parents! You already know what the rest of the world is learning: Gen Z kids and young adults are a whole new brand of cool.

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Generational parameters are not rigidly uniform, so you may see some competing date ranges about who qualifies as a Gen Z. 

If no volunteer can ever know what a parent knows, then why recruit anyone to help with kinds and teenagers?

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It would definitely make things easier if you could just tell parents, "Since you know more than we can ever know, and you have more time than we will ever have, and you care about this more than we ever will, this is really up to you as the parent."

Have you ever heard the phrase "pastor as theologian?" The phrase grew from a recent emphasis on pastors leading and shepherding their people from a deeply held biblical and theological view of ministry.

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In light of the current cultural climate, I'm convinced another emphasis is needed—pastor as apologist. Just as pastors need to be equipped theologically to lead their people from God's Word, they also need to be equipped apologetically. 

It's no secret that Generation Z is the new buzz in the business world. While it seems like just yesterday that everyone was obsessing over how to target millennials, the focus has now shifted to the true tech-loving generation. This up-and-coming generation is smarter and more in tune with technology, and has sincere desire to save the world. But how do we reach them?

Smartphones are changing the way an entire generation spends their time. Teens (or iGen, as some have named them) have come of age in a world dominated by devices and unfettered access to the web—and it's dramatically altering their behavior. According to a recent article in The Atlantic, author Jean Twenge shows that although teens are partying and drinking less, they are feeling more depressed and isolated than ever as they spend increasing amounts of time glued to their smartphones.

Generation Z is garnering a lot of attention at the moment. Brands are trying to figure out how to communicate with them in ways that feel authentic. And employers are attempting to understand how they can better structure their work environments and cultures to support the behaviors and career interests of the youngest professionals to enter the working force.

Last year, for the first time ever, the amount spent on digital advertising surpassed that spent on television ads. This year, that trend is expected to continue. Last year, Facebook made over $26 billion in revenue, a number that exceeded analysts' expectations and that represented a $9 billion increase over the previous year.

A few apps have been able to keep the top spots with one of the most sought after demographic right now: Gen Z.

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For anyone building an app, marketing to Gen Z is one of the hardest things to do requires a lot of experimentation, strategy, and overall close understanding of the demographic as a whole.

Generation Z — that group of people born roughly between 1995 and 2010 — has been identified, studied, compared, surveyed, analyzed, blogged, Snapchatted and infographicked to within a data point of their short lives. What have we learned about these individuals?

Over the past decade, social media has risen as an option for people to build influence and opportunity. Social media influencers can be conventional celebrities looking for an outlet to develop better relationships, or they can be "social media celebrities" whose content has earned them a massive following.

Brands interested in tapping into new markets should look no further than Generation Z, which comprises those born between 1995 and 2012. According to a profile of Gen Zers in the New York Times, they are ethnically and culturally diverse, entrepreneurial, technology obsessed and gender neutral.

Dr. Tim Elmore, returns to discuss the next generation entering the workforce—Generation Z. This group is definitely different, and leadership styles will need to change. Also, host Ken Coleman interviews one of our youngest EntreLeaders yet—15-year-old Drew Formsma.

They are growing up in a post-9/11 world. They are experiencing radical changes in technology and understandings of family, sexuality, and gender. They live in multigenerational households, and the fastest-growing demographic within their age group is multiracial.

Generation Z has officially entered college. And just as the Millennials before them, this generation is disrupting the way learning happens in higher education. But these differences go beyond just a greater dependence on technology. Gen Z-ers tend to embrace social learning environments, where they can be hands-on and directly involved in the learning process. They expect on-demand services that are available at any time and with low barriers to access. And they tend to be more career-focused earlier on in their college careers.

What's this item about? What makes it interesting? Write a catchy description to grab your audience's attention...

According to Nielsen's new Total Audience report, millennials and Gen-Z now comprise 48 percent of the total media audience. Gen-Z in particular is now the single largest audience segment at 26 percent (although there's a vast age range).

Forget avocado toast-loving Millennials. They're old news. We're here to talk to you about the new young generation: Generation Z.

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Who are they? Generation Z is anyone born during or after 1995—they grew up with the devices, apps, and social media networks that we use today.

Now that marketers are finally getting a grasp on how to market to millennials, a new generation is starting to demand their attention: Generation Z. Encompassing young people born between the mid-1990s and now, this generation is coming into financial independence and already wields a buying power of $44 billion - which is a great reason to star paying attention.

America has a literacy problem. Almost 14 percent of the adult population cannot read. But illiteracy isn't just a problem in secular society. A far worse kind of illiteracy affects the church: Biblical illiteracy.

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Only 20 percent of Americans say they've read the entire Bible at least once. And only 22 percent say they systematically read through a section of the Bible a little each day.

We all know that there's a change coming in higher education, and it's not only government agencies and Brexit driving it. A new digitally innate generation of students is just beginning to enter our universities, prompting the question: are we ready for this influx of industrious, collaborative and entrepreneurial learners? Welcome to Generation Z, a generation defined by Anne Kingston as "smarter than Boomers, and way more ambitious than the Millennials."

It's been an article of faith among marketers that video, with its combination of sight, sound and motion, is a more compelling communication form than text, which lacks the ability to plug directly into the reptilian brainstem.

Thus, books and newspapers were on the defensive against radio and TV. Now, it's all happening again – but this time with the internet.

On a trip to Rome with his niece and nephew, Paul Burke had a firsthand encounter with the shortcomings of today's cultural experiences, and their effects on Gen Z consumers. Burke was on a guided tour of the Colosseum and he realized that his and nephew were learning more from Google searches on their smartphones than they were from the trained Colosseum curator.

As Apple celebrates the iPhone's 10th anniversary, Generation Z's motto could very well be Steve Job's initial selling point..."Your life in your pocket." Generation Z never knew the world before the internet, before everything you could ever need was one click away.

The explosive growth and widespread dissemination of new technologies over recent decades has fundamentally changed the way we communicate and interact. It has simultaneously made our lives easier and more complicated. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the family. This infographic examines parents' perceptions of the key challenges of technology in the family and how their children use electronic devices.

When it comes to working with Generation Z, the first thing you need to understand is that they look up to the generation that came before them: the Millennials.

The Millennial generation has made a name for itself by entirely changing the way businesses think about keeping their employees happy. From ping-pong tables to on-site baristas, from Summer Fridays to remote work privileges, Millennials have set new expectations for what a normal workday should look like.

If you're already talking about the morale of your volunteer team, it must be at a critical spot. If not, you may sense it's heading in the wrong direction and you want to do something now before it really becomes an issue. Most of us, however, are probably in a more uncertain position. We simply don't know what the morale of our team is, but we certainly want it to be positive. Here are 10 steps you can take to help gauge and boost volunteer morale.

For Andrea Russett, it's not just about YouTube anymore.

For years, the most lucrative avenue for video "creators" like Russett--young folks who talk to the camera, act funny, sing, dance and make little mini-moves, was via YouTube, which shares revenues with its stable of popular performers.

But this year, Facebook's fast-growing Instagram app is ready for its closeup.

The first small cohort of early Gen Z (born between 1995 and 2012) college graduates may be looking for a job. As they gain purchasing power, it is more important than ever for media and entertainment companies to understand how Gen Z's consume content, especially considering that they account for about a quarter of the U.S. population.

Time Inc. entertainment brand INSTANT, dedicated to covering digital stars and their pursuits, today revealed the world's top social media superstars in their inaugural "New Fame List." The list recognizes the Internet's movers and shakers taking over new feeds this past year, along with the disrupters who have catapulted their careers offline.

Social media can be a powerful communication tool for our ministries, but it can also seem too complex to manage. There are a lot of questions you might ask yourself about how to approach it. 

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What do we post?

How often should we post?

Which platforms should we use?

Should we post the same thing across all platforms?

Generation Z, comprised now of young people between the ages of 14 and 23, has already eclipsed Baby Boomers and Millennials in size, and it will soon be the cause of a major disruption of media as we know it today.

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Gen Z has grown up in a connected world where access to information is readily available online, and they are the youngest adopters of smartphones and other mobile technologies. Also referred to as "founders" by MTV, this ascendant generation relies heavily on mobile devices for everything from social media and communication to news sources, dating apps, and online banking and utilities.

Gen Z is upon us and if we confuse these students with Millennials we're going to miss out on connecting with them and touching their hearts.

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As James White tells us in Meet Generation Z, "If the heart of the Christian missions is to evangelize and transform culture through the centrality of the church, then understanding that culture is paramount."

In my new book, Meet Generation Z, I detail the importance of the visual for Generation Z. In a new survey, Adweek confirmed the pre-existing research and conclusions.

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Teaming up with Defy Media, they asked a group of nearly 1,500 teens ages 13-20 what they think about everything from social media platforms to digital video to the new breed of online celebrity. 

For the last twelve years, we've been...

     leading youth ministries.

     volunteering in youth ministries.

     studying youth ministries.

     serving, resourcing, and coaching youth ministries.

Some of those ministries were healthy and growing. But others were struggling and shrinking. And do you know what we've learned?

When it comes to the next generation, I'm sure of two things:

1) We aren't too effective today at reaching (or keeping) the next generation.

2) The Gospel still works powerfully in any generation.

How do we share Christ effectively to a generation not impressed by the Church today?

Here are five ideas.

Generation Z is the demographic cohort after the Millennials, which is sometimes called Generation Y. There are nor precise dates for when the Gen Z cohort starts or ends, which explains why two recent studies use different definitions. But, no matter how you define it, Generation Z can't live without YouTube.

Daniella: In my imagination, I see myself standing in front of a crowd, in front of thousands of people...

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Teens share these same sentiments in a recent PBS Frontlines speciel, Generation Like, where Doug Rushkoff explores friends, follows, and fame associated with the Facebook generation.

Gadsden, Ala. - In 1995, Joey Hanner was a trucker who was about to give up on his marriage - and he was one Sunday service away from giving up on church too.

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"We were going to give church one more try and then we were going to end our marriage," he said.

A new study into the media and advertising habits of the Gen Zs (those born after 2000) has revealed over half would prefer to see a brand advertise via social influencers rather than produce TV commercials, pre-roll video ads, sponsored articles/posts of banner ads.

When talk turns to engaging Gens X,Y and Z and their attitudes toward the consumption of products and services, one overused word often comes to mind: experiences.

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At its second annual Luxury Roundtable 2017, Luxury Daily brought together roughly 100 marketers with more than a dozen panels and keynotes to focus on these younger cohorts.

What: Fullscreen's latest research conducted by Leflein Associates investigated media preferences and trends of Gen Z and millennials and how both generations significantly differ.

Why it matters: Millennials present a higher preference for traditional platforms (including "traditional digital") than their Gen Z counterparts. Gen Zers are shifting away from text-based online content in particular, in favor of streaming content - especially video.

Science has shown that people who have close friendships are happier, more successful and even more physically and emotionally healthy. And in our hyper-connected culture, it may seem like it’s never been easier to make and maintain relationships. But is that true? How do Americans meet their friends? Who is most likely to feel lonely? In the infographic below, Barna explores new data about the care and keeping of friends.

Daniella: In my imagination, I see myself standing in front of a crowd, in front of thousands of people…

Teens share these same sentiments in a recent PBS Frontlines special, Generation Like, where Doug Rushkoff explores friends, follows and fame associated with the face book generation.

Maybe Likes matter little to you as an adult but according to these interviews Likes take on an entirely different meaning for teens in at least 4 surprising ways…

Gen Z is not a generation of oversharers. Gone are the days of public Facebook statuses broadcast to all of your followers. Now, it’s all about Snapchat, direct messaging and small-group video chats on apps like Houseparty.

Gen Z’s preference for more direct forms of sharing emerged during a joint study by HuffPost and AOL’s Consumer Analytics Group. During five days of digital dialogues with 29 teens, ages 13 to 18, across the U.S., we found that teens today have a more tempered approach to sharing than millennials, who tend to be more willing to broadcast updates about their lives.

We live in a world of competing ideas and worldviews. In an increasingly globalized and interconnected world, Christians are more aware of (and influenced by) disparate views than ever. But just how much have other worldviews crept into Christians’ perspectives? Barna’s research shows that only 17 percent of Christians who consider their faith important and attend church regularly actually have a biblical worldview

Mark Matlock interviews Andy Crouch about his new book The Tech-Wise Family.

Tim Elmore says that while there is great anticipation on how students will re-invent the marketplace as they enter their careers, there are three huge issues that today's teens face. He believes these issues would be helpful and relevant to you as you develop students.

Parents today believe it is harder than ever to raise children. The number-one reason? Technology.

That’s a key finding at the heart of The Tech-Wise Family: Everyday Steps for Putting Technology in Its Proper Place, a new book by Andy Crouch.

They watch a lot of Netflix and YouTube daily. According to a Think with Google survey conducted by Ipsos, roughly seven in 10 teen smartphone users spend at least three hours per day watching video on their phones.

A principal reveals how his school got over 200 families signed up in one night to actively participate in student learning and school culture

It may come as no surprise that Snapchat and Instagram have a solid lead over Facebook when it comes to the frequency that high school and college students use the social media channels, with young Snapchat users checking in at a rate of up to six times per day or more.

This .pdf is designed to help marketers connect with Generation Z. There are around 60 million teens in the U.S., making up more than a quarter of the population. The age group, with its $44 billion in annual "purchasing power," is of particular value to companies.

In partnership with Youth Specialties and YouthWorks, Barna conducted a major study on the state of youth ministry in the United States, which included a look at the expectations of pastors, youth leaders, and parents.

With all of the focus on Gen Y, it can be easy to forget that there’s another group coming quickly after: Generation Z, currently occupying our college campuses and soon to enter the workforce. So what do we know about them so far? And, how do we best support them through intentional mentoring relationships?

While stress is typically cited as the unattractive side of leadership, the next generation of the workforce are likely to shun leadership roles due to fear of failing and lack of confidence.

A new study published by French and US researchers might give you one more reason to cut down the time your kid spends playing video games.

To be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow, these students need to be collaborative, innovative and responsive to their environment. Here's a look at how today's teachers are fostering curiosity, creativity and other skills in their students, with help from technology.

Retail experts say such prolific use of social media by Haye and others is driving the rapid success of some teen retailers, and causing the quick demise of others. Teen brands have also been among the slowest to close their brick-and-mortar stores and grow their websites.

The 89th Academy Awards ceremony is around the corner and Damien Chazelle’s romantic comedy-meets-musical La La Land is expected to sweep the field, as it did at last month’s Golden Globes. Past Barna research has shown, however, that even though the Oscars are one of the most-watched events on television, the films that fill theaters don’t often fill trophy shelves.

Students and teachers reveal how learning technologies impact their classroom environment

A study by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles describes what we know about the class of 2018 so far.

Despite expectations that the first “digitally native” generation would want to shop online, a new study released on Monday by IBM and the National Retail Federation (NRF) found that almost all members of Generation Z (Gen Z) prefer to shop in bricks-and-mortar stores.

Teenage Gen Zs are forming romantic relationships in a post-apocalyptic world, and they’re learning from the mistakes that Millennials have made before them. Much as with social media, Millennials are playing the role of guinea pig. Millennials adopted social media in their formative years, made plenty of mistakes, learned some lessons, and paved the way for Gen Zs who have adopted a wiser approach to crafting their digital personas.

Whether you’re looking to introduce your brand to a Gen X music buff, Gen Y shopping fiend or Gen Z gamer, there’s no doubt that YouTube can be a valuable investment. But for maximum impact, it’s also important to understand just how your target age group interacts with the video-sharing platform.

Say adios to 'on fleek', ' sqaud' and ' preach'. The year 2016 has seen the rise of new trending words and phrases.

Stats on Gen Z from the UK. For example, the single biggest difference between Generation Z and other generations is how connected they are, and have been since birth.

A top priority for marketers in 2017 should be to pay closer attention to the 'mobile-first' Generation Z, so called post-millennials and centennials, as brands increasingly must connect with this discerning group.

Everyone has several things to say about the Kardashian Jenner family- and a lot of hate to give them. But itsn't that natural human tendency — to overlook the good qualities and complain about what we don't like or what we can't accept based on our standards of normality? Here are five good reasons why they Kardashians are, or can be role models for Gen Z.

Ologie, an independently owned branding company, today released the results of a nationwide survey of 1,548 students about their decision-making process when choosing a college or university.