In the last 30 years, our world has experienced tremendous transformation in technology, communications, and culture. University professors, perhaps more than anyone, have seen how these changes impact young adults and their worldview. In this article, Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) chemistry professor Dr. Gregory J. Rummo shares how Gen Z is uniquely positioned to embrace their faith authentically.
The majority of students on college campuses currently are members of Generation Z (Gen Z). They are adults, born between 1997 and 2021, and the most stressed cohort to ever embark on their journey through higher education. They are reporting “the highest stress levels of any generation in the country,” according to The American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America 2020 report, as well as the highest suicide rate. This is the field, white unto harvest (John 4:35), into which God has called professors at Christ-first institutions of higher education for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).
The COVID-19 pandemic, which began in early March 2020, and sent all high school and college students home into virtual learning environments for the following 18 months, exacerbated levels of stress, leaving some with feelings of hopelessness and depression. One recent study reported one in five Gen Zers have had thoughts of suicide.
Not every student that attends a Christian university is a Christian, or if they are a Christian, they may not give much attention to their spiritual lives. A multi-year survey I conducted of 168 students revealed that among the respondents, 10 percent did not attend church and 21 percent did not have a regular time of Bible reading or prayer. However, among those 21 percent, almost the same percentage said they were seeking guidance in this area.
PBA’s triperspectival call to enlighten the minds, enrich the souls, and help students extend their hands provides fertile ground to reach Gen Z students with the gospel.
By implementing specific examples of faith integration in both the chemistry classroom and laboratory, practicing biblical hospitality in my school office, and working alongside student leaders on an annual mission trip to Peru’s Andes Mountains, assisting in the work of Scripture promotion among the indigenous Quechua, the Gospel literally takes on flesh for many of my Gen Z students.
Chip Bugnar’s article “Don’t Miss Gen Z’s Missionary Potential” notes that Gen Z’s desire to do, not just observe, coupled with their FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), has created an unsettledness in their lives, helping them to remain open to God’s purposes. Many have developed relationships “that transcend their physical locations,” creating a desire to learn new languages and cultures. This is a characteristic that leaders can take advantage of and direct toward kingdom purposes. When members of Gen Z choose to “embody and explain the truth” in a meaningful way, and this is done with the furtherance of the gospel in mind—for example, in a foreign mission field—they can excel on a short-term mission trip or even as career missionaries.
Professors at Christian colleges must be known as people who love their students, are interested in them as individuals and not just names on a roster, and are willing to become involved in their lives outside of the classroom.
Teaching the subjects in our fields of expertise with passion and excellent pedagogy is our calling: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” (Titus 2:7, NIV). But pointing the way to God for students, so that they may be transformed into the likeness of his son, Jesus Christ, requires that we develop an ethos of “extravagant” and “intentional” hospitality.
Many of Gen Z’s distinguishing characteristics afford professors at Christian universities unparalleled opportunities to help them achieve an understanding of their identity in Christ through a comprehensive understanding of the gospel—for in the words of Timothy Keller, “the gospel changes everything.”
Gregory J. Rummo, DMin, MS, MBA, BS, is a Lecturer of Chemistry in the School of Arts and Sciences at Palm Beach Atlantic University. This essay was excerpted in part from his latest book, Reaching Generation Z with the Gospel in the College Classroom, published in January 2025 by Wipf and Stock.
