I’m not an expert on harvesting green beans, but from experience, I can tell you it demands endurance and attention when done by hand. I recently spent a month living in central New York with the Bruderhof, an Anabaptist community dedicated to discipleship and sharing possessions. On one August day, one group from the community harvested a green bean crop while others cooked a pig in the smoker for dinner.
Our green bean harvest was an image of interdependent exchange: two parties (the harvesters and the cooks) relied on each other to advance their common goal of eating a meal. This image captures the essence of what volunteering should look like in the church. Unfortunately, it’s often not a reality for people my age.
3 Reasons Gen Z Doesn’t Volunteer
Volunteerism in churches has declined since 2013. A recent Lifeway report shows volunteer engagement varies greatly from church to church but that disengagement has especially increased with Generation Z. Here are three reasons why and some reflections on what church leaders can do about it.
1. Anxiety over Possibilities
Studies show Gen Z struggles with acute anxiety. When a Gen Zer hears about an opportunity to volunteer, he may fear what T. S. Eliot calls the “perpetual possibility” of “what might have been.” Jerry Riendeau has called this the “fear of better options,” a tendency to hedge commitments (or stop making them in the first place) in case something better comes up.
Volunteerism in churches has declined since 2013. Disengagement has especially increased with Gen Z.
This hesitation to serve keeps Gen Zers from volunteering, but it also provides the church with an opportunity for discipleship. One way to take advantage of this opportunity is to change our language.
Michelle Van Loon points out that “church volunteers” is an oxymoronic term because it reduces a living, breathing member of the body to what she can do for the church. While using the term “volunteers” isn’t wrong (I’ve used it throughout this article), using the Bible’s language is a better way to encourage Gen Zers toward service. What if we called each other “fellow workers” (1 Cor. 3:9), “friends” (John 15:14–15), and “servants” (Matt. 20:25–28) instead of “volunteers”? After all, volunteering is an option, but biblically speaking, service is not.
Serving the church teaches Gen Zers to surrender their autonomy and control of the future to Christ and his body. It challenges the widely accepted vision of freedom in our age that chalks freedom up to doing what we want. The Bible reminds us this isn’t freedom but rather obedience to one’s passions (Rom. 1:18–21; 6:12–14). True freedom is found in serving a righteous God. As Peter writes, “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God” (1 Pet. 2:16–17).
2. Skepticism
Many in my generation grew up in the seeker-sensitive movement. This left many thinking of church as a shopping mall rather than a temple. We were often told church exists for us, that we can simply watch what’s happening on the main stage. As a result, many Gen Zers now associate Christianity with an entertainment posture, and they’re skeptical of the church and its mission.
Sadly, a Gen Zer’s skepticism can leave him just as passive about serving (or more so) than previous generations. How can pastors address this passivity? They can come alongside Gen Zers, encouraging us that passivity was never part of God’s plan.
Many Gen Zers adhere doggedly to principles of justice and seek to make the world a better place. That passion can be harnessed if pastors will connect the dots between serving and the church’s mission. When Gen Zers serve, remind them why they’re serving and how it will affect the world. Encourage them to see the church biblically, as a body with indispensable members who must use their gifts to help the whole (1 Cor. 12; 1 Pet. 4:10–11).
3. Prideful Feelings of Inferiority
It’s natural for sinners to feel unworthy before a holy God, but this proper inferiority can turn into a form of pride if, in our feelings of unworthiness, we begin to believe lies about God. While it’s humble (and biblical) to confess your sins (1 John 1:9–10), it’s decidedly prideful to claim, “I’m too unworthy to be of use.” When a Gen Zer makes this claim, he’s given in to the lie that he’s too broken for God to redeem.
When prideful feelings of unworthiness keep Gen Zers from serving, they need to hear pastoral leaders affirm Christ as our Great High Priest who intercedes for (Heb. 7) and cleanses Christians from what’s dishonorable, preparing us for good works (2 Tim. 2:21). Church leaders can also help those who feel inferior to recognize they’re not alone. Even if a Gen Zer isn’t up to the task of serving herself, we can show her that the church is about people working together, with each one contributing what they are able.
Interdependent Exchange
Like my experience at the Bruderhof, serving at church is an interdependent exchange. It involves both toil and nourishment. Well-intentioned pastors can focus on filling volunteer needs but neglect giving a nutritious discipleship diet to their congregations. When leaders neglect sustainable discipleship strategies, their once-eager volunteers are left enfeebled and burned out. Pastors of such weary and hungry congregations should hear Jesus’s words to Peter: “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
‘Church volunteers’ is an oxymoronic term because it reduces a living, breathing member of the body to what she can do for the church.
Conversely, it’s possible for a church to feed its congregants but not equip them to exercise their faith by serving others. Drinking the pure spiritual milk of the Word should lead to growing up in salvation (1 Pet. 2:2). Pastors of lethargic and overstuffed congregations should hear Jesus’s words: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matt. 9:37).
When I joined a church in college, I went two years without serving. I valued an open schedule over the constraint of a Sunday morning commitment. I also felt disconnected and inferior. Then, one Sunday, I signed up to serve. I committed to being a broken yet functioning part of the body. I exchanged “what might have been” for a path of discipleship. This path demands endurance, attention, and early Sunday mornings, but—just like picking green beans—the work makes the harvest sweeter.
The Gospel Coalition