Curiosity about Jesus is widespread in the open generation. Teens in the U.S. are far more intrigued than their global peers, with 77 percent being at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about Jesus throughout their lives. A teen’s personal commitment to follow Jesus goes hand in hand with their motivation to study him—the percentage of teens who want to learn more about Jesus rises significantly among committed Christian teens. Even among teens who are non-Christians or don’t know who Jesus is, however, over half is at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about him.
So where do teens turn when they desire to learn more about Jesus?
Regardless of their level of commitment to follow Jesus, U.S. teens place a significant amount of trust in religious texts and their households to learn about Jesus. Teens are more likely to report looking to these sources than to social media, the Internet, their friends or influencers.
Digging into their top trusted sources, we find some challenges to instruction about Jesus. Nominal Christian teens, after turning to scripture or a family member, are quick to look to themselves. In fact, teens without a personal commitment to follow Jesus will trust themselves before they go to a pastor, church leader, Christian or the Bible to learn about Jesus.
If we want Christian teens to share the gospel effectively, we have an opportunity to equip and prepare them. But Barna data shows that…
"Evangelism training is rare for American teens—just 19 percent of Christian Gen Z have received it." #BarnaHighlight pic.twitter.com/iprwfEoRiZ— Barna Group (@BarnaGroup) February 3, 2023