The Future of Missions and Gen Z Faith with Mark Matlock

Why are so many Gen Z students turning to tarot cards, crystals, mindfulness, and alternative spirituality while walking away from the church? In this thought-provoking conversation, Mark Matlock, Executive Director of Urbana and Senior Fellow at Barna Group, unpacks what younger generations are really searching for and why many are asking not just “Is Christianity true?” but also “Is it beautiful?” From global missions trends to the church’s discipleship crisis, this episode explores the spiritual hunger shaping Gen Z, the future of missions mobilization, and what it will take for Christians to authentically reflect the transforming beauty of Jesus in a skeptical culture.Mark Matlock joins Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison on the Mission Matters Podcast to discuss Gen Z, discipleship, and the future of global missions through the lens of decades of ministry experience and research. The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God’s people to be a part of His mission.𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬•Book: Faith for the Curioushttps://shop.barna.com/products/faith-for-the-curious?srsltid=AfmBOoq6DPY3x6LRWjJfMpobny3NW8WMklDY9jOKvz6xxgzDqZ3jMNfY•Urbana https://www.urbana.org/Chapters00:00 — Intro 00:37 — Introducing Mark Matlock and His Ministry Journey 03:05 — From Missionary Aspirations to Youth Ministry 06:07 — Why Youth Ministry Matters in Global Missions 10:08 — What Global Research Reveals About Gen Z 11:10 — Gen Z, Spiritual Curiosity, and Practical Faith 14:01 — Boomers Ask “Is It True?” Gen Z Asks “Is It Beautiful?” 15:55 — Revival, Retreat, and the Spiritual Hunger of Gen Z 19:55 — The Church’s Discipleship Crisis 20:22 — Why Real Discipleship Takes Time 22:28 — “Discipleship Doesn’t Scale” 25:04 — Lessons from the Decline of the Student Volunteer Movement 28:30 — Mid-Z, AI, and the Search for Wisdom 31:09 — What God Did at Urbana 34:53 — Building a Global Missions Movement Through IFES 36:14 — Beautiful Christianity and Reaching the Next Generation 37:35 — Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, and Orthocardia 39:17 — Moving from Defending Jesus to Introducing Jesus