As someone who has been involved in various youth ministries, over many years, I have seen many young ladies and men who were ill affected by the lack of a father's care and attention. 

Statical studies have repeatedly testified to the impact that a father has in the lives of children.  One study I read stated that if a child, in a family, comes to know Christ as their Savior, there is a 3% likelihood that others in that family will make a decision to follow Christ. If the mother becomes a Christian, then there is a 13% likelihood.  However, if the father in that home becomes a Christian, the likelihood increases to 93%!  

I found that statistic staggering! 

Similarly, the article I will share here declares in the same stark manner the undeniable role of a stable marriage in how children turn out. The article was written 9 years ago but still echoes the same reality we face today.

The Greatest Battle of Our Time

Katy Faust...  April 13, 2017

Which of the following would you choose to end if you could?

• Homelessness
• Human trafficking
• Overcrowded prisons
• Suicide
• Poverty
• Teen pregnancy
• Childhood obesity
• High High School Dropout Rates

Couldn’t pick one? What if there was an ALL OF THE ABOVE option? Every one of these devastating and complex societal ills have one thing in common- every single one of these injustices can be traced back to a breakdown in the family.

• 90% of homeless and runaway youth- a common gateway to trafficking- are fatherless.
• 70-85% of prison inmates grew up without a father.
• 63% of teenagers who commit suicide have absent fathers.
• Fatherless children are four times more likely to live in poverty 
• 71% of pregnant teenagers come from fatherless homes.
• Kids whose parents lived separately before their birth were almost twice as likely to be overweight compared to those whose parents were living together.
• 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.

The one ingredient missing in these recipes for disaster, is marriage. Marriage is not just some outdated religious concept.  It’s simply the combination of three things that children need to thrive- mother, father, and stability. These are the three staples in a child’s social and emotional diet. When one of these three are missing, children are disproportionately at risk physically, mentally and emotionally.  With today’s soaring rates of extra-marital birth, cohabitation, divorce and reproductive technologies which deprive children of one or all of these, we have the society-wide wreckage to prove that kids need all three. If we don’t fortify the foundation of our society by strengthening marriage, any effort toward social justice will merely be a Band-Aid over a festering wound. Conveniently, if you are deeply concerned about anything on the list of aforementioned heartaches you need not trouble yourself with picking just one on which to concentrate your crusade for justice. The way to have a real, profound, lasting effect on future generations is to become an advocate of just one thing – marriage.   Championing marriage and children rights is an all-encompassing battle against every societal ill and the devastation it visits upon all of us.  That’s why it’s the greatest battle of our time- the outcome of the marriage battle will determine all others. 

The increasing interest among the Gen Z demographic should serve as a clarion call to extend ourselves in ministering the Gospel of Christ accurately and sincerely with them.  Key to such outreach is knowing that they are not interested in religion, rather in the Person of Jesus Christ.  

The following article supports 

Story by Laura Donaldson

A Gen Z Christian has revealed why her generation has become the most religious.

Amy Churchouse, 27, from Cambridge, is one of many 18- to 24-year-olds swerving from heavy weekend drinking to reading the bible and starting a family.

According to a new survey 37% of Gen Z believe in God, more than all other age groups.

Among older age groups, belief in God stands at 25% for those aged 25–49, 27% for 50–60-year-olds and 32% for those aged over 65.

Amy, who is a barista and mother to a four-month-old baby, believes many of her generation are turning to Christianity because they are tired of the “struggles in the world” and have “felt life to be bleak.”

She also says they have become “bored of materialistic things” and are being driven towards Christian values.

She said: “Life is more expensive, it is less expressive, it is hard to not notice that it has become a bit bleak.

“We have lost trying to find meaning in our lives, and people naturally search for this to be happy.”

Amy also believes that Covid has played a huge part in young people finding God.

“I don’t think it is a coincidence that since the pandemic the tide has turned and people have come to faith,” she said.

“When the state of the world has been as bad as it has, people naturally come to hope – Jesus is the source of hope.”

Amy was raised as a Christian, but her faith began to strengthen three years ago when she was facing hardships.

She said: “I really struggled with depression and anxiety, and my faith has brought me through that.”

Amy began to notice a larger amount of young people in her church around 2022.

She believes that Gen Z are seeking reasons to live with a purpose.

Amy said: “I think in society we are living in a post-modernist environment where you can believe whatever you want to believe and do your thing your way – but actually we have lost actual truth.

“There is lack of direction, community and identity – everything can’t just be feelings rather than facts – we need something substantial to cling on to.”

Amy also spoke about the impact social media has had on the rise of young people turning to religion.

She believes that society’s obsessions with “money, fame, career, and social media” have created people who are “bored of that and wanting more out of life”.

Amy said: “Life has become so materialistic that we forget Christian values that actually make us happy people.

“Not everything is about money, what car you drive, what you wear, etc. It is about family and God too.”

Despite believing that social media has led to people wanting more out of life, Amy has found a group of like-minded friends online.

Like herself, their social media posts center around Jesus – and Amy believes God is reaching out to Christians through sites like Instagram and TikTok.

She said: “My friend actually had an encounter with God through a TikTok in his room.

“Ever since then has gone on mission trips, speaks to anyone about Jesus, prays for anyone – he’s so on fire for God, it’s so encouraging.”

Amy added that being able to talk about her religion online has allowed her to build a community. 

She said: “We have this amazing tool to talk about the person that saved us, all the hope and meaning.

“I have definitely had ups and downs with my mental health and struggled when it came to that, but the church were the ones who were supporting me.”

“God is someone who is always there for you,” she added