Hear Us Out

How are emerging generations making meaning in their lives? This team of eight scholars and ministry leaders from across the denominational spectrum formed Co.lab.inq, a collective learning laboratory focused on open-ended inquiry, to explore this question. Together they interviewed over 200 people under 40 in search of the lessons they might teach us about belonging, adversity, legacy – and faith.

Through collaborative storytelling conversations focused on truth-seeking and meaning-making, Sue Pizor Yoder and her co-authors illustrate the complex and varied ways Millennials and Gen Z are navigating life and crafting their stories. What do younger Americans have to say about belonging? Where do they find meaning? What challenges are they facing–and how do they confront them? How do they envision their legacies?

Pizor Yoder and her colleagues were surprised to find that in addition to these questions, their conversation partners also wanted to talk about faith–even when they didn’t identify with any religious tradition. The narratives these authors uncover offer both critique and blessing for society and the church.