{"id":18524,"date":"2025-09-19T21:28:34","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T19:28:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/?p=18524"},"modified":"2025-09-19T21:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T19:35:09","slug":"the-growth-of-gen-zers-in-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svjmedia.nl\/internationaljournalism\/18524\/the-growth-of-gen-zers-in-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"The growth of Gen Z’ers in the church"},"content":{"rendered":"

After decades of decline, Western European churches are beginning to see small but notable signs of growth, especially among younger generations. At St. John\u2019s Cathedral in \u2019s-Hertogenbosch, deacon Wilchard Kooijmans said the parish welcomed\u00a018 new young members last year, an unusual jump for a local community. He credits much of the change to youth groups like the\u00a0internal group \u2018Jongeren van de Zoete Moeder\u2019, where young people gather for prayer and discussion.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This local story reflects a wider European pattern: in England, church attendance has seen what researchers call a \u2018dramatic growth,\u2019 owed largely to younger generations. In 2018, only 4% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported attending church monthly, compared with 16% in 2024 according to a report of The Quiet Revival. Furthermore, a 2023 Ipsos survey found similar levels of interest in churchgoing among Gen Z in France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Hungary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Covid-effect<\/strong><\/p>\n

Religious expert Mariecke van der Berg suggested that the pandemic may have influenced Gen\u202fZ\u2019s interest in faith: \u201cDuring the pandemic, young people spent so much time at home. With school routines and other activities disrupted, they were left with quiet moments that often sparked deeper questions about life and existence.\u201d<\/p>\n

For many, this period of reflection also included experimenting with different belief systems. Deacon Wilchard Kooijmans of St. John\u2019s Cathedral noted that some new members explored multiple religions before settling in the Catholic Church. \u201cJust last month, a girl told me she had spent a year exploring Islam, looked into Buddhism, and eventually found her way here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Social media <\/strong><\/p>\n

According to van der Berg, social media also plays a key-role in the growth of Gen- Z\u2019ers going to church. Young people can now encounter Christianity through short videos, apps, and online communities, which often act as gateways to more traditional forms of faith. For some, platforms like TikTok have been the first step in exploring church, making religious content more accessible than ever.<\/p>\n

For Noa Meulemans, a new member in the Protestant church, this was an example, \u201cI saw a Tiktok about christianity on my For You Page, and it motivated me to look further into the religion. Then I downloaded an app in which you can read the Bible and from there I rolled into it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many churches like the St. John\u2019s Cathedral in \u2018s-Hertogenbosch have also adapted to the social media era: from livestreaming Sunday services to producing fast-paced educational videos in an easy, low-maintenance format for new young members.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Picture<\/strong>Attraction to the traditional church<\/strong><\/p>\n

Van der Berg also said that some young people are choosing more traditional ways of practicing their faith. Structured rituals, like the Latin Mass, offer a clear and familiar form of worship. She added that this is partly linked to the rise of conservatism in Europe, which may make traditional church practices more appealing to some young people.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n

More young people are joining European churches, showing a small but noticeable change. Multiple factors can explain this growth, like existential questions during Covid, social media and the rise of conservatism in Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After decades of decline, Western European churches are beginning to see small but notable signs of growth, especially among younger generations. At St. John\u2019s Cathedral in \u2019s-Hertogenbosch, deacon Wilchard Kooijmans said the parish welcomed\u00a018 new young members last year, an unusual jump for a local community. He credits much of the change to youth groups […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3199,"featured_media":18526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cbj","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe growth of Gen Z'ers in the church - International Journalism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The growth of Gen Z'ers in the church - International Journalism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After decades of decline, Western European churches are beginning to see small but notable signs of growth, especially among younger generations. 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