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What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God: Seven Questions About Life and Faith, By Tanita Tualla Maddox

What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God

Seven Questions About Life and Faith

by Tanita Tualla Maddox
Foreword by Chap Clark

What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God
Paperback
$19.99
  • Length: 208 pages
  • Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.5 in
  • Published: September 16, 2025
  • Imprint: IVP
  • ISBN: 9781514012161
Other Formats:

Christian Book Award® Finalist—Ministry Resources

What is Good News to Gen Z?

Gen Z, born into a complex and rapidly changing world, carries unique questions about life and God. Church methodologies that worked for previous generations often miss their mark with this one. Understanding Gen Z's real questions about faith opens the door to meaningful conversations and deeper connections.

In What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God, veteran youth worker and Gen Z expert Tanita Tualla Maddox presents a thoughtful and powerful guide for ministry practitioners striving to connect with this generation. Based on years of research and practical experience, Maddox's book provides insights into the seven key questions Gen Z is asking about life and faith, offering actionable advice tailored to their values and worldview.

This book goes beyond just answering questions—it explores how to translate the unchanging truths of the gospel into Gen Z's cultural context. Through reflective wisdom and practical tools, Maddox equips ministry leaders to meet Gen Z where they are and disciple them toward a vibrant, sustainable faith.

This book is designed not only to answer questions but also to equip ministry leaders to apply its insights across various ministry settings, making it an essential resource for youth pastors, campus ministry leaders, seminary students, and even parents.

What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God bridges the gap between generations, empowering leaders to engage with the next generation of believers in impactful and lasting ways.

Buy your copy today and get the tools you need to disciple Gen Z toward lasting faith.

REVIEWS

"Young people are tired of us answering questions they're not asking. If you're an adult who'd like to understand young people's real questions, how they are unique for this generation, and how Jesus intersects with the answers, then this book is for you. You'll gain deep principles and everyday practices to have better conversations and connections with the young people you care about most."
"This is a breath of fresh air. A timely resource connecting those serving in ministry to the questions and, more importantly, to the reasons behind the questions that Gen Z is asking about God."
"Getting to know each new generation and learning how to love them well can be confusing and tiring. That's why I so appreciate generational guides like Tanita Tualla Maddox. Her new book What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God offers the clarity and encouragement I need to press on as an itinerant minister who's committed to getting to know and love every wonderful new generation that comes along."
"Tanita Tualla Maddox provides a firsthand perspective and keen insight into the hearts and minds of Gen Z and how to meaningfully connect with and understand them. She skillfully illuminates the questions, struggles, and culture of the generationwhile outlining practical wisdom on how to contextualize the gospel to their real life. She displays a deep love and admiration for the meaningful impact Gen Z can bring to the church and the world. If you want to better reach and disciple Gen Z—which should be every believer—this is a must-read."
"If you are a parent of a Gen Zer or you work with this amazing generation, you will want to read this book. Not only is it well-written and informative, but the research is amazing. Tanita Tualla Maddox gets it when it comes to Gen Z, and she lives it out in her life work. Her insight, wisdom, and passion are evident on every page. She understands the mind, heart, soul, and needs of Gen Zers like few I know."
"I have been familiar with Tanita Tualla Maddox's academic work for several years. I am very encouraged to see that it is now more broadly available. It will generate many ideas among those who desire to understand and minister to Gen Z."
"Aiming to understand rather than fix Gen Zers, Tanita Tualla Maddox's book offers hope for pastors, parents, and mentors. Each chapter delivers valuable insights to engage with Gen Z's experiences for the sake of the gospel. What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God centers around seven questions that will transform your perspective of Gen Z and enhance your ability to connect across generations. Because every generation faces challenges in understanding the next, Maddox's book is anessential resource for those who disciple the upcoming generation."
"As Gen Z students enter the spaces where we work and serve, many of us feel uncertain about how to connect with this generation in ways that are meaningful and relevant. What Gen Z Really Wants to Know About God steps into this confusion and provides a clear path forward. Through an insightful exploration of Gen Z's values and burning questions, Tanita Tualla Maddox creatively ties these concerns to a contextualized presentation of the gospel, challenging our paradigms while equipping us to engage in fresh ways. By applying Maddox's wisdom—gained from years of working with young adults—we can open doors to discipleship for a generation eager to discover their place in the biblical story."
"If you are a pastor, parent, teacher, leader, or friend of anyone that is Gen Z, I urge you to run and read this book. With clarity and compassion, Tanita Tualla Maddox teaches through accessible stories, data, and scriptural reasoning how to listen, speak, and understand differently in order to love, serve, and empower the complex, beautiful, and hurting generation that is Gen Z. Read and get schooled in the best way to love the next generation and beyond."
"By breaking down the burning questions Gen Z is asking, Tanita Tualla Maddox gives us a window to better understand the next generation while also providing a lens to see Scripture with fresh eyes. You'll see Gen Z in a new, compassionate light and grasp how the gospel speaks directly to every generation. Winsome, well-researched, and practical, this is a book for anyone who's working with Gen Z, cares about a Gen Zer, knows a Gen Zer, or all of the above."
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Read an Excerpt

CONTENTS

Foreword by Chap Clark
Introduction: What's Going On with Gen Z and the Church?

1. Who Is Generation Z?
2. Is God Good?
3. Am I Enough?
4. Will You Accept Me?
5. Do All People Matter to God?
6. Can I Trust You?
7. What Is True?
8. Am I Safe?
9. What Now?
10. Ready to Get Started?

Acknowledgments
Notes

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BONUS MATERIAL

Dive deeper with this book's YouVersion Bible reading plan

Download the Press Kit

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ABOUT Tanita Tualla Maddox

Tanita Tualla Maddox
Tanita Tualla Maddox (DMin, Phoenix Seminary) is the national director for generational impact for Young Life and serves as an associate regional director in the Mountain West Young Life region. With an expertise in contextualizing the gospel for GenZ, Tanita has been featured on The Holy Post podcast and has been published in The Great Commission Research Journal, the Journal of Youth and Theology, and more. She has served as Young Life leader with adolescents for over twenty-six years and serves as a volunteer Young Life leader in her local community. She lives in Spokane, Washington, with her husband and two children.

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