This book was good. I appreciated the insight and learning about the Anxious Generation through the lens of the church. I do feel that much of it could have been condensed into a well-thought out blog post that made it more meaningful, especially at the end where I felt I was reading the same chapter over and over again. Overall, practical insight and tips into how to love our younger generation better. I will recommend, specifically for those in our church who don’t work with the Anxious Generation on a daily basis.

Thanks Netgally for the ARC!

I like the premise and the timeliness of this book – the author is building on the topic of the book The Anxious Generation by Jonathon Haidt which was published just over a year ago and got quite a lot of traction and exposure. Haidt’s book spends a great deal of time and data analysis to propose the issues that face our young generations now are very connected to the shift from a play-based childhood to a phone-based childhood and that children today have less independence navigating the in-real-life world. I read the Haidt book as well so was curious how to apply what these studies on Gen X and Alpha tell us, so that we can them involved in church.

Rainer has continued on with this topic with additional research and spends a good portion of his book relaying similar information as he sets up the overall basic premise. He makes strong points for the benefit of the church for these young people and discusses some ways that church members can respond to make it more likely for them to come and to stay. Because there isn’t a silver bullet (though he stresses personal invitation a lot) there isn’t a formula to follow and the part of the book about what to do is limited (I didn’t feel like it got to ideas or actions until about the 75-80% point). He does provide good food for thought for all, either parents of those still living at home or church members and pastors in general.

Thank you to the Tyndale House Publisher and NetGalley for an early copy to read and review. This book is expected out in August 2025.

Wow. What a thought provoking book. I have not read the book that inspired this one (although now I want to!) So much to think about on how we are reaching other generations & future generations in the church. Rainer put a lot of thought & time into this, and im not sure one read through will be enough. It will be a must get for my bookshelves, not just an ebook!

Readable, insightful, and engaging. This book gave me a lot to think about. Rainer has clearly done his research and a lot of it was eye opening. I can’t wait to read more of his church books - they are short but certainly pack a punch…and that is coming from someone who doesn’t read a ton of nonfiction. I can’t wait to implement some of these ideas in my home church.

I have been engaged in Christian philosophy, apologetics, and the reality of the "Nones" for a full decade at this point; this kind of book is right up my spiritual alley. These are the kinds of things that I think that we need to be talking about more. These are the things that I encounter every day in my own ministry.

That said, I'm not sure Rainer really hit it. I mean, he did, but then, he missed it. This book is extremely dense in that it has a very heavy message included, but the actual copy is extremely repetitive, even within just a few paragraphs of each other. Rainer says exactly the same things over and over and over again and instead of an invitation to exploration and consideration, it makes this book a hammer. That approach just doesn't work for me. And, as a writer, it seems like perhaps he doesn't have enough to say to make a full, well-rounded book if he has to repeat himself so often. From my own studies, I know that there is so much to say. And at the same time, I understand also that a very foundational understanding is often enough to spark a movement. I think Rainer tried to take that very foundational understanding, which is not very complex, and make it sound like very much to say, which seems complex, and it just became boring and insulting.

The charts and graphs in this book, though few, are not helpful. They are not mathematically sound and do not actually contribute any information or understanding, such as the graphs that show simply the rise in certain reports without indicating where they rose from (what the baseline is) or over what period of time. Saying, "This rose 97%" and making a bar graph that just says "97%" is not informative. My hope is that these graphs will be enhanced before final publication. (I was reading an advanced copy of this book.)

This book, by nature of its concept, has so much potential. And for some audiences, it may work very well. For someone like me, who has invested so many years in these questions and this type of ministry, it was not the strongest presentation of the material. But my prayer is that it will do good work in God's world. I know it will.