Investing in the Next Generation

Investing in the Next Generation
by
October 29, 2025

On Sunday, Belmont President Greg Jones preached and talked about the importance of having “God-sized dreams.” At Woodmont, we are rolling out a “God-sized dream” that will lead our church into the future. One of our primary goals of the “Generations of Faith” campaign is to make a massive investment in the next generation of Christians. They are the future and the present! Our new family life center will allow our church to grow and thrive in the years ahead, creating new space so that our church can flourish and expand. We need your support to make it happen!

In a recent midterm assignment, I asked my Vanderbilt students to identify two significant challenges facing our culture and specific solutions they might offer.  The most common problems named included the following: incivility, political polarization, social media addiction, rampant individualism, affordability, moral decline, rising anxiety, and the epidemic of loneliness. Today’s college students certainly have their finger on the pulse of what seems to ail our culture. This is the world that awaits them after graduation, and they will enter it determined, with their eyes wide open.

The solutions that they provided give me great hope for the future. The students talked about how face-to-face interaction and conversation are going to be key in the future. The digital age has its limitations. The skill of actively listening to all points of view is going to be essential, and Vanderbilt has been a flagship school in this regard. Most of them are tired of extreme politics where the most radical voices tend to get all the attention and airtime. Fancy algorithms have only enhanced the echo chambers of the like-minded. They have all grown up in an age where anger and contempt have become commonplace and have defined the political landscape. I see a deep longing to change that in the coming years. Friendships across the political divide are both important and necessary for communities and nations to thrive. Disagreements do not have to be viewed as threats. Political ideology should not define family and friendship.

Contrary to some research, most of my students long to get married and raise a family. This may not happen as early as it used to because young people today want time to establish themselves, cultivate a career, experience the world, and discover who they really are. They seem to recognize that healthy marriages and mutual friendships are key to living a meaningful life. Finding friends with similar values and priorities matters to them. However, these students seem to naturally respect the fact that different backgrounds and socio-economic levels lead to different worldviews and experiences. Some are born into privilege and wealth. Others have had to work hard to earn their way. Regardless, there seems to be a deep appreciation for the sacrifices their parents have made to get them where they are today.

Not all of my students consider themselves religious, but they have a deep appreciation for the connection between religion and morality. As our culture has gradually lost its moral center over time, character formation has not been emphasized the way it once was. This seems to be changing. Core values, virtue, honesty, and integrity are important. With depression, loneliness, and anxiety soaring, finding community is also essential. People want to belong to something greater than self. But community does not happen automatically. It must be intentionally developed and cultivated over time. These students have grown up in the digital age with smartphones and social media, but they are well aware of the dangers that are present. Screens are important but they can greatly limit meaningful human interaction. I see a strong hunger for face-to-face conversation and connection. Much of the incivility, dehumanization, and rage happens online.

What strikes me most about my students is that they all long to build a meaningful life that values people over money and things. They see the shortcomings of rampant materialism and the shallowness of constant social comparison. Emotional intelligence will be key as they move into the future and establish careers. Self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills are very important traits that are not automatic. They can be developed. What I am hearing from these college students is a deep desire to address the challenges of our time and a willingness to do the hard work to make this happen. They are not naïve, but they are unwilling to accept the status quo. All of this gives me great hope for the younger generation and what the future has in store! Young people are the future!

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