Gen Z Is Supposed To Be Done With Religion. Someone Forgot To Tell Them.

Steve Little was teaching a leadership class to his own employees last month when he asked, almost as an aside, how many of them were actively practicing religion. He was expecting a smattering of hands. Instead, 80 percent of the room – employees aged 26 to 38 – raised their hands.

“I was shocked. I genuinely demonstrated that on my face.”

The following week, Little received an industry report from the Associated Builders and Contractors showing that churches are now the second fastest-growing construction sector in America – double-digit growth in a market where hospitals, schools, and municipalities are all contracting.

Something is happening out there that the headlines aren’t capturing.

Little, who heads Kost Roofing and Waterproofing in Texas, shared that story in a recent conversation with Rabbi Rami Goldberg on Biblical Money, the podcast exploring faith, finance, and business. Rabbi Rami, a rabbi with Israel365 – the organization at the forefront of building bridges between the Jewish and Christian worlds around Israel – wasn’t entirely surprised. He described a parallel reality in Israel, where Shabbat observance is rising steadily and over half of all kindergartners now come from religious homes. “People are being forced to confront the deep questions,” Rabbi Rami told Little. “What does this mean for my faith? What does it mean for God? What does it mean for the world?”

Little’s own experience points in the same direction. Running a 550-person company, he’s watched a generation arrive at his door without the anchors that previous generations absorbed at home or in church – and then quietly go searching for them anyway. Over 60 percent of Kost’s white-collar employees have been with the company for more than ten years. Little believes the culture they’ve built is part of why. Kost runs Bible study groups, a company charity that provides scholarships and emergency support, and a leadership program rooted in a simple principle: treat others as you want to be treated. “We are a blessed company,” Little said, “and we know we wouldn’t be where we are today without the blessings of God.”

That kind of culture, it turns out, may be exactly what this generation is looking for. They’re arriving at the workplace already searching – for purpose, for community, for something larger than themselves. Little sees it every day. “I see my peers less involved in religion,” he said. “I wouldn’t have expected 80% of those young people to be practicing.”

The data surprised him. The hunger behind it probably shouldn’t have.

Watch the full episode at Biblical Money: Exploring Faith, Finance, Bible & Business with Rabbi Rami Goldberg.

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