After seeing a crisis in the making, Dr. Robert Petterson knew something needed to be done.

Recognizing that a large amount of Millennials, Gen Z’s and younger are disconnected from a growing Christian faith, Dr. Robert Petterson has founded a new ministry to help grandparents of faith, most of whom are not technology savvy, reach their digital native grandchildren with the Gospel message and biblical values.

“We’ve inherited a legacy of faith from those before us, but we are losing the next generations, the natives of ‘Digital Land,’ making them one of today’s largest unreached people groups when it comes to the Bible and its teachings,” Petterson said. “We believe that Jesus did not come to make bad people good but to bring life to dead people, and until our grandchildren are spiritually alive, we will not see a change in our cultural landscape.”

To bridge this generational divide and build bridges, The Legacy Imperative offers tools to train grandparents in communicating with their grandchildren. They have also created a film series called "Reaching Digital Land,” described as a cross between Netflix and The History Channel. The 10 episodes explore key events in history as well as societal and cultural changes leading to today’s generational schism. Each session closes with thought-provoking discussion questions to help grandparents spark non-confrontational conversations with their grandchildren, some of them on key hot-button issues. 

Additionally, Legacy Imperative recently launched a new video-based weekly Bible study series conducted via YouTube, with Dr. Petterson speaking specifically about hot-button issues of the day. Since these are the topics that pose the greatest stumbling blocks to faith to Millennials and Gen Z’s, Dr. Petterson presents the subjects through a biblical lens, then offers strategies for opening dialogue and removing barriers. 

“These young people will determine the course of history for our nation and world for the next 50 years, perhaps forever,” Petterson added. “The future is in our hands, and it is imperative that we pass on our spiritual legacy to the next generations, while there is still time.”

Today on Connections, Dr. Petterson shares where the idea came from, and what role grandparents play in passing their faith on to the next generation.