North Carolina is one of the fastest growing states in the United States and is predicted to have doubled in population over the last three decades by 2030. Three significant trends in the state’s demographic shifts are: the rise of cultural and religious diversity; the rise of Gen Z’s influence on society; and the rise of post-retirement possibilities.


In this episode of the On Mission Together Podcast, Executive Director-Treasurer Todd Unzicker sits down with Keelan Cook, director of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary’s Center for Great Commission Studies. They dive into the key causes and sources of population change and how they shape the mission field right here in North Carolina. Listen in and consider what these shifts mean for how your church engages with your community and makes disciples. 

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Podcast Highlights:

  • “If we’re in the people business, the doubling of your population as a state — I mean, that has everything to do with mission.” (4:52)
  • “These are the very places that our IMB is working so hard to send people to because they have no access to the gospel back where they are … here they are in Morrisville, just down the street.” (10:45)
  • “We talk about an attention economy nowadays. Well, Gen Z eyeballs are those we primarily wanted because they’re going to be the new consumer class at some point. Because of that, the worldview that Gen Z has developed over time, I think, has a disproportionate influence really on society as a whole. We’re all starting to think, in some sense, like Gen Z.” (13:02)
  • “I find this slice of the population actually has some similar parallels to that young guy or gal that’s graduating college right now — major life transition — I’m looking at my future, going, ‘How am I going to use it?’” (18:36)
  • View cited data and graphs reflecting demographic trends here.
  • Find more Great Commission resources at www.thecgcs.org.
  • Register for the 2025 Disciple-Making Conference, explore breakout sessions and view the schedule at disciplemakingconference.org. 

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