#10 The Decision Dilemma: Why Too Many Options Leave Us Stuck - Jennifer Collins
Episode 10 | 28 Minutes | Mar 4, 2025
Have you ever felt paralyzed by too many choices? You’re not alone. For Gen Z, the pressure to make the perfect decision—whether about career, calling, or life direction—can feel overwhelming. With endless possibilities at their fingertips, many young adults find themselves stuck, afraid of choosing the wrong path and closing off other opportunities.
In this episode of Innovate for Good, we sit down with Jenny Collins, Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies at Taylor University, to unpack what she calls the “decision dilemma.” She explains why having more options often leads to less clarity and how the fear of missing out can turn into vocational paralysis. Jenny also shares practical wisdom on how young adults can break free from indecision, take meaningful steps forward, and trust that God will guide them along the way.
If you’ve ever felt stuck in your career, faith, or future plans, this conversation will help you shift your mindset, release the pressure of perfection, and take your next step with confidence.
In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Why Gen Z struggles with decision-making and how to overcome “vocational paralysis”
How biblical fear of the Lord contrasts with today’s culture of anxiety
What older generations need to know about mentoring Gen Z effectively
Why Gen Z’s global connectedness is both a strength and a challenge
How time in nature and spiritual disciplines can help counteract digital overload
Practical ways to support young adults in stepping into leadership and calling
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Jenny Collins is an Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies at Taylor University, where she has mentored and equipped students for over two decades. She also serves on the board of MissionWorks and previously directed Taylor University’s Lighthouse International Service Learning Program, sending over a thousand students on cross-cultural mission projects.
With a background in both computer science and theology, Jenny brings a unique perspective on vocational calling, spiritual formation, and the challenges facing Gen Z today. She has studied the impact of digital culture on young adults, the importance of biblical fear, and how institutions can better engage with a new generation of learners and leaders.
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Thanks for joining us on the Innovate for Good podcast. Today we have Jenny Collins joining us here for a conversation. Jenny is an Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies at Taylor University.
She also serves on the board of MissionWorks and directed Taylor University's Lighthouse International Service Learning Program from 1999 to 2013. Through which she sent over a thousand students to the mission field on short term projects. So thank you so much for giving us your time today, Jenny, and welcome to the podcast.
Thank you. It's really great to be here.
Well, Jenny, so what brought you into the world of higher education? I'm interested in hearing a little bit of your background and how you got to Taylor.
Back in the 1980s, I decided it would be great to study computer science and systems, and so that's actually what I studied in my undergrad program. It was a time when, computers were pretty new, and A lot was happening, and I really liked math and science, but as I was doing that role, after a while, I was realizing that what I loved most was the teaching aspect of helping people learn how to use computers, and they were not that easy to use in the, 1980s and early 90s, but teaching is what I was gravitating toward within that career, and then I, really was I was interested in biblical studies and theology, and had a pattern of really being in scripture a lot.
I was learning, too, that mentoring college age students was a lot of fun. It's a great age. Many important, developments are happening in students lives. I loved the students that I was, like, overseeing supervising at work. And, finally, I was really interested in other cultures and whenever working at Taylor and IT there was a chapel about something related to missions or someone from another culture, it was resonating and really moving.
So I started to pay attention to all of that. Yeah, and it just seemed that the intersection of my love for Bible theology, cultures, and students was working with them in ministry and missions and teaching in those subjects. So then I was able to pursue a master's at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and, I have done a lot of work toward a PhD in missiology as well.
So you actually started teaching in a different department and then you've come into this department during your time as a professor at Taylor.
That's right. Yeah. Mainly I was an IT person supporting, employees and their computers, but I did start teaching a computer literacy course. And that's, that was my first real teaching with students. And I did that for a long time. And then after finishing my master's, was able to start teaching some Bible admissions courses while also overseeing that. International service learning program.
Oh, wonderful. Wow. What a trajectory
I know, yeah.
Sure.
will say my systems training was really helpful for, a big set of short term mission trips all happening at once. It was a giant system with, 120 leaders and students. Six to eight partners on the field and, it was a giant system.
So there was a lot in my IT career that was, has been really helpful for things I've done since.
The logistics of sending large volume of students overseas, yeah, that can be a nightmare for somebody who's not systems oriented.
Yeah. Yeah. So God knew he really does have our futures in his hands. He
That's really cool. So how long have you been in this department teaching intercultural studies now? Okay,
on and off since 1998. There were some years when the Lighthouse program was large, and I only taught one intercultural studies course in those years, but now I am back to teaching, three courses in intercultural studies, and I also teach New Testament Survey.
Were reading your bio on the Taylor website and something that you write is I want students to internalize a biblical view of God's global purposes and to pursue his invitation to make a difference in the world using their vocation, which I love. You've obviously been there for a while, and I imagine that, one of the most rewarding parts of your job is when you see your graduates go on to actually make an impact in the communities where they work and a difference in the world.
Do you have any examples that come to mind of students that have gone on to do great things like that, that you've taught while, they were at Taylor?
It's just by God's grace, you know, right? Like, God is the one who really does the work in their lives. But professors, we get to play a tiny role in that, and it's such a privilege. So, there are two students that I worked with and had in class who are both CEOs of mission agencies
now. And that's been a wonderful thing to see. And then, I have another who is in, regional leadership for a large mission agency in Northern Europe. Then, some who are, just on the ground doing that kind of day in and day out ministry. There are about four in Central Asia. With various kinds of roles and in, Southeast Asia, one doing Bible translation and others doing a lot of just, beautiful ministry in some different types of outreaches.
I think one of the most unique ones is there's a more recent grad who is in Central Asia now doing what we would call Ethnodoxology. She had a music major. Intercultural Studies minor, and just really wanted to go serve in a Muslim people group. And that particular church is growing, but has very little, innovation in worship music and hymnology.
And she's gifted, and so she's with a team, there helping to produce albums. of new worship music for this church that is small but really growing in exciting ways. So she works with nationals who are musicians and it's a really lovely work that's happening there in a place that would be surprising if I could tell you the actual country name.
So that's a neat example of that. And there's also one grad who's really involved with the Lausanne movement. And so he had some responsibility at the recent Lausanne Congress. Yeah, that was, a beautiful thing to observe, and just, know
that was all happening. Two, people who graduated in the
spring are already launching into, one is, going into anti trafficking work, and another into, a really neat
evangelism ministry.
That's a lot of examples of
really cool ways.
I have a bulletin board
here full of prayer cards
Oh,
wow.
it's easy to think of
many examples.
Yeah, I
imagine that's pretty motivating to keep going on hard days, in your work.
and a couple of those are
with one collective, so that's been wonderful too.
So I know that you've done a good amount of research with Gen Z in addition to serving, serving them, day to day out of your profession.
For those of us who might not have as much experience with Gen Zers, what would you say are some of the defining characteristics of that generation? Silence.
version of pretty radical individualism here in American culture, they're taking that maybe to a new level and very intent on self expression with all the opportunities they have for that online.
They have that incredible, Access to information, and they are the first generation that has gone through puberty and adolescence with a smartphone. So that makes them a little different than millennials who usually didn't get that phone until
after, puberty. So they're very native to the digital world.
a strength with that is that they can relate to people of their generation in other cultures in ways previous generations haven't been able to, if those young people of other cultures also had a smartphone when they were growing up. And so they, there is research that's saying that they are more like.
Their cross cultural counterparts, than any generation has been before, so much more common ground with, Gen Z of other cultures and countries. So there, there's something there that it seems God is going to use. That could be powerful, but it also means that for older generations to relate to Gen Z, it's a little more like relating to a different culture
than it has been between
generations in our own culture before.
So that's a new thing. It's like we need to bring contextualization And all that, we would
bring to intercultural relationships. To our relationships with Gen Z if we're of a different generation, and they also may not understand that relating to
the older generations is a lot like relating to a different culture. So we have to help maybe them understand how different
their, the previous American generations are from them. I think that, generally, Maybe
among Gen Z total, not just
believers, there is a real desire
to just pursue happiness. That's often
their top goal in life. And then, because they've been fairly overprotected, by the safetyism, Jonathan Haidt calls it, in the anxious generation of our American culture since the 90s, they are pretty risk averse, because they're just not familiar with risk where major things are actually at stake, and where their failure could have consequences.
And so they're really uncomfortable with risk and ambiguity on the whole. Any one Gen Z person might not, have had that overprotection. But generally that is something that is going on with this culture.
Those are really interesting observations. Are they, um, things that you've seen in your own students as well as in your research?
Yeah, I would say that I do see, current students being a little more risk averse and less adventurous, with maybe just some of their, choices, activities, they do tend to play it safe, and, feel pretty comfortable with, some adults around, and then I just have had them often say to me that it feels like it all depends on them.
And so they're not necessarily, discipled well in the idea that, no, the body of Christ is there for you, and certainly the Lord himself is there for you. And, Yes, we have things that depend on us, but we are allowed to be humans with limitations and make mistakes in the kingdom. And this is where the Lord and the body of Christ come along and compliment our weaknesses with their strengths.
And when we fail or fall, they come alongside and help us learn from that and go forward. But many of them, because they haven't had many experiences of failure. I just feel like, oh, it all depends on me pulling this off, whatever it might be, a big assignment, or stepping out into a new role, or leadership on campus, or something like that.
Do you see the effects of COVID, factoring into this at all in terms of, removing the in person community that they've had and making them more and more individualistic, whereas their only community oftentimes is through technology and virtually, does that play a part into their risk aversion or like into how they see themselves?
I haven't done a lot of research in that area, or seen a lot of research in that area, but it seems like there's a correlation, but I'm speculating there, Just the idea of a global pandemic, you know, that was a new thing and a scary thing and they were at, many of them, a pretty vulnerable age when the world changed.
And their parents also probably had, never navigated anything like that before. And so I can see how that probably has impacted the risk aversion, part of their sort of tendencies for sure. Gen Z's really skeptical of sort of traditional institutions like the church and big Christian organizations.
And they are raising some pretty challenging questions about the Christian faith itself. And so one thing that I think they are sensing is the church might be, that The creativity killer that they imagine. And they really are individualistic and focused on creativity and self expression. And they are going to be looking for institutions, organizations that really value creativity.
Are not going to necessarily kill their new ideas or their, desire for innovation. And yet they are pretty inexperienced in many ways, so they are going to need scaffolding and people to come alongside. And then with big questions about faith, foundational faith issues, I think that they can sense we don't often want to answer those questions because it's uncomfortable and we're not sure sometimes how to handle doubts and those questions and that if they sense that we're trying to change the subject or move away from uncomfortable topics that's going to create more skepticism, I think.
This is so fascinating, Jenny, what's a top challenge or two that Gen Z faces and we'll need, we'll need to like address, like moving forward in their lives. I'm thinking about just this thing called possibility that's in some of the literature about emerging adulthood in general and how the number of possible options for vocation and career and places they could live has multiplied, from, Some of the previous generations where maybe the options
just didn't feel as broad and varied. And then there is this fear of missing out
in our culture for young people. And so it, it is somewhat
paralyzing. I don't want to miss out, but there
are so many possibilities. I am overwhelmed, and I don't know where to start or how to
choose my next step. Especially after college, but even
after college, maybe moving from their
first, position into the next one in their
adult work life. And one author calls it
vocational meandering, because of this, I don't want to just get stuck in one path, and yet I'm paralyzed because I don't know how to choose. And so I think that's a unique challenge, is how do we help them understand that God can give them many opportunities in a lifetime as he did me, I've had some really different careers so if you have A reasonable lifespan, it's quite possible that what you do for the first several years isn't going to lock you into anything, and God will, progressively give you more revelation and lead you into next steps, in ways that can be really beautiful and fulfilling.
And beauty is something they're searching for, as is, making a unique impact in the world, something that is unique to them.
I find myself having that conversation with Gen Z ers all the time.
Yep. Yeah.
next is really just that. It's just one next step and that God will be present with them. God will meet them there. God will open up more doors for them, in days to come.
And that they don't need to feel the pressure and the weight of choosing, everything right now.
Yeah, that's great. Keep having that conversation. I think they need to hear it a lot of times. And I'm trying to figure out how it was different when I was young, but I feel like we were just happy to have an opportunity. And, we just, I don't know, you just didn't worry so much maybe. And I'm not sure why if, but maybe because they're pursuing that very unique contribution.
They're more entrepreneurial. And yeah, are wanting that individual, way to impact.
Yeah.
it is interesting. I've found myself, five years ago when I was in classrooms, I would focus primarily, I would give a missions challenge and talk about, well, here's where you could go and serve. And of course, I still do some of that, but I've just in the last couple 12 months, I would say part of my talk in almost every class is coaching the students on how to think about the future and it wasn't like there wasn't like a light bulb that went off in my mind that said, this is what I should do.
Now. It just happened as I learned where the students were, what professors shared with me about where their students were. And it just naturally happened. Like Carly said, it's this is, a step that can be helpful for them. I think.
You've really uncovered this sense of risk aversion that, that Gen Z so often struggles with. And then you've done some comparison on what genuine fear of the Lord can look like and comparing the fear that, that can be so paralyzing for those in the Generation Z and, and in many of our lives.
So can you describe for us, just the comparison, that you found and what true fear of the Lord can look like?
Yeah, sure. You know, I got interested in fear and a biblical theology of fear because one of the most common commands in the Bible is that we should fear the Lord or that the fear of the Lord is something really important, like the beginning of wisdom. So about 200 times it comes up, but then, 360 times it comes up that we should not be afraid or not fear.
And so that tension seemed important to me. And I hadn't seen a lot of real, in depth work on that tension, and it seems like often it's, not explored or examined. So I was interested in that. And I also have learned how often in our Christian lives, balance is important, finding a biblical balance between two truths.
And god is very imminent, present. He is a friend. He's
also transcendent and incredibly, incomprehensible in His greatness. And, a lot of times we get off track if we can't stay in balance with His imminence and transcendence. And I think out of a sense of wanting to encourage young people, a lot of, Gen Z do believe God is present and he's
a friend. But maybe they've lost a sense of his greatness and power. And so when he is more of our buddy and we treat him a bit more casually, we can make him too small and too safe in the way that we conceive of him. And then those, things in the world that we
fear can become greater in how we perceive them.
And, we forget God's power and greatness for That, fear of The things in the world so misplaced fears and destructive fears can grow and The fear of the Lord can shrink And so I just feel that in what I've been studying recovering the fear of the Lord is helpful for, diminishing then those misplaced and destructive fears.
What is it to fear biblically and rightly? What is it to be faithful to scripture around fear? And, anxiety and fear aren't quite the same thing, according to psychologists. It seems that anxiety is a little bit more of a generalized vague. Concern and stress about things that are harder to identify.
An unknown future is part of that. Whereas fear might be more specific and can be named like I'm afraid of this or that. But I have not done a lot of, real precision on that, but I will just say that I think the fear of the Lord is deeper than we often, imagine. We would often say, I think in the American church, it's a deep reverence for God.
And I do think it's that. I think it's worship, but there's something about me that wants to say there's more, because I also have done some It's a study on the word tremble in scripture, and tremble is there more than we know. Like rejoice and tremble are together in the Psalms, and when Jesus calmed the storm in Mark four, the disciples were terrified and said, who is this? So there's an actual reference to things that sound like fear, connected with the Lord. And, uh, so I don't know about you, but a lot of Gen Z that in my life have church hurt. So they've seen hypocrisy or, forms of spiritual abuse or other things that have been painful in the church. Is maybe the American church struggling with those things because we actually don't fear the Lord deeply?
In the sense of actual trembling of his heart. Power and greatness. So I want to, I want to help people recall how, how glorious God actually is. And I like to ask people, how would you define God's glory? Because we don't talk about it enough. And it's like the collective colossal weight of all the magnitude of his amazing character traits.
His being all powerful, all knowing, all present, all good. And then having this incredible redemptive mission. And just forgetting that and making him too small, I think, leads us maybe to some double mindedness in the church, some hypocrisy, some of those scandals that we see happening.
And I would say a lot of the people involved in those negative things have probably worshipped the Lord deeply. They've sung those choruses, they've raised their hands, and yet they haven't really feared, His maybe, holiness, especially. Yeah, I could stop there, but that's some of what I've been discovering and thinking about.
So Jenny, what are some practical ways that, those of us listening, to this episode, most of our audience is Gen Z. And people that are hearing this
message, how can they pursue a healthy fear of God? And how can those of us
that are supporting them, help
them in that pursuit.
Yeah, one time when I talked on this, I
used some R words, And one was relate, or
relationship. One of the Gen Z young people in my life
has said that, Gen Z is desperate for spiritual parents And so to the Gen Z ers listening, I would say, seek some mentoring
from mature believers. Find someone
who's especially strong in some of your weak
areas. That's a really neat way to think about who you'd like to have as a mentor. Somebody who's walked
through some things that you're afraid of or that you know is an area where you have growth and for those doing the mentoring, I would just say avoid the
information download. Listen well, and As you relate with Gen Z, help them identify what makes them fearful and anxious.
A lot of time it is a fairly vague sense, and their lives are so busy that they haven't actually stopped to identify what, what makes them afraid. That can be a really important first step. And then, next I would say, God's revelation. So go to his word. I've had Gen Z respond really well to just good old Bible teaching about fear.
And I first started noticing this fear topic when I was reading the old Testament and things just continually go. wrong with God's people. And almost every time it goes south, the wrong direction, it's because one of God's people became afraid of something other than God. And then, made choices, and just, it all started to fall apart.
And so, I really just would say go into the word, God's revelation, together. And also, then his natural revelation in creation is another important thing to do. We're on our devices a lot, no matter what our age. And we need to set them aside and actually go outside and be restored through, God's revelation in creation because, Psalm 19 reminds us that the heavens declare His glory.
We apprehend or begin to grasp His greatness when we are in creation in ways that we don't. When we're indoors and looking at devices. And so, I would just encourage time in creation. There's a whole movement in the secular world right now, promoting going on awe walks. Where people go out and just are awed by nature.
And there's actually scientific research showing that it's calming and really good for anxiety. And of course it is, because the scriptures tell us this. But even the secular literature and leaders in psychology are recognizing this. Spend time in creation. And there we are, starting to unwind the knots of stress and fear as we're breathing in.
And then we're starting to realize, wow, God could create all of this, so he can probably handle what I'm afraid of. And that's just really powerful.
I was actually thinking when you were talking about avoiding information download,
In the ways that, we support Gen Z, it's so easy to fall into that trap of just giving unsolicited advice. And not letting people discover truths on their own and just being a helpful piece of that puzzle rather than, dumping our experiences and our lessons that we've learned onto them. But it's true, like for any generation, but especially Gen Z, really like the more that they can learn and discover about themselves, about the Lord, about the world on their own, maybe with some help along the way, but just them having the realizations is really going to be. The best way for them to uncover truths and for them to really see a change and transformation, in their own lives. So that's just a super helpful reminder for people like Mark and I and our coaching roles, to avoid, dumping stuff on to them, but really just be a helpful piece of them, yeah, learning on their own.
Yeah. One of my friends who researches Gen Z more than I do, Jolene Airlocker. She's a co author of Mobilizing Gen Z, that book. She says, when Gen Z is talking, Gen Z is learning. So that's been so key for me. You know, I'm an older professor. I have one style of teaching that, you know, I used for a lot of years, and I'm really trying to learn how to change that.
Because discover, that was a great word you used, is Discovering is so important for them, and they do have access to the information. But yeah, I think they need some guidelines, they need some scaffolding as they're growing. Yeah, and then another way to describe being out in God's creation I would just say is, developing habits of pursuing wonder.
And doing that in nature do you help us grasp more of God's power and then hope, in that power for what is causing us anxiety and fear. , 📍 📍 📍 so I, uh, changed an assignment and I set my, Bible students out on an awl walk. And had them report afterwards how they were changed physically, and emotionally, and mentally, and spiritually through that, after they reflected on some scripture about God's creation.
And they loved it, and they did find it very calming. You know, when we're on our devices, we're really listening to much of the world's script. about what's real. And, um, we need a different script. And I think God's revelation in scripture and in creation are key. Yeah.
makes so much sense to me.
Yeah. Another R word I'll throw out is help Gen Z or Gen Z yourselves. Remember when God has delivered you from past near misses or past storms of challenge. So I think as we get older, we maybe have more to remember, right? So we do more remembering, but we all are commanded often in scripture to remember the deeds of the Lord and his mighty arm and the way he delivered us in the past.
That also builds and fortifies our souls around fear and risk and anxiety. So just stopping to consider what great things God has done for us, that. Doing it alone and together in community is very encouraging and helps us build courage, I think. And then I would say to mentors, remind Gen Z of all they have to offer, and yet that it doesn't all depend on them.
They can serve in community and with the Lord's help, but they have so much to offer, and they are uniquely prepared to reach their own generation in the ways none of the rest of us are. And call out any genuine growth. that you see in young adults and, help them, recognize the accomplishments, the contributions, their creative, creativity that they're bringing, and then, maybe have some scaffolding in place as you give them more responsibility, more, opportunities where something real is actually at stake, but you have to slowly remove that scaffolding and give them more and more responsibility.
And that's how they will develop some confidence and courage as well.
I think that's really interesting that you said to intentionally remember the things that God has done because I think it's in our human nature to forget. And so it really goes counter to the way that we're wired to Set aside time and focus on remembering the things of the past. And, that's like how our forefathers passed along the faith is like telling the stories of what God has done for them to the next generation and the next generation, otherwise it would be forgotten.
And so even in our own lives. And in the whole history of our faith, like we need to be intentionally setting aside that time in order to, yeah, in order to move forward in faith, knowing that God has provided for us and that God has, guided us and delivered us, into where, we are today.
So I think that is such a helpful reminder.
Also love the remind piece, and the value of speaking into. And you, I'm tying that together with a comment you made a few minutes ago, Jenny, about how Gen Z is looking for, I forget the word. you use, like parents or people to lead them or mentor them. And so that, that reminding, speaking into their lives can be a part of that process of, being an older person.
Caregiver or someone who brings care to them and speaks into their life. That's I love that.
Yeah, it's a form of spiritual parenting. Yeah, that some
are very desperate for. They can't have too many caring adults in their lives, like you can't have too many. It's just the more you have the better.
Wow. Thank you. I appreciate not just like the theory and the study that you've done, but also the application side of it.
Um, I think that's really helpful.
Oh, you're so welcome. This has been fun. I appreciate the chance.
Yeah, it's like we're sitting in um highlights of jenny collins, Professor experience in teaching us and, but it's, yeah, it's been a refresher. It's like I'm back in Bible college with a refresher on things that are really important. And so thank you, Jenny.
My pleasure. This was fun. Thanks for the opportunity.
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Mobilizing Gen Z: Challenges & Opportunities in the Next Generation – Jolene Erlacher
Rejoice & Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord – Michael Reeves
You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World – Alan Noble
Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon – David Kinnaman & Mark Matlock
Taylor University’s Lighthouse Program – Learn more about short-term international service projects
