January marked the start of my 12th and final semester—the culmination of a six-year journey as a STEM undergraduate and master’s student at Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), where I also serve as a teaching assistant for chemistry and biology. One of my faculty supervisors, Dr. Gregory Rummo, is a chemistry professor and writer with a background spanning chemistry, financial management, and theological apologetics.

Dr. Rummo’s most recent book, Reaching Gen Z with the Gospel in the College Classroom, provides a formula for professors at Christian colleges seeking to model faith and teach the gospel while effectively engaging today’s college students. Structured in nine chapters, the book addresses the defining characteristics of Generation Z and provides guidance for reaching students across varying levels of spiritual maturity.

Reading the book, I found its portrayal of today’s students incredibly accurate. At the same time, it offered concrete insight into how anyone entrusted with shaping students—at any level of instruction—can serve as an effective Christian role model in the classroom.

Reaching Gen Z with the Gospel in the College Classroom

The book opens with an introductory chapter on PBA—its mission, students, and faculty—and explains what inspired Dr. Rummo to begin reimagining his classroom through a missional lens.

Chapters one through seven form the core of the book, dissecting the different facets of a missional college educator. Dr. Rummo begins with “Having a Theological Vision,” in which he argues that Christian college professors should de-emphasize their academic qualifications by making Christ the “defining credential.” Western hustle culture teaches students to chase accolades—GPAs, resumes, and academic achievements. But Christian professors, Rummo argues, are called to model an entirely different hierarchy and stand in stark contrast to the world’s teachings of self-exaltation.

Chapter two, “Know Their Stories,” moves from conceptual foundation to practice. Dr. Rummo names the core missional task of Christian professors as taking time to personally understand their students by “liv[ing] among the people and learn[ing] their language.” Without being intrusive, Dr. Rummo provides a disarmingly practical solution: he invites students to write about themselves. As Dr. Rummo notes, a defining feature of Gen Z is that “sharing details about their personal lives is something [they do] unabashedly.” Students in his nursing chemistry courses are tasked with crafting a response to an assigned article composed of a discussion, a biblical reflection, and a personal faith account. His writing exercise not only respects boundaries but also reveals the students’ spiritual context and, furthermore, gives each student a voice. (Read, “An Extra Credit Assignment Inspires Reflection on Study Habits.”)

In chapter three, Dr. Rummo takes the idea of personal connection a step further by encouraging the active adoption of scriptural hospitality. Ultimately, his mission and calling to other professors is to provide a space where students come to feel safe, supported, and seen.

Most relevant is the following quote: “Hospitality is not some stuffy, outdated practice. If we want to be able to minister to our students outside of the classroom, we have to treat them like family. If we want them to listen to us when we speak to them about the gospel, we have to earn the right.”

This directly addresses a common mistake within the Christian community: zeal, even when well-intended, coerces rather than invites. When the Gospel is delivered with force, it repels rather than opens hearts.

Chapters four and five simultaneously move the discussion from relational evangelism to explicit gospel proclamation, with particular focus on Dr. Rummo’s experience teaching in the scientific classroom. As he puts it, “[d]espite God being present everywhere, not all are God-aware.” He is speaking not only to those who are not Christian, but even some Christians who are young in the faith or simply do not think to look for God in mundane, ordinary life. Though the methodology he uses differs across classrooms, the goal remains the same: “reawakening the imago Dei,” or fostering the discovery of how humankind is created in the image of God.

The final two chapters wrap up Dr. Rummo’s model by demonstrating how missional work extends beyond the classroom. Chapter six focuses on his time serving as a leader of a “Chapel Life Group,” which is the university equivalent of a church “small group.” In this section, Dr. Rummo highlights a key point about this generation’s “crisis of identity,” noting that “this crisis is a symptom of a deeper crisis. It is a failure to recognize the imago Dei.”

Dr. Rummo does not mention the root causes of Gen Z identity struggles, but from personal experience, I see that a main contributor is constant technological connectivity and social media use. More than ever, it is the Internet that tells Gen Z who to be—follow this “aesthetic,” by these products, copy this influencer, and blend in to become “one of them.” This not only erases individuality—a beautiful gift from God—but it also leads young people on a shallow path that leaves them feeling hollow and unfulfilled. The alternative is to discover the identity they truly crave: oneness with God.

Chapter seven wraps up Dr. Rummo’s discussion by sharing his journey in establishing a mission trip pipeline to the Peruvian tribes of the Andes Mountains. Begun as a personal calling, Dr. Rummo, with the assistance of PBA’s global missions team, now leads an annual “Andes Trek” in which he and a team of carefully selected students distribute Bibles and, more recently, medical supplies to those in Peru. As he writes, “I think that it is more impactful if students can see evangelism modeled on a short-term mission trip and especially to an unreached people group in the developing world.” (Read, “Florida Professor Planning ‘Encampment’ of a Different Sort.”)

The final chapter illuminates the book’s dual function as a personal witness and a professor-targeted call to action. The closing lines serve as an appeal to Christian educators around the world: “Our students are counting on us to lead them into all truth … May we as Christian professors be committed to our students’ spiritual growth in following Christ.”

Final Reflections

Though written for professors at Christian colleges, Reaching Gen Z with the Gospel in the College Classroom is a worthwhile read for any Christian working in education who seeks to be missional in their vocation. With thoughtful adaptation, its principles can extend to Christian K–12 teachers, teaching assistants, and even Christian professors at secular institutions. The question Dr. Rummo poses is simple but compelling: “How innovative must we be to reach people?”

For many readers, the greatest challenge will be applying Dr. Rummo’s model in full. Educators come from diverse backgrounds and operate under constraints of time, resources, and institutional boundaries. Christian professors at secular colleges, for example, face limitations on sharing faith openly in the classroom. Teaching assistants rarely have a private space to practice hospitality, so they must be creative in communal settings. K–12 teachers must navigate students’ developmental limits and the realities of working with minors. These challenges are real, but they do not undermine the heart of the book.

This message is captured in a line from Dr. Rummo’s conclusion: “I have had some pushback from professors who said they felt they would lose the respect of their students if they treated them like this.” As a teaching assistant, I understand the legitimate concern. I have seen firsthand why professors worry about losing student respect. But I am not convinced that the hospitality itself is the problem. Rather, it is students who arrive with an “I’m an adult now” posture that resists authority altogether. Hospitality and boundaries are not mutually exclusive, and it is the educator’s responsibility to strike a balance.

Personally, the professors I have respected the most have been those who lead with hospitality. They celebrated my wins, supported me through failures, and rolled up their sleeves to “get in the dirt” with my struggles. Their authority did not come from prestige, but rather from a gentle servant heart.

Perhaps the book’s greatest message is this: the most successful Christian professor is not the most powerful, acclaimed, or accomplished. Rather, the lasting effect comes from embodying the same principles Christians apply to their spiritual lives—humility, service, and faithfulness.

See more by Hannah Hutchins on Muck Rack.