There is a new chapter beginning, coming from the Gen Z and Millennial generations. For the first time in decades, there has been a large spike in church attendance, and these younger generations are responsible for it.
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with over 2.4 billion people. For the past decade, there has been a decline in Christianity; however, a shift is expected ahead. In an article on USA Today by writer Ed Stetzer, the dean at the Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, it says, “As someone who has been an observer of Christian trends for decades, including a stint leading a Christian research organization, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
In a study by The Open Generation: United States, it was found that over half of today’s Gen-Z teens are motivated and interested in learning more about Jesus. As stated in an article by Barna, focused on the change in people’s faith, “Teens in the U.S. are far more intrigued than their global peers, with 77 percent being at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about Jesus throughout their lives.” This is evidence that even the interest in learning about Jesus is sparking more and more people to fully convert to Christianity.
Most of the change in church attendance has occurred within the last five years, following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “In 2020, the average was close to one weekend per month. Now, those rates are up nearly one extra weekend a month, nearly double the rates of just five years ago,” stated in the same study by Barna. Not only is the number of people attending church rising, but also the consistency of how often people continue to attend.
Along with this shift, there has also been a shift in media. Christian movies, shows, and music are gaining more and more popularity. Shows like “The Chosen,” which walks through the life of Jesus Christ with his teachings and gospels, are very popular among young adults. Music artists such as Forest Frank have recently become very popular with all generations, from children to older adults. Songs like his and those by other similar artists are upbeat and make people excited to learn more about Jesus. There has also been a steep increase in Bible sales. “Americans’ engagement with the Bible also appears to be increasing. The 2025 State of the Bible report from the American Bible Society found an increase in Bible use and engagement. According to The Wall Street Journal, Bible sales have spiked, driven largely by first-time buyers,” states Ed Stetzer, in the same article from USA Today. With Gen Z being known for being interested and involved with media and technology, it makes sense that you can see this shift in the media.
You can see from the data that there is a clear change coming forth in the future. “But something is stirring in the data − in the culture. Christians would do well to pay attention, live out their faith, and step into the opportunity to share with others,” Stetzer expressed. Gen Z is the cornerstone of this resurgence in Christianity.
