For years, the headlines told one story: Church attendance falling. Faith fading. “Nones” rising.
According to Pew Research, the share of U.S. adults identifying as Christian dropped from about 90% in the 1990s to 64% today.
You could feel it in half-empty rooms and stretched volunteers. Pastors burned out while soccer fields took priority over sanctuaries on Sunday mornings. It felt like something sacred was slipping—maybe dying.
But it doesn’t do that, does it? Die. That can’t be what happens, can it? Didn’t Jesus say that the church would not be defeated?
“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).
He didn’t say the American church. He said his church—worldwide, unbreakable and still advancing in every language and nation. Even so, I believe he still has plans for his church here in America.
Maybe we should have taken him at his word. Don’t the best chapters come after it seems the story’s over?
Signs of Life
Around the world—from Africa to Asia to South America—the church continues to multiply. And even in the West, while the “decline narrative” still dominates headlines, a different set of numbers is emerging—quieter but full of life.
• Barna Research (2024) reports that young adults (18–35) are leading a resurgence in church attendance (Barna).
• In the U.K., monthly attendance among 18- to 24-year-olds quadrupled—from 4% to 16% in six years (Religion Media Centre).
• Christian music streams have climbed over 60% since 2019, according to Spotify data cited by Tithe.ly (Tithe.ly Blog) and Christian artists are topping the charts like never before.
It’s not the mass revival some predicted—it’s something subtler. A slow, Spirit-breathed return among a generation that was supposed to be gone for good.
Why It’s Happening
They’re not coming back for programs or performance. They’re coming back for presence. Christianity Today reported recently:
“This is the most marketed-to generation in history, so opinions and propositions are often just dead on arrival. Gen Z elevates and prioritizes authenticity.”
Gen Z just wants a church that lives the gospel it claims is real. Here’s what this generation has found in the church:
Disillusionment met hunger. After years of curated feeds and fractured headlines, people are craving something solid: truth that doesn’t move when the algorithm does.
Isolation met invitation. The pandemic left millions spiritually homeless. What used to feel optional now feels essential: embodied community, shared worship, someone to pray with in person.
Noise met worship. The rise of high excellence, Christ-exalting music outside church walls—songs like “Holy Forever,” “Gratitude,” even “Lemonade” echoing through earbuds and arenas—signals a shift from cynicism to longing.
The world is still noisy, but it feels like faith is finding its frequency again in many parts of America.
And maybe that’s no accident. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1). Maybe this is the time for rebuilding—not back to what was, but forward to what’s next.
One Story Among Many
I talked to a Gen Z couple visiting our church the other day with their sweet baby girl. I asked how they found us. Usually guests to our church are brought by other people. That’s how we’re growing: neighbors bringing neighbors, friends bringing friends.
But this couple’s answer was interesting to me. He said that they were just feeling led to find a church. So they looked us up, since we were nearby.
Then on their third visit (in a row), I asked them if they were planning on sticking around. They said yes, and when I asked what it was that helped them make that decision they talked about the truth taught and genuineness of the people.
In other words, they were looking for something that was … real. Not religion or empty ritual. Not flashy programs or shiny perfection.
Just real people running after a real Jesus.
And that’s just one story among many. I have more, and my friends pastoring all over the country have countless more of the same. They all whisper the same truth: God’s not done.
Our Moment
If you’ve been discouraged, take heart, this is our moment.
Take another look at what Jesus said: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
The gates of hell.
If it’s the gates of hell that aren’t prevailing, doesn’t that mean the church is storming the gates of hell?
Jesus isn’t talking about defense. He’s not saying, “Huddle up and I’ll protect you.” He’s on a white horse yelling “Charge!” and expecting us to follow him into the fires of hell to rescue his kids.
The church’s influence in our nation isn’t vanishing; it’s shifting—and that’s just one corner of what God’s doing around the world. Faith is rediscovering its fire. The comfortable majority may be gone, but comfort was never the goal, was it?
I think it was Tim Keller who said that Christianity always grows best when it’s seen as an alternative to the culture, not a reflection of it. Tertullian went further centuries earlier: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
The pattern hasn’t changed—pressure purifies.
So what do we do? We storm the gates of hell.
• Show up. You don’t need a perfect church; just a posture of worship. Presence changes atmospheres.
• Invest deeply. Pour into one Gen Z believer. Ask what they see God doing. Listen before you lecture.
• Sing louder. Join the soundtrack of renewal. If worship is being reborn, lend your voice.
• Pray bigger. The gates of hell haven’t moved—maybe it’s time the church did.
This isn’t nostalgia; it’s assignment.
To the Elders
To the Gen X and Boomers reading this, I just want to take a moment and make a direct plea.
We need you.
Everything I wrote in the section above? We need it from you.
We need you to embrace what’s working to reach your kids and grandkids’ generations, even if it’s not goldilocks for you personally.
We need you to pray for young adults and young families.
We need you to serve in the kids ministry of your church so that these Gen Z parents can have a break, hear the gospel clearly, and most importantly, see how much we love their kids.
We need you to give sacrificially to maximize the moment and reach as many people as possible before Jesus returns.
The Last Word
Decline got the headline for a while, but resurrection gets the last word.
You were born for this chapter—to help rebuild, reimagine, and reintroduce Jesus to a generation that’s thirsty again.
So don’t retreat. Don’t scroll past the movement.
Pray for your church. Invite someone this week. Join the comeback.
Because Jesus is still storming hell—and the gates still don’t stand a chance.