J.D. Greear Sees Signs of Revival in America, ‘Gen Z Is Going Back to Church’
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
A former Southern Baptist Convention president who pastors one of the largest churches in North Carolina says he sees signs of revival in America, especially among young people who are hungering for truth in a secular age.
J.D. Greear is the pastor of Summit Church in the Raleigh–Durham, N.C., area and the author of numerous books, including Everyday Revolutionary: How to Transcend the Culture War and Transform the World (Zondervan), which releases Oct. 7.
"Gen Z is going back to church. …We're seeing it on our college campuses," Greear told Crosswalk Headlines.
National data supports Greear's belief. A Barna report released in September found that Gen Z church attendance has increased every year since 2022, with today's young adults attending more frequently than older generations -- a historical reversal from past data. Millennials, too, are returning to church at higher rates than in previous years. An April Barna survey further revealed that personal commitment to Jesus is also rising nationwide, led by Gen Z and Millennials. More than six in 10 from both generations say they have made a commitment to Jesus that remains important in their lives today.
Interest in Jesus among young people is so high that Greear's church is hosting not one but two worship services Sept. 21 in the University of North Carolina's Dean Dome -- the massive facility that holds 21,000 for basketball games.
This week, college students from Greear's church gathered to pray for the event, dubbed "Church at the Dome."
"Repentance, fasting, crying out to God with earnestness and weeping… It's the stirrings of revival," he wrote.
"They were just crying out to God on their campus for revival and awakening," he told Crosswalk Headlines.
The renewed interest among young people, he said, calls for churches to be intentional in their strategy.
"They're returning to church, [but] what are we calling them into? Is this whole thing going to be like, we're going to let political operatives commandeer them primarily into a voting block, or are we going to see them become gospel witnesses -- people that are about gospel transformation?"
This doesn't mean Greear doesn't want college students to speak out about cultural issues. In fact, he believes the renewed interest in Jesus among young people is driven, in part, by a reaction to secular overreach.
Greear cited Sheldon Vanauken, the author who was led to Christ by C.S. Lewis.
"When you go to Christ, it's like you're taking the leap of faith. He said what nobody ever talks about is the cliff you're standing on is actually crumbling underneath you. And Gen Z has recognized that this cliff they're standing on is crumbling," Greear said. "And so it's created this hunger for something, and it's made that leap of faith to Jesus -- it's made it that much more appealing. So I think what we're seeing is this reaction to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual bankruptcy of secular progressivism."
Greear added that "woke ideology was just so oppressive" for so long that college students naturally pushed back.
Of course, he added, Christians in America have been praying for revival for decades.
"God is sending it," he said. "So that's where I spend most of my energy and effort -- thinking God's doing something, and I want to be a part of it."
Photo Credit: ©Summit Church
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
