I was raised in an extremely religious bubble. I attended Christian school until I was 14, went to church every Sunday (plus many Wednesdays), and was taught from birth that my purpose on this Earth was to spread Jesus’ word. My world was turned upside down, however, once I began attending public high school. I was exposed to teens from diverse backgrounds with all sorts of different beliefs, and for the first time in my life, I realized that being a Christian was optional. After deciding that religion wasn’t for me, I never looked back. I respect everyone’s views, but I had to be honest with myself. And I have countless friends who followed the same formula of growing up religious until they realized one day that they weren’t sold on the idea. That’s why it’s so fascinating that American Gen Zers seem to be bucking this trend and flocking to church. We took a look inside these churches to figure out if there’s actually a religious revival happening amongst this young generation, or if social media is simply making it seem like everyone’s suddenly a Christian. wirestock / Magnific (not the actual photo) Being religious is nothing new for Americans. According to data from the Pew Research Center, 78% of adults in the United States identified as Christian in 2007. Today, however, only 62% say the same. At the same time, the number of Americans who identify with religions other than Christianity has grown from 4.7% in 2007 to 7.1% in 2024. And the share of Americans who don’t identify with any religion has risen from 16% in 2007 to 29% in 2024. It is extremely common, however, for people who were raised in the church to decide as adults that they no longer identify with organized religion. Pew reports that among the American adults who are religiously unaffiliated, two-thirds actually grew up in religious households. Over half of these adults say they abandoned religion because they stopped believing in its teachings. So the fact that Zoomers are showing up to churches across the country in droves is cause for conversation. At St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, New York, for example, the pews are full of young adults every Sunday. Ismael Paramo / Unsplash (not the actual photo) Apparently, this church has become a hotspot for young Catholics, and social media has certainly helped spread the church’s message. Last year, content creator Anthony Gross deemed St. Joseph’s the “best Catholic church in New York City,” warning viewers that they won’t get a seat if they don’t arrive at least 10 minutes early. Other selling points that Gross pointed out were the fact that 90% of the church’s parishioners are in their 20s or 30s, and that the church hosts a wine-and-cheese social for young adults after the 6 p.m. Sunday Mass. This surge of young churchgoers isn’t only happening in New York City. Bishop John Dolan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix told Time that his diocese saw hundreds of people get baptized over Easter weekend, the majority of whom were Gen Z. Meanwhile, religious conferences around the United States have seen an influx of young participants as well. Nearly 2,000 Americans attended a three-day Catholic youth conference in Houston, Texas, in August. At the end of this month, the National Catholic Youth Conference will be held in California, with thousands of teens from around the country in attendance. Akira Hojo / Unsplash (not the actual photo) For older generations, church was often seen as a place where you had to be buttoned-up and on your best behavior. I remember feeling like it was a hassle to have to get dressed on Sunday morning and go to church when all I wanted to do was eat pancakes in my pajamas. Churches have seemingly cracked the code to making their messages relatable and appealing to young audiences, though, and social media is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. “I can be that in-between — Monday to Saturday help — to give you practical things to make you feel like you’re not walking this walk alone,” Megan Ashley, a 35-year-old host of the Christian podcast “In Totality,” told AP News. Religious influencers are gaining popularity in many corners of the internet, and their messages are able to reach people who didn’t grow up in the church or may not have access to an in-person religious community. “People are spiritually hungry, emotionally hungry, and I think for the first time ever … people are encountering Jesus even through online platforms, and they’re realizing, this is true life and fulfillment,” says Angela Halili, co-host of the “Girls Gone Bible” podcast. Pedro Lima / Unsplash (not the actual photo) So why are so many Gen Zers turning towards religion? Well, the answer may be as simple as why so many people before them have sought out something sacred. A 2025 report from the Cigna Group found that Gen Z is the loneliest generation in the United States, with nearly two-thirds citing that they experience loneliness. However, people who are socially engaged and active in their communities report much higher levels of well-being. Plus, a sense of belonging is incredibly important for humans. Churches aim to provide safe, welcoming environments where everyone already has at least one thing in common, which can be extremely comforting for young people who are looking for a community. Actively religious people are also more likely to describe themselves as “very happy” than their less-religious peers. Often, they don’t even have to attend a formal church service to find their people. While New York City isn’t typically seen as the most religious place, especially compared to the Bible Belt, it is a melting pot of many different cultures and peoples. So there are countless events that religious young adults can attend, which can be especially beneficial for transplants who arrive without a solid support system. Anthony Gross and Kate DePetro have hosted “Pizza to Pews” events, where over 100 young adults meet up to socialize and enjoy a meal before heading to St. Joseph’s for Mass. There are also “Holy Girl Walks” in Manhattan (and now other cities across the country) where women gather to “pray the rosary and go for a walk.” Magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo) Everyone needs community, especially when the world feels so incredibly unstable and unpredictable. For many young people, religion provides answers, security, and a feeling of safety. And this isn’t only happening in the US. "When you find people your age that are on fire for Jesus, and are also searching intently, it can be really motivating and really inspiring, and just to know that you're not on your own,” Jay Painter, a 27-year-old from Wiltshire, England, told the BBC. He came to Christianity as an adult, after the painful loss of his grandfather in 2024. He shared that it sparked a “search for truth” within him, and later that year, he decided to convert. "It can be tough to get people to listen at times, but this idea of the quiet revival and more media attention helps,” Painter says. He’s certainly not alone. A YouGov survey found that there has been an uptick in church attendance, particularly amongst young people, in England and Wales in recent years. Apparently, in 2018, only 8% of adults were attending church at least once a month, while 12% were doing so in 2024. While it’s clear that religion won’t be dying out with the younger generations, it’s difficult to say whether this is actually a new trend or if it’s simply something we’re noticing now. There are still plenty of young adults who choose to abandon religion as they grow up, citing that they’re unhappy with the church’s social or political views, how the church treats women, or due to scandals involving clergy or religious leaders. At the same time, churches have always prioritized bringing in new young members. Ryan Burge, a former pastor who is now a professor of practice at the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis, says that religiosity in the US has been holding steady since 2020, despite being on the decline for decades prior. Magnific / Magnific (not the actual photo) That doesn’t mean that there’s been a resurgence, though. “I do think that young people are just more open to the idea of religion because they don’t have all this religious background that prior generations did,” Burge told Time. Melissa Deckman, CEO of the PRRI, also noted that this “religious revival” is likely a narrative that the media clung to, rather than something that we have solid evidence of. “I think there might be some legitimate cases where we see an uptick in individual churches where more young people are coming to join or attending services regularly,” she told Time. “But I would caution against looking at anecdotes as being the same things as general trends.” David Campbell, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, says that “there have always been examples of particular congregations that are able to draw in young people; it’s just nobody had stitched them together into a common narrative until now.” Young people searching for ways to understand themselves and the world is nothing new. Perhaps for some people, going to church is just one of the latest trends on TikTok. But it doesn’t seem to matter whether these young Christians are more concerned about hearing the Gospel or making friends; there are certainly worse places where young adults could go in search of a sense of belonging and a strong community.
