In Bible believing churches and in communities all across the United States, there is a spiritual stirring. In recent months, I have heard many encouraging anecdotal reports of younger people coming to the faith, attending churches, and bringing a serious approach with them. Our church has always had a healthy balance of generations, but recently we have experienced a shift to many more younger families who are connecting, finding community, and serving. There have also been numerous events on secular/public university campuses reflecting the same thing.

Is a movement, a revival, or an awakening afoot? What is the difference between these designations? From my perspective, a movement is typically a local or regional event and tends to be temporary. A revival is also essentially a local or regional event, but with a more lasting impact. An awakening is much more widespread, even nationally, and its influence is greater. God knows which it is, and time will tell the story, but something unusual is taking place.

Recent research supports my premise. A Barna article titled “New Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults,” as part of the State of the Church 2025. Here are a few takeaways from Barna’s findings:

-There has been a groundswell of commitment to Jesus over the past four years.

-In aggregate terms, the multi-year climb in public sentiment toward Jesus equates to nearly 30 million more U.S. adults who claim to be following Jesus today than in 2021.

-Millennials and Gen Z have shown significant increases in commitment to Jesus…

My prayer is that if it is a movement or a revival, it will become a widespread spiritual awakening. God has done it many times before, and we need it. As Christians, this should be a focused part of our prayers. God is still building the church and advancing the kingdom!