Viral or Revival?
When Zach Meerkreebs stepped off the stage after what he felt was a mediocre sermon at best, he sent a text message to his wife saying he would be home shortly. At that moment, no one could have imagined what God was about to do.
A little while later, whispers started to spread that God was moving. Students lingered in worship, prayer, and confession through the night. Word spread from the chapel through the Asbury University campus, and very shortly, the news traveled around the world.
People flocked to Wilmore, Kentucky, with hopes of experiencing an encounter with God. In the months to follow, tens of thousands gathered at Auburn and Ohio State for Unite US, leading to baptisms, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Jesus Movement of the 70s. More recently, there have been reports of renewal in the U.K., which some have called the “Silent Revival.”
The question surfaced quickly and remains today: Is this true revival or just viral moments amplified by social media?
In an age where trends rise and fade in hours, skepticism and caution are not only understandable, but are also wise. Yet something deeper seems to be taking root. Underneath the noise, we now have measurable evidence, both statistical and spiritual, that a generation once labeled disengaged may actually be awakening. Should these trends continue, we could be standing at the edge of the next great missional movement.
Dry Bones Beginning to Rattle
Only a few years ago, the data painted a bleak picture. Church attendance had hit historic lows. Research on the religiously unaffiliated, also labeled the “Nones,” was predicting increased religious decline; most prominently among Gen Z. Generation Z, the youngest adult generation, was the least religious in modern history (1). Universities, church-planting networks, and mission organizations were struggling to mobilize. Evangelism had grown quiet. Many feared we were witnessing the slow fade of faith in the West.
One question often overlooked was, “Why?” As Kevin Brown, President of Asbury University, reflected after witnessing revival on his own campus, “Gen Z is emerging as a corrective to the casual Christianity that has shaped our religious landscape and characterized our dechurching movement… there is hunger for something more” (2).
What if they weren’t rejecting Jesus at all, but the version of faith they saw – comfortable, polished – but rarely transformative? A faith reduced to a Sunday morning routine, stripped of the power to change the world. Beneath the statistics is a generation quietly searching for what is real. They long for authenticity over appearance and purpose over programs (3). They want faith that means something, community that feels like family, and a vision big enough to give their lives to (4).
This is not apathy. It is ache. An ache for something deeper, truer, and alive. As that ache grows, you can almost hear it, the sound of dry bones beginning to rattle.
The shaking is not death but resurrection. It is the Spirit breathing life into what many assumed was lost, calling a new generation to rise. I am convinced that if the church will now disciple and send them, those bones will stand again, not as spectators, but as sent ones. This emerging generation not only possesses the desire for world change but also the capacity for world change.
The Signs of Awakening
Across the world, evidence is mounting. Beneath the headlines of decline from years past, there is a growing rumble of the resurgence of faith.
Church attendance is rising, led by Gen Z. According to new research from Barna and Gloo in the State of the Church initiative (2024), Gen Z and Millennials now attend services more regularly than Gen X or Boomers (5). Barna adds that much of the uptick is being driven by young men, an unexpected reversal after years of disengagement (6).
Bible curiosity is surging. The American Bible Society (2024) reports that Gen Z leads all generations in purchasing and reading scripture (7). John Farquhar Plake, the chief innovation officer with the American Bible Society, says, “One of the things that we do know from the data is that when people experience disruptions in their life, they are more open to exploring faith and exploring the Bible.” (8)
Evangelism is reawakening. For years, researchers described young adults as hesitant to share their beliefs, often calling them the most spiritually silent generation on record. A 2019 Barna Group report found that nearly 47 percent of practicing Christian Millennials said it was wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith (9). Yet that narrative is changing fast. According to the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible 2022 report, 58 percent of Gen Z Christians say they had three or more conversations about their faith in the past year, compared to 51 percent of Millennials and 42 percent of Gen X (10). The same generation, once reluctant to speak about faith, is now leading all others in evangelism (11).
I am convinced that the recovery of deep, relational discipleship will determine whether this season of renewal matures into the next great missional movement. Barna CEO David Kinnaman points out that having a spiritual mentor is the strongest predictor of resilient faith (12). On top of that, 83% of Gen Z says that they would like to have a mentor (13). The greatest predictor of resilient faith also matches one of the greatest desires of Gen Z. This reality presents a massive opportunity for the church. When leaders invest relationally, listening, affirming, and guiding, young believers move from curiosity to conviction.
Taken together, these signs point to a significant shift in our culture. Disengagement has given way to desire, and desire matures into action.
From Moment to Movement
History reminds us that revival is only the beginning. Real transformation happens when spiritual moments mature into missional movement.
At the turn of the 20th century, another generation of students found itself at a crossroads. On American campuses, young believers gathered in prayer and consecration, longing to give their lives for something that mattered. Out of that desire came the Student Volunteer Movement, led by figures like John R. Mott, who declared, “The evangelization of the world in this generation.”
What began as a few hundred students praying together soon became a tidal wave of mobilization. By 1920, more than 20,000 young people, roughly one in every 20 college students in America, had volunteered for missionary service overseas (14). Their obedience reshaped global missions for the next century and fueled the growth of countless sending agencies, seminaries, and movements that still exist today.
It is difficult not to see the parallels. Then, as now, a generation confronted cultural upheaval, global uncertainty, and rapid change. Then, as now, young believers gathered in prayer, often outside traditional structures, believing God could use them to change the world.
History may not repeat itself exactly, but it often rhymes. The same Spirit that moved through Mott’s generation is stirring again, calling the church to listen, to lead with courage, and to disciple deeply. If we do, the echoes of the Student Volunteer Movement may resound once more through a new generation rising to reach the nations.
The Moravians turned a prayer meeting into a global sending movement. The Student Volunteer Movement of the late 1800s emerged from university revivals. The Jesus Movement of the 1970s filled baptistries and birthed networks of church planters and worship leaders.
The pattern is clear: encounter leads to discipleship, and discipleship leads to mission.
That same domino effect is unfolding again:
Disengagement -> Awakening -> Church Re-engagement -> Scripture Engagement -> Evangelistic Passion -> Discipleship -> Missional Activation.
This generation doesn’t want the cookie-cutter, lukewarm, nominal Christianity they have witnessed; they want the all-in, passionate, world-changing journey with God depicted in the Bible. They desire the long-faithful, sold-out, Jesus lover to notice them, believe in them, and walk alongside them.
As leaders, we must slow down long enough to Discover what God is stirring in their hearts, Recognize their gifts, and Envision how those gifts can serve the Kingdom. We must Affirm their calling, Mentor their growth, and Empower them with real responsibility. Then we Rejoice in their Kingdom impact and their personal growth. When we lead that way, revival becomes sustainable. Spiritual zeal gains roots. Awakening turns into multiplication.
The Opportunity Before Us
I am convinced that we stand at a hinge point in history. The same Spirit who breathed life into past generations is stirring again, this time among Gen Z. Their hunger for authenticity, purpose, and discipleship is a new invitation to rediscover the mission of God’s church.
If the church sees them not as volunteers to fill roles, but as ones designed by God for His glory to be released, we could witness a reawakening that reshapes the landscape of global mission. The data already points the way: Church attendance is climbing, Bible engagement is surging, and evangelism is alive again. God is moving. The question is whether we will move with Him.
This generation is not waiting for a platform; they are longing for permission. They do not need entertainment. For far too long, we have tried to attract them with cheap gimmicks, but the simple reality is that they are longing for more. They need empowerment. When we entrust them with real responsibility and walk with them through failure and faith, new expressions of the church will rise: micro-churches in neighborhoods, campus revivals, digital missionaries, and entrepreneurial leaders carrying the gospel into unreached spaces.
Deep, relational discipleship will be the hinge. It will determine whether this renewal remains a moment or becomes a movement. Revival without activation fades, but revival that gives birth to mission reshapes the world. The wind is moving through the valley again. The bones are rattling. Life is returning. May we have the courage to lead with open hands and join what the Spirit has already begun.
NOTES
- Cox, Daniel. (2022). Survey Center on American Life / American Survey Center. Generation Z and the Future of Faith in America. https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/generation-z-future-of-faith/
- Brown, K. (2024). What the Asbury revival taught me about Gen Z. Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2024/march/asbury-revival-taught-me-about-gen-z-casual-christianity.html
- McMahan, B. (2024). Innovations in Engaging the Next Generation Towards Discipleship and Mission.Great Commission Research Journal, 16 (2), 19-39. https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1487&context=gcrj
- Deloitte Global. (2023).Gen Z and Millennial Survey. https://www2.deloitte.com/global/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/genzmillennialsurvey.html
- ChurchLeaders.com. (April 2024). “Gen Z, Millennials Now Most Consistent Churchgoers.” https://churchleaders.com/news/518058-gen-z-millennials-regular-churchgoers.html
- Barna Group. (September 2025) “Young Adults Lead Resurgence in Church Attendance.” \https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/
- American Bible Society. (September 2024).State of the Bible: USA 2024. Jeffery Fulks, Angel Mann, Randy Petersen, John Farquhar Plake, Ph.D. (eds.). https://1s712.americanbible.org/state-of-the-bible/stateofthebible/State_of_the_bible-2024.pdf
- Taylor, John. (June 2025). “The New Bible Boom: Why Gen Z Is Buying More Bibles Than Ever.” Relevant Magazine.https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/the-new-bible-boom-why-gen-z-is-buying-more-bibles-than-ever/
- Barna Group. (May 2018). Reviving Evangelism: Current Realities that Demand a New Vision for Sharing Faith. https://www.barna.com/research/sharing-faith/
- American Bible Society. (2022). State of the Bible 2022 – Chapter 5: Faith-Sharing Habits.https://www.americanbible.org/news/press-releases/articles/gen-z-leads-all-other-generations-in-desiring-to-share-their-faith/
- Baptist Press. (July 2024) “State of Bible: Gen Z Leads in Active Evangelism, Desire to Share Faith.” Baptist Press News. https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/%EF%BF%BCstate-of-bible-gen-z-leads-in-active-evangelism-desire-to-share-faith/
- Kinnaman, David, and Mark Matlock. (2019). Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon. Ventura, CA: Barna Group.
- Adobe Communications Team. (2023). Adobe Future Workforce Study: What U.S. employers need to know about Gen Z in the workplace. Adobe Blog. https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2023/09/27/adobe-future-workforce-study-what-us-employers-need-know-about-gen-z-workplace
- Tucker, Ruth A. (1983). From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.. pp. 287-292.
I offer more on this process of discipleship on my website, BillyMcMahan.com. I have resources that explain DREAMER Discipleship in more detail, and I offer a free tool to help anyone begin integrating DREAMER Discipleship into their church or organizational structure. It is designed for use by anyone with a heart to disciple, develop, and send next-generation leaders. At its root, the goal is for multiplication.
