JP De Gance, the founder and president of Communio, a ministry dedicated to helping churches improve evangelism and outreach, believes that Charlie Kirk’s message has inspired many young people to engage with the Christian faith through church communities
“[There has been] a lot of anecdotal feedback from churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Douglas County, Colorado, reporting that they’ve seen an increase [in attendance] over the last two Sundays,” De Gance told The Christian Post.
He added, “There's one church in Michigan that said a number of young adults who were raised in the church [but] who hadn't been there, and people hadn't seen them for years, showed back up."
Communio, which supports around 400 churches nationwide, has received reports of increased attendance from various denominations, including Anglican, non-denominational, and Catholic churches.
Some pastors have observed a rise in church attendance following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, particularly among young adults, some of whom had not attended a worship service in years prior.
De Gance explained that Kirk’s murder has prompted youth across the country to reevaluate their lives and seek out Christian communities.
He also believes that an increasing number of young people are becoming aware of who Kirk was and his views on marriage, family, and living for Christ.
Earlier this month, the Barna Group released data suggesting that Gen Z churchgoers attend services more frequently than their older counterparts. The data was obtained from 5,580 online interviews conducted from January through July.
The group found that among 3,579 churchgoing adults, the average attendance was 1.6 times per month, while among Gen Z, it rose to 1.9 times per month.
Barna also examined data from 132,030 U.S. adults collected from January 2000 through July 2025, revealing that monthly church attendance rates for the two youngest adult groups nearly doubled from 2020 to 2025.
However, the American Bible Society’s USA 2025 report presented a different perspective, indicating that Gen Zers are significantly less engaged with church than older groups.
Based on a survey asking five questions to gauge church engagement, the report found that only 35% of adult Gen Z participants agreed or strongly agreed that “In the past year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow in my faith.”
In contrast, 46% of millennials, 46% of baby boomers, and 48% of Gen X respondents reported having opportunities to grow in their faith.
