New data is giving Christians hope for the next generation, showing that church attendance in young men is at an unprecedented high point, which one pastor believes is a reaction to woke culture and the idea of “toxic masculinity,” leaving young men looking for hope and meaning.
For context, a recent Barna Research study indicates that about 30 million Americans have become Christians in the last five years. A noted California pastor, Greg Laurie, told CBN on April 29, 2025, that he attributed the increase in faith to young men looking for “spiritual answers” within a culture that has told them they are not welcome.
The study in reference was published by Barna Research on April 7, 2025, and according to Barna’s researchers, it indicates that “66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today.” The study’s authors added, “That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, when commitment levels reached their lowest in more than three decades of Barna tracking.”
In a press release, Barna’s CEO, David Kinnaman, described the phenomenon as “renewed interest in Jesus,” saying, “Many people have predicted the growing irrelevance of Christianity. However, this data shows that spiritual trends have a dynamism and can, indeed, change. This is the clearest trend we’ve seen in more than a decade, pointing to spiritual renewal—and it’s the first time Barna has recorded such spiritual interest being led by younger generations.”
Weighing in on the increase in faith among young men, Pastor Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in California told CBN that he believed they had been “so beaten down in the last, you know, decade or so.” He added, “They’re tired of being browbeaten and young men specifically being told, ‘it’s bad to be a man, it’s bad to be masculine,’ and there’s been a reaction, and I think it’s a good reaction.”
Furthermore, Laurie asserted that the rise of well-made Christian TV shows like “The House of David” and “The Chosen” have brought many young men to faith, saying, “[‘The House of David’] hit the number one spot of all the things they offer on the Amazon platform.” He added, “So, all of these things are indicators that people are looking for spiritual answers. People are looking for truth.”
Concluding his appearance on CBN, Pastor Laurie said that he believes that the Church at large needs to prioritize “the Great Commission,” adding, “The Great Commission, of course, is, ‘Go into all the world, preach the gospel, make disciples of all nations.'” Laurie concluded, “And I just urge everyone that these are effectively the final words of Jesus, if you will, before he ascended into heaven. And so this is important to Jesus.”
In addition to showing that Americans have turned to Christianity in increasing numbers overall, the Barna study also confirmed that the “biggest drivers” of the growth of faith in the U.S. are “Gen Z and Millennials.” The authors of the study explained, “This is a significant change from previous Barna tracking, which showed Elders and Boomers as more committed Christians than younger generations.”
Watch the CBN segment on the new study: