Real revival?

In February 2023, a routine chapel service at Asbury University turned into days of continuous prayer that compelled college students from around the world to pause their routines so they could travel to Kentucky and catch a glimpse of what was reported to be genuine revival.

In September 2025, the Barna Group shared that for the first time in decades, young adults were attending church more regularly than older generations. Yet Gallup suggested in April 2026 that the cause of Generation Z’s increased attendance is not solely spiritual – it’s political. According to the study, young Republican men are currently the most likely to engage with religion. (Gallup defines Gen Z as those born between 1997 and 2012.)

Since the Asbury Outpouring, pastors, college students, secularists, and researchers alike have attempted to answer the same questions: What happened at Asbury? Is Generation Z experiencing a revival?

Around the world – from Waco, Texas, to Northeast England – the Holy Spirit’s work within the lives of young adults is abundantly clear.

Steady growth

“It’s not emotionalism or sensationalism, but it’s revival. God’s reviving the Spirit in people who love God’s Word,” Drew Humphrey, collegiate mobilizer of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, told The Stand.

Humphrey serves on staff at Highland Baptist Church in Waco, ministering to over 1,300 Baylor University students. Based on his 17 years in Waco, Humphrey said that what is currently happening in the city is “without a doubt beyond ordinary, extraordinary.” Although some moments may seem like sensationalism, continuous, steady results reveal to him that some type of revival is taking place among Baylor students.

Humphrey attributed some of the collegiate ministry’s growth to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging Gen Z’s desire for in-person relationships and worship.

“Obviously there were many who fell away from the faith during that time, but those who stayed in the faith became really serious about their personal time with the Lord,” Humphrey explained. “They learned how to read the Bible for themselves because they couldn’t go to youth group. They couldn’t spend their time doing other things. They learned how to pray. They learned how to worship without all the flash. … So, I think that’s produced [young adults who are deeper] in their faith because of what they experienced five to six years ago.”

According to Humphrey, reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha (born 2013-2025) requires a “heart to head” direction, whereas millennials (born 1981-1996) and older generations experience God “head to heart” while focusing on theology. Gen Z seems more responsive to the “heart sense,” experiencing God through worship, prayer, and emotion.

“That’s their front door, that’s their tendency, their preference. So, then the church’s job, the leader’s job, is to sort of backfill on the head part of it. … A lot of students are young people looking for older people to pour into their lives. So just making yourself available, being involved in a church that has both generations is important,” Humphrey added.

Everyday miracles

But the spiritual growth impacting younger generations isn’t just limited to college campuses – or even the United States. In Northeast England, Pastor Phil Crawford and his family are experiencing what they believe is real revival.

Crawford grew up in Scotland attending church with his mother, but his father, although a successful businessman, struggled with alcoholism.

“I couldn’t understand how this God I saw with mom in church could let my father be the way he was,” Crawford told The Stand.

When he was 14 years old, his parents divorced, leaving Crawford and his mom homeless. However, a man from their church lent them a mobile home, which provided some temporary shelter. At the age of 19, Crawford met his wife, whom he described as having a “really strong faith.” But it wasn’t until age 25 that Crawford came to know Jesus.

“The fear in me made me very productive, and I was very successful in business. I had achieved a lot. But I just felt that it was all hollow and empty,” Crawford said.

Twenty-five years later, Crawford wholly surrendered his life to Christ. He left the business world, began a homeless charity, and in 2025, started a church plant in Consett, England. What began with seven members gathering in a local conservatory has now grown to between 50 and 100 weekly attendees. The church has also seen 11 baptisms.

Today, Crawford’s faithfulness is making a generational impact. His children, now young adults who know firsthand the emptiness of life without Christ, serve alongside their dad to reach the lost young adults in Consett.

At first, there were not very many young adults in attendance at their church, so the family began to pray that God would send them … and they started to show up. Crawford said that in any ministry to young adults, it is vital to first pray and intercede for them by name, but also to genuinely invest in their lives with authentic curiosity.

“A lot of the time, they’re really struggling,” Crawford explained. “[This stage of life is] a very lonely place for
them, it is daunting and very difficult [for them] to make … tough decisions.”

Crawford challenges older adults not to give up on younger generations. In some respect, that’s what young people expect the older generation to do.

In a culture that calls young adults lazy, depressed, disrespectful, and even hopeless, Crawford encouraged believers to be countercultural, to always have hope, and to be encouraging and loving. Crawford also asked the global church to fervently pray for revival in Northeast England, that God would raise up people in all positions to impact young adults with the gospel.

“There’s so much hope and so much happening where God is intervening in people’s lives,” he said. “People are crying out to God, and He’s directing them to church. … God is moving. I’ve never known a time in my 54 years of being on this planet where people have been so open to conversations.

“I think it is the most fabulous time to be a Christian,” he added, “and I think God’s kingdom is coming. We don’t need a [revival] report to tell us that. I see it every day.”