Young Men are Coming

We can recognize that all are invited to come and be part of this wonderful living entity, the organism known as the Church.  Jesus died for all and His Holy Spirit is drawing people to Himself.  In this day, we see people with a hunger for God who are responding to Him and finding salvation for their souls.  He became like us so that by accepting Jesus as our Savior and surrendering to Him, we can know eternal life - we can have a right relationship with God.  Revelation 22 (ESV) states:
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Come.  The simple invitation is given.  But, expect to be changed!

The summary of a recent Gallup poll states:

Driven by a recent increase, young men in the U.S. have now surpassed young women in saying religion is "very important" in their lives. Gallup’s latest data, from 2024-2025, show 42% of young men saying religion is very important to them, up sharply from 28% in 2022-2023. By contrast, during this period, young women’s attachment to religion has held steady at about 30%.

By "young," the poll means young men and women ages 18-29.  During the two-year period of 2024 & 25, according to Gallup, "63% of young men report a specific religious affiliation." That's slightly up from the 61% during the previous two years and up from the 57% almost 10 years ago.  

And, those in the younger generation, according to this survey, are showing up in church. The summary notes: "The percentage of young men reporting monthly or more frequent attendance at religious services rose seven points between 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, reaching 40% — its highest level since 2012-2013. This followed a stretch from 2016-2017 through 2022-2023 when young men’s attendance had languished near 33%."  It also related: "Young women’s attendance has also increased modestly since 2022-2023, rising three points to 39%. However, the most recent rate remains far below the levels recorded in the early 2000s."

Less than a month ago, The Washington Stand published a piece that featured comments from David Closson, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council.  He said, “The new Gallup data is striking, particularly because it reverses a long-standing trend,” adding, “For decades, young women have been more religious than young men, but that gap has now flipped."  He cited "broader ideological shifts," and made reference to "deeper cultural dynamics," stating:

"For years, young men have been told that traditional expressions of masculinity are problematic or even harmful. In that context, it is not surprising that some are gravitating toward faith communities that offer a clearer sense of identity, purpose, and moral framework. For many young men, church provides structure, accountability, and a vision of ordered freedom, all of which can be especially compelling in a culture that often feels unmoored.”

Joseph Backholm, Senior Fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at FRC, noted: “The Left has been waging a war on men for a while now, so it’s possible that young men are being drawn to religion as a way of rebelling against everything on the Left. If that’s true, that might be part of the reason young men are more religious than young women. Secularists like women better than men. As a result, women like secularism more.”

He also stated: “It’s also true that the Holy Spirit is at work in the world and Jesus is drawing us to Himself,"

Greg Laurie of Harvest Christian Fellowship, speaking at the Turning Point USA Faith Forward Pastors Summit last year, stated, according to The Christian Post: "There's a lot of encouraging things happening right now...There's been a dramatic shift in the culture toward the Gospel and toward Jesus Christ. In the past, elders and baby boomers tended to be the more committed Christians, but in the last two years that has changed, especially among young people and specifically among young men."  

The article went on to say:

"Gen Z men are making a commitment to Christ," he said, presumably referencing a study that was part of Barna's State of the Church 2025 initiative, which found that commitment to Jesus has risen sharply among young men.

Conversions jumped 15 percentage points between 2019 and 2025 among Gen Z men, and 19 percentage points among millennial men, according to the study.

Again, I believe that something is happening, something is stirring among our young people.  We can rejoice that God is at work, and even those in other generations can take note and be inspired by how we are seeing God move.

We can also be inspired to take stock of our own spiritual lives - when we see the fervor of the young, we can consider how we can allow God to energize us, to respond to His invitation to draw closer to Himself, and experience more times of refreshing, as the book of Acts refers to.

And, it is encouraging to see men step up and embrace what God has in store for them. When men are in right relationship with God and functioning in their Biblical roles, it provides strength and direction for the Church.  We can respond to our Lord's call to follow Him, to be His disciples.