The president of the Christian college who launched the revival movement last year said he is optimistic about the future of Gen Z and believes young people are hungry for what the world can’t give them. The revival, or “outpouring,” began during a regularly scheduled chapel service at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, in February 2023 and continued 24 hours a day for the next 16 days. In a panel discussion this week, Asbury University President Kevin Brown acknowledged that many Gen Zers are “leaving the church, and they make up a significant portion of the churchless population,” but he remains hopeful. He said he had it.
“They’re depressed and anxious and they’re being trained, so to speak, by social media and phone calls and things like that,” he said Tuesday during a panel discussion about Asbury’s outburst at the Evangelical Writers Association convention in Lexington, Kentucky. Stated. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t hungry for what’s good and right and true and real.”
Brown said the student-led outpouring has influenced her views about the next generation.
“I was actually on the balcony at a time when students were sharing confessions and things they were struggling with, and it was a shame because they weren’t self-editing what they said. I knew it was true, even though there were administrators and faculty in the room.”
He said it’s common for students to surround themselves with other students who are struggling in life and pray for them.
“Look at the last few years. Look at all the difficult events they’ve had to deal with. Look at the church, just some of the moral failures and hypocrisy that many young people have witnessed in the church. — they want something more,” Brown said.
Professor Brown quoted what one student told him. “We don’t want the frills that come with faith, Christianity, and evangelicalism. We want something real that anchors us in the dynamics of this moment.”
Although Gen Z may receive a lot of criticism in the U.S., Brown remains hopeful for their future.
“My hopes for this generation were kindled in a very optimistic way,” Brown said. “Because I think they’re going to not only come out of this situation, but they’re going to fix some of the things that have challenged the evangelicalism of the church over the last 25 years. We’ve seen that, not just in Asbury. We’re seeing it all over the United States and around the world.”
Alexandra Presta, editor of the Asbury Collegian and a student at the university, agreed with Brown.
“We want something real and authentic, not fake,” Presta said. “And Jesus is the one who really sees them and knows them and loves them and loves me. I think he just woke up to the fact that he doesn’t want a solution.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Drazen Zigic
Michael Faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years.His story is published below baptist press, Christianity Today, christian post, of leaf chronicle, of toronto star And that Knoxville News Sentinel.
