The following was excerpted from Deseret News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
The most persistent story about American religion in 2025 was the possibility of revival among Generation Z. It’s a narrative that has somehow made its way into the zeitgeist for reasons that aren’t entirely clear. Still, it seems that a large segment of the American public is eager for any sign that the rise of the nones is over and that churches might begin to fill back up in the years to come.
Of course, Protestants and Catholics want this to be true. They would love to see the fortunes of their local congregations turn around after decades of slow, steady decline. Many have prayed fervently for God to move as during the First and Second Great Awakenings, when hundreds of thousands of Americans experienced dramatic conversions.
But a lot of media outlets also seem to be searching for this narrative. Stories about long-term trends suddenly reversing tend to spread quickly, and religion is no exception. As the share of adults with no religious affiliation climbed from just 6% in 1991 to nearly 30% in 2020, it would certainly make headlines if that march toward secularism suddenly stopped — and even more so if the ones leading a return to church were teens and 20-somethings.
