George Barna in the Christian Index says, “The [Charlie] Kirk assassination created a moment of spiritual openness. In the eight months surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death, weekly church attendance ticked up and the number of Gen Z adults who ‘never’ read the Bible declined. These are real, if modest, signs of movement.”

(Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries)

While the spiritual outlook of the next generation in America remains polarizing, Doug Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries is not surprised that Gen Z is interested in God. He identifies growing up during the aftermath of the 2008 housing crisis, the rise of the smartphone, and the COVID-19 pandemic as factors for their desire. 

“If you look sociologically at Gen Z, there is lots of disappointment, lots of loneliness,” he says. “They have the highest rates of anxiety of any generation in some time. So it’s not surprising to hear they’re hungry for something spiritual.” 

Entering the conversation is Christian Nationalism, a hotly debated ideology that says America is inherently Christian and the government should reflect that. Pew Research shows that 15 percent more people recognize the term than just two years ago. 

Hutchcraft warns against confusing love of country with the message of the Gospel. “We can love Jesus and also love our country, but they aren’t the same thing,” he says.

“If nationalism means I have to belong to a political party if I want to come to the cross of Jesus, we’ve just added something to the beautiful simplicity of the gospel.”

Photo courtesy of Adrianna Geo on Unsplash

Hutchcraft uses the example of the Apostle Paul to show how to balance loving your country and loving God. 

“There are several times where he’s proud of being a Roman citizen. Rome did some awful things, but there were times he says, ‘Hey, I’m a Roman citizen. I’m proud of this,’” Hutchcraft says.

“But we have to be careful to not suggest that somehow something political can satisfy the longing people have for the spiritual.” 

Visit Hutchcraft.com for free resources on how to live out your faith and share the Gospel. Be praying that the next generation of Americans will help start a nationwide revival. Pray that Gen Z would lean on the Gospel, and that through their faith, they would change the country and the world. 

Header photo courtesy of Andrew Ruiz on Unsplash.

“Gen Alpha and Gen Z—they’re clearly living in a video-first world,” remarks Greg Yoder of Keys for Kids.

According to a recent report, YouTube commands 78% of viewership among U.S. children aged 2-12 and is the most popular of media platforms, especially among younger viewers—87% of children aged 2-5, 74% of children aged 6-9, and 68% of those aged 10-12 prefer YouTube. Research also shows frequent binge-watching behaviors and growth in short-form content, as younger generations increasingly turn to social media apps as search tools.

Yoder notes that Keys for Kids, which produces and distributes resources to evangelize and disciple kids and their families, is paying attention to these trends.

“They get all the information in a short-term video shape, and it shapes the way they learn, it shapes the way they search for things, how they decide what’s worth their attention. So, for Keys for Kids Ministries, that means that we need to show up where they are.”

He says the ministry’s goal is not to chase trends, but to communicate eternal truth in ways younger generations will notice, such as more short-form videos.

“So more visual storytelling, more platform-native content is something that we’re going to be doing—but we really need to make sure that we see this kind of content as a doorway and not a destination,” says Yoder. “The written devotional content still has a deep place because it slows a young person down and it helps them reflect on Scripture or the Bible rather than just scroll past it, so I don’t think it’s an either-or.”

He also notes the danger that comes in trying to reduce the Gospel itself into short-form content.

“The gospel is simple enough for a child to understand like that, but it’s not shallow. We need to be bathed in God’s word. We need to abide in Him, and abiding in Him doesn’t mean 30 to 90 seconds. Discipleship is long-form. Short-form content is an excellent way of sparking curiosity, maybe answering one question or pointing a kid to Jesus, but it can’t replace scripture. It can’t replace conversation.”

For parents who want to disciple their children but aren’t sure where to start, Keys for Kids offers devotions for kids and teens available on their app, as well as other resources. Go to keysforkids.org to learn more.

Header photo courtesy of Keys for Kids.

In the weeks since Nepal’s turnover, Gen Z protests have occurred in the Philippines, Madagascar, Peru, and Morocco. Since 2024, Serbia and Kenya have also experienced anti-government demonstrations. The motivations have varied within each nation, but all have the theme of young adults who want to see corruption removed from their countries.

“I think the soul knows when things are wrong. You feel compassion for these people [who are] living in countries where the situation has gotten to the point that even these young people are like, ‘Hey, that’s corruption, and that’s not okay,'” says Denise Godwin with International Media Ministries. She adds that if God intervenes, “this is a generation that could hold people to account and ask for a government that takes care of their people.”

Nepalese Gen Z protesters in front of Bharatpur city corporation office (Photo courtesy of हिमाल सुवेदी via Wikimedia Commons, Own work – CC BY-SA 4.0)

Godwin sees a parallel between these recent events and the Arab Spring of the early 2010s. Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen, and Syria all experienced uprisings — some leading to changes in government, others to division or civil war.

“Some of these people live in places [where] it is a danger to them to be having these protests. [This is a generation] that’s pretty fed up with corruption, that’s pretty fed up with the restrictions of governments that have chosen to subjugate people, either via religion or governance. [It] seems like they’re using different reasons for the protests, but I think the essence is the same,” says Godwin.

“I’ve spoken to Egyptians who say, ‘Oh,  the corruption is right back where it was at the Arab Spring. It’s just [under] different names.'”

Watch and pray that there are no arbitrary crackdowns on young demonstrators. Last month, Nepal’s demonstrations turned violent, resulting in the deaths of more than 70 people. In Madagascar, at least 22 people were killed. Danger is always present, for both protestors and law enforcement.

“It’s an important thing that they’re birthing. They’re aware of corruption, they’re aware of injustice, but can it be channeled into something besides chaos or anarchy?” says Godwin. 

Ask God for more than just lives to be spared. 

“What we’re seeing in Gen Z is a spiritual reawakening. It may not be necessarily focused on Jesus Christ, but there is a spiritual hunger in this generation,” says Godwin. “This is a really important time for Christians to be praying for God to use these disruptions of protests in people’s lives to bring them to salvation in Jesus.”

Pray that Gen Z’s actions in these nations will result in good changes. But remember that only God can truly end abuse and deception on earth.  

“We can think we’re immune in some place[s], but corruption goes back to original sin,” says Godwin. “We are surrounded by humans who are vulnerable to taking advantage of others.”

Header photo is a representative stock image courtesy of Ali Haghighi via Unsplash.

Churches have noticed a surge of newcomers at weekend services. Even mainstream media has toyed with the word “revival.”

“Historically, moments of national trauma and searching have made a way for a large turning to God. Some have called them revivals, awakenings,” Ron Hutchcraft with Hutchcraft Ministries says.

“We see it individually, even, that someone’s death [can end up] bringing life to a lot of other people.”

(Photo courtesy of Turning Point USA)

Violence and a searching generation

In a generation exposed continually to violence, few find solace in religion. More than 11,000 Americans ages 11 to 26 died from gun injuries in 2023, and gun violence contributed to Gen Z mental-health concerns the following year.

Simultaneously, today’s young people are unlikely to find comfort for their fears within the walls of a church. According to a Pew study, less than half of America’s Gen Z identifies as Christian, though many young people still consider themselves “spiritual.”

However, Kirk’s death appears to be changing the tide, and opportunity follows on its heels.

Opportunity for discipleship

Don’t miss the questions about eternity that young people in your life may be asking. Hutchcraft says making yourself approachable can open the way for discipleship if you are a Christian adult.

“If we live that way, that says to a young person, ‘You matter, and I want to hear what you have to say,’” Hutchcraft says.

“[When] we speak with conviction and Holy Spirit boldness, and we seem to have something solid to offer, I think we can be hope for a young person we know.”

Consider the opportunities God may place before you to model Christ for the Next Generation. Find inspiration here.

“Let’s learn from this [moment in time] that young people are truly looking for leadership, for shepherding, and we can be that for them,” Hutchcraft says.

Header image depicts young people mourning Charlie Kirk’s passing. Photo courtesy of Hutchcraft Ministries.

Hutchcraft has been in cross-cultural youth ministry for decades. He sees several reasons Kirk’s death has been so traumatic for Gen Z.

“Many of them — not all, but many of them — saw in [Kirk] someone they could trust. And trust comes hard to this younger generation. Then suddenly he was gone, violently, publicly. That has left them seeking. They really are.”

Hutchcraft recalls how America searched for answers in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks as well.

“[Something] I think God sees is a nation without answers. We are groping to [find out] ‘What’s wrong with us, what’s wrong with this world, what’s wrong with this culture?’” he says. “The public nature of what happened, the violent nature of what happened, the heart-wrenching way it happened, has reached all the way from college campuses to the Capitol.”

This time of national grief, debate, and clamor is causing people to look to God.

Charlie Kirk speaking with attendees at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. (Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)

“The response as you look at social media has been many, many saying, ‘I’m going to church for the first time in my life.’ [Or] ‘I’m going back to church for the first time in many, many years,’” Hutchcraft says.

“There is a lot of God-seeking because, setting aside the political agenda of what Charlie Kirk may have had, he was a bold voice for his personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the fact that all of us need that relationship.” 

If you haven’t noticed spiritual openness among the people in your life yet, be on the lookout for it. Be on the lookout for them and their questions, even as you ask your own questions. Remember the hope Jesus offers every person who comes to Him, and share it. 

Hutchcraft points to Hebrews 6:19. “There is in the resurrected Christ — the conqueror of death — the end of our search. [That search] may very well be started by trauma, by losing some ‘earth hope’ that some may have placed their hope in.”

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Joshua Hanks via Unsplash.

Some Gen Z groups claim the demonstrations were meant to be nonviolent but that opportunists “hijacked” them. Regardless, the military enforced the curfew on Wednesday, restoring some order to Kathmandu.

“There have been protests in some of the farther flung areas, major towns and cities across the country. So it’s definitely a nation in flames right now,” said John Pudaite with Bibles For The World.

According to a report from The New York Times, conversations between military officials and young protest leaders have begun. 

The protests were triggered by a government ban on social media last Thursday. 

“We’re very surprised [by] the extreme reaction that we saw from the youth. But beneath the surface, this had been brewing for some time, because there [have] been a lot of protests about the corruption in the current Nepali government,” Pudaite said. 

“These are the youth of the country that are struggling, trying to figure out how far can they go with education? What kind of job will they have? And they’re seeing the resources [of] the country being eaten up by a corrupt government.”

(Photo courtesy of Bibles For The World)

In years past, Bibles For The World has sent millions of Scripture resources for people in Nepal. Pudaite says they have gradually had to stop this activity after tightened restrictions following the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, the ministry has begun to prayerfully consider ways to renew its gospel work in the nation.

“Even under the current laws and under the current regime, how can we continue to equip the Body of Christ with God’s Word?” Pudaite said. 

Please pray that Nepal’s young generation today will discover the true life that God offers. 

“Pray that this political crisis will bring spiritual unity among the believers in Nepal,” Pudaite said. 

One Bibles For The World partner shared this prayer: “Let us cry out to our Lord for peace and stability in Nepal. Now is the time for us to come together in unity and lift our voices in prayer to our Almighty God. May He heal Nepal’s land, comfort the grieving and bring justice and hope to the people of Nepal.”

Header photo: Nepalese Gen Z protesters in front of Bharatpur city corporation office, September 2025 (Courtesy of हिमाल सुवेदी via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Demonstrations broke out after the Nepali government blocked several social media platforms. The platforms had allegedly failed to register with the government.

“Gen Z [is] just frustrated with corruption. It started with an anti-corruption movement,” Joe Handley with A3 says. “Their main means of communication with each other and with the world is social media. So they’re protesting against [corruption], but you add to it that their communication channels are shut down. So the tension rises within them.”

Clashes on Monday between protesters and police killed at least 19 people. On Monday night, the government lifted the social media ban, but that did not stop the riots.

Photo in the Ason Bazar, Kathmandu, Nepal (Photo courtesy of Aayush Lama Tamang via Unsplash)

“This is the generation, at least there in Nepal, [that is] looking for a better future. They feel like this government has not provided that for them,” says Handley. 

Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday over the unrest, but young demonstrators still set the parliament building and other structures in Kathmandu on fire.

Handley says that after the ban lifted on Monday, reports from their partners began to increase. “If you’re on social media, you’re seeing smoke rising in Kathmandu, all over different parts of the town.” (See a collection of pictures here.) 

The government is calling for restraint and dialogue. A3’s network of alumni is calling for prayer. 

“They’re trying to be agents of peace in the midst of the chaos — and having to be careful too, because there [are] guns being shot and fire billowing in the capital,” Handley says. 

“My colleagues are begging the global Church to pray for peace, to pray that they could be agents of hope and good news, and that the gospel would shine.”

Header photo courtesy of Samrat Khadka via Unsplash.

Bruce Allen with FMI says youth-led demonstrations have occurred in over a third of Kenya’s 47 counties. The protests began in June 2024 after a proposed increase in taxes angered young people. (More on that here.) In the year since then, the relationship between Kenyans and the government has become even more strained.

Recent protests have included vandalism, unfortunately. According to a report from the BBC, Kenyan President William Ruto said, “Kenya cannot and will not be ruled through threats, terror, or chaos.” Ruto has ordered officers to shoot protesters in the legs if they are seen vandalizing property. 

“The president’s comments sparked nationwide outrage, and many Kenyans see this as state-endorsed brutality amid an already tense political climate,” says Allen. 

One FMI-supported pastor says this wave of youth-led protests is more than just politically motivated.

“He says it’s spiritual and generational. He says the Gen Z protesters long for justice, inclusion in the national dialogue about sustainable policies, and a future with hope,” says Allen. 

“[The pastor] calls them courageous and says they’re voicing the frustrations of many who are even in the older generations. Unemployment remains a critical issue, as does the high cost of living and rampant corruption within the government.”

In the tension, Kenya’s church leaders see the spiritual needs of the next generation.

“The Church in Kenya must rise to this occasion with spiritual clarity and gospel-centered action,” the pastor told Allen. “As many Gen Zs attend church physically or engage online, we have a window to disciple them, listen to them, and continually point them to Christ, the source of true hope and peace. The church must advocate for justice rooted in biblical truth.”

How to direct your prayers for Kenya

“One, pray for the peaceful resolution and meaningful dialogue between the government and the youth leaders. Two, pray for wisdom for the national leaders to listen with humility and to prioritize justice,” says a pastor with FMI.

“Three, pray for the protection of protesters and law enforcement officers so that they can avoid any more loss of life or injury. And four, pray for revival and reformation within the Church, so that it can be a clear voice of truth, peace, and healing.”

Header photo: Nairobi, Kenya (Photo courtesy of Story Zangu via Unsplash).

Young protestors flooded streets across the country, especially in the capital Nairobi.

“This is a very alarming situation in Kenya,” says Nehemiah with FMI. “Protesters now demand Parliament’s dissolution and new elections.”

FMI supports church planting and Christian discipleship ministry in Kenya. “We had a conversation with an anonymous activist from the capital of Kenya [who] reported that youth-led movement members were being abducted during the crackdown. Many journalists and social media influencers, they are being abducted from the streets.”

Kenya has a youthful population — nearly 60% are younger than 25. Kenya’s Generation Z has evidently had enough of the nation’s downward economic spiral.

Bible distribution in Kenya. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

Yet, there’s only so much hope political policies can provide. In times of unrest, it’s harder if you don’t have Christ.

Pray for the Church in Kenya to reach anxious young people with Gospel hope.

Nehemiah shares, “Our partners said, please pray for President William Ruto, government officials, and decision makers to have wisdom and discernment in addressing the financial crisis. Ask God to guide them in making just and effective decisions.

“Please pray for peace to prevail in Kenya in this financial unrest. Ask God to bring calm and stability to the nation, preventing further violence and chaos.”

Header photo of Kenyan President William Ruto. (Photo courtesy of Dean Calma/IAEA, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.)

The nation of Iran is an unprecedented, exciting field for the gospel to advance. As young Iranians reject Islam, their awakening to who Jesus Christ is could change the entire Middle East. 

Let’s take a closer look at the young generation in Iran, the unique challenges of reaching them, and how you can be part of making history. 

CONTEXT: A YOUNG AND RESTLESS GEN-Z

Dr. Hormoz Shariat with Iran Alive says there are three subcultures within Iran. There is the Islamic Revolution generation (over 50), a middle generation (30 to 50), and the young generation (under 30).

Representative photo courtesy of Amir Hosseini via Unsplash.

Shariat calls these Milennials and Gen Z-ers “the generation of the fatherless and fearless.” They are the ones Iran Alive’s ministries especially focus on. 

“Fatherless means they have nobody over them who cares for them. Anybody older than them, they don’t care about them,” Shariat says. “They have (been) raised in a society that doesn’t care for them. There’s a unity among them. Nobody cares for them, but they care for each other.”

He calls them fearless because “they’re free from the spirit of Islam. (The) spirit of Islam is fear, control by fear. So they’re not afraid of government, they’re not afraid of Allah. They have no fear.”

Shariat continues, “They have lost everything. They have no hope for the future, so they don’t have even fear of death, many of them. They said, ‘We are dead anyway.’”

This fearless hopelessness is what Shariat says made so many young people willing to come out on the streets in protests in 2023, even when many of them were being killed or arrested. 

Although the protests were squelched and people went home, Shariat believes the people of Iran are active, especially the young generation. “Something is brewing and it will come out at the right time.” 

“But now they’re wise. They say, ‘Why should they give my life for nothing? I’m ready to give my life for something.’”

CHALLENGE: BURNED BY RELIGION

The young people in Iran may be searching for something to live for, but they are also wary. To them, clergy and religion are the problem. 

(Stock photo by mentatdgt from Pexels)

Shariat says a growing number of young people in Iran have concluded, “I don’t want God. I don’t want any religion. Religions all are bad. They all have been used by human being to oppress other people. Christianity is the same as Islam.”

“It’s our job to tell them, ‘No, it’s not. It’s different!’” Shariat says. 

Once young people realize that the God of the Bible loves mankind and is forgiving and kind and so much more, the gospel resonates deeply within them, Shariat says. “The last six months has been an explosion of salvation of young people in our ministry.”

CALL: HOW THE GLOBAL CHURCH NEEDS TO RESPOND

Your prayers can make a difference in God’s movement in Iran. 

But instead of praying first for young people in Iran, Shariat asks that you would pray for yourself.

“Pray that the Church (in the West) will see this historical opportunity, that we can change the direction of a nation for eternity and once Iran is saved, the whole Middle East and even the whole world will be impacted,” he says.

Then, pray for Iran Alive’s faithful ministry in evangelism, Bible distribution and much more. Pray that they will make the most of every possible opportunity at this critical time to transform the nation. 

Header photo is a representative stock photo courtesy of Papaioannou Kostas/Unsplash.