Some pastors have reported seeing an increase in church attendance following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, particularly among young adults, some of whom haven’t attended a worship service in years.
JP De Gance, the founder and president of Communio, a ministry that helps churches evangelize better and expand their outreach capacities, believes that Kirk’s message has inspired many young people to experience the Christian faith through a church community.
“[There has been] a lot of anecdotal feedback from churches in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Douglas County, Colorado, reporting that they’ve seen an increase [in attendance] over the last two Sundays,” De Gance told The Christian Post.
“There's one church in Michigan that said a number of young adults who were raised in the church [but] who hadn't been there, and people hadn't seen them for years, showed back up."
Communio, which serves around 400 churches nationwide, has received reports of increased attendance from various religious denominations, including Anglican, non-denominational, and Catholic churches.
Speculating on why Kirk’s death, which was headline news worldwide, might have been the driving force to get young people to attend church, De Gance said that perhaps some began to take stock of their lives after hearing that someone within their age range had died a violent death.
Many young people, especially those in their 20s, often believe that they have a long time before they’ll die, De Gance explained. Kirk’s murder, however, appears to have caused youth throughout the country to reassess their lives and seek out a Christian community.
Kirk, leader and co-founder of the conservative group Turning Point USA and TPUSA Faith, was only 31 when he was fatally shot at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 during a Q&A with the audience just moments after he was asked about mass shootings by transgender-identifying individuals. The alleged suspect is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.
De Gance also believes that more young people are coming to know who Kirk was and what he had to say about marriage, family and living for Christ, beliefs that reportedly were the reason why Robinson targeted him.
“And I think that causes a level of introspection,” the Communio founder told CP. “I think that causes people to ask, ‘What am I living for right now?’”
Despite the reported spike in worship attendance at multiple churches, De Gance encourages religious leaders to implement plans to ensure that those who attended church for the first time or after a long absence continue to do so and become more involved.
While churches must share the Gospel, De Gance maintained that the best way to do this is when there is a “relationship of trust between the hearer and the presenter.”
“Our message to churches is just — how can we be thoughtful about creating that environment where authentic trust and community can exist, so that you can share the Gospel more effectively?” he asked.
The Communio founder advised churches to develop a plan for including newcomers and people returning to the church in other activities outside of worship services.
“For instance, some of our churches organize social activities that aren't heavily didactic for young adults. Something as simple as ultimate frisbee or kickball or something fun for people to engage in and form relationships,” De Gance said.
Other activities he suggested that could keep people engaged with the church and the faith community included board game nights or social events geared toward young parents.
“Where there's authentic person-to-person community in the context of playful fun, meaningful relationships can form. And in that context, testimony can be shared,” De Gance said. “In that context, you can learn somebody's own story, and people who show up at the church feel like they've gotten to know somebody, that the church is interested in them.”
“And that they are finding a place to belong."
Earlier this month, the Barna Group released data suggesting that Gen Z churchgoers attend services more frequently than their counterparts in older generations. The group obtained its data from 5,580 online interviews conducted from January through July.
After examining the church attendance patterns among 3,579 churchgoing adults, the group found that the average attendance rate was 1.6 times per month. That number rose to 1.9 times per month among Gen Z.
Barna also examined data collected from 132,030 U.S. adults, dating back to January 2000 and extending through July of this year, and found that monthly church attendance rates among the two youngest groups of American adults nearly doubled from 2020 to 2025.
However, another analysis of church attendance from the American Bible Society's USA 2025 report found that Gen Zers are significantly less engaged with church than their older counterparts.
The subgroups analyzed for the report included Gen Z, millennials born between 1982 and 1996, Gen X born between 1965 and 1981, and baby boomers and elders born in 1964 or earlier.
Based on an assessment that asked respondents five questions to measure church engagement, the report found that only 35% of adult Gen Z participants agreed or strongly agreed that “In the past year, I have had opportunities to learn and grow in my faith.”
Meanwhile, 46% of millennials, baby boomers and elders agreed or strongly agreed that they had opportunities to grow in their faith, along with 48% of Gen X respondents.
