Why Gen Z has swung back toward traditional Christianity
The article discusses a notable religious shift among Generation Z in the United States, highlighting their growing preference for traditional forms of Christianity such as Catholicism, Reformed, and Eastern Orthodox churches.Unlike previous generational religious movements-such as the pentecostal surge among the Silent Generation in the early 20th century and the Jesus Movement embraced by Baby Boomers in the 1970s-Gen Z is increasingly turning away from contemporary and non-denominational churches towards more historic denominations.
Statistical data supports this trend, showing increased membership among young adults (ages 18-29) in traditional churches like the Presbyterian Church of America and a rise in Catholic converts in recent years. This generation values the stability, tradition, and moral clarity offered by historic Christianity, especially amid higher rates of anxiety and depression. Access to varied theological information through technology has empowered Gen Z to explore different faith expressions and often choose churches different from those they were raised in.
The article also notes that Millennials are similarly drawn to traditional forms of Christianity.The reasons for this resurgence include a craving for solid religious foundations and responses to mental health challenges.while it remains uncertain whether this trend will continue or influence contemporary churches to alter their worship styles, it signals a significant transformation in America’s religious landscape compared to past generational shifts.
Why Gen Z has swung back toward traditional Christianity
In 1910, the Azusa Street Revival led to an explosion of growth of the Pentecostal church around the United States, as members of the Silent Generation forever changed the religious landscape in America. In the 1970s, baby boomers had a similar experience as the Jesus Revolution swept across the country. Now, in 2025, Generation Z seems to be reversing the trend as many choose more traditional churches over contemporary ones.
The Catholic, Reformed, and Orthodox churches are some of the fastest-growing in the U.S. Membership in the Presbyterian Church of America between the ages of 18 and 29 has increased by 8.9% since 2018. The overall percentage of Gen Z Christians has increased from around 45% in 2023 to 51% in the current year. Catholic converts steadily climbed from around 50,000 in 2021 to 160,000 in 2025. Pew Research Center found that around 14% of all Catholics in the country are between the ages of 18 and 29. By contrast, a much smaller number of all Baptist or Pentecostal denomination members are within the same age range.
“They’re craving a solid rock of truth and tradition and morality,” Richard Ackerman, host of the popular YouTube channel Redeemed Zoomer, told the Washington Examiner. “And traditional forms of Christianity seem to provide that, whether it’s Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, or Reformed Christianity.”
It’s not just Gen Z choosing more historic or traditional denominations. Millennials like Vice President JD Vance are as well. “There were a couple of things that really appealed to me [about Christianity],” Vance told the New York Times. “I was thinking about the big questions.… I just kept coming back for very personal reasons.”
A catalyst for Gen Z exploring new denominations has come from an increase in technology, which gives them greater access to a variety of information regarding church style and theology than any other generation. Paul Washer elaborated on this, saying, “Sometimes people maybe are browsing through the internet, or they may be browsing through the TV and come across some TV evangelist, screaming and ranting.” He explained that this has led to many young people having a distorted view of Jesus.
However, the ability to explore various options has also led many people to attend a church different from the one they attended growing up. “A lot of Gen Z Christians were raised nondenominational,” Ackerman said, “which might be sort of morally and socially conservative, but it’s definitely not aesthetically conservative, and it’s definitely not a traditional form of Christianity.“
WHY GEN Z IS FLOCKING TO STRONG RELIGION
It would be remiss to talk about trends in Gen Z without highlighting that this generation is shown to have a higher rate of anxiety and depression than any previous generation. This has likely been a factor in the shift as traditional denominations are known for their stability in worship and theology. Those suffering from mental health struggles have found safety in Catholicism and Reformed or Orthodox denominations.
The question remains if Gen Z’s trend toward traditional Christianity will continue, whether nondenominational and contemporary churches will start to change their style of worship, or whether they will continue as they have in the past. It is difficult to determine the exact trajectory of the American religious landscape, but it will most likely look very different from the way the baby boomers might have expected at the height of the Jesus Revolution.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
