Elevation Worship Sees a ‘Fire and a Hunger’ for Christ among Gen Z
Michael Foust
Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Crosswalk.com
Members of the award-winning Christian group Elevation Worship say they are seeing a movement of God not only within their church but nationwide, with Gen Z hungry for truth and expressing that zeal through a deeper pursuit of Christ.
Elevation Worship is based at Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., and has become one of contemporary Christian music’s most influential groups thanks to such worship anthems as Praise, Trust in God, and God I'm Just Grateful. The group has 10 million monthly Spotify listeners and, in February, released its newest album, So Be It.
“There's a fire and a hunger in the young people of our church,” Elevation Worship’s Jonsal Barrientes told Crosswalk Headlines.
That hunger, he said, is evident in the church's network of small groups, known as eGroups, and is now “spilling over into schools,” where young people are organizing their own Bible studies. A Sunday evening worship service called The Living Room began as a small gathering but has since grown to attract “hundreds of students,” he said.
“That is very much what we're seeing in our church, and across the country – it's such a powerful move of God,” Barrientes said. “We're just happy to be a part of any bit that He would allow us.”
Evidence of a broader spiritual awakening emerged in recent days when the Hartford Institute for Religion Research reported that church attendance had increased for the first time in the 25-year history of its Faith Communities Today project, with median attendance rising from 45 in 2021 to 70 in 2025 – surpassing even pre-pandemic levels. Gen Z appears to be helping drive the trend, with Gallup finding that 42 percent of young men ages 18 to 29 now say religion is "very important" in their lives – nearly matching the modern-era high reached after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks – while church attendance among both young men and young women also has risen in recent years.
“I think we're seeing the Scripture in real time that says ‘Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,’” Elevation Worship’s Isaiah Templeton told Crosswalk Headlines.
Meanwhile, Elevation Worship is preparing for a fall tour with its sister group, Elevation Rhythm, dubbed “Elevation Nights.” It launches Oct. 9 in Kansas City, Mo.
“It's just church on the road,” member Jenna Winders Barrientes said, “and we love it.”
Photo Credit: Elevation Worship
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
