The “Charlie Kirk effect” continues to ripple across the lives of young Gen Z men over a month after he was assassinated. When people think of frat houses, they usually think of booze and wild parties, not prayer meetings. But a Kappa Sigma fraternity house at East Carolina University in North Carolina recently had dozens of college students meeting up for an evening of prayer. “It was just so exciting to see hearts turn to Jesus [Christ] and have a lot of opportunities to pray for many students. It was encouraging to see how God moved that night,” Doug Elks told Fox News. Elks is a leader at AIM Missions, which states its purpose is “to bring the good news into schools, ministries, churches, outreach events, online content and more.”Elks coordinated a “Night of Hope” at the campus, with members of Kappa Sigma opening up their house to host. During the event, Elks discusses certain Bible verses and invite students to pray.  “I’m just thankful that we’re living in such a unique time when the door to the Gospel is wide open. There are a lot of unique places that maybe in the past weren’t open for that, and are now saying, ‘Hey, we know that something is shifting, we know that people are searching – let this be a place where this message can come,’” he said.

Gen Z continues to be a source of spiritual darkness, with 34% identifying as “nones,” meaning they have no religious affiliation. However, it’s also a generation of spiritual openness, with Gen Zers trying to look past the anxiety and depression they are battling and find hope. Elks noted the impact that depression and other mental health conditions have had on Gen Z.  “When we can walk into a gym, frat house or conference – wherever it is – and we can present the truth, it’s drawing people like we’ve never seen before. They’re ready to no longer walk in the lies of the enemy, but with the truth of Jesus Christ,” he said. He credits the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was particularly popular amongst college students, for spurring on some of the growth he is seeing as he is asked to speak to more and more schools.

The data supports a growing interest in Christianity as well. The Barna Group recently released a study that the surge in church attendance is now being led by Millennials and Gen Z. Daniel Copeland, Vice President of Research at Barna noted that while frequency of attendance is still low, about 1.9 times per month, it shows a promising trend amongst younger individuals. “Even so, the fact that young people are showing up more frequently than before is not a typical trend. It’s typically older adults who are the most loyal churchgoers,” he said. “This data represents good news for church leaders and adds to the picture that spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials today.”