As many in America look for signs of spiritual revival among our young people, they count the people in the room, the hours spent in prayer, the views and shares online. They are looking for evidence that something significant is happening. And sometimes it is.

As a pastor, I’m among those encouraged by Gen Z’s apparent interest in faith — the crowds, viral videos and headlines. But I believe the question we’re overlooking in our optimism about these trends is, what happens next?

Recent Lifeway research affirms what we’ve seen from others like Barna and Gallup over the past year: Gen Z is showing up to church. They’re reading the Bible. They’re curious and engaged and grappling with the hard questions. That’s worth paying attention to.

And while some analysts argue it’s not a revival yet, in my own church, I’ve seen and heard clarity and depth among those in our Gen Z and Alpha generations. We have seen both church attending and non-attending college and high school students communicating their dissatisfaction with the cultural emptiness reflected in their digital and physical interactions. They are keenly aware of their generation’s challenges with mental health, meaning and purpose.

Just the other day, a young man visiting our church told me his sister had seen one of our Gen Z students studying the Bible with a friend. She came home inspired to tell him about the Bible study and church. Curious, he wanted to connect with the student who impacted his sister, which led him to show up to church.

This is not an unusual occurrence. I am increasingly seeing young people leading their peers to faith and contributing to the life of our church. They’re serving at camps, outreach events and in our ministries, determined to make certain the church continues its mission for generations to come.

But as we look deeper at this data, we can also see a challenge — and opportunity — for the church in America.

While Gen Z is drawn to church, they show the lowest rates of agreement with key theological truths compared to older generations. Less than half say the Bible has changed their lives, and they’re least likely to say the Bible has authority over every area of life. When making a choice between their way and God’s way, over half say they usually choose their way.

That tension shouldn’t surprise us. This generation is skeptical of the authorities and institutions that would historically provide them with guidance as to what to do, what to believe and who to befriend. Those institutions and authorities have also so thoroughly decayed and atrophied over time that they no longer provide that guidance at all, let alone effectively, leaving young adults to sort through life’s biggest questions with fewer trusted guides.

That’s also why this moment requires more than a headcount. While packed churches and growing interest are meaningful signs, attendance is easier to measure than transformation, and curiosity is easier to spark than conviction. I believe the lasting impact of revival isn’t measured by a single event, but by the steady change in the lives of the people who experienced it. 

While revival may initiate faith, spiritual formation is what sustains it. The quieter, long-term work of forming young people with deeply held convictions and values, through relationships, responsibility and community, is essential if we hope to truly transform the lives of the next generation.

Whole-life formation is what the church does best, and it’s what it must do now. The church’s purpose in a young person’s life must be entirely unique compared to any other institution. If they are looking for the same experience they can find everywhere else, the church will always lose. We can’t compete with concerts, festivals, social media or whatever captures the culture’s attention next. Nor should we try.

What young people need is to discover something culture can’t offer: a community rooted in truth, belonging and a purpose that doesn’t disappear when the excitement fades. Formation is not simply about getting people in the room or asking them to adopt a set of beliefs, but helping them build a life anchored in something deeper and inspiring people with what’s true.

And to be clear, formation isn’t about controlling behavior, it’s about building lives. Transformative, compelling formation occurs when there are real relationships at play. This is where hearts are remade, and lives changed.

There are four things every person needs in order to be formed:

The first is to learn to be devoted to God. We need to show young people what it looks like to make God the source of your courage and strength. My team and I built Deep Spirituality, a digital platform filled with content they can use to develop an intimate and powerful walk with God. Additionally, we pair up our young people with more mature mentors who can support their spiritual formation in the same way Moses mentored Joshua.

The second is conviction. People need to deeply believe in something. Help them develop strong beliefs rooted in God’s truth to anchor them through life’s challenges, changes and opportunities. For the church to be spiritual it must be built on conviction, not conformity. Churches can encourage mentoring relationships and peer-to-peer relationships that are focused on God and his word. Making Scripture the focus rather than human preference or religious tradition ensures personal convictions are based on the Bible and rooted in God.

The third is vision. Inspire them with the great potential and plans God has for them. Creating opportunities to serve is one of our best paths for developing vision. For instance, our church operates E-Life, a set of inclusive programs designed to support individuals with disabilities by placing them alongside their neurotypical peers throughout every stage of life. The young volunteers in these programs are often changed by the experience of empowering those with special needs and sharing in their struggles and victories. They learn to see the impossible as a vision worth pursuing, then work together to make it possible.

The last is helping young people realize the deep impact they can have on the world around them. Encourage them toward service and making a positive difference in the lives of others. Look for young people with the heart and potential to become leaders. Consider offering internships and hosting leadership training classes. Show young people that participation in the church and community can lead to not only their faith growing, but their impact around them, too.

Choose just one person in your church. Invest in them. Don’t worry about the numbers. Don’t worry about the headlines. Focus on building the lives you see before you, today.

This moment is a huge opportunity for the church. But we must be honest about what comes next: not just celebration, but a commitment to forming the young people in our lives.

Let’s not stop at welcoming the next generation in the doors of our churches. Let’s help them find a faith that endures.