Young Adults Driving a Resurgence - What the Data Says
by Rosie Chinea Shawver
Have you read the latest Barna research about young adults leading a resurgence in church attendance? It’s the kind of headline that makes you stop and reread it - twice. After years of hearing about declining participation, “the rise of the ‘nones,’” and post-pandemic disconnection, the data now shows something surprising: Gen Z and Millennials are returning to church more frequently than their parents. For those of us in campus ministry, this is more than a hopeful statistic - it’s a flashing sign of renewal. The very age group we serve, often labeled disengaged or disinterested, may be the ones reawakening the Church’s heart.
Barna’s recent report, “New Barna Data: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance,” reveals a striking shift: for the first time in decades, younger generations-Gen Z and Millennials-now attend church more regularly than older generations. Barna Group
Here are some of the key findings:
Rising frequency among younger adults. Gen Z churchgoers now average about 1.9 weekends per month, and Millennials about 1.8. Barna Group
Older generations leveling off or declining. Boomers, Elders, and Gen X have seen flat or downward trends in regular attendance over recent decades. Barna Group
Still room to grow. Even for these rising numbers, regular weekly attendance is not yet the norm-many attend less than half the time. Barna Group
A spiritual openness. Barna frames this as part of a broader “renewal” or awakening - younger adults are showing curiosity and desire for belonging in spiritual communities. Barna Group
Barna’s conclusion is hopeful but cautious: church leaders have a fresh window of opportunity to steward interest well, but it won’t be enough simply to expect people will attend more often on their own. Barna Group
Why This Matters for College Campus Ministry
College campuses are unique spaces: transitional, culturally diverse, intellectually alive, socially fluid. They’re also battlegrounds (in a positive sense) for spiritual formation, identity, and community. The Barna data suggests that campus ministry stands at a strategic intersection. Here’s how I see the implications, opportunities, and challenges.
1. Younger Adults Are Showing Up - So Be Present
If college-aged people (late Gen Z, early Millennials) are among those leading the resurgence, campus ministries must lean in rather than retreat. Being visible, accessible, and embedded in student life is more important than ever.
Host hybrid events (in-person + digital options) so students can engage regardless of schedules.
Be consistent - even a “casual hangout” that shows up regularly helps build reliability and trust.
Use micro-moments (coffee breaks, study nights, dorm visits) as relational touchpoints, not just Sunday ones.
2. Expect Non-Weekly Attendance, Design for Gaps
Ideally, every student would make weekly worship and community a steady rhythm but that’s not the world most of them live in. Between travel, work, family obligations, and academic demands, even committed students often drift in and out of participation. Rather than lamenting that reality, effective campus ministries build with it in mind, creating flexible, resilient pathways that keep students connected to Christ even when their attendance isn’t consistent.
Form “small group streams” or micro-communities that meet midweek or in informal settings like dorms, cafés, or homes.
Offer digital discipleship tools - reading plans, podcasts, short devotionals, and text check-ins - to sustain momentum when students can’t gather in person.
Develop “reentry bridges”: ways to reconnect students who’ve dropped off or left campus for breaks, so returning doesn’t feel like starting from scratch.
This rhythm isn’t ideal, but it’s real. When we adapt with empathy and creativity, we meet students where they are and guide them, step by step, toward a more rooted, intentional faith.
3. Focus on Belonging & Identity, Not Programs
Younger adults aren’t looking for one more activity to fit into their schedules - they’re longing for belonging. They’re drawn to communities that feel authentic, inclusive, and deeply relational. The heart of campus ministry isn’t programming; it’s helping students build genuine relationships - with one another and with Christ.
Create spaces where students can have honest, even messy, conversations about faith, doubt, identity, sexuality, and vocation.
Foster intergenerational connections—inviting faculty, staff, and alumni into the mix—to give students deeper roots and spiritual mentors.
Emphasize mission and purpose by inviting students to serve locally, lead within ministry, and bring peers into the life of faith.
When belonging precedes belief, and relationships lead to encounter, the Gospel becomes personal and transformation begins.
4. Leadership Development & Multiplication
If younger people are the engine of resurgence, we need to raise them not just as participants, but as leaders.
Offer leadership apprenticeships, peer mentoring, and hands-on project ownership (worship, small groups, outreach, arts).
Train students in essential skills: leading discussion, pastoral care, event planning, conflict navigation.
Intentionally release leaders into roles - don’t keep them in perpetual “helper” positions.
5. Institutional Church & Campus Partnership
Campus ministries don’t (and shouldn’t) exist in isolation. This data suggests churches should re-imagine how they partner with campus work.
Churches can provide coaching, resources, financial support, space sharing, joint events.
Encourage Sunday services or church programming that feels inviting to college students (e.g. “student nights,” service projects, relevant teaching).
Use the campus ministry as a bridge for churches into younger adult communities, and vice versa.
Potential Challenges & Pitfalls to Watch
Burnout: Because younger attenders may not show up consistently, leaders may feel discouraged when engagement dips.
Shallow engagement: Attendance growth doesn’t guarantee depth. As Barna warns: “churchgoing alone does not in itself create devoted disciples.” Barna Group
Competition for time: Students today are pulled in every direction - academics, part-time jobs, friendships, and the constant pressure to manage their mental health. Campus ministers often feel like they’re competing for what’s left of students’ attention. But the goal isn’t simply to win their time - it’s to help them discern how to order their lives around what matters most. When we guide students to place their relationship with Christ at the center, everything else begins to find its proper place.
Cultural sensitivity: Gen Z especially values authenticity, justice, inclusion. Ministries that feel institutionalized or inauthentic may alienate rather than attract.
A Vision Forward: Campus Ministry as Renewal Catalysts
Imagine campus ministries not just reacting, but catalyzing spiritual renewal. With young adults now attending church more than older adults, campuses can become hubs of fresh expression, innovation, and formation. Some strategic moves:
“Missional Incubators”: let student teams experiment with gospel-centered projects on campus (coffee shops, art collectives, peer counseling, social justice + faith).
Intersectional partnerships: collaborate with student orgs, cultural centers, academic departments, mental health offices - meeting students where they live.
Rhythms & retreats: craft spiritual rhythms (silence, sabbath, night prayer, contemplative spaces) that offer countercultural rest and renewal.
Feedback loops: listen consistently to students-what they’re wrestling with, what they hope for in church, what hurts them-and adapt.
The Barna data doesn’t just point to higher attendance, it points to hunger. On college campuses, we’re witnessing young adults searching not for a perfect church, but for a living encounter with Christ and a community that makes sense of their questions. This moment is an invitation for campus ministers to respond with courage and creativity, to be the Church that listens before it teaches, and accompanies before it corrects. If young adults are indeed leading a resurgence, then campus ministry is not on the margins of that story, it’s at the very heart of it. The renewal of the Church may very well begin, once again, in the classrooms, dorms, and chapels of our universities.