‘FIRE AND A HUNGER’: ELEVATION WORSHIP SAYS GEN Z IS SHAKING OFF APATHHY—AND RUNNING TOWARD CHRIST

For years, headlines have painted Gen Z as anxious, skeptical, and spiritually unmoored—but according to the voices behind some of the biggest worship anthems on the planet, something extraordinary is stirring beneath the surface. Members of Elevation Worship, the award-winning group from Elevation Church in Charlotte, N.C., say they are witnessing a genuine spiritual awakening among the youngest generation, marked by a raw, undeniable zeal for Christ. “There’s a fire and a hunger in the young people of our church,” Jonsal Barrientes told Crosswalk Headlines. With 10 million monthly Spotify listeners and a new album, So Be It, released just this past February, the group has a national pulse on worship trends—and they insist this is not a fleeting emotional spike. Instead, they describe a generation trading digital passivity for radical discipleship, showing up hungry for truth in ways that have even seasoned worship leaders stunned.

That hunger, Barrientes explained, is no longer contained within the four walls of the church. It is spilling into high school hallways, college dorms, and living rooms turned sanctuaries. Elevation’s network of small groups—called eGroups—has become a launchpad for students who are now organizing their own Bible studies in public schools without adult prompting. One Sunday evening worship service designed specifically for young people, called The Living Room, started as a handful of students in a modest room. Today, it draws “hundreds of students” hungry for authentic worship. “It’s not about the music,” Barrientes added. “It’s about the presence of God.” In an era of loneliness and algorithmic despair, Elevation Worship is betting on a revival no poll predicted: Gen Z, they say, isn’t walking away from faith—they’re running straight into it, hands raised and hearts on fire.