It would be hard to ignore the cultural shift that we see happening in the world today. It seems a world that was not so long ago publicly hostile to Christianity is becoming increasingly open to the Christian message. Secular public figures like Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and Tom Holland, among others, have expressed sympathy and even advocacy for Christian values in society. The Pew Research Center stated that ‘After many years of steady decline, the share of Americans who identify as Christians shows signs of leveling off’.1  Studies suggest this is largely because young people have a renewed interest in spiritual matters. Not just in the US, but in Australia too.

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In May 2025, McCrindle Research conducted a report focusing on changes in religious affiliation, particularly for young people in Australia. The findings in this report are enough to make even the staunchest pessimist look to the future of the church with hope. 

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There are a few key takeaways from this report we should take particular interest in. Between 2016 and 2025, 85,000 young people have turned to Christianity.2  Also, ‘Young people are more interested n spiritual conversations that involve different views to their own.’3  In addition, ‘Young people are moving away from the religion of their upbringing,’4  and, ‘Christian young people are more likely to attend church regularly’ with Gen Z Christians reported at 68% attendance and Baby Boomers at only 26%.5  What seems to be happening is young people are searching for answers after becoming disillusioned with the religious tradition of their upbringing. Whether that be the hopeless void of secularism, which fails to answer any questions of identity, morality, or personal value. Or a kind of religion that requires no identifiable change or effort from its adherents. Young people today are not interested in surface-level Christianity. Instead, they are hungry for tradition, something that has stood the test of time, something that is larger than themselves. This is why Catholic research suggests that ‘more traditional churches are seeing the largest booms.’6 

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I want to impress a bit of caution for Australian churches of Christ when interpreting this data. We should take care not to look at this cultural shift and presumptuously sit back in our chairs and wait for a sudden influx of youth to come knocking down our doors. The ‘sit back and wait’ kind of Christianity is precisely the kind of religion that young people are rightly dissatisfied with.

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Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 ‘…you will know them by their fruits.’ This is the scrutiny with which young people view churches today. If we hope to reach out to these searching youths, then we need to make sure we are exhibiting the kind of fruit that will point them to Christ and not leave them with a bad taste in their mouths. That means being churches who demonstrate the love of Christ to one another and to our community (John 13:34–35). Churches that are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14). And churches that are working hard in God’s Kingdom (Acts 20:35).

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This resurgence in interest among young people should urge a return to our restoration principles and a simple New Testament Christianity. The recent trend in churches across Australia is to reach young people by appealing to their youthful desires. However, rather than discipling them, this has merely exacerbated their exodus from the faith of their upbringing. Instead, we must emphasise our reliance on the unchanging and immutable word of God as the gold standard for life and worship. If we fail to do this, then we will lose a generation of people who are actively and earnestly seeking Jesus Christ.

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We are living through compelling time in our culture where young people are increasingly open to spiritual discussion. This shift will undoubtedly impact the future of the church of Christ in Australia. Will we lose our youth due to their dissatisfaction? Or will they prompt a much-needed revival in the church? The answer lies in whether we show ourselves to be surface-level Christians or faithful and obedient servants of Jesus Christ.