Recently, I joined over 55,000 young adults representing 72 countries gathered in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the annual three-day Passion Conference.
Although young adults have been gathering annually for Passion for more than 25 years, something was different this year. That much was clear to me as soon as I walked into the stadium with the group of guys that I flew in with.
2023 was a year of revival across North America and also in my local church family. We witnessed the Holy Spirit draw people into His house week after week, with endless stories of people encountering Jesus for the first time.
In my world, I’ve been witnessing what I’ve called “The Gym Bro Revival.”
For whatever reason, the Holy Spirit has continually drawn young guys who love the gym into our church family this past year. The Goodlife Fitness that I work out at has turned into a fruitful mission field.
As I looked around the stadium at Passion, my attention was drawn to the number of young men who journeyed from all over the world to gather and worship Jesus together.
It was a clear reminder to me that what God is doing in this generation of young men is global (whether or not they go to the gym). God is moving powerfully in this generation.
Holy Spirit Outpouring at Passion
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart…Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Psalm 24:3 CSB)
On the second day of Passion, Pastor Zach Meerkreebs of Asbury University— who preached the sermon that sparked the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in February 2023—was invited to share what he witnessed at Asbury.
“[God’s] peace, His patience, His kindness, His gentleness, His humility was just in our midst, and ego was offensive…students encountered God,” Zach shared. It was a move of the Holy Spirit that was “worth contending for…and preparing a space in [our] hearts for.”
Then, on the third and final day of the conference, it happened.
As the worship team wrapped up their morning set, the stadium of exhausted young adults found themselves captivated by the presence of God, not wanting to leave the moment of pure worship.
It was as if heaven opened over us as we found ourselves loudly declaring the holiness and worthiness of the Lamb.
In that moment, the Holy Spirit made the presence of Jesus known to us. None of us left that stadium the same way we walked in.
During the same week we were gathered in Atlanta, more than 50,000 other Gen-Z students met at various worship events across the United States to pursue the Lord, including 10,000 students who attended Cross Con in Kentucky and 13,500 students at various Strength to Stand conferences in Tennessee.
God is awakening a generation to recognize their need for the Lordship of Jesus, and young men are playing a central role in this move of God.
What’s Up With Gen-Z Men?
When I use the term “Gen-Z,” I’m describing the generation born between 1997-2012.
Journalists have described this generation as being on track to becoming the most educated in history, yet they’re struggling significantly with mental health.
48% of young adults surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2021 reported having mental health challenges, and a 2023 survey found that only 47% of Gen-Z Americans described themselves as “prospering” in life.
Yet, this is a generation that is described as being obsessed with self-care above all, which one writer described as being the root of a lack of meaning, purpose, and mental health.
Among men, a 2022 study found that 82% of Gen-Z men said that mental health was their leading health concern. A review published in December 2023 highlighted a connection between poor mental health and harmful sexual activity in young adult men (e.g., early sexual debut, increased number of sexual partners, etc.).
All of this being said, what’s clear is that this is a generation of men immersed in a darkness that the light from their screens can’t remedy.
Perhaps this is why the Gospel shines so brightly.
Ministering to Gen-Z Men
Having witnessed all that God is doing among young men in this hour, my conviction is this: God is raising up a generation of young men with clean hands and pure hearts, who can know Him and His presence in greater measures than they could ever imagine (Psalm 24:3).
Yet these young men need the shepherding and leadership of older men who have remained devoted to walking the narrow road of Jesus over many years.
So, as a therapist, I want to leave older men (by which I mean anyone older than Gen-Z) with four insights from social psychology that can inform the relationship-building process through which you can support the transformation of hungry young men into devoted disciples of Jesus:
1. Familiarity Breeds Likeability
People are more likely to be drawn to those that they are familiar with. Physical proximity and repeated exposure to someone increases the likelihood of trust. So, be intentional and consistent with spending time with young adult men who need the Gospel.
2. Similarity Matters
We prefer people who are similar to us and with whom we have common interests. Never underestimate how God can use your hobbies to connect you with people who need Him. Engage in hobbies, and invite younger men to join you.
3. Reciprocity Opens the Door
We tend to prefer people who reciprocate liking. In other words, we’re more likely to want to have relationships with those who like us. Warmth, friendliness, and genuine interest can go a long way in building relationship! As a younger man, I’ve noticed that we can often feel intimated by older guys, but when we learn that they actually like us, we want to spend time with them.
4. Self-Disclosure Deepens Relationship
Sharing our experiences, stories, and hearts with others is a powerful way of deepening our connection with them. Often, this opens the door for us to share our testimony as well—which Revelation 12:11 makes clear is powerful. As young men, we need older men’s testimonies of what God has done in your lives.
God is at work in Gen-Z men. I pray these words help you bear much fruit in discipling young men in this beautiful harvest season.
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