On the Brighter Side... The Charlie Kirk Effect – Top 3 Takeaways, September 18th, 2025
Takeaway #1: The Charlie Kirk Effect
In the grand scheme of what’s been a continued heavy news week there’s plenty of good that we’re starting to see. Dubbed the Charlie Kirk Effect there’s a lot of good that’s playing about but that isn’t always making the news. Here’s what we’ve seen since last week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk. As you’ve no doubt heard there’s been a major rallying around Turning Point USA which has shown no signs of letting up after the first week with requests for tens of thousands of new chapters across the country – totaling close to 60,000 most recently. That’s in addition to hundreds of thousands of volunteer requests that have come pouring in. By way of comparison, at the time of Kirk’s assassination TP USA had a total of 2,100 chapters and fewer than 500 employees. The explosive growth and interest we’ve seen leaves little doubt that Turning Point will soon have a far larger presence and greater influence than ever before. But that’s far from the only place we’re seeing a surge in interest and outcomes. It’s taking place in pews too. Churches across the country are seeing increased attendance, especially from young adults and teens, with the Catholic News Agency specifically reporting 15% increases. To put that in perspective it’s the biggest reported increase since the weeks that followed 9/11 when the Pew Research Center measured church attendance rising by an average of 16%. This comparison helps add some additional context to the effect that Charlie Kirk’s assassination has had across the nation (and for that matter around the world). What’s particularly notable about the sudden surge in church attendance is the demographics with young adults and teens leading to the largest increases. More notable still consider this... A new study released just days before Kirk’s assassination from Barna Group and Gloo, part of their State of the Church initiative, dropped a bombshell:
Takeaway #2: Gen Z and Millennials are now the most regular churchgoers in the U.S.
This flips the script on decades of older generations leading the pews. Here’s the deal—Gen Zers are filling pews 1.9 times a month, Millennials at 1.8, nearly doubling their attendance since 2020 when they were averaging about once a month. The increase has led the younger generation of adults past Gen X at an average of 1.6 church visits per month. As for Boomers and Elders, they’re the least likely to attend with an average of 1.4 visits now. The shift is real—younger folks were already showing a renewed interest in faith, and churches that lean into relationships with digital tools like social media. It’s the first time in American history that the younger generations are more interested in connecting with their faith than older generations and that was prior to the Charlie Kirk Effect. On a personal note, I received some notes to this effect with listeners telling me they’re reconnecting with their faith and in some cases seeking out a church for the first time.
Takeaway #3: The Charlie Kirk Effect is real and the time for this is ripe.
And not only is this good for their souls but also for society. It should come as no surprise, but studies consistently show a correlation between regular church attendance and lower rates of violent crime. For example, a study in Social Science Research found that individuals who frequently attend religious services are less likely to engage in criminal behavior, including violent acts, with a 20-30% lower likelihood compared to non-attendees. As was stated in the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency: religious involvement fosters social bonds and moral frameworks that deter criminality. For years I’ve shared the connection to faith and mental health outcomes based on Harvard’s groundbreaking research which showed that by the age of 20 those raised with religious practices were on average 18% happier, 30% more likely to help others and 33% less likely to engage in substance abuse among other things. What’s more is that those who fared best were those who prayed daily. In other words, having faith in one’s life in any capacity provided benefit, the more involved with one’s faith one was, the greater the benefit. Again, no real surprise to those who get it, but importantly the surge in interest and attendance, especially with the youngest generations is especially encouraging for the future of our country.