Churches across America report unprecedented attendance surges following the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and his historic memorial service, with pastors describing “overflowing” congregations and comparing the phenomenon to biblical revivals.
NATIONWIDE — In the days following Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10 and his memorial service that drew over 100 million viewers worldwide, pastors across the United States report a dramatic surge in church attendance, with many describing it as a spiritual awakening not seen in decades.
Kirk, the 31-year-old conservative activist and outspoken evangelical Christian, was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University by alleged killer Tyler Robinson, who has been charged with aggravated murder. The incident has galvanized Christian communities nationwide, with many now describing Kirk as both a patriot and a Christian martyr.
Craig Dyson
Pastor, Convo Church, Reno, Nevada
“People are asking big questions about faith, morality, and the role of the church in society. We’re seeing not just increased attendance but a renewed commitment to spiritual growth and community service. It’s as if his death has catalyzed a movement within the church.”
Dyson described his congregation as full of first-time visitors, people returning to church after years, and seekers drawn by the tragedy. “The Sunday following Kirk’s death, church attendance was ‘unlike anything we’ve seen,'” he told Sinclair Media’s The National News Desk.
Rob McCoy
Pastor Emeritus, Godspeak Calvary Chapel, California
“Charlie Kirk was a God-fearing Christian man, a husband, father of two, a patriot, a civil rights activist, and now a Christian martyr. The same murderous spirit that crucified Christ and martyred Stephen is raging again in our day.”
Record-Breaking Church Attendance
Generation Church, Arizona
Pastor Ryan Visconti: “7,197 people, 191 salvations, 80 baptisms, hundreds of 1st-time guests. Never experienced a spiritual atmosphere like that. We honored the sacrifice of Charlie Kirk and worshiped Jesus for our eternal victory.”
Sheridan Church, Oklahoma
Pastor Jackson Lahmeyer: Drew more than 5,600 worshippers both in person and online, declaring “The attack on Charlie was spiritual in nature and an attack on the very institution of the church.”
Jacksonville, Florida Congregation
Worshipper Susie (49 years old): “People were standing against the walls and sitting in the stairwells. I am 49 years old and I have never seen anything like this in my life, but I am so thankful to be seeing it.”
White House Acknowledges Revival
“Church pews full of new and returning Christians are exactly the mission Charlie Kirk was working every single day to fulfill. Charlie Kirk’s fervent faith will define his legacy, and it will be carried on by the generations his movement inspired.”
— Taylor Rogers, White House Spokeswoman
Memorial Service Sparks “Old-Time Revival”
The five-hour memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, attended by President Trump and featuring proclamations of the Gospel from high-ranking administration officials, has been described as unprecedented in American political history.
President Donald Trump
“It’s like an old-time revival, isn’t it?” Trump asked after listening to five hours of Gospel proclamations from Charlie’s family, TPUSA colleagues, and administration officials.
Andrew Kolvet, Executive Producer, “Charlie Kirk Show”
“We called them campus tours. Now I know they were really tent revivals, complete with a tent. We call it the ‘Charlie Kirk Show,’ but it was really just Charlie confronting the lies in the culture and pointing to the truth day in and day out. He was a prophet… He confronted evil and proclaimed the truth and called us to repent and be saved.”
Tucker Carlson
“Whatever happens next in America, I hope it’s in this direction. Because God is here and you can feel it. Politics, at its core, is a process of critiquing other people and getting them to change. Christianity calls upon you to change… That is the only solution to where we all know we’re going.”
“This Is Spiritual War”
Luke Barnett
Pastor, Dream City Church, Phoenix
“Charlie gave his life doing what the preachers of America oughta be doing, speaking the truth from the pulpits.”
Dr. Ben Carson
Former Trump Administration Official
“Have you noticed that a lot of preachers don’t want to talk about what’s in the Bible, if it’s counter to the social gospel? Well, I challenge the ministers out there to talk about what the Bible says and not what the leftists say. And get on board of the revival that is coming. We are not going to be able to stop it.”
Pete Hegseth
Secretary of War
“This is not a political war. It’s not even a cultural war. It’s a spiritual war. Faith and family first. There is a God. Charlie started with liberty but ended up lighting our country on fire for Christ. He started Turning Point USA but this moment is the turning point for the USA.”
Erika Kirk’s Powerful Witness
“Most of all, God’s mercy and God’s love have been revealed to me these past 10 days after Charlie’s assassination. We didn’t see violence. We didn’t see rioting. We didn’t see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country. We saw revival.”
Kirk’s widow described the remarkable response to her husband’s death: “This past week, we saw people open a Bible for the first time in a decade. We saw people pray for the first time since they were children. We saw people go to a church service for the first time in their entire lives.”
“Charlie passionately wanted to reach and save the Lost Boys of the West, the young men who feel like they have no direction, no purpose, no faith, and no reason to live… He wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life. That young man… On the cross, our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.’ That man, that young man. I forgive him.”
— The stadium erupted in cheers
Biblical Parallel: Many pastors have compared Kirk’s death to the biblical martyrdom of Stephen in the Book of Acts, with Rob McCoy noting that “the same murderous spirit that crucified Christ and martyred Stephen is raging again in our day.”
The “Lost Boys” Mission: Kirk’s particular focus on reaching young men who felt directionless and without purpose has become a central theme of the revival, with his widow emphasizing his desire to “save the Lost Boys of the West.”
Unprecedented Political-Religious Fusion: The memorial service marked what many observers called an unprecedented moment in American politics, with the highest levels of government openly proclaiming Christian faith for over five hours in a major public venue.
As Joseph Backholm of the Family Research Council noted, “This isn’t about trying to manipulate people for their vote, but there seems to be a growing awareness of the spiritual battle we’re living and a real desire to encourage people to be on God’s side.”
The phenomenon continues to spread, with pastors across the nation reporting sustained increases in attendance and what many are calling the beginning of a significant religious revival in America, sparked by the tragic death of a 31-year-old conservative activist who many now remember not primarily as a political figure, but as a Christian martyr whose death has awakened faith across the nation.
