“Gen z returning to religion”…But is that the whole story?

I saw an article recently claiming that Gen Z is returning to religion.

At first glance, it felt surprising. Weren’t they the most irreligious generation so far? Weren’t they the ones walking away in droves? In the work I do, I definitely don’t see many of them flocking back to church in droves as much as pulling away and trying to find something real, but of course the headline sparked my curiosity.

So, I did what I always do when something doesn’t sit quite right—I dug deeper. I’ve learned to read beyond headlines. I’ve learned to do the work.

And what I found was that yes, some Gen Zers are returning to religion. But it’s not as simple as that. They’re not going back to church pews in pursuit of certainty or tradition. They’re returning to spirituality, but on their own terms.

They’re reshaping it. Reimagining it. Reclaiming it.

They’re exploring faith with open hands and honest questions. They're not settling for inherited beliefs that silence their doubts or erase their identities. Instead, they’re blending spiritual practices, deconstructing harmful theology, and seeking communities that welcome their full humanity.

They’re showing up at churches, yes, but many of them are also finding sacred space in nature, online communities, therapy rooms, yoga mats, and art studios.

They’re not just going back.
They’re building forward.

And that made me pause.

Because while many churches are celebrating a supposed “return,” what’s really happening might be something far more beautiful and disruptive:
This generation is showing us what a post-institutional, post-performative, post-certainty kind of faith can look like.

It’s less about dogma and more about depth.
Less about authority and more about authenticity.
Less about checking boxes and more about connecting souls.

After years of unraveling what once held me captive, after walking beside countless others in the messy, beautiful process of becoming, after witnessing the toll it’s taken on our mental health, our relationships, and even our families… watching this generation rise and find something real, something theirs, stirs a hope in me I can’t ignore. It feels like a shift. A holy rebellion. A healing in motion.

This isn’t a revival of the old.
It’s a resurrection of something new.

And I’m here for it.