atlanta — Millennial and Gen Z Christian influencers are increasingly filling a void in American religion, growing audiences across digital platforms by pointing young people to biblical answers to tough questions that aren’t always answered in Sunday sermons.
“I can help you Monday through Saturday to give you practical things that make you feel like you’re not walking this walk alone,” said Megan Ashley, 35, sitting cross-legged on the couch where she recorded her podcast, In Totality.
From countless backgrounds, these influencers talk candidly with their listeners about everything from fears and doubts to dating and culture, delving into the complexities of Scripture. Religious people say Christian influencers motivate young people searching for meaning in a culture that lacks it at a time when church attendance has declined for years. Slow down.
“What they make available is the truth that changes people,” said Lecrae Moore, a Christian rapper and podcast host. “There’s something going on existentially – supernaturally – that I can’t explain.”
Ashley and Moore are among six famous influencers profiled in this story. With and without formal theological training, they describe themselves as churchgoers who do not want their messages to be confined to denominational labels.
Some grew up in church. Others did not, but they usually describe an experience of spiritual transformation that came as a result of hardships or a feeling of emptiness that they attached to secular lifestyles.
“We’re saying, ‘Listen, we’re a mess too. That’s OK,'” said Ariel Reitsma, 36, who co-hosts the podcast “Girls Gone Bible,” which gets more than a million listens or streams each month.
These algorithm-savvy broadcasters fit comfortably into a long tradition of Christian celebrities, said Zachary Sheldon, a lecturer at Baylor University in media, religion and culture, who cited television evangelist Billy Graham as an example. By operating independently, they can tap into audiences more easily than established media conglomerates and organizations.
“Exposing people to the faith and challenging them to ask questions and look for something more” is a really good thing to do, Sheldon said. But he noted “potential risks in giving them too much power based on their fame and social media acumen.”
These influencers encourage church attendance and tout reaching a diverse group of people, including those particularly disconnected from religion, which polls show is a growing number of young Americans. Only 41% of 18- to 35-year-olds surveyed in 2023-2024 said they believed in God with certainty, down from 65% in 2007, according to the Pew Research Center.
“People are spiritually hungry, emotionally hungry, and I think for the first time ever… people are meeting Jesus even through online platforms, and they are realizing that this is real life and fulfillment,” said Angela Halili, 29, co-host of Rietsma.
The duo now draws live crowds since starting the podcast more than two years ago. At an event in Atlanta, they warned hundreds of fans against glorifying work or relationships, Bibles in hand, and recounted their days as Hollywood actors battling addiction, heartbreak, and mental health disorders. Halili said God has brought them “radical healing,” and they want listeners to know that God is able to work “miracles” in their lives as well.
Afterward, they hugged and prayed for the audience, as Anna Williams, 17, said she considered both Ritsma and Halili the “big sister” in her life.
Even as they embrace biblical principles as guidance toward true joy, influencers say being a Christian can be difficult.
God “makes everything better, but it doesn’t always come out the way we think it’s going to come out,” said Ashley, the host of In Totality.
Her current obsession, which she learns with enthusiasm, is a scripture passage about living sacrificially. Ashley says God asks people to give up certain desires and behaviors so they can grow closer to Him. She said her intensity increased after a healing encounter with God’s “intensity” as a recently divorced single mother struggling with suicidal thoughts and depression.
Bible passages, everyday trials, and heavier challenges are covered on “With the Perrys,” a podcast led by husband-and-wife writers and spoken word artists who also run a streetwear brand.
“It’s all—how can we do all these things in this strange body and strange world?” said Jackie Hill Perry, 36.
She’s an admired speaker, working on her degree at seminary, and wrote a book about leaving same-sex relationships behind. She and her husband, Preston Perry, 39, started the podcast in 2019. Followers were already resonating with Perry’s theological discussions and story of growing up amid poverty and violence before finding faith and becoming a Christian missionary.
“God calls us to ruffle feathers sometimes, to talk about culture,” Perry said.
In a recent episode, the Perrys urged listeners to be honest with God about the struggle to trust Him. Through focused prayer, obedience, and Bible reading, they say, God brings lasting peace, answers, and growth through difficult circumstances, but it takes more than quick fixes like scrolling and sex.
At just 22 years old, Bryce Crawford teaches Bible classes on his podcast and posts videos of himself speaking to people about Christianity at Pride parades, the Burning Man counterculture festival and the Satanic Temple.
Instead of shouting “repent,” Crawford’s street evangelism aims to change minds through kindness. His followers say they are drawn to his compassionate and outspoken demeanor while offering talking points against lifestyles like gay marriage.
“My problem with ‘repent or burn in hell’ is that people get frustrated because they don’t know why they’re being told that,” said Crawford, who described feeling intense anxiety and bitterness toward God until God healed him at a Waffle House restaurant. “Our tactics were one-on-one conversations, listening quietly, and asking questions because we care, which explains our worldview.”
These influencers acknowledge that online Christianity has its challenges.
Hale-Berry said that too much focus on online drama and more secret Christian beliefs can lose sight of the basics, like love and Christ’s sacrifice. She worries that “just talking about kindness or respect or gentleness or patience will be boring” to people.
And political and cultural depth Disagreements Among Christians it appears online as well.
For example, Halili and Reetzma were criticized for seizing the opportunity to pray at a rally before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The Perrys have been criticized by conservatives for speaking out about police brutality and racial injustice, and liberals for expressing opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion.
Some followers say these influencers offer a welcome alternative to the buttoned-up pastors they grew up with who spoke of God as a distant deity who would reject them for breaking too many rules.
“I really needed a younger black woman to portray something very unconventional,” said Olivia Singleton, 24. She’s involved in her church and loves her pastor, but feels that these influencers are like “one of the girls… walking out of faith with you.”
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Cramon is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America It is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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