Young Evangelicals Eager for Revival in Europe

From “Christianity Today” - June 2025

Doing her best Billy Graham impersonation—hand raised, mouth open as if in mid-proclamation of the gospel—a 20-something woman posed at an Instagram-ready podium tucked away in a side vestibule at the European Congress on Evangelism. Her friend snapped photos that made it look as if she were addressing the massive crowd at one of Graham’s historic meetings.

But Ophelie Prisca-Diane, who is currently serving with Youth With A Mission in Paris, told Christianity Today she doesn’t think evangelism is just a thing of the past. In fact, she sees it as a thing of the future. She expects Christians her age to do big, big things. 

”There is a fire among us,” Prisca-Diane said.“Our generation is very open to the gospel, more than generations before.”

She wasn’t the only one at the gathering of evangelical leaders with great expectations for Gen Z, the group of people currently between the ages of 13 and 28. Amid talk of secularization and potential persecution, Christian leaders repeatedly expressed confidence that young people would usher in the re-Christianization of the continent.

Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, said equipping young people was one of the prime motivations for the congress. He said he and others have been encouraged to see people in their teens and 20s“taking hold of the gospel”and he hopes the congress will empower them to go further.

Some data suggests a generational renewal of Christian faith has already begun. A recent report from the Bible Society shows that young people, particularly men, are attending church in increasing numbers in England and Wales. And a 2023 survey from Ipsos indicated growing interest in prayer and church attendance among Gen Z in Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Hungary.

Three of those young people were witnessing on the streets of Berlin during the evangelism congress. Inga Morozov, Stefan Carl Seppel, and Markus Martin, all from Estonia, say they have a heart for evangelism and an eagerness to tell people about Jesus. They took breaks from the congress to head out to Potsdamer Platz, stand in front of the famous Brandenburg Gate, and ask people if they have a personal relationship with Jesus or whether they know God’s love. 

Martin, who hails from an island in the Baltic Sea, said he grew up in a Christian household but didn’t start evangelizing until a couple years ago. He attended a Christ for all Nations FireCamp in 2023 and learned how to share his faith. He came back inspired.

He feels the Holy Spirit leading him personally, too, and he steps out in faith. He told CT he had a dream of a young boy and his family and it felt to him that the dream was from God. Then he saw the boy and family from his dream near the Brandenburg Gate. ”We shared the gospel with them,”he said. Though nothing came of the interaction, Martin was undeterred in his enthusiasm to share Jesus with as many people as possible in Berlin and back home. 

In some ways, the Estonians looked like other young tourists in the cosmopolitan German capital. Seppel said the three of them enjoyed zooming around on rented scooters. But they also stopped the scooters to ask people if they wanted to be prayed for. 

That enthusiasm for sharing their faith is exciting for older leaders at the congress. But as experienced evangelists they know that early eagerness can fade and missionary zeal can wane. Graham said channelling that fervour and fostering a long-term commitment to evangelism begins with training and teaching young people the Bible.

”There’s so much confusion,”Graham said.“Young people don’t know the Word of God. We need to take the headlines they’re reading on the iPhone and see what the Bible has to say about the issue and teach them the Word of God.” 

Evangelical perspectives on sexuality may prove to be a stumbling block for many young people in Europe. Surveys show wide acceptance of homosexuality and support for same-sex marriage, as well as transgender rights.

Graham challenged the European evangelists gathered in Berlin to address sexual ethics and not to shy away from cultural conflicts. He believes young people in particular will respond. Youth rise to a provocation, Graham said. So provoke them. 

Pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie echoed this argument. He said at the congress that he believes in confidently confronting young people with Christian beliefs and calling them to surrender their lives to Jesus.

”We’re going to evangelize, or we’re going to fossilize,”he said.“Preach more on the Cross and the blood of Christ, because that’s where the power is.”