Release Date: November 12th, 2025Anabaptists and the New Christian Revival
- Anthony G. Siegrist, Executive Minister
Earlier this month the British website UnHerd published a piece titled “Why God Came Back.” The article by Joel Kotkin is part of a wider set of observations scholar and pastors have been making about what might be the early signs of a revival in interest in the Christian faith.
Kotkin says that in France, for instance, the Roman Catholic Church is baptizing 45% more people this year than last. Britian is experiencing what has been labelled a “quiet revival.” In the USA there is an emerging positive correlation between years of formal education and religiosity and growing religious involvement among Gen-Z males.
It will take more time and more study until we know exactly what is going on, like whether these upticks signal something larger or what is prompting this renewed involvement. Some observers have theorized that because a younger generation has hardly been exposed to the church at all, they don’t carry the wounds of older generations. Others have pointed out that since much of the growth has been seen in conservative circles, it points to a desire, especially among young men, for rootedness and meaning.
Not surprisingly, not everyone is enthusiastic about these trends. The New York Times columnist David French, himself a devout Christian, writes that “There is darkness right alongside the light.” The ‘revival’ that French believes he is witnessing is characterized less by repentance and accountability before God than it is by blaming and pointing out the sins of others.
As much as some of us might share some of these worries, Anabaptists are not unfamiliar with revivals. We have had our tent meetings, altar calls and outpourings of God’s Spirit in incredibly challenging circumstances. In fact, one way to think about the origins of the Anabaptist movement in the sixteenth century is as a revival or a renewal movement.
In his piece in UnHerd, Joel Kotkin reminds us that whatever revival may or may not be underway, its center is not here. Kotkin says, “If there’s an epicenter for the new religious revival, it’s Africa, which is the one continent with a growing population and enormous, largely untapped economic potential.” Yet the vitality of African Christianity is impacting MCEC, as some of our newest member congregations have their roots in that continent.
How then should we feel about this possible revival of Christianity in our neighbourhoods? Should we welcome anything that will put our communities on the map with Gen-Zers? Or should we keep anyone who seems excited at arms length until they’ve proven that they aren’t under the sway of an ultra-polarized, political ideology?
Here’s what I suggest: Let’s welcome the questions and jump into the conversations. And let’s be sure that our congregations are welcoming spaces for people of all sorts looking to learn more about the faith. As we do, we would be wise to keep the words of Jesus from Matthew 28:18-20 at the forefront of our minds: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
At the heart of anything claiming to be Christianity is following Jesus. A revival movement, if it is Christian, is rooted in that—in the everyday, humble, putting Jesus’ teaching into practice. Nothing short of that can carry the name of Christ.