State of the American Church in 2026 - Jon Harris

State of the American Church in 2026 - Jon Harris

From Conversations That Matter by Jon Harris

May 2, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

Jon Harris examines the state of the American church in 2026, discussing spiritual interest among Gen Z and the challenges facing the church.

Jon Harris examines the state of the American church in 2026 — a time of spiritual interest among Gen Z, rising Bible sales, and public figures talking about Christianity, yet mixed with confusion, pastoral failures, and the risk of counterfeit revival. Drawing from statistics, personal reflections, and Scripture, Jon calls Christians to stand faithfully with the true church, prioritize the gospel, and focus on making disciples rather than platforms or politics. A sober yet hopeful message for believers navigating this cultural moment. 0:00 Introduction & Prayer 1:40 Convictions: The Church Will Prevail 4:20 Suspicions: Spiritual Awakening or Counterfeit? 7:15 What Confuses Me – Loss of Key Leaders 10:45 Statistics on Gen Z & Religious Interest 13:50 Signs of True Revival – Church Growth, Pastors, Giving 16:40 The Pastor Problem & Political Temptation 22:30 Celebrity “Conversions” & Cultural Christianity 27:15 Dangers of Theological Softening 32:40 Real Hope – People Are Open to the Gospel 37:50 Practical Pastoral Wisdom 43:20 The Road to Emmaus – Walking by Faith 49:30 Closing: Next Steps for the Church Our Sponsors: * Check out Mars Men and use my code…

People in this episode

Host: Jon Harris

Topics covered

  • state of the church
  • spiritual awakening
  • Gen Z
  • pastoral failures
  • counterfeit revival
  • making disciples
  • cultural Christianity

Keywords

  • American church
  • spiritual interest
  • Bible sales
  • pastoral failures
  • counterfeit revival
  • discipleship
  • cultural moment

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Christianity

Books & works: The Road to Emmaus

Places: American, Gen Z

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