For a generation often tagged as unserious, distracted, and perennially online, Gen Z is flipping the script, especially when it comes to faith. The popular expectation is that young people in their teens and twenties should be drifting further away from religion, not leaning into it. Yet recent data shows otherwise: between 2022 and 2024, gospel music streams by Nigerian Gen Z listeners jumped by 1,228%, while Christian-podcast listening rose by 482%. In fact, Spotify reports over 140,000 user-generated gospel playlists curated by Gen Z Nigerians alone.
Not just in secret places or during tough times, but publicly, loudly, and with a kind of boldness that rebrands faith from something outdated to something urgent and alive. If you’ve been paying attention lately, it’s hard to ignore how often Christian content is going viral. Gospel songs are topping playlists. Online faith communities are growing. Church conferences are full again, not just with elders in flowing agbadas but with denim-wearing, phone-scrolling young adults who still cry when the choir sings.
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Take the music scene, for instance. Gospel music is no longer that thing you only hear on Sunday mornings in your parents’ car. In May 2024, the breakout gospel hit Ordinary by Alex Warren (a Gen Z YouTuber turned singer) made it to the top of several international music charts.
Around the same time, Nigerian gospel artist Lawrence Oyor’s song Favour became a TikTok anthem. “Favour” topped the Spotify charts for Nigeria with around 2.9 million streams, even outpacing major Afrobeats acts.
In May 2025, “No Turning Back II” a duet between Gaise Baba and Lawrence Oyor, hit No. 4 on Nigeria’s TurnTable Top 100, the highest any gospel song has ever charted in five years of the official chart’s history.
This musical shift mirrors a wider spiritual movement. Many Gen Zs aren’t just singing about God, they’re searching, questioning, fasting, praying, and sometimes weeping in worship sessions streamed live on Instagram and YouTube. You’d think they’d be bored by all of it. But they aren’t. For a generation raised on reels and short attention spans, there appears to be something fascinating about how long they’ll stay at a vigil or how seriously they’ll talk about hearing God’s voice.
Yes, choirs are still important, but they don’t define Gen Z’s rise in faith alone. A study of gospel choir streams across Sub‑Saharan Africa found that 42% of listeners in Nigeria are aged. But while choir music sets a spiritual tone, Gen Z’s engagement extends far beyond traditional worship. They host online prayer circles, lead virtual Bible journaling sessions, and join Reddit Christian communities to discuss faith.
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According to a 2023 Barna report on global youth spirituality, 73% of Gen Z respondents said they want to grow spiritually. More than half (56%) said they pray weekly, and 43% read their Bibles at least once a month. These aren’t small numbers. Even in Nigeria, where religion has always been a cultural fixture, this renewed passion from the younger generation wasn’t entirely expected.
Many observers assumed that with increasing access to global content, digital distractions, and a rise in skepticism about organised religion, Gen Z would become more apathetic. But something else happened. Instead of rejecting faith, many young Nigerians are reshaping it, injecting it with memes, music, vulnerability, and storytelling.
Faith-based podcasts hosted by young Nigerians now regularly rack up thousands of listens. TikTok creators dish out Bible studies in 60 seconds or less. Churches like Celebration Church International, Harvesters NG, Elevation Church, Fountain of Life Church and the likes have seen increasing attendance in their youth-focused services, with dedicated Gen Z arms running social media content, organizing retreats, and curating spaces for questions rather than just rules.
So why is this happening?
One theory is that Gen Z, more than any other generation, is growing up in chaos: economic hardship, rising insecurity, joblessness, and pressure from all sides. When everything else feels uncertain, spirituality becomes more than just therapy or an existential phase, the concept of ‘God’ becomes an anchor. Another theory suggests that Gen Z simply craves meaning. Unlike the millennials who chased stability and structure, Gen Z grew up watching the world burn on their phones. Now, they want answers, or at least peace.
Some just think church is finally cool again. The branding is better. The sermons are more relatable. The pastors wear sneakers and talk about mental health. The music slaps. And yes, you can now find a gospel song that gets you hyped for the gym. AfroGospel, yea, yea!
Still, it would be lazy to reduce this movement to aesthetics, therapy or existential phases alone. Something deeper appears to be happening. Whether it’s rooted in a genuine hunger for God or a survival instinct, more young people are turning to faith in ways that are honest, raw, and real. And maybe, just maybe, they’re finding what they were looking for.
