Eleven days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, tens of thousands of people gathered for a memorial service honoring his life and legacy. (Scripps News)
With Vice President JD Vance calling Charlie Kirk “a martyr for Christianity,” and a Catholic cardinal calling him “a modern-day St. Paul,” some Kirk admirers suggest his assassination will galvanize throngs of people — notably young conservatives — to become more engaged in evangelical and Catholic churches.
Evocations of Kirk-inspired religious fervor surfaced almost immediately after his death on Sept. 10, and continued to swell as much of Sunday’s VIP-studded memorial service for the conservative activist resembled a massive megachurch service. There have been widespread reports of attendance surging at some evangelical churches.
People listen to a worship song in the overflow area outside before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Some churches say they have seen more attendance since Kirk’s death.
“Charlie had big plans, but God had even bigger plans,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at the service in Arizona. “Charlie started a political movement but unleashed a spiritual revival.”
The Rev. Robert Jeffress, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump who leads a Southern Baptist megachurch in Dallas, said via email, “The short-term impact of Kirk’s murder is astounding.”
“The outpouring of emotion rivals that of September 11 and President Kennedy’s assassination,” Jeffress added. “Whether this genuine emotion translates into long-term change is yet to be determined, but I pray that it does.”
A sustained surge would run counter to trends. Political scientist Ryan Burge of Washington University in St. Louis, a leading researcher into religious trends and a pastor, said recent history shows no examples of an enduring religious revival after a civic trauma.
Attendance only briefly spiked after the 9/11 attacks before settling back into typical levels, and neither the pandemic nor its aftermath saw any long-term increases as a whole.
“For there to be a noticeable impact on church attendance, this would require a massive shift in behavior of millions of Americans,” Burge said. “In a country of 340 million people, even a 5% increase would mean 17 million more people going to church on a weekly basis.”
Even if a long-term upswing occurred, “we’d need at least 18 months of data to demonstrate a lasting effect,” Burge said.
Some individuals and churches may indeed undergo spiritual revivals, but “the plural of anecdote is not data,” he added.
Paul Vu and other church members from Houston gather outside of a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Whether it’s a blip or not, conservative Christian congregations say they are are seeing new faces among their ranks.
Gina Gleason, director of the political engagement team at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, said she is already seeing more people coming back to church in the wake of Kirk’s death and expects the wave of engagement to grow.
The Southern California megachurch’s pastor, Jack Hibbs, was a friend of Kirk’s and a well-known Trump supporter. Kirk has spoken at Calvary Chapel at least 10 times and each time, thousands attended, packing the sanctuary as well as overflow rooms, Gleason said.
“I think we’re going to see an increase particularly in youth engagement because they listened to Charlie,” Gleason said. “He talked about politics and issues, but at the heart of his message was the Gospel, the truth about eternal salvation in Jesus Christ.”
Supporters attend a memorial for Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
The possibility of a revival was conveyed in a widely circulated montage that appeared on “The Charlie Kirk Show ” on Sept. 17, showing several TikTok users saying they went to church for the first time in years after the assassination.
In it, one man said he bought a suit to go to church and will “try to be a better father, husband and leader for my family.” A woman says she and her husband returned to church after 20 years and wants their three boys to grow “as strong in their convictions as Charlie Kirk was.”
That was the message stressed by Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” in an interview with Fox News after Kirk’s death.
“If you want to honor Charlie … go back to church. Open your Bible; pray. Ask God to lead you. That’s what he wanted,” Kolvet said.
The founder of Communio, an evangelism ministry working with nearly 400 U.S. churches on marriage programs, said he had received reports of increased worship attendance at evangelical and Catholic services in Colorado, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and elsewhere since Kirk’s death.
A man holds a Bible outside before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
“Pastors need to see this as an authentic move of the Holy Spirit,” said J.P. De Gance said. “The Holy Spirit’s moving in the hearts and minds of men and women, causing them to want to seek something and they’re showing back up.”
De Gance encouraged Christians to make a special effort to introduce themselves to new faces at church or those who’ve returned after a long lapse. Building trust is key.
“Once someone knows that you care, at that point, they’re going to care about what you know,” he said.
Though Kirk identified as a Protestant evangelical, his admirers included prominent Catholic clergy.
“This guy is a modern day St. Paul,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archbishop of New York, on “Fox & Friends.” “He was a missionary, he’s an evangelist, he’s a hero. He’s one I think that knows what Jesus meant when he said, ‘The truth will set you free.’”
Dolan’s comment was criticized by some left-of-center Catholics.
“Any reflection on the legacy of Kirk cannot gloss over the pain and suffering that Kirk inflicted on innumerable people through his harsh, divisive and combative rhetoric,” wrote John Grosso, digital editor for The National Catholic Reporter.
David Gibson of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, a Catholic school in New York, noted that some people suggest that the response to Kirk’s death could presage a religious revival in the U.S “akin to one of the previous ‘Great Awakenings’ that have periodically stirred the national soul.”
“Past and current data show that revival is not really happening, and if there is any uptick it likely will not last,” Gibson added in an email.
“What the response to Kirk’s killing and memorial will likely do is to continue to change the nature of American Christianity by making it more conservative politically and more friendly to the kind of brash young men who Kirk inspired, and who his followers are increasingly trying to mobilize with martial images and crusader rhetoric.”
People attend a vigil at Timpanogos Regional Hospital for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Well-wishers arrive at the national headquarters of Turning Point USA shown after the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization during a Utah college event, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
People outside at Timpanogos Regional Hospital attend a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Luke Byrd, center, of Phoenix, breaks down during a prayer gathering as people spend time at a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college on Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A well-wisher prays at a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college on Wednesday of Charlie Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The casket containing the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed on Wednesday is removed from Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Vice President JD Vance, right, Second Lady Usha Vance, center, and Erika Kirk deplane Air Force Two, carrying the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
People watch a hearse containing the body of Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, who was shot and killed on Wednesday leave after the body arrived aboard Air Force Two at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
A woman lays her head down on a seat during a vigil at CenterPoint Church for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
People embrace during a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A sign with a message about Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, sits at a vigil in his memory, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Jill, left, reacts during a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man kneels during a vigil for Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA who was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
People raise and clasp their hands during a prayer event at CenterPoint Church the day after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Congregants bow their heads during a prayer event at CenterPoint Church the day after Charlie Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA was shot and killed, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Wendy Lucas, a Utah Valley University student, looks at a memorial set up for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Visitors pay their respects at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Visitors pay their respects at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
ADDS NAMES – Christopher Bradford, right, and daughter Neriah Bradford, of Pace, Utah, pay their respects at a memorial for Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
The New York Young Republicans Club holds a vigil for Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
People wrapped in an American flag attend a New York Young Republicans Club vigil for Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Kena Betancur)
Attendees pay their respects at a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man holds a candle as attendees pay their respects during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Valerie Alexander, left, and husband David Alexander stand during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Alex Thomson holds a “Make America Great Again” hat during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Ryan Shaw holds American flags during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Candles are seen at a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Ginger Keller pays her respects during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Attendees pay their respects during a vigil for Charlie Kirk on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Attendees pray during a prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk at the Historic Lake County Courthouse in Tavares, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Women pray at a memorial outside Utah Valley University after Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk was shot and killed, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
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Social media lit up after the conservative activist’s Sept. 10 killing with people mourning his death — and those celebrating it.
Eleven days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, tens of thousands of people gathered for a memorial service honoring his life and legacy.…
People listen to a worship song in the overflow area outside before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. Some churches say they have seen more attendance since Kirk’s death.
Paul Vu and other church members from Houston gather outside of a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Supporters attend a memorial for Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
A man holds a Bible outside before a memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
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