Winter Jam Evangelist Predicts ‘There’s an Uprising’ among Young People for Christ
- Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Updated Aug 01, 2024
The evangelist who tours with the Christian concert tour Winter Jam said he’s witnessed a “stirring” among young people who are thirsty for Christ and who are longing for something beyond what the world can provide. Evangelist Zane Black traveled through 39 cities this year with Winter Jam, an annual concert tour that offers fans multiple bands for one low price (a suggested $15 donation). This year’s tour included Crowder, Lecrae, CAIN, Katy Nichole, Seventh Day Slumber, and Newsong, among others.
At each stop, Black offered a gospel presentation.
“It seems to me as we traveled around the nation, there’s a stirring, there’s an uprising,” Black told Christian Headlines.
The Winter Tour recorded some 34,500 first-time professions of faith from individuals and had a few sold-out shows.
At one specific sold-out show, Black said, young people unable to get into the arena stayed outside and “worshiped into the night in a parking lot.”
“Some of the artists went there with acoustic guitars,” Black said.
For example, “CAIN would play their set inside, and then they would run out with their acoustics and stand on a couple of boxes and just sing. It was amazing.”
Pollstar reported Winter Jam attendances of 13,156 in Greensboro, N.C., 12,912 in Knoxville, Tenn., 11,715 in Nashville, Tenn., and 11,117 in Indianapolis.
Black said the COVID-19 pandemic opened the eyes of young people.
“It pulled back the blinders of what’s at stake and made aware of the need [for God], and I think out of it, the Gospel has become that much more beautiful in so many people’s eyes -- and the hope of heaven. The promise of His life now has become all the more tangible.”
The darker a culture gets, he said, the thirstier people are for truth.
“I know there’s statistics that … churches are closing their doors,” Black said. “But Jesus said, ‘I’ll build my kingdom, and the gates of hell will not prevail.’ The Kingdom of God has been advancing. … The body of Christ is advancing the Good News. The Gospel is going forth. So, personally, I’m hopeful. I’m excited.”
The purpose of Winter Jam, Black said, is to not only spread the gospel but to encourage Believers -- to “send people back into their communities on fire as the light of Christ in their communities, in their schools, to their friend groups.”
Young Christians, he said, are passionate about the truth.
“They’re on fire,” he said. “There’s so many who are excited about sharing the life of Christ with their friends.”
Photo Credit: ©Winter Jam
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
