Millennials want authenticity, says Nick Hall aka ‘this generation’s Billy Graham’

‘…’That’s why it’s so important to return to the basics of the gospel,’ he says

Originally published in The Gospel Herald

Nick Hall is passionate about reaching Millennials with the truth of the gospel.

Dubbed “this generation’s Billy Graham”, Hall has shared the gospel in person to nearly three million students and seen hundreds of thousands come to Christ.

In 2006, he launched the PULSE MOVEMENT while studying at North Dakota State University, which soon became one of the largest student outreach movements in American history.

“PULSE exists to awaken culture to the reality of Jesus,” Hall told The Gospel Herald during a sit-down interview in Orlando, Florida. “We really believe that the message of Jesus is needed, and we want to bring it to the centre of culture and conversations through prayer events, training, gatherings, and large scale outreach events.”

Last year, the North Dakota native gathered hundreds of thousands of young people for “Together 2016” for the purpose of unified prayer and worship. The July event was the largest faith-based gathering on the National Mall of the last 20 years, and Hall believes it was a “generation-defining moment.”

” ‘Together 2016’ was really a catalytic moment where we saw a real glimpse of what God is doing in our day,” he said. “They weren’t there to judge people or to go against issues, but to stand for Jesus and lift Him up. We believe God really gave faith to a generation of those that were there or that watched it. When you see something that was bigger than you anticipated, it raises your perspective and you believe God can do anything. We hope to have future Together gatherings around the world.”

Jesus gives second chances
Recently, the husband and father-of-two released his latest book — Reset: Jesus Changes Everything. In his book, the evangelist shares the timely message of “reset”, or the idea that through Jesus, everyone is given a second chance.

“Reset basically is a modern day expression of the gospel,” Hall said. “I think it’s a way to communicate what Jesus has done and what He offers to a biblically illiterate generation. It’s a language that makes sense to a culture that’s full of technology. ‘Reset’ means to clear the errors and to get it working for its created purpose.”

He added, “As it pertains to the gospel, we believe that’s what Jesus offers — He offers a chance to deal with the errors that we all have — sin. We need that second chance, that new beginning, and that’s where Jesus comes in. He offers a supernatural reset.”

In a culture driven by perfectionism and Instagram likes, Hall believes Millennials value authenticity more than ever before. That’s why, he says, it’s so important to return to the basics of the gospel.

“Superficial Christianity is becoming less common — you have to be authentic,” he told Gospel Herald. “They’re looking for something that’s not sugar-coated, they want to deal with real issues and struggles of life. If faith doesn’t address those things, it’s not a faith that’s worth diving into. There’s no desire to be part of a clique or club — they want a faith that matters and that matters in the way they live. We need to come back to that central message of hope, the idea that Jesus came to bring life and save people who are lost and hurting. Jesus is the answer.”

Strong interest in spirituality
While research shows that Millennials are significantly less religious than previous generations of young Americans, Hall said there’s nevertheless a strong interest in spirituality among young people — whether they’re in church or not.

“We’re seeing a real hunger among Millennials,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of kids associate Christianity with negatives, and so instead of thinking about Jesus, they think about politics and social issues and picket signs. It’s become a movement that’s defined by negatives and what we’re against as opposed to what Jesus is for. For Millennials, whether you come from a church background or not, that’s never a good thing. We need to engage them so that the conversation turns to Jesus.”

The evangelist also rejected the notion that the current generation is the least spiritually-minded in the nation’s history — in fact, he believes a revival is happening among young people today.

“We see God moving all over the place, we feel like this is revival, but a lot of people don’t see that — they only see what’s in their church,” he said. “We believe there are these pockets of wildfires happening all over. I believe that in 20 years, we’ll look at this time and we’ll say, ‘That was the beginning of a revival.”

He added, “There really is a significant movement happening now, and I think we’re seeing it more and more as we go from campus to campus and city to city. We’re seeing hundreds of kids on fire, just going for it. It feels like God’s doing something that’s not connected to any one group, nobody can take credit for it — it’s the work of the Spirit.”