Five years ago today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Within days, offices shut down, churches scrambled to livestream and millions of college students packed up their dorms and went home indefinitely. The world as we knew it fractured overnight, and for many of us—particularly Gen Z and millennials—life has never quite returned to “normal.”
The pandemic didn’t just alter daily routines. It reshaped entire life paths. Friendships faded. Career ambitions shifted. Faith was tested. According to the Pew Research Center, 44% of young adults say their lives are still affected by the pandemic in significant ways. Even as lockdowns faded into memory, the mental health crisis surged, with rates of anxiety and depression among young adults skyrocketing. In 2020, the CDC reported that over 60% of adults ages 18-24 experienced anxiety or depression—numbers that have yet to fully return to pre-pandemic levels.
Spiritually, the pandemic forced a reckoning. Church attendance plummeted, and while some returned to in-person worship, many never did. Studies from Barna show that over a third of practicing Christians stopped engaging with their church entirely during the pandemic, and even now, attendance remains below pre-2020 levels. At the same time, the crisis sparked a hunger for deeper, more authentic faith. A Lifeway study found that 40% of Americans say they prayed more during the pandemic. Many believers started questioning traditional models of church, leading to the rise of home churches, deconstruction conversations and a renewed focus on what it actually means to follow Jesus.
Economically, the landscape shifted, too. The “Great Resignation” saw young professionals quitting jobs that no longer aligned with their values, prioritizing work-life balance over hustle culture. Remote work became the norm, and now, five years later, 35% of workers under 35 say they wouldn’t take a job that required full-time office attendance. At the same time, inflation and housing prices skyrocketed, making it harder than ever for young adults to buy homes or even afford rent.
And then there’s the lingering social impact. The collective trauma of the pandemic shaped an entire generation’s worldview. It deepened distrust in institutions, fueled political and cultural divisions, and left many struggling to rebuild relationships. It also ignited a renewed commitment to justice—whether through racial reckoning, climate advocacy or mutual aid movements, many young adults emerged from the pandemic determined to create change.
So, five years later, what do we do with all of this? We recognize that healing is still happening. That faith is still evolving. That friendships are still being repaired. The pandemic may have shattered the world as we knew it, but it also revealed what truly matters. Five years later, the question isn’t just how we survived—it’s how we move forward with intention, hope and a faith that’s been tested but still stands.
