What Does the Move of God at Asbury University Mean?

It began on February 8, as a normal church service. According to Asbury College students and leaders, a gospel choir sang at the end of the service, and some students stuck around afterward. They basked in worship music, weeped, repented of their sins and encouraged the testimonies of others.

Mark Whitworth, the university’s vice president of communications, told NBC News that social media was the “mechanism” leading to people’s discovery of the event.

Thousands of people have flocked to the school from around the country, prompting some conversations about what it all means. Some caution against calling what’s happening a revival. But for sure, the event at Asbury University, a small college in Wilmore, Kentucky; is a move of God of some kind.

“Only if we see lasting transformation which shakes the comfortable foundations of the church and truly brings us all to a new and deeper place can we look back, in hindsight and say ‘yes, this has been a revival,’” Seminary President Timothy Tennent wrote.

Reportedly, what has been happening at Asbury is happening at other locations. According to the Washington Post, similar events have emerged at schools like Cedarville University in Ohio; Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama; Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee; and Belmont University in Nashville.

Do I believe that what is happening at Asbury University is genuine? Yes, I do because it was unscripted, and it is spreading to other places. Moreover, others are drawn to come from afar to be a part of what’s going on.

Is God Speaking to the Church Through the Asbury University?

As church leaders, we dare not dismiss something like what’s happening at Asbury University and other locations. If we simply say that the way we have always done things is the way we will always do things. And that they can take it or leave it, many young church attendees will choose to leave it.

Let us bear in mind that the spiritual gatherings we are talking about involve primarily college students pressing into God. Perhaps if they were receiving in the church what they are looking for, there would not be such a hunger for God displayed as we are currently seeing.

I’m saying that it may not be true that members of generations Y and Z have lost interest in God, but maybe they have lost interest in modern day religion. We do well to try and decipher the message from the move of God that originated at Asbury University.

We live in an extremely turbulent world today. It seems as if everything that can be shaken is being shaken. I believe even our youths are looking for real meaning in life. They want to know how to navigate and overcome the difficult challenges of life. Christ is the only answer.

I don’t believe that what’s happening at some of our Christian colleges is happenstance. God never does things just for the sake of doing them. On the other hand, I don’t claim to know for certain what God is saying through this phenomenal event. He sometimes perfects praise through the mouth of babes (Matthew 21:16). But if we want to reach the young generation for Christ, we must address the spiritual hunger they are currently expressing.

The End of the Asbury Gatherings

Reportedly, according to Asbury University officials, the meetings will end on February 22. This statement comes days after police and the public expressed concerns about the massive influx of people coming into town, and cited public safety concerns.

Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.