Utah Christians reflect on church growth, changes since Charlie Kirk’s death 

One year after Charlie Kirk was killed at Utah Valley University (UVU), people are returning to campus to remember the conservative activist as Christian leaders and churchgoers reflect on how Utah’s faith community has changed.

They say his death sparked changes enduring beyond the initial grief, including renewed interest in faith, growing church attendance and deeper conversations about Christianity in the predominantly Latter-day Saint state.

For some, this renewed interest in faith became deeply personal. For University of Utah student William Buckley, attending the UVU event marked the beginning of his faith journey after not growing up in a Christian household.

“After a traumatic event like that, all I just knew I needed something in my life,” he told Heartlander News.

“I was very lucky to have a lot of Christian people around me that were able to help me out and walk with me through that.”

Buckley’s experience reflects a broader shift some Christian leaders say they have observed across Utah.

Since Kirk’s death, Dr. Toby Travis, head of Intermountain Christian School (ICS), said his conversations with church leaders statewide have revealed a “recurring theme” of “accelerated growth” and expanding ministries.

“I know two pastors that I have gotten to know very well over the last few months, and both of their churches have had to open up new service times just to accommodate the crowds,” he shared with Heartlander News.

Churchgoers are also noticing similar changes on a personal level. Kristen Brown, who attends a church about 30 minutes from the UVU campus, told Heartlander News she has seen more attendees, including friends who “haven’t gone to church in a while.”

“I’ve noticed a lot of people in my generation and younger generations talk about wanting to go to church again, especially after what happened to Charlie,” she said.

For many believers across the state, the loss felt personal, as if they had lost a “brother,” and Brown believes this grief helped draw some people back to church.

The response has also shaped how Christian institutions in the state are approaching their mission.

Travis said ICS’s theme this year, “Being All In,” centers on preparing students to use “every opportunity, every conversation, every interaction” to share the gospel with others.

He believes Utah offers a unique opportunity to reach people with the gospel. Only 3% of the state’s population is evangelical and 5% is mainline Protestant, according to Pew Research Center.

Turning Point USA is hosting a memorial at UVU on Thursday to remember Kirk one year after his death.