As churches across the United States grapple with cultural division and declining engagement among younger generations, Pastor and author Lucas Miles says a new nationwide initiative aims to refocus believers on a singular mission: sharing the Gospel.
Miles, lead pastor of Nfluence Church in Granger, Indiana, who also serves as senior leader of TPUSA Faith, an offshoot of the conservative activist organization Turning Point USA, is helping lead the “Make Heaven Crowded” tour, a multi-city outreach effort headlined by TPUSA CEO Erika Kirk, that they say aims to unite churches and spark a “revivalistic movement” rooted in faith rather than politics.
“This is probably the least controversial event that we’ve ever done,” Miles said. “The majority of it is just Gospel presentations and personal testimony of how Christ has impacted people’s lives.”
The tour, which includes roughly 30 stops nationwide, emerged following the killing of Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA’s founder and key ally to President Donald Trump, a loss Miles said deeply impacted the organization and helped ignite renewed spiritual momentum.
“We want to find a way not to allow his death to be in vain,” Miles said. “To take this revival that was started after his memorial and take it really out across this nation.”
Early events have drawn large crowds. A kickoff gathering at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California, brought nearly 6,000 attendees and resulted in more than 300 people responding to an invitation to accept Christ, according to Miles.
The tour features a mix of pastors, musicians, influencers and public figures, including Riley Gaines, Pastor Allen Jackson, Jurgen Matthesius, Bryce Crawford and others sharing personal testimonies, with organizers encouraging attendees to invite nonbelieving friends.
“We’re really bringing them all together to testify about what Christ has done in their life,” Miles said.
Miles, who also authored Pagan Threat: Confronting America’s Godless Uprising that features a foreword by Charlie Kirk, joined TPUSA Faith about 18 months ago after more than two decades in pastoral ministry. Since then, the organization’s church network has expanded from roughly 3,200 congregations to nearly 10,000 nationwide, he said.
Operating under the broader Turning Point USA umbrella, TPUSA Faith focuses on equipping pastors, fostering unity around core Christian doctrine and helping churches engage cultural issues through a biblical framework.
“Our politics are downstream of theology,” Miles said, noting the organization does not endorse political candidates but instead emphasizes theological grounding.
The tour has faced scrutiny from critics who feel the events have a political nature, given the organization’s influence in the conservative movement, and question its inclusion of high-profile pastors, such as Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Christian Fellowship. Laurie and Harvest are currently named in a series of lawsuits.
Attorneys for Laurie and Harvest are seeking to dismiss or move 22 federal lawsuits filed by former residents of church-run children’s homes in Romania. The plaintiffs allege they were sexually abused and trafficked by former pastor Paul Havsgaard and accuse the church and its leadership of negligence and failing to prevent or stop the abuse.
The lawsuits claim the alleged abuse occurred more than 18 years ago and that church leadership allowed Havsgaard to continue operating with minimal oversight despite warnings.
Laurie and the church have denied wrongdoing. A spokesperson previously described the allegations as “serious and disturbing” but said the church did not knowingly cover up abuse and has reported the claims to law enforcement. The ministry has also characterized the lawsuits as a form of financial extortion and said it intends to vigorously defend itself in court.
Havsgaard has denied all allegations, calling them “blatant, ugly lies” motivated by financial gain.
Miles said TPUSA Faith conducted its own review before including Laurie in the tour and remains confident in its decision.
“They reported this when they were made aware of it,” Miles said. “I would have no hesitation in standing behind him based upon what I know and what I’ve seen.”
He added that the organization routinely investigates concerns involving pastors within its network and distances itself from ministries that violate core Christian doctrine.
In February, TPUSA Faith canceled plans to host a tour event at First Baptist Orlando in Florida after the church’s decision to host to event was challenged by staff members who belived the event was political in nature. In a statement, TPUSA said it determined that “that this particular stop was not the best strategic fit for either organization.”
Beyond the tour, Miles pointed to a growing challenge facing churches: engaging younger generations in an increasingly digital and isolated culture.
With the average pastor now nearing 60 years old, he said churches must become more intentional in adopting new tools and approaches.
“We’re seeing really the most isolated generation that we’ve ever seen,” Miles said, referencing the long-term effects of pandemic-era disruptions.
He emphasized the importance of leveraging technology, social media and targeted outreach to bridge that gap while remaining grounded in biblical truth.
“We have to be forward-thinking,” he said.
Despite theological differences across denominations, Miles said TPUSA Faith has focused on uniting churches around essential doctrines rather than secondary debates.
As the “Make Heaven Crowded” tour continues, he said the goal remains simple: to see lives changed through the message of the Gospel.
“At the end of the day,” Miles said, “this is about the Gospel.”
The tour’s next stops will be at Freedom Life Church in Philadelphia on April 8; Regent University in Virginia Beach on April 13; Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas on April 29; Calvary Chapel of Greater Portland in Portland, Maine, on May 15; Landmark Community Church in Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 24; Emmanuel Baptist Church in Billings on June 26; Living Stones Church in Crown Point, Indiana, on July 7; Evangel World Prayer Center in Louisville on July 17; Mountain City Church in Anchorage on July 26 and more.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]
