A Profound Reflection on 20 Years of 24/7 Worship and Prayer
For the last twenty years, we have hosted ceaseless, night-and-day worship and prayer. I am stunned to even be able to write that sentence.
Our 24/7 anniversary is February 12th, so this season has been one of wonder and reflection and at times asking the hard questions – has it all been worth it? I often stand in awe that our little community, by the grace of God, has carried this offering of worship and prayer for two decades.
20 years of ceaseless worship and prayer – That phrase alone carries weight. Until now, it’s been spoken in the language of faith, intimacy, and obedience. What we have not been able to do is to carefully and honestly assess: Have our prayers actually made a difference in the region? Not just individual testimonies or moments we felt His presence in the prayer room. But are there any tangible and measurable regional outcomes?
These questions matter deeply for those of us who have given our lives to this work. If we’re honest, it carries a quiet fear we may not want to say out loud: Have I poured my life into something that has no tangible effect? We know there is heavenly accounting and rewards, but what of the here and now? I have long resonated with David’s words, “I would’ve fainted lest I believed I’d see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 27:13)
Recently, we decided to do some research to try to answer the questions, with honesty and without defensiveness. I must tell you that what we found has struck me to the core and shocked us all. I say this soberly and objectively – this may be the most important finding I’ve ever published.
What We Set Out to Examine
We looked at twenty years of publicly available, third-party data on Gwinnett County, Georgia during the same twenty-year period which GateCity Church has hosted unceasing, night-and-day worship and prayer.
We focused on a simple framework: What normally happens to counties that grow as fast as Gwinnett? Did Gwinnett follow the expected pattern across a variety of county-wide Key Performance Indicators? How did Gwinnett compare to national averages? How did these twenty years compare to the previous twenty years in Gwinnett?
We found that between the mid-2000s and the mid-2020s, Gwinnett County grew from about 640,000 residents to over one million — more than 55% growth in two decades, 3.5 times faster than the nation as a whole.
Every major field that studies social outcomes agrees that growth at this scale usually produces societal decline, especially in 1) Religious participation 2) Social cohesion, and 3) Public safety. That’s the normal expectation.
The Finding That Struck Us
Using the U.S. Religion Census, the most reliable source for county-level religious participation, we discovered something unexpected. Rather than collapsing in Christian presence, Gwinnett County experienced substantial growth in Christian adherents. According to the U.S. Religion Census, the county added more than 110,000 Christian adherents between 2000 and 2020, even as its population expanded by more than 55%.
That change may sound modest until it is placed in proper context. Ordinarily this type of dramatic population increase would produce a significant decline in Christian adherence rather than expansion. This is particularly notable given that Gwinnett has become the most internationally diverse county in Georgia. Under these conditions, Christianity would normally be expected to decline. Instead, it grew.
Gwinnett didn’t just add people; it added Christians at a nationally exceptional scale. In absolute terms, the county grew at a rate that placed it among the top 1% of U.S. counties in raw Christian growth during that period. This surge occurred during the same twenty-year period in which the national Christian population declined sharply. According to the Pew Research Center, the United States experienced an estimated loss of approximately 10 million Christians, or about a 10% decline in the total Christian population. In other words, while Christianity was in severe decline nationally, Gwinnett County moved decisively in the opposite direction.
That is not normal. That is unexpected. That is stunning.
What makes this moment distinct is that, for the first time, we can look back across the same twenty-year span with publicly verifiable data and ask whether anything tangible changed beyond the walls of our prayer room. The convergence of our 24/7 anniversary with stunning measurable outcomes in our county sparks deep gratitude, renewed humility, and a greater faith in how persevering prayer may shift and change a region over time.
Testing the Data
We tested every standard explanation:
Population growth
Immigration
Suburban affluence
Church consolidation
Regional “Bible Belt” effects
None of them adequately explain this outcome. In fact, most of those factors usually correlate with faster secularization, not faith expansion. That’s why we used careful language in our conclusions. We know that correlation does not prove causation, but correlation that defies baseline expectations demands considerate reflection and explanation.
We are not claiming sole causation. But we are identifying a profound statistical anomaly. There has been an uncommon and measurable divergence in Christian growth from expected outcomes and national averages over the last twenty years.
More Context That Makes It Harder to Ignore
Christianity isn’t the only area Gwinnett defied expectations. During the same period:
1) Violent crime stayed below national averages
2) Public safety stabilized faster after national crime spikes
3) Median household income remained above the U.S. average
4) Poverty stayed below national levels
5) Graduation rates rose significantly in a massive, diverse school system.
Taken together, these signs of flourishing amid a time of expected decline support and encourage the concept that regional transformation is possible where there is a thriving faith community present – particularly one marked by sustained 24/7 worship and prayer.
The Question We Can No Longer Avoid
The most sobering part of this research is not the data itself, it’s the alignment.
The same twenty-year period in which these outcomes changed corresponds exactly with two decades of ceaseless, night-and-day worship and prayer. And when considered against the backdrop of the previous twenty years (1980-2000), there is a clear and measurable break that marks a dynamic shift in trajectory that cannot be explained as a continuation of prior trends.
I want to be careful with my words here to avoid hype.
I am not saying: Prayer caused everything.
I am saying: Something changed and it changed during this season of ceaseless 24/7 worship & prayer.
For the first time in our history, we are not simply pointing to spiritual fruit, we are pointing to correlated outcomes that are data-driven and can be measured, audited, and scrutinized.
Faith will always be faith. Faith will always require believing without seeing. I know this research doesn’t take the place of faith. But it does give substantive grounding that spurs on our faith and helps dispel nagging doubts.
Why This May Be the Most Important Thing We’ve Published
For the first time we have actual data that correlates these years of unceasing worship and prayer with regional outcomes. With intellectual honesty we are able to say, “What we’ve given ourselves to correlates with regional change.”
We have prayed and labored, in weakness and through significant challenges, and the fact is evident that the place we labored for changed in ways that defy easy explanation.
That doesn’t end the conversation but it does frame it. And for those of us who have built our lives around 24/7 worship and prayer it gives rare courage!
A Personal Word
For me, this matters deeply. Night-and-day worship and prayer has been my life’s work. It’s been my personal offering to Jesus. It’s what I’ve given myself to even when many voices questioned or disparaged it. I knew that would be part of the journey. But in quiet times the voices of negation can get very loud. Every intercessor knows this battle. You pray with a heart full of passion and oftentimes you can’t see any tangible results. Still, you pray. You show up. You cry out. You sing and laugh and groan and weep. Nothing noticeable seems to happen and still you pray.
This research doesn’t replace the need for faith, but what is profoundly important for me is that it provides data that shows our labor in prayer is tangibly connected to real-world measurable outcomes. The data does not prove prayer caused these things, but it does tell me that during twenty uninterrupted years of worship and prayer, the place I have labored for has changed in ways that defy expectations.
I’m incredibly grateful and my zeal is stirred. I want to keep going! If this could happen in one county in Metro Atlanta, imagine if we covered all of Atlanta in night-and-day worship and prayer! That’s our vision – five locations burning night and day!
The prospects are very exciting. But at the end of it all, I am not pressing on because I have compelling data. That was never the reason we started to begin with. The reason for night-and-day worship and prayer has always been the same, it’s never changed. The most compelling reason isn’t regional transformation or a vision for global revival. It’s not personal testimonies or powerful prophetic stories. The reason for 24/7 stands infinitely above all else – it’s the matchless and incomparable WORTH OF JESUS. He alone is worthy of hearts poured out in ceaseless adoration.
I pray this blog has encouraged you as it has me. Let’s never forget that Jesus is worthy of every offering. It’s a beautiful wonder to know that He receives our love and adoration, our intercession and supplication, as a willing partner and friend. I’m in awe of God’s work over these last twenty years and so curious what the next twenty years hold. Above it all, what’s most valuable is His worth and to sense His pleasure in it all. Oh, to live for His glory and His pleasure alone.