By Billy Hallowell

Pastor Greg Laurie has helped lead tens of thousands of people to the Christian faith, calling his decades in ministry a true "privilege."

"I can't believe that God allowed me to do this and to be doing it for 35 years," Laurie recently told CBN News. "[When] we started these Harvest Crusade [events], never did we think we would be doing them 35 years later, but we are, and they're going strong, and it's a whole new generation."

With so much chaos unfolding in culture, the preacher said he believes recent positive reactions to the Christian faith show there's a "spiritual hunger" among Generation Z and Millennials.

"They're searching," Laurie said. "They're looking for answers, and I find myself in these crusades being simpler than I've ever been. I just feel my job is to make this information accessible and understandable."

He continued, "It is my belief that most Americans have never [encountered an] accurate, understandable presentation of the Gospel. They've heard the word 'Gospel.' They've heard variations of Gospel preaching, but have they actually just heard the simple Gospel message presented in a way that they can comprehend?"

Listen to Laurie discuss this issue on CBN's Newsmakers podcast (subscribe here):

Laurie said he believes this simple message is one found at the heart of the biblical narrative.

"The power of our message is in the death [and] resurrection of Jesus Christ," he said.

Laurie recalled a dinner he had years ago with the late evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham. During the conversation, Laurie asked what Graham would say to a younger Billy Graham, if given a chance.

"Billy said, 'I would preach more on the cross of Christ and the blood — that's where the power is,'" Laurie recalled. "So, now, at this point [in] ministry, I find that I'm really simplifying my message."

With the preacher focusing his attention on helping people make a decision to follow Jesus — and then build upon that relationship — the results are truly compelling.

At Laurie's most recent Harvest Crusade held July 20 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, he saw 50,000 people show up in person.

"The fire marshal literally shut the doors and there were people outside ... worshiping," Laurie said.

Ultimately, 3,500 people made a decision to follow Jesus during the live, in-person event, with 1,500 more making the same decision while tuning in online.

Then, one week later, Laurie saw 2,000 people show up to get baptized during a separate baptism event. That baptism follows last year's first Jesus Revolution baptism, which saw 4,500 people be immersed.

"In a 12-month span ... we have baptized 6,500 people," Laurie said. "And, so, to me, that's just remarkable."

Listen to the full episode for more from Laurie.

This story originally appeared on CBN News.

Billy Hallowell is a journalist, commentator and digital TV and podcast host who has covered thousands of the biggest faith and culture stories. He has worked in the media for more than two decades and is the author of several books.

Subscribe to Billy Hallowell’s Substack for inspirational content, news, and more.