In late February, an estimated 7 million people from 225 countries and territories came together for Gather25, a 25-hour global prayer event led by Bible teacher and bestselling author Jennie Allen. The event, which featured live gatherings in seven locations and over 21,000 groups meeting in churches and homes, marked an unprecedented moment in Christian unity and worship.
Allen, the founder of IF:Gathering, a ministry that equips women with “Gospel-centered resources, events and community” for the purpose of discipleship, told The Christian Post she spearheaded the project with a singular goal: to mobilize the global Church in prayer, worship and repentance. But even she was astonished at the overwhelming response.
“I have honestly just had a hard time processing it,” the ministry leader said. “It feels a little pretend, like a crazy dream, because there were so many ways it could have gone wrong. We depended on technology that barely existed. We were on the cutting edge of what AI can do with translations.”
The success of Gather25, despite the challenges, serves as a testament, Allen believes, to “the protection and favor of God and a lot of really smart people who used their gifts to make this happen.”
The Get Out of Your Head author revealed the idea for Gather25 was born from a vivid dream she had in 2022. “At that point, we had been leading a ministry for a decade that reached women through live streaming. We’d reached 170-something countries through IF:Gathering, and we had seen the favor of God on the model of putting the tool in everybody’s hands and allowing them to lead it, allowing them to host it,” she shared.
Yet, the dream pressed an urgency upon her. “I had this vivid dream that Jesus was coming back soon, in 10 years. I don’t know when He’s coming back, but in the dream, I felt very urgent. I woke up with that same urgency — to reach as many people as possible with the Gospel as quickly as we can.”
From there, the vision for Gather25 took shape. Allen, who has a master's in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary, said she saw an opportunity to build on the model of IF:Gathering and invite the entire global Church into a shared moment of prayer and revival.
“It didn’t feel crazy,” she said, “but later, as it kept going, it got crazier in my mind, and I realized what it would cost. This would have to be an act of God.”
Allen revealed that Gather25 harnessed AI for groundbreaking translation technology, making real-time communication possible across languages.
“We are living in Pentecost,” Allen said. “For the first time since Pentecost, and really going back to the Tower of Babel, languages have been a barrier. And so, this is a miracle. The only reason the global Church was able to gather for the first time is that technology.”
While she acknowledges the risks AI presents, and the skepticism many feel toward the technology, Allen stressed that God can use it for His purposes.
“Bible translation is dependent on it. It would not hit the mark that they set, which was 2033, without it. Right now, we’re all really blown away by how God is using that technology. It’s really special and powerful,” she said.
Throughout the 25 hours, there were countless moments of worship and testimony that moved Allen to tears. One, in particular, stood out.
“When Africa went live with the Burundi drummers and the Watoto Children’s Choir —who were rescued out of child slavery where they were fighting wars — one of them spoke directly to the camera and said, ‘Jesus is enough for my suffering,’” she said.
Allen, whose son is from Africa, said she was deeply moved by the moment: “Watching his home country host it, I’ll never forget that moment.”
The mother of four also described the sheer magnitude of people who said “yes” to participating. “We’re talking about production teams on six, seven continents. We’re talking about music, volunteer teams, and people hosting in their churches, homes and on college campuses. Over 20,000 people said, ‘Yes, I will host.’ Some of those events had anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people.”
Despite not knowing exactly what the content would be, since the event was live and unscripted, people stepped out in faith.
“Somebody once said, ‘How do you know if you're obeying God or if this vision is from God?' And a wise person once said, ‘When it happens,’” she reflected. “As confident as I was that the Lord had called me to it, there still was a part of me that wondered, like, God, are you in this? Are you going to show up? Can you do this? […] And God did it. We are the fish and loaves story.”
“They didn’t know if it would be boring, they didn’t know what it would look like, but they trusted that God was in it. And He was. […] It wasn't just my ‘yes,’ it wasn't just my team's ‘yes,’ it was thousands of people saying ‘yes’ to God.”
Reflecting on what Gather25 revealed about the state of the global Church, Allen noted a renewed hunger for unity and prayer.
“For so long, we didn’t believe in it anymore. We got really discouraged and cynical. But then something started to happen, and people started to get hope again.”
Allen said she believes the Church is in the early signs of something monumental. “We showed revival happening all over the Earth. And in some cases, if you were to just watch a clip, you wouldn’t know what country you were seeing. You’d think it was the U.S., but it was Germany, with hundreds and thousands of baptisms. Paris, the same thing. The same Spirit of God moving in every place.”
While she hesitated to label it a full-fledged “awakening,” the ministry leader said she sees the momentum building. “I think when it really happens, there will be no denying it. The whole Church will know. But I’m in rooms where I see it. I’m watching it happen on college campuses, in churches, in cities around the world.”
As the global movement sparked by Gather25 continues, Allen said she remains committed to sowing seeds for revival. “For the places that we aren’t experiencing a harvest yet, keep sowing. Keep sowing. I’m just praying that the Lord has favor on our generation, that He really would pour out mass revival and that many, many souls would be saved. That’s what we’re praying. And that’s going to take all of us.”
For those who missed Gather25, the full event is available for free at Gather25.com. “What you’ll see,” Allen promises, “will give you great hope that the Church is alive, well and thriving.”
Originally published by The Christian Post
