35,000 Worship and 3,200 Accept Christ in Portland, One of America’s Most Secular Cities
Survey after survey ranks Portland among the most secular cities in America, but that didn't stop a spiritual outpouring over the weekend, as 35,000 people attended a two-day crusade hosted by a local congregation -- and 3,200 made decisions for Christ.
The PTX Crusade hosted by Athey Creek Church at the Moda Center included musical worship by Chris Tomlin, Zach Williams, CAIN, TAYA, Anne Wilson, Kari Jobe, and Cody Carnes, but -- more importantly -- an invitation at each event to follow Christ.
Originally planned as a two-night event on Saturday and Sunday, the crusade added a Saturday afternoon session after pre-registration quickly reached capacity.
Brett Meador, senior pastor of Athey Creek, said the crusade exceeded expectations.
"It's something to see a coliseum packed full of Christians just loving Jesus, especially in what is perceived as one of the darkest cities in America," Meador said after the first night of the crusade.
According to the Pew Research Center's latest Religious Landscape Study (2023–24), religiously unaffiliated individuals now outnumber Christians in the Portland–Vancouver area, 44 percent to 42 percent. A 2015 Public Religion Research Institute survey found that Portland had a higher percentage of religiously unaffiliated individuals than any city in the country.
But the PTX Crusade revealed a hunger for hope and truth in a city often considered spiritually closed.
Meador said a security guard accepted Christ, as did an elevator operator.
Around 4,000 volunteers played a role in organizing the crusade, which was billed as the first evangelistic crusade held in Portland in more than 25 years.
"The Word talks about how God is able to do above and beyond whatever we ask for or even think about," Meador said. "... It's just incredible how the Lord just stirred the hearts of so many people saved."
The PTX Crusade is the latest indication of a possible spiritual awakening in the United States. Just last month, 45,000 people filled Angel Stadium in California for the Harvest Crusade, where 5,500 made professions of faith in person -- and another 1,000 did so online.
"The thing that I leave from this process is this desire to see the light of Christ ripple effect from this crusade -- just to let the light of Christ just continue to go out to the Greater Portland area, throughout all of Oregon, and to the whole world," Meador said.
"It way surpassed anything we even thought would happen."
Photo Credit: ©PTX Crusade
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published August 05, 2025.
