Home Christian News Google Search for Hope Leads to Faith in Jesus

Google Search for Hope Leads to Faith in Jesus

Kenneth Durlin
Pictured: Kenneth Durlin being baptized (photo via Baptist Press).

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) – The turbulence of the past few years has left many young adults feeling lost and searching for answers to spiritual questions. That description fit Kenneth Durlin, a young man recently baptized through the Kairos ministry at Brentwood Baptist Church.

The 34-year-old Durlin said his spiritual journey started in the summer of 2019, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Describing his summer as “rough,” Durlin said going through a divorce was one of many reasons he began searching for hope and answers in the Bible.

Despite growing up in the South, Durlin said he had never once been to a church before attending a Kairos service in the fall of 2019 and had never read the Bible before the weeks leading up to that service.

“I was trying to find some kind of hope and faith and a path in life,” Durlin said. “When you’re lost, that is what you are looking for. You’re looking for some kind of guidance, path or direction to move forward. I had no idea what I was getting into when I read the Bible.”

Durlin said his family never had an opportunity to attend church because his father worked seven days a week. His family didn’t really read the Bible in the home either, so he had no context of Christianity other than what he heard from the media or other sources.

He began his search by opening the Bible and Googling “hopeful” verses, trying to find some encouragement.

“I was kind off just lost and unhappy in life, and I just needed some guidance and some help,” Durlin said.

After a couple weeks of this, he began looking for churches to attend, and someone recommended Kairos, the young adults and college ministry at Brentwood Baptist.

Durlin appreciated that the Tuesday night service worked better with his work schedule, and he enjoyed the music. Yet, the most important factor for Durlin was the Gospel message preached during the service.

Having been deeply impacted by the message, Durlin followed the church’s prompts for the next steps to get involved with the ministry. This led to a meeting with Matthew Purdom, discipleship minister for Kairos, the very next day at the church’s café on campus.

During this meeting, Purdom shared the Gospel with Durlin, and he prayed to receive Christ. Purdom called the meeting one of the most “effortless” conversations in sharing the Gospel he’s ever experienced.

Purdom immediately invited Durlin to his Bible study and began discipling him – something he insists is a key component to the Kairos ministry.

“I think one of the biggest keys to reaching millennials and Gen Z is just being with them in the rhythms of life,” Purdom said. “We tell them to read the Bible and to study, but really the measure of loving them is simply to do the spiritual practices and disciplines with them.”

Durlin echoed this sentiment about the importance of the Bible study for him personally.