In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the Culture & Christianity Conference where he was scheduled to speak at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro rallied attendees to advance the gospel that Kirk championed.
The Sept. 19 event revolved around the memory of Kirk, impressing the 3,000 registrants to honor Kirk’s legacy and to advance a more politically brazen Christianity.
Speakers urged a bold infusion of conservative Christian values into public life.
“When a martyr dies, his power multiplies,” Rob McCoy, pastor emeritus of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Thousand Oaks, California, said in a Sept. 19 address at World Outreach’s summit. “He (Charlie) saw politics as an on-ramp to Jesus.”
McCoy co-founded Turning Point USA Faith with Kirk, an offshoot of Kirk’s political advocacy group that works to mobilize pastors to be more outspoken advocates for conservative causes and figures.
More: Charlie Kirk memorial to feature worship from Brandon Lake, Chris Tomlin. How to watch
McCoy told the audience he plans to speak at the public memorial for Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sept. 21. At one point in the Culture & Christianity Conference, other speakers and the crowd laid hands on McCoy to pray and “anoint” him in advance of the high-profile speaking appearance.
World Outreach senior pastor Allen Jackson, left, and members of a forum perform the laying on of hands for Pastor Rob McCoy, seated, during the Culture & Christianity Conference at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Friday, Sept. 19, 2025. Other members of the panel are Dr. George Grant, Pastor John Amanchukwu Sr., and Pastor Gary Hamrick. They were praying for McCoy who would be giving a remembrance of Charlie Kirk, his friend and co-founder of Turning Point USA, at Kirk’s memorial Sunday.
A Sept. 19 evening session at the conference focused on the media, which is the slot that Kirk would have spoken during. It featured a video tribute for Kirk. Also, in worship led by Christian musician Matthew West, the crowd sang West’s song, dedicated to Kirk: “Unashamed.”
Earlier in the day, World Outreach senior pastor Allen Jackson led the audience in communion and referenced Kirk during his invitation to partake in the elements.
More: Charlie Kirk memorial service live stream: Watch Sept. 21 from State Farm Stadium
This deeply spiritual memorializing of Kirk has become commonplace in the past week as more evangelical Christian leaders honor Kirk as a martyr for the Christian faith. It’s played an important role in motivating a wider audience to embrace a certain theological worldview that Kirk was aligned with, known as the Seven Mountains Mandate, said Matthew Boedy, a professor of religious rhetoric at the University of North Georgia.
Boedy, author of the forthcoming book, “The Seven Mountains Mandate: Exposing the Dangerous Plan to Christianize America and Destroy Democracy,” said Kirk was able to elevate controversial Seven Mountains-associated ideas without alienating a broader audience. Boedy’s critical analysis of the Seven Mountains movement, based on a view that conservative Christians should influence seven major sectors of society, and his close observation of Kirk’s advocacy over the years has drawn criticism from Kirk allies.
“Charlie was good at promoting without its baggage of the metaphor of ‘mountains’ or anything that came with that,” Boedy said in an interview. “It’s a very simple strategy to understand. You pick one area, and you go in this area and win. And your friend will go into this other area and win.”
Attendees of the Culture & Christianity Conference at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tenn., pray Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.
Alex Marlow, editor-in-chief for the right-wing media site Breitbart News, and talk show radio personality Eric Metaxas also spoke at the World Outreach summit.
Metaxas and Kirk’s talk shows are both produced by Salem Media Group, a dominant conservative Christian radio conglomerate. Vice President JD Vance recently hosted Kirk’s show.
“The murder of Charlie is already going to lead to unbelievable revival in this nation… it’s been prophesied,” Metaxas said in a Sept. 19 address. “Secular liberals are gnashing their teeth because they can see something that has been awakened in America that will never die.”
At the last minute, Metaxas stepped in to speak at the Culture & Christianity Conference in Kirk’s stead.
Many Culture & Christianity Conference attendees are fans and listeners of The Eric Metaxas Show and The Charlie Kirk Show. Salem-owned programs are part of that network of conservative Christian media personalities, and many of the same figures are part of a community aligned with the National Religious Broadcasters, a conservative advocacy group that organizes hosts an annual gathering in Nashville.
A standard ticket for the Culture & Christianity Conference was $100 and a VIP ticket was $250. All tickets sold out.
Related: Religious Americans are divided over Charlie Kirk. But they all agree on this.
Liam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social media @liamsadams.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: World Outreach Church summit turns Kirk’s planned talk into tribute