'Costco' pastor cheers young people's turn to faith: 'There are no good answers outside the church'

A pastor who has built a large social media following by integrating his admiration for Costco with his Christian faith says “there are no good answers outside the church” and believes that might be why many young people are looking to religion, not culture, for guidance. 

Lucas Gomes, who serves as one of the pastors at two churches, First Baptist Church Fort Lauderdale and Church by the Glades in Coral Springs, Florida, appeared on “Fox & Friends” this week, where he discussed the rising popularity of young adult ministry groups at the two South Florida churches, noting that they draw thousands of people.

When asked by "Fox & Friends" co-host Ainsley Earhardt why a growing number of young people are embracing Christianity, Gomes replied, “The culture is starving for purpose.”

“People are starving for meaning. People want so badly for their life to mean something, and they’re asking hard questions,” he said. “I think social media is making it even worse because these 20-somethings are comparing themselves to things that they see online.”

“My influence has grown, and it’s allowed me to invite people to church,” added Gomes, who has amassed more than 83,000 followers on his Instagram “therealkirklandking,” where he posts videos documenting his admiration for Costco while plugging Christianity. 

“It’s authentic to who I am. I love nonsense, really, I love to laugh, I love Costco, and so I started joking about Costco, and that’s what’s getting millions of views. But again, when I get more influence, I can leverage that for what really matters, which is inviting people to church.

Gomes reflected on two of his videos in which he said, “The only thing more reliable and consistent than the $1.50 hot dog and soda combo is God,” and “Costco Saturday, church Sunday,” and quipped, "I guess it turns out I needed to start posting about Costco for people to want to talk to me about Jesus, which I’m totally fine with." 

Joking aside, Gomes also raised concerns about the serious dangers of social media, lamenting how it often makes young people “feel like losers.”

“They’re comparing themselves to something that’s not real,” he said.

Gomes also mentioned problems that can arise with the use of artificial intelligence, especially when seeking answers from such programs as ChatGPT that can provide “all kinds of answers about what life is," reiterating his belief that "there are no good answers outside the church.” 

He concluded his guest appearance on "Fox & Friends" by encouraging people to go to church. “So many people, they get on social media and they see Christian content and they think that kind of suffices. But social media, Christian content, it will never replace what the Church can do.” 

Gomes’ anecdotal example of young people’s growing embrace of Christianity as reflected at his churches matches the findings of recent research.

A report published by Barna’s State of the Church Initiative last year found that Gen Zers and millennials, the two youngest groups of American adults, had higher monthly church attendance rates than the older generations. 

Gen Zers attended church 1.9 times a month on average, while millennials had an average attendance rate of 1.8 times per month. By contrast, Gen X had a monthly attendance rate of 1.6 times per month, and baby boomers and elders attended church services an average of 1.4 times per month. 

Research from the Barna Group also found an increase in the number of millennial males who agreed with a statement declaring, “I have made a personal commitment to follow Jesus that is still important in my life today,” from 52% in 2019 to 71% in 2025. Similarly, the percentage of Gen Zers who agreed with the same statement jumped from 52% in 2019 to 67% in 2025.