SAN JOSE, Calif. — Forrest Frank paused for a moment as he stood in front of some 18,000 people — reportedly the largest crowd ever gathered for a Christian music concert in Northern California — on Tuesday night (July 14) at the Oakland Arena.

Then those in attendance began chanting out one name. And that name wasn’t Forrest Frank.

“Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!” cried the massive audience, mostly made up of families with young children, who filled the historic venue to the absolute brim.

And that was exactly what Forrest Frank wanted.

“I pray (the fans) wouldn’t see some dude with a funny haircut on the stage,” said the self-effacing superstar, as he stood in an small stage at the center of the area floor that was dominated by a huge cross. “But that they would just see the cross up here. They would see the work that you did 2,000 years ago on that cross. I thank you for what you are going to do tonight, Jesus.

“And all God’s people say — ”

Amen, indeed.

While so many people are content to talk about the greatness of God and then claim any glory for themselves — a group that extends well beyond the entertainment realm and, more often than I would like, even includes this writer — the 31-year-old Frank went the complete opposite direction during his enjoyable show that ran nearly two hours and consisted of more than 20 songs.

Now, let’s be clear about one thing: Frank is the hottest star in the Christian music realm, with Brandon Lake being a close second. For proof consider that this talented Texan had both the No. 1 and No. 2 bestselling Christian music albums — “Child of God” and “Child of God II” — of last year. And there is no sign of a letup in sight, given that those two albums still sit at No. 1 and 2 — with the 2025 sequel slipping past the original 2024 model — on the most recent album charts.

That’s how we end up with Frank’s The Jesus Generation Tour selling out — not just in regular Christian music strongholds like Nashville, Tennesee, but also in Oakland and other cities deemed by researchers to be “unchurched.” It’s become the biggest Christian music tour of all time, putting up sales figures that once were considered impossible for a secular artist. And Tuesday’s show represented the biggest audience ever assembled for a single Christian music concert in Northern California, according to Jon Robberson, one of the Bay Area’s top experts on the subject.

So, yes, Frank is a really big deal. But he certainly doesn’t act that way — or, seemingly, want others to see him in that fashion. Instead, he repeatedly underscored that the message — not the messenger — is what was most important at Tuesday’s concert.

The focus on the message is something that we are also seeing from many of Frank’s contemporaries in the realm — and certainly during Brandon Lake’s blockbuster concert at SAP Center in November — as contemporary Christian music (CCM) continues to gain in popularity at a staggering pace. These artists are setting the soundtrack to a cultural shift, driven by Gen Z, back to church, religion and spirituality.

Following a nice opening set by Tori Kelly — the former “American Idol” contestant who just released the fine new album “God Must Really Love Me” — the big cross on the in-the-round stage lit up and Forrest Frank and his four-piece backing band entered the picture. They came right out the gate with the tour’s namesake — “The Jesus Generation” — and then motored into “Amen” and “Hallelujah.”

Frank’s music is relentlessly positive and upbeat, with a penchant toward titles that use all-caps and even exclamation marks. Looking beyond the lyrics, it doesn’t share as much in common with the modern worship music heard on church Sundays around the country as it does with the Top 40 pop charts. His songs are nearly as unapologetically pop as they are unapologetically Christian, drawing from hip-hop, electronic music, acoustic guitar and choir-propelled choruses to fashion a musical mellow buzz that reminds one of the likes of Jack Johnson, Pharrell and, especially, Jason Mraz.

Try to dissect his music, clinically speaking, and the result doesn’t quite add up to “one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.” He’s an OK singer, but certainly doesn’t have the power or pipes of most of his contemporaries, and his raps are only adequate. Frank’s catalog is filled with songs that softly slip out of our consciousness moments after you hear them, with very few being the kind of memorable anthems that usually rise to the top of the CCM charts. And he’s certainly no force of nature on the live stage, but rather just comes across more like the likable guy next door.

So, it’s hard to explain his extreme popularity based solely on his talent level. And to do so, even Frank would surely agree, would be to leave out perhaps the most important factor at play.

“There are a lot of reasons why I shouldn’t be on this stage,” Frank told the audience. “I’m a very imperfect person. Even musically, there’s a lot of reasons why I shouldn’t be up here. For some reason, I am …

“Maybe it’s because somebody prayed.”

Midway through the show, Frank ventured off the main stage and headed over to a smaller side stage where he sat down at the keyboards, where he delivered powerful solo versions of “No Longer Bound” and “Thankful.” He’d also use the setting to further connect with the crowd by talking about his journey to making Christian music.

“I worked on music for a long time. But I wasn’t making music for the Lord,” he recalled. “For whatever reason — I don’t know why — I thought to make the music that I wanted to make I had to imitate the world. And I tried that and it just left me feeling empty.”

Showing the kind of humility that one just doesn’t see in the music business — or, all too often, in any business at all — Frank turned over the last part of the main set to fellow CCM troubadour Cory Asbury.

It was remarkable to see the headliner simply bow to his knees — allowing both Asbury and, more importantly, the message to stand tall — as the crowd sang along to “The Heart of Worship,” “Goodness of God” and other tunes, before closing the main set in fitting fashion with “Amazing Grace.”

Setlist:

1. “The Jesus Generation”

2. “Amen”/”Hallelujah”

3. “Good Day”

4. “Up!”

5. “Okay!”

6. “Somebody Prayed”

7. “Drop!”

8. “Jesus Is Alive”

9. “God Is Good”

10. “You Are Good”

11. “Celebration”

12. “No Longer Bound”

13. “Thankful”

14. “Your Way’s Better”

15. “Life My Hands”

16. “Child of God”

17. “The Heart of Worship”/”Nothing But the Blood”/”No Longer Slaves”/”Worthy of it All”/”Goodness of God” (all with Cory Asbury on lead vocals)

18. “Reckless Love”(Cory Asbury on lead vocals)

19. Amazing Grace (with Cory Asbury on lead vocals)

Encore

20. “Lemonade”

21. “Never Get Used to This”

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