PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The Greek Orthodox Church is known for its traditions and rich history dating back to the apostles. It’s not the kind of thing leaders in the church have known to be a huge draw for the younger generation who didn’t grow up in the church, but lately it has been.

Is it the gold-plated dome, the beauty inside covering the walls or the traditions that are bringing young people like David Guerrero to the Greek Orthodox church?

In his case, not quite.

“The YouTube algorithm started sending me all of these Orthodox videos. So, I just kept learning and learning, and I came to the conclusion that this is God’s church, and I stepped foot in this church Aug. 18 of last year on my birthday and I never left since,” Guerrero said.

That’s what brought him to The Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Clearwater, but what he felt when he got there is what keeps him coming back.

“Videos can only take you so far. It’s something you have to experience with all your five senses. The touch, the feel, what you see around you. It is truly something that is not of this world,” he said.

Guerrero is a 29-year-old military veteran. He’s one of dozens of young men who have joined the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church this year.

“I think they want reality. I don’t think they want bells and whistles anymore,” said Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church priest Father Jim Paris. “You get so much of that on TV.”

Father Paris said new membership went from four to five new members a year, to 30 to 35 this year alone. And he said almost all of those new members have something in common.

“We’re finding a lot of young people coming. That’s very impressive, and a lot of young men, which it’s usually the women in faith. I’m not putting the men down. I’m admiring the women for that, but now the men are coming. And young men at that. Young men from the military,” he said.

The increase in membership is happening in Greek Orthodox churches all over the Bay area according to Father Paris. A Pew Research poll shows a slight increase for men in Greek Orthodox men and even more with evangelical Christians.

No matter the denomination, experts like St. Leo Theology professor Randall Woodard say the trends are surprising.

“In the United States, the fastest growing faith for the last little while has been the nones. Like none. People that would click I have no official tradition or affiliation. It would just be like none of the above,” Woodard said.

Woodard said the details, discipline and order of the Orthodox Church may be a draw for younger men and military veterans, but he says trends show it’s more than that. It usually leads back to someone’s political ideologies mirroring a particular faith.

“A lot of times we’re all guilty of that,” he said. “It’s, I want to find a group that’s going to reinforce my already existing ideas and of course I want to seek that community and I want to seek somebody who’s gonna push me and ask me to grow as a human being.”

He says social media algorithms and influencers also play a critical role.

“A lot of those influencers, they have this underlying framework where they’re pushing young men to start to really step things up. Take personal responsibility, don’t be a victim, don’t blame your problems on someone else. You are the future of this country, your family, church and marriage,” he said.

Woodard believes overall, an increase of young men coming to a place of worship is a good thing. Something Guerrero agrees with.

“At the very least, it can put something in your soul, in your spirit, that can be a positive influence in your life,” Guerrero said.