Evangelical leader John Stevens has welcomed new findings from the Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report, saying the data should embolden Christians in the UK and give renewed confidence in the Gospel.
The report, based on a study of 13,000 people by YouGov for the Bible Society, challenges the long-held assumption that churchgoing in the UK is in terminal decline.
It found that church attendance among adults has in fact risen from 8% to 12% in the last six years —an increase of over 2 million people.
Most strikingly, attendance among 18 to 24-year-olds has quadrupled, from 4% to 16%, with young men seeing the largest rise, from 4% to a remarkable 21%.
In a new post on the website of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, Stevens noted that these changes reflect a deeper spiritual longing: “Young people say they are more spiritual … those who attend church report higher life satisfaction and connection to their communities.
“Secular liberalism has not delivered the happiness and freedom that it promised, with ever-increasing loneliness and mental health issues.
"Young people bear the impossible burden of having to define their own identity, and young men are tired of the relentless castigating of so-called ‘toxic masculinity’.
"Some of the same pressures that have led to a rise in populist policies and alt-right influencers are causing people to turn to church for answers to their pain and frustration.”
This longing has sparked interest not just in evangelical churches but also in Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy are attracting those drawn to tradition and transcendence, while Bible-teaching evangelical churches are welcoming seekers with a clear message and community rooted in Scripture.
“The lesson is that people want substance not superficiality,” said Stevens, who is national director of the FIEC.
The Chief Executive of the Bible Society, Paul Williams, said the findings of their study were “highly significant" and should “transform the perception of Christianity and churchgoing in England and Wales”.
“Far from being on a slippery slope to extinction, the Church is alive and growing and making a positive difference to individuals and society," he said.
A co-author of the report, Dr Rhiannon McAleer, added, “These are striking findings that completely reverse the widely held assumption that the Church is dying.
"While some traditional denominations continue to face decline, broad-based growth—especially in Catholic and Pentecostal churches—is painting a very different picture.”
Indeed, the denominational landscape is shifting.
Catholics now make up 31% of UK churchgoers, up from 23% in 2018, and Pentecostals have grown from 4% to 10%.
Meanwhile, the proportion of Anglicans has decreased from 41% to 34%.
Across the Atlantic, similar trends are emerging.
The State of the Bible: USA 2025 report by the American Bible Society found a significant increase in Scripture engagement, particularly among men and younger generations.
In the US, 41% of adults now read the Bible at least three times a year outside of church, up from 38% the year before.
Among Gen Z, Scripture engagement jumped from 11% to 15%, and among millennials, from 12% to 17%.
Notably, Bible use among men grew by 19%, closing a long-standing gender gap.
While the findings are encouraging, Stevens sounded a note of caution as migration has contributed significantly to the church growth in the UK while the UK population itself has grown by nearly 2 million since 2018, highlighting the urgent need of “re-evangelising the indigenous population”.
Furthermore, he cautioned, “We need to bear in mind that churchgoing is not the same as genuine Christian faith, and a rise in cultural Christianity, even if expressed more actively, is not the same as a revival.”
Nonetheless, he believes the data points to a spiritual shift: “There does seem to be a new move of God in Britain and a greater openness and response amongst young people, especially men.
“We can often make evangelism and church growth far more complex than it really is and forget that it is the work of the sovereign Spirit.”
After praising the Bible Society for its investment in the report, Steven concluded with a challenge to pray for a shift from a 'quiet revival' to a "mighty revival".
“These signs of new evangelical life in the UK are an encouragement for us to have confidence in the Gospel and to persevere in Gospel ministry," he said.
