In 1800, 15-year-old Mary Jones hiked 26 miles across the harsh terrain of Northern Wales to purchase a Welsh Bible. Her journey inspired William Wilberforce and his band of social reformers to create what would become the Bible Society, a nonprofit in the UK dedicated to providing Bibles and resources around the world.
Now, according to a report by the Bible Society, young people not much older than Mary are leading a “quiet revival” in England and Wales. Within the last six years, church attendance has grown by 2 million people, and young adult Christians in these countries report being more excited and actively engaged in their faith.
Rhiannon McAleer
Bible Society, assisted by YouGov, surveyed 19,101 adults in 2018 about their religious behaviors and attitudes towards Christianity and the Bible. They then repeated the survey with 13,146 adults in 2024.
“This was a nationally representative sample so it’s not disproportionately looking at Christians, it is looking at adults. And it is surprising, but we would say that it does very much reflect a trend,” explained Rhiannon McAleer, director of research and impact at Bible Society. “As the Bible Society, we are connected to many, many churches and we have been hearing stories of change for at least 18 months now.”
When Bible Society published its findings in an online report titled “The Quiet Revival,” many in Britain were surprised to see the number of Christians in England and Wales rise from 8% to 12% of the total population.
“These are striking findings that completely reverse the widely held assumption that the church in England and Wales is in terminal decline,” McAleer said.
However, a breakdown by denomination reveals much of this growth occurring outside the Church of England. Today, 31% of churchgoers are Catholic (up from 23% in 2018) and the percentage of Pentecostal church attendees has more than doubled (from 4% to 10%). Conversely, the Church of England, engulfed in scandal and division, declined from 41% to 34%.
While a slim majority of churchgoers (19%) who attend worship monthly are over the age of 65, the second most likely demographic to attend church (16%) were those between the ages of 18 and 24. Scattered across a U-shaped curve between these two poles are middle-aged and Millennial adults.
In 2018, only 4% of 18– to 24-year-olds were monthly churchgoers; however, by 2024, that percentage had quadrupled to 16%. And, unlike the United States, where men are joining the church and women are leaving it, in England and Wales both men and women are attending at a higher rate than they were six years earlier.
The percentage of young men attending church grew from 4% to an astounding 21%, and young women were not far behind with an increase from 3% to 12%.
Rob Barward-Symmons
Rob Barward-Symmons, head of research at Bible Society’s thinktank Theos, said: “When we look into that well-being data … these do not feel like angry disaffected young men looking for a sense of power, so much as they’ve found a sense of contentment, sense of meaning, purpose, and they’re willing to kind of give back to their communities.”
Not only are churchgoers in England and Wales skewing younger, they also are more ethnically diverse.
“The stereotype of churchgoers is that they are predominantly old, white and female. Increasingly, that is no longer the case. We’re seeing increasing ethnic diversity,” McAleer. said
Almost a third (32%) of young churchgoers identify as an ethnic minority, compared to 6% of those over the age of 55. This increase makes the church more ethnically diverse than the UK itself, which as of the 2021 census was 18% nonwhite. Therefore, the change is too large to be the byproduct of immigration alone.
A closer look at the data shows 47% of Black Britons ages 18 to 34 are attending church at least once a month. Likewise, a third of all 18– to 34-year-olds of mixed ethnic backgrounds also are attending church regularly.
At first glance, the Quiet Revival would appear to directly contradict the most recent census, which reported Christianity was declining across England and Wales. But McAleer is quick to clarify that, while the census measured Christian identity, Bible Society’s research focused on Christian practice.
“Our report does not challenge the well-established fact that fewer people in England and Wales are choosing to identify as Christian. (However), the census doesn’t measure how often people practice their religion. That is what’s increased.”
In the past, those who did not attend church might still consider themselves “Christian” by default. Now they are choosing to identify instead as “no religion.” The Quiet Revival report suggests that in England and Wales, Christian identity is not a matter of birth but a matter of active participation in the faith.
“If you have the Christian label, now you are more likely to be practicing.”
Data from the surveys reflect this more participatory trend. Weekly prayer is a staple for 93% of respondents, and 66% report reading their Bibles at least weekly.
“If you have the Christian label, now you are more likely to be practicing … particularly young people who say they are active Christians,” McAleer said. Most of those reading Bibles are still using a printed version, while some rely on digital apps. Adults 18 to 24 also use audio recordings and listen to the Bible as they would a podcast. This youngest demographic also is the group most likely to pray regularly and believe there is “definitely a God/gods or higher power.”
While more Christians are reading their Bibles, a third say they struggle to understand it, finding the language and/or meaning challenging. When it comes to applying the Bible to everyday life, 38% find it difficult, 21% lack confidence in applying it to their personal life, and 20% aren’t sure how to apply the Bible’s teachings to situations or challenges at work. This is especially true of younger Christians.
There is some evidence that even nonchurchgoers are more open to Christianity than previously thought. About a third (34%) of those 18 to 34 who do not currently attend church said they would consider going if invited by a friend, and 63% said they would be happy to have a Christian friend pray for them.
Paul Williams, Bible Society’s chief executive, thinks “The Quiet Revival” establishes a new narrative about Christianity in the UK.
“This is a highly significant report which should transform the perception of Christianity and churchgoing in England and Wales,” he said. “Far from being on a slippery slope to extinction, the church is alive and growing and making a positive difference to individuals and society.”