Can we make the quiet revival louder? 

Phil Knox explores some of the latest ‘revival’ research and asks how we need to respond as the UK Church 

For most of us, for most of our lives, any news reports about church attendance have been bleak reading. In November 2022, the UK Census revealed that for the first time, fewer than half the people in England and Wales identified as Christian. We have become accustomed to headlines predicting the imminent extinction of the church in our nations.

And yet, in 2025, there has been a wave of research and headlines that have told a different story and caused those in the church and the media to listen up and take notice. I have compiled some key findings from some of the latest research conducted in the UK:

1. In January, a survey of 10,000 people conducted by OnePoll found that Gen Z’s are half as likely to be atheists as their parents or grandparents and revealed that just 13 per cent of under-25s identified as atheists.
2. In March, amongst other national newspapers, The Times reported that Bible sales increased by 87 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
3. In April, another study was published, this time from Savanta, which surveyed over 2,000 UK students about their attitude towards the Bible. This piece of research found that 29 per cent of all students read the Bible every week and 33 per cent of non-Christian students are interested in reading the Bible with a Christian friend if asked.
4. A couple of weeks later came a report by Bible Society called The Quiet Revival. In it YouGov surveyed over 13,000 UK adults and found that over 2 million more people are going to church now than in 2018. What was once referred to as a ​‘missing generation’ of young adults in the church is now anything but, with 33 per cent of all churchgoers being aged 18 – 34. In 2018, 4 per cent of 18 – 24-year-olds were monthly churchgoers. That figure is now 16 per cent.

Making sense of the numbers

This is encouraging stuff! If reviewed in isolation one of these studies could arguably be labelled as an outlier. But together, they serve as a useful indicator that there has been a change in the spiritual climate. 

Alongside this, I am hearing from many church leaders reporting significant growth and my social media timeline was recently full of churches packed out to overflowing on Easter Sunday. 

But does this change anything? How do we respond as good news people?

Firstly, we should not be surprised. We know a Saviour who knows His way out of the grave and as GK Chesterton once surmised, ​“On five occasions in history the church has gone to the dogs, but on each occasion, it was the dogs that died.” Many have predicted the church of Jesus Christ is only a generation away from extinction. The power of God is such that it is also only ever a spark away from revival. We can be cautious, but we should not be cynical.

Secondly, we should be prepared. Are we ready to welcome people who are searching? Are we prepared to connect with people who walk through our doors? People come to church for many reasons, but they will stay because of relationship. In this season, as people encounter Jesus and search for truth, are our communities of faith ready to journey with people towards the way, the truth and the life?

Thirdly, we should make the most of the opportunity. This is the encouragement of Paul in Colossians 4. If there is an increased openness to the gospel across the nation, this means that there is a good chance the same is true in the hearts of your friends and neighbours. Since I have been aware of the shift that is happening, I have intensified my prayers and pushed further in conversations with my friends who are not yet believers. In harvest terms, ​‘the fruit may be riper than ever before’. 

Fourthly, we should pray for more. I do not believe we are in full scale revival, but we may be seeing the first fruits. Let’s commit to praying for more and believing for greater, locally, nationally and globally. Your kingdom come, your will be done Lord.

In June, the Evangelical Alliance will publish its latest research, where we capture the stories of almost 300 new believers and ask what is behind this ​‘quiet revival’.

Watch out for that, but in the meantime, celebrate with me that God is on the move and that it seems we are no longer in decline, but in a season of growth. Glory to Jesus and let’s press on!


Image | Vince Fleming | Unsplash

 

Phil Knox is an evangelism and missiology senior specialist at the Evangelical Alliance and is trying to be a good friend. His book on the subject, The Best of Friends, was published on 16 February 2023. You can read his first book, Story Bearer at storybearer.com

This article originally appeared on the website of the Evangelical Alliance, and is republished with permission 

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