The "Quiet Revival" - Dave Monck

I'm a bit sceptical about statistics. It could be because I studied it for A level, hated it and it was my worst grade. But I think it's more to do with the way it is so easy to twist statistics to make them say what you want them to say. So normally, I would have read the article published by the Bible Society called 'The Quiet Revival' with a bit of trepidation. It's an analysis of comparative data that has been gathered over a number of years that points to a significant shift in people's attitude and engagement with God, Church and the Bible. You can read a fuller summary or download the whole report by clicking here: https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival

Here's a shorter summary of the findings:

The "Quiet Revival" marks a surprising resurgence of Christian faith in England and Wales, particularly among young adults. Church attendance has risen significantly, with 18–24-year-olds showing the most dramatic increase—from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024. This growth is especially strong among young men and ethnic minorities, making churches more youthful and diverse. Spiritual engagement is also deepening, with high rates of Bible reading, prayer, and belief in God. Church attendance is linked to improved mental health, life satisfaction, and stronger community ties, especially for young adults. Non-churchgoers are increasingly open to Christianity, with many saying they would attend church if invited. The report recommends the Church focus on Bible discipleship, intergenerational dialogue, and personal relationships to sustain this growth. With rising interest in social activism among churchgoers, the Quiet Revival offers both spiritual renewal and tangible community impact, defying expectations of Christianity’s decline in the modern era.

I'd already heard these statistics being talked about at a New Wine conference in February. As the speakers described them, they were also telling stories of people they had encountered behind the statistics. Usually, I'm left thinking 'great for your church, but that's not my experience', but I was aware that although our stories at St Paul's aren't quite as dramatic as some of those articulated from the stage, we have our own stories of people behind the statistics. Three quick examples. On Easter day, a young man dragged his mum to church because they wanted to see what it was like. There have been a number of teenagers who have been in touch with St Paul's or have started coming regularly, because they felt a sense that they should, and are interested in exploring faith. Lastly, we've seen a bunch of young people not only coming to drop in, but inviting their friends, engaging in the 'Think-y, talk-y, teach-y' time, exploring faith.

One of the things that stands out to me is that much of this 'Quiet Revival' seems to be going on irrespective of the intentional missional work we are engaged in as a church. Not that this work isn't important, but God seems to be stirring, nudging and drawing people to himself in ways that we can't predict, or plan.

It's exciting to hear that God is to work across the nation, but even more encouraging to know that what He's doing elsewhere, He's also doing here, in our Church, at this time. The report recommends that we focus on 'Bible discipleship, intergenerational dialogue and personal relationships to sustain this growth'. The Quiet Revival feels like an opportunity for us to join in with what God is doing and a challenge to get to know and encourage those reaching out to St Paul's to connect with God.