For years and years, we’ve all got used to the idea that fewer people are going to church in England and Wales and we’ve accepted the idea that the Church is in decline. 

But some amazing new research from Bible Society completely changes that. We’ve found that far from attendance dropping, it’s actually risen by a staggering 50 per cent in England and Wales in the last six years. 

The findings come in The Quiet Revival, an exciting new survey commissioned by Bible Society and conducted by YouGov. 

The most dramatic increase is among young adults, particularly young men, and you may be seeing this in your church. In 2018, just 4 per cent of 18–24-year-olds said that they attended church at least monthly. Today, this has risen to 16 per cent, with young men increasing from 4 per cent to 21 per cent and young women from 3 per cent to 12 per cent. 

The report’s co-author Dr Rhiannon McAleer said: ‘These are striking findings that completely reverse the widely held assumption that the Church in England and Wales is in terminal decline. 

‘We’ve seen significant, broad-based growth among most expressions of Church – particularly in Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism. There are now over two million more people attending church than there were six years ago.’ 

Men (13 per cent) are now more likely to attend church than women (10 per cent). And the Church is also becoming more ethnically diverse. Today, one in five people (19 per cent) come from an ethnic minority. Close to half of young black people aged 18–34 (47 per cent) are now attending church at least monthly. So where the stereotype of the Church has been that it is white, ageing and female, today it is more likely to be ethnically mixed, young and male. 

We know you’ll be excited about this too, but Bible reading and confidence in the Bible have also increased. Some 67 per cent of churchgoing Christians read the Bible at least weekly outside church. 

All this has an impact on society, as churchgoers are more likely to actively participate in things that benefit the local community, such as donating to food banks, volunteering, or giving to charity. 

Christians also report a higher life satisfaction than nonchurchgoers, with a greater connection to their community and less stress and anxiety. 

Read the report here: biblesociety.org.uk/tqr-wia 

In short: 

Church attendance has risen by a staggering 50 per cent in the last six years. 

More than two million more people go to church than six years ago 

16 per cent of 18–24-year-olds are attending church 

More men go to church than women