NASHVILLE (BP) — A curiosity about Scripture and God may be one of the leading factors behind a study that claims a “quiet revival” is expanding among young people in the United Kingdom, said an International Mission Board (IMB) leader.

“In churches across society something amazing is happening, challenging long-held predictions about the future of Christianity in the twenty-first century,” said the report produced by the UK-based Bible Society. “Where once we saw aging congregations and a steady decline in attendance, we see dramatic growth, led by the young.”

That growth is showing among several key findings from the study.

• An increase in church attendance among 18-24-year-olds from 4% in 2018 to 16% in 2024, with young men’s attendance jumping from 4% to 21%.
• Among churchgoers, 67% read the Bible at least weekly, up from 54% in 2018. Bible reading has doubled from 6 to 12% in England and Wales.
• A more diverse church has emerged, with 19% of churchgoers part of an ethnic minority. Among 18-54-year-olds, that figure rises to 32%.

Kenny Dubnick, the IMB’s European People’s Affinity cluster leader for the UK and Ireland, said most of the study’s findings reflect his own observations and those of other IMB personnel.

“On the whole, we are seeing an interest in spiritual matters, including Christianity, among 18-24-year-olds,” he told Baptist Press. “They are not necessarily interested in ‘church’ or religion, but in spirituality and Christ’s teachings. For many, they are initially often suspicious and cynical towards religion and the church, but not Jesus.”

Those observations generated changes in how to share the gospel.

“One of our primary evangelistic practices is to invite people to study the Bible,” said Dubnick. “Sometimes this is done in a formal gathering of 10 to 15 people who meet once a week for dinner and a Bible study.”

Those studies typically begin with about seven weeks of going through the gospel of Mark and usually meet in a home, pub or community center. Those early gatherings are more informal, as missionaries meet almost weekly with individuals for one-on-one Bible study.

The American Bible Society, a separate organization whose founding was influenced by its UK counterpart, recently reported a similar growth in Scripture engagement among men.

Although women are still more engaged with the Bible, men are more likely to be “Bible-curious” and have surged in their Bible-reading practices from 34% in 2024 to 41% now. What’s more, Millennial men reported a 25% increase in Bible use last year, while Gen X men reported a 29% increase.

Dubnick’s observations match the UK study’s findings on diversity and immigration. Christians arriving from elsewhere have helped spur church growth.

“We trust that the Spirit is bringing believers to the UK to spread the gospel among the Brits,” he said. “The UK was once a missionary-sending nation. Now, it is a missionary-receiving one.”

The UK study also put forward what it called “a clear difference between church-going and non-churchgoing Christians.” Namely, fewer Britons see themselves as Christians “by default.”

In 2018, 32% identified as Christians even though they didn’t regularly go to church. That number dropped to 27% in the recent study while reflecting increasing desires for discipleship and Bible study.

That mirrors Dubnick’s observations.

“In my 18 years serving in the UK and Ireland, every person I’ve seen come to faith in Jesus has done so via studying the Bible,” he said. “People are not interested in church or organized religion, but the Bible and Jesus are topics they are more willing to engage with.”

The latest report on Southern Baptist engagement indicates something similar.

While church membership continued a downward trend, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination recorded the highest number of baptisms in seven years. That came with increases in total worship attendance as well as small group or Sunday School participation.

“The Quiet Revival” also reported a deep desire “for meaning, order and belonging.”

“With the normalisation of Christianity in culture, and the confidence and comfort of Christian friends to share their own faith experience, a large number of young adults now appear to be looking towards the Church as a space for finding healing and community as well as a deeper sense of meaning in their life,” it said.

Those thoughts reflect the Global Flourishing Study released on May 1 by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. 

“Most of the countries that reported high overall composite flourishing may not have been rich in economic terms, but they tended to be rich in friendships, marriages and community involvement — especially involvement in religious communities,” wrote the study’s authors.

The report also described young people as “struggling” in terms of mental health, with flourishing scores staying consistent from 18-49 years of age before showing stages of increase.

Matthew Spandler-Davison, a Kentucky Baptist pastor still heavily involved in ministry in his native Scotland, noted the encouraging signs of the UK study while calling for discernment and a “need to look beyond the surface.”

“In some of our church plants in Scotland, we have seen a growing group of teenagers interested and curious about the church,” he said. “However, many of them are navigating a syncretism in their belief and worldview. They’re piecing together their worldview from various voices, including online and social media influencers.”

The result is an amalgamation of different beliefs, with Jesus sprinkled in. This points to the ongoing importance of discipleship.

“It’s a gift to have them with us, but the exclusivity of Christ — that He alone is the way, the truth and the life — is a real stumbling block for some,” Spandler-Davison said. “We may see some drift away in the coming year if we are not clear about the claims of Jesus and the call to a life of repentance and faith in Christ alone.”

As in America, there are also long-held associations with organized religion keeping many from the church. White, working-class men in particular, said Dubnick, view the Church of England as the “Religion of the Royals” and are thus disconnected from it in almost every way.

There are others, though, such as many Anglican churches that are “doing a good job in contextualizing the gospel to the working classes.”

“These Anglican churches are committed to sharing the gospel in urban-deprived communities,” he said. “We are thankful for these Anglican brothers and sisters. The work is a marathon and not a sprint, but the Lord is at work!”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)