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A new report released by Bible Society this Easter indicates that church attendance in England and Wales has risen by 50 per cent over the last six years, busting the myth of church decline. The findings come in The Quiet Revival, a survey commissioned by Bible Society and conducted by YouGov.

The Quiet Revival shows that the most dramatic church growth is among young adults, particularly young men. In 2018, just 4 per cent of 18–24-year-olds said that they attended church at least monthly. Today, says The Quiet Revival, this has risen to 16 per cent, with young men increasing from 4 per cent to 21 per cent, and young women from 3 to 12 per cent.

Co-author of The Quiet Revival Dr Rhiannon McAleer says the report shows that what people believe about Church decline is no longer true:

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"These are striking findings that completely reverse the widely held assumption that the Church in England and Wales is in terminal decline. While some traditional denominations continue to face challenges, we’ve seen significant, broad-based growth among most expressions of Church – particularly in Roman Catholicism and Pentecostalism. There are now over 2 million more people attending church than there were six years ago."

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Among those 18-24 year olds 20% of churchgoers identify as Anglican, (down from 30% in 2018) compared with 41% identifying as Catholic and 18% as Pentecostal.

‍The Quiet Revival shows that men (13 per cent) are more likely to attend church than women (10 per cent). And as well church decline being reversed, the Church is also becoming more ethnically diverse, with one in five people (19 per cent) coming from an ethnic minority. Close to half of young Black people aged 18–34 (47 per cent) are now attending church at least monthly, according to The Quiet Revival.

It’s also great to see that Bible reading and confidence in the Bible have increased as well as church growth. Some 67 per cent of churchgoing Christians read the Bible at least weekly outside church.

All of this encouraging news is borne out in our own Diocese, where at the 2025 Rite of Election, an important step on the journey of adults preparing for baptism or confirmation at Easter, we welcomed an unprecedented 105 Catechumens, who are preparing for baptism, and 105 Candidates for reception into the Church and confirmation, together with family and friends, stretching the seating capacity of the Cathedral to its very limits. In 2026, it is planned to celebrate the Rite of Election in two services over a day, so that everyone who wishes to be present can celebrate the joyful decision made by those entering the Church.

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Click the button below to read more and download the full report.

Source: The Bible Society