I hear similar things in the PC(USA), @Gramps49, and we’ve seen noticeable increase in average Sunday attendance. Like with you, I can’t give actual statistics (other than for our own congregation)—just feelings and anecdata.
I think there is 'something' going on but I'm wary of the triumphalism that can accompany this sort of thing.
'Our church is growing but yours isn't, na-na-na-nah-nah!'
An RC fella I know who must be early to mid-40s says that this is the first time in his life he's known anything other than declining numbers in his parish.
He says all the newcomers he's spoken to are well-adjusted and certainly not swivel-eyed right-wing ultra-traditionalists or 'toxic masculinity' types.
Two of the local churches I go to have told me that they're seeing a few new members. One is a university town, and that slight growth is from international students. The other is adjacent to a church that recently closed and they've picked up members from there. It's not revival, at best a sign of decline bottoming out, possibly more something that's delaying the closure of those churches. And, these aren't people coming to the faith, just people moving between churches from necessity (either because of a church closure or simple distance from the church they had been at). The only genuine new members in any church I know are the children of current members growing up in the church.
Our RC parish had 5 new members at Easter, the most in the almost 40 years that I have attended. However they are far outnumbered by the deaths of elderly members in the previous 12 months. So the decline continues.
Two of the local churches I go to have told me that they're seeing a few new members. One is a university town, and that slight growth is from international students.
It would be somewhat ironic (on multiple levels) if the slight uptick in attendance on more conservative churches was down to the so-called 'Boris wave' (which in reality was an aggregation of multiple things, but included a large proportion of people from countries with more conservative protestant traditions).
In our parish we have a mix when it comes to 'newcomers'.
We have some who are from completely 'unchurched' backgrounds.
This is rare, I think, but it dies happen.
Most I would say are from nominally Christian backgrounds of one form or other.
One catechumen was asking me whether he should be baptised rather than 'chrismated' when he is 'received' as his Mum can't remember whether his christening in the CofE involved the Trinitarian formula.
I told him that it would have done but he still seemed unconvinced...
My impression, a very unscientific one, is that the RCs are picking up people from all sorts of backgrounds - lapsed Catholics returning to the fold, people from other church backgrounds who want something they perceive to be more stable, liturgical or sacramental, and migrants from countries with a large Catholic presence.
They are also picking up some people who are completely new to the faith.
Orthodoxy is seeing something similar but on a smaller scale.
A large evangelical church in a town a few miles from here baptised 10 new converts this Easter. They put some advertorial about it in our local paper and judging from the photo they were all teens and 20-somethings.
Interestingly, a number of young people from there have defected to us because, they tell me, they want something with more liturgical depth - their words not mine.
We had a group from there along as visitors when we received people by baptism or chrismation just before Easter.
I had an interesting chat with some of them afterwards about PSA, the invocation of Mary and the Saints and so on.
I think all the more conservative churches are picking up some young men these days and some, but not all, are on some kind of 'let's assert masculinity' kick.
This last group is the most problematic I'd say, but my general observation is that those tendencies tend to drop off or evaporate as they begin to interact with real people and engage with parish life rather than sitting in front of screens watching videos by particular 'influencers' and whackoes.
Somewhat tangential, but I'm preaching this Sunday on the text "In my Father's house there are many dwelling-places". A strand that's running through my preparation is that "dwelling place" is a less solid term than the older translation of "mansion", that this doesn't have the sense of final "forever home" feel but can be something more transitory, a stopping place on a journey to rest before the next stage. There are many such places, which means there's the flexibility for us to stop a while in one place then move on, without any of them being better than the others. Which is what so many people experience in their faith journey, of finding a dwelling place where they can stop and rest and find sanctuary, and then finding their journey takes them out of that place to another dwelling place where they once again stop and rest.
I don't know about this revival here in oz, but I do watch GB News sometimes and I was very surprised to see a short break for a "Daily Reflection" during the news.
There was a baptist lady with her church in the background that did a few minutes reflection on the parable of sheep and goats at judgement. (Very well done btw!)
I was just gobsmacked that something like that would be a part of a news channel.
Apparently they started doing these in March 2025.
I think that says something about cultural acceptability that has changed.
I don't know about this revival here in oz, but I do watch GB News sometimes and I was very surprised to see a short break for a "Daily Reflection" during the news.
There was a baptist lady with her church in the background that did a few minutes reflection on the parable of sheep and goats at judgement. (Very well done btw!)
I was just gobsmacked that something like that would be a part of a news channel.
Apparently they started doing these in March 2025.
I think that says something about cultural acceptability that has changed.
That kind of thing wouldn't happen in Australia.
GB News (like its equivalent, Fox News) is an entertainment channel rather than a news channel. It's also bankrolled by an extremely wealth conservative evangelical.
In any case, how's that any different from Radio 4's Thought for the day? BBC Scotland has a similar slot.
I don't know about this revival here in oz, but I do watch GB News sometimes and I was very surprised to see a short break for a "Daily Reflection" during the news.
There was a baptist lady with her church in the background that did a few minutes reflection on the parable of sheep and goats at judgement. (Very well done btw!)
I was just gobsmacked that something like that would be a part of a news channel.
Apparently they started doing these in March 2025.
I think that says something about cultural acceptability that has changed.
That kind of thing wouldn't happen in Australia.
GB News (like its equivalent, Fox News) is an entertainment channel rather than a news channel. It's also bankrolled by an extremely wealth conservative evangelical.
.. and operated at a loss over multiple uears, through large stretches of the day has a very low audience and mostly functions as a source of clickbait video for social media.
@KarlLB mentioned upthread that people from some conservative churches are gloating on social media that they're getting new people in and liberal churches aren't.
@Baptist Trainfan noted earlier too that there was an implicit tone of 'these things are happening in conservative churches but not liberal ones,' in the Bible Society's account.
I was alluding to those comments not accusing anyone here of trumphalism.
I was alluding to those comments not accusing anyone here of trumphalism.
Fair enough, @Gamma Gamaliel. I’m afraid the allusion gets lost on my when there’s no quoting or reference to what @KarlLB or @Baptist Trainfan said earlier, and when it takes the form of something like “Our church is growing but yours isn't, na-na-na-nah-nah!”
I think there is 'something' going on but I'm wary of the triumphalism that can accompany this sort of thing.
'Our church is growing but yours isn't, na-na-na-nah-nah!'
An RC fella I know who must be early to mid-40s says that this is the first time in his life he's known anything other than declining numbers in his parish.
He says all the newcomers he's spoken to are well-adjusted and certainly not swivel-eyed right-wing ultra-traditionalists or 'toxic masculinity' types.
I still wouldn't call it 'revival'.
Well-adjusted sounds good. ❤️ I’ve pondered whether or not to try to start a thread, talking about issues relating to masculinity, and both positive and toxic approaches to it. There seems to be a lot of stuff regarding young men in particular right now going on.
I was alluding to those comments not accusing anyone here of trumphalism.
Fair enough, @Gamma Gamaliel. I’m afraid the allusion gets lost on my when there’s no quoting or reference to what @KarlLB or @Baptist Trainfan said earlier, and when it takes the form of something like “Our church is growing but yours isn't, na-na-na-nah-nah!”
But that’s probably just me.
Fair enough. I think both the esteemed and learned gentlemen were alluding to general comments in circulation over here that we wouldn't expect to have wafted across the Pond. KarlLB did cite social media though and Baptist Trainfan did cite the implicit tone of the Bible Society report.
But I can understand why you might have got the impression I was referring to fellow posters and not comments made 'off stage' as it were.
The thread raises a question in my mind. But first a preamble.
I appreciate both the arguments against accuracy and the anecdotal information in this thread. I’m always glad when anyone really turns to Christ.
However, I believe that in the western world at least, the trend for the last half century or more has been more in the direction of exile than revival. Increasing social irrelevance, increasing disbelief that Christianity has anything much to say about the complex problems of the current age. Increasing disapproval of various intolerances towards vulnerable minorities.
So here is my question. Is this a counter trend? Or merely a blip? I hope it’s the former. But I share the concerns that the counter-trend amongst young males may have in part more to do with a rise in in “let’s assert masculinity” than an understanding of central Christian values. (That would get pretty short shrift in my local church, I’m glad to say.)
Some seed falls on stony ground. Some grows a bit but then the birds of the air pull it out. Some really bears fruit. Let’s see. At the moment my view is a blip on the journey to exile.
Exile may be no bad thing. It can produce a necessary serious re-evaluation of how we got into this mess.
What I can say from my own observations is that some of those who appear drawn by perceptions that we are going to champion particular views on masculinity they've encountered online either begin to modify those views when they begin to get more involved or else they move on fairly quickly.
That said, most, but not all, of the younger converts and enquirers I've spoken to about these things do tend to take a more 'right-wing' line on things than I would have done at their age - or my own daughters would have done at their age.
My general and unscientific observation would be that's there's something of a difference between those who are currently in their late 20s and early 30s and those who are around 21 to 24.
Young people I speak to in both churchy and non-churchy circles say the same.
I don’t know whether it's an effect of the pandemic or approaches to social media or a combination of factors beyond my ken but that's certainly how it appears to me.
I might be wrong but I get the impression that the 'masculinity' thing has plateaued out and I've spoken to several young men who have told me that they 'came in' on that ticket and have modified their views since.
I'm also getting the impression that what 'growth' there may have been is levelling out. I'm with @Barnabas62 on seeing it as a blip in an overall 'exilic' trajectory but it's a welcome one. Some of the younger folk we've received recently are delightful an it's great to have them around.
Would I like to see their like spread around into more 'liberal' churches too? Yes. I don’t think it's healthy for those of us in what might be considered more conservative settings to point the finger at anyone else or gloat because we appear to be attracting more enquirers and new people than they might be doing at the moment.
For all we know some of today's earnest young converts may end up in different or more 'liberal' settings further down the road.
I'm glad they are with us. That doesn't mean I'm glad they aren't with anyone else.
There are those who would argue that the Great Schism, Medieval Scholasticism, Duns Scotus, the Reformation, the Enlightenment ... etc etc got us 'into this mess', @Barnabas62. 😉
How do we undo 'this mess' is an interesting question, if indeed it ca be 'undone' at all.
We can't return to some kind of imagined idyll whether it be the 'early church', medieval Christendom or heroic dissenters challenging the Establishment.
What we can do is what the exiles did in Babylon and work for the good of those around them irrespective of the setting.
I think Jeremiah had something to say about that but my memory is hazier than it was.
Oh I think the contribution to the mess is both more generally historical and also ongoing.
Despite that, a lot of good works by a lot of people continue. I’m sure they have an eternal legacy regardless of what the present and near future may look like.
I think Jeremiah had something to say about that but my memory is hazier than it was.
So would mine be if I had to think back to c.600BC!
Not much was made of the "right-wing male" trend in the Bible Society's webinar. There are certainly many factors involved at the moment; one thing we do seem to be able to say with some certainty is that the time of Dawkins-style "logical atheism" has passed and it's easier to talk about spiritual things. I think it's possible, too, that in an increasingly insecure and possibly impersonal world, some young people are going to churches to find both existential security and face-to-face friendship.
But I share the concerns that the counter-trend amongst young males may have in part more to do with a rise in in “let’s assert masculinity” than an understanding of central Christian values. (That would get pretty short shrift in my local church, I’m glad to say.)
We don't even know if this is a particularly substantive counter trend, there are no validated figures.
The entire episode is following that depressing path where a really strong claim dissolves into vibes.
7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
I’ve heard some anecdotal accounts from friends and share their concerns.
Okay, but everyone has anecdotes. The decline of Christianity in the UK (and 'The West' more generally) is always going to be against a backdrop of multiple secular trends, some of which are countervailing. There's always a mix of transfer growth, internal and inward migration alongside - yes - some conversions. The specific claim of the original report was that the latter had increased in a statistical significant way.
I suspect that churches in cities in the north of England experienced growth during the mid to late 80s. Why? The deindustrialisation of the time had people moving away from smaller towns into larger cities to look for employment. Fifteen years later churches in different areas probably benefited from the mass expansion of university education under Blair.
If you lived in one of those areas you could have experienced church 'growth' (or the converse if you were unlucky) or 'A time when the Lord moved very powerfully'.
Which is why I mention the "Boris-Wave" above - some of the countries involved have fairly significant Christian minorities. Conversely 'many young men with right wing views are converting to Christianity' could just be a local uptick caused by population concentrations of the sort described above and not have much wider significance. (I suspect if you lean heavy on dead horse issues the converts you get are more likely to be socially conservative).
The UKs economy being concentrated ever more heavily in the South East leads to this kind of scenario in the South East whereas elsewhere you only need a very small concentration of younger migrants to cause a local "revival" (say Polish Catholics in Wisbech)
That's the quote I had in mind. Thanks @Alan Cresswell.
On the 'right-wing male' trend, anecdotally I think that has peaked and passed, such as it is, although I may think differently if I lived in parts of Texas or Appallachia.
I'm no statistician and the research parts of my professional career were always more qualitative than quantitive.
Even on a purely anecdotal level I think we have to take great care in dealing with what's being said and claimed.
On a general level, I think younger people have, at times, been drawn into church involvement by wanting a sense of belonging and fellowship. Hence 'coffee bar evangelism' back in the 1950s.
The much vaunted Welsh Revival of 1904-05 was a largely young person thing. Most of the converts were in their teens or 20s and most came from 'church or chapel' backgrounds as that was the prevailing culture of that time.
For anecdotal comparison purposes I think that Richmond Road Baptist in Pontnewydd, the village where many of my family lived, recorded several baptisms a year until 1904-05 when there was a jump up to 60. The following year, if I remember rightly, it was down to about 8 and thereafter down to pre-Revival levels.
Whatever we think about the Welsh Revival - and it's holy debated even now - it does differ from what we are hearing anecdotally now.
My guess would be that these things are cyclical and depend on a range of factors we can't pin down to a single formula such as, 'We preach the Gospel, you don't, therefore we have more newcomers in our church.'
Comments
'Our church is growing but yours isn't, na-na-na-nah-nah!'
An RC fella I know who must be early to mid-40s says that this is the first time in his life he's known anything other than declining numbers in his parish.
He says all the newcomers he's spoken to are well-adjusted and certainly not swivel-eyed right-wing ultra-traditionalists or 'toxic masculinity' types.
I still wouldn't call it 'revival'.
It would be somewhat ironic (on multiple levels) if the slight uptick in attendance on more conservative churches was down to the so-called 'Boris wave' (which in reality was an aggregation of multiple things, but included a large proportion of people from countries with more conservative protestant traditions).
We have some who are from completely 'unchurched' backgrounds.
This is rare, I think, but it dies happen.
Most I would say are from nominally Christian backgrounds of one form or other.
One catechumen was asking me whether he should be baptised rather than 'chrismated' when he is 'received' as his Mum can't remember whether his christening in the CofE involved the Trinitarian formula.
I told him that it would have done but he still seemed unconvinced...
My impression, a very unscientific one, is that the RCs are picking up people from all sorts of backgrounds - lapsed Catholics returning to the fold, people from other church backgrounds who want something they perceive to be more stable, liturgical or sacramental, and migrants from countries with a large Catholic presence.
They are also picking up some people who are completely new to the faith.
Orthodoxy is seeing something similar but on a smaller scale.
A large evangelical church in a town a few miles from here baptised 10 new converts this Easter. They put some advertorial about it in our local paper and judging from the photo they were all teens and 20-somethings.
Interestingly, a number of young people from there have defected to us because, they tell me, they want something with more liturgical depth - their words not mine.
We had a group from there along as visitors when we received people by baptism or chrismation just before Easter.
I had an interesting chat with some of them afterwards about PSA, the invocation of Mary and the Saints and so on.
I think all the more conservative churches are picking up some young men these days and some, but not all, are on some kind of 'let's assert masculinity' kick.
This last group is the most problematic I'd say, but my general observation is that those tendencies tend to drop off or evaporate as they begin to interact with real people and engage with parish life rather than sitting in front of screens watching videos by particular 'influencers' and whackoes.
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2026/04/quiet-revival-that-wasnt-gen-z-church-america/
https://blogs.efca.org/posts/front-row-at-the-quiet-revival
In both this and the material on the Bible Society site there appears to be a large amount of cope, see sections like:
(The threat of zombies is at an all time low .. but the *fear* of zombies .. well now .. that!)
It does feel a bit like having announced that there was a "Quiet Revival" it's easier to shift the definition than admitting fault and backing down.
There was a baptist lady with her church in the background that did a few minutes reflection on the parable of sheep and goats at judgement. (Very well done btw!)
I was just gobsmacked that something like that would be a part of a news channel.
Apparently they started doing these in March 2025.
I think that says something about cultural acceptability that has changed.
That kind of thing wouldn't happen in Australia.
GB News (like its equivalent, Fox News) is an entertainment channel rather than a news channel. It's also bankrolled by an extremely wealth conservative evangelical.
In any case, how's that any different from Radio 4's Thought for the day? BBC Scotland has a similar slot.
.. and operated at a loss over multiple uears, through large stretches of the day has a very low audience and mostly functions as a source of clickbait video for social media.
@KarlLB mentioned upthread that people from some conservative churches are gloating on social media that they're getting new people in and liberal churches aren't.
@Baptist Trainfan noted earlier too that there was an implicit tone of 'these things are happening in conservative churches but not liberal ones,' in the Bible Society's account.
I was alluding to those comments not accusing anyone here of trumphalism.
But that’s probably just me.
Well-adjusted sounds good. ❤️ I’ve pondered whether or not to try to start a thread, talking about issues relating to masculinity, and both positive and toxic approaches to it. There seems to be a lot of stuff regarding young men in particular right now going on.
Fair enough. I think both the esteemed and learned gentlemen were alluding to general comments in circulation over here that we wouldn't expect to have wafted across the Pond. KarlLB did cite social media though and Baptist Trainfan did cite the implicit tone of the Bible Society report.
But I can understand why you might have got the impression I was referring to fellow posters and not comments made 'off stage' as it were.
No harm done.
I appreciate both the arguments against accuracy and the anecdotal information in this thread. I’m always glad when anyone really turns to Christ.
However, I believe that in the western world at least, the trend for the last half century or more has been more in the direction of exile than revival. Increasing social irrelevance, increasing disbelief that Christianity has anything much to say about the complex problems of the current age. Increasing disapproval of various intolerances towards vulnerable minorities.
So here is my question. Is this a counter trend? Or merely a blip? I hope it’s the former. But I share the concerns that the counter-trend amongst young males may have in part more to do with a rise in in “let’s assert masculinity” than an understanding of central Christian values. (That would get pretty short shrift in my local church, I’m glad to say.)
Some seed falls on stony ground. Some grows a bit but then the birds of the air pull it out. Some really bears fruit. Let’s see. At the moment my view is a blip on the journey to exile.
Exile may be no bad thing. It can produce a necessary serious re-evaluation of how we got into this mess.
What I can say from my own observations is that some of those who appear drawn by perceptions that we are going to champion particular views on masculinity they've encountered online either begin to modify those views when they begin to get more involved or else they move on fairly quickly.
That said, most, but not all, of the younger converts and enquirers I've spoken to about these things do tend to take a more 'right-wing' line on things than I would have done at their age - or my own daughters would have done at their age.
My general and unscientific observation would be that's there's something of a difference between those who are currently in their late 20s and early 30s and those who are around 21 to 24.
Young people I speak to in both churchy and non-churchy circles say the same.
I don’t know whether it's an effect of the pandemic or approaches to social media or a combination of factors beyond my ken but that's certainly how it appears to me.
I might be wrong but I get the impression that the 'masculinity' thing has plateaued out and I've spoken to several young men who have told me that they 'came in' on that ticket and have modified their views since.
I'm also getting the impression that what 'growth' there may have been is levelling out. I'm with @Barnabas62 on seeing it as a blip in an overall 'exilic' trajectory but it's a welcome one. Some of the younger folk we've received recently are delightful an it's great to have them around.
Would I like to see their like spread around into more 'liberal' churches too? Yes. I don’t think it's healthy for those of us in what might be considered more conservative settings to point the finger at anyone else or gloat because we appear to be attracting more enquirers and new people than they might be doing at the moment.
For all we know some of today's earnest young converts may end up in different or more 'liberal' settings further down the road.
I'm glad they are with us. That doesn't mean I'm glad they aren't with anyone else.
How do we undo 'this mess' is an interesting question, if indeed it ca be 'undone' at all.
We can't return to some kind of imagined idyll whether it be the 'early church', medieval Christendom or heroic dissenters challenging the Establishment.
What we can do is what the exiles did in Babylon and work for the good of those around them irrespective of the setting.
I think Jeremiah had something to say about that but my memory is hazier than it was.
Despite that, a lot of good works by a lot of people continue. I’m sure they have an eternal legacy regardless of what the present and near future may look like.
Not much was made of the "right-wing male" trend in the Bible Society's webinar. There are certainly many factors involved at the moment; one thing we do seem to be able to say with some certainty is that the time of Dawkins-style "logical atheism" has passed and it's easier to talk about spiritual things. I think it's possible, too, that in an increasingly insecure and possibly impersonal world, some young people are going to churches to find both existential security and face-to-face friendship.
We don't even know if this is a particularly substantive counter trend, there are no validated figures.
The entire episode is following that depressing path where a really strong claim dissolves into vibes.
I’ve heard some anecdotal accounts from friends and share their concerns.
I’m not sure there could be any stats either you or I would be willing to hang our hats on.
Okay, but everyone has anecdotes. The decline of Christianity in the UK (and 'The West' more generally) is always going to be against a backdrop of multiple secular trends, some of which are countervailing. There's always a mix of transfer growth, internal and inward migration alongside - yes - some conversions. The specific claim of the original report was that the latter had increased in a statistical significant way.
I suspect that churches in cities in the north of England experienced growth during the mid to late 80s. Why? The deindustrialisation of the time had people moving away from smaller towns into larger cities to look for employment. Fifteen years later churches in different areas probably benefited from the mass expansion of university education under Blair.
If you lived in one of those areas you could have experienced church 'growth' (or the converse if you were unlucky) or 'A time when the Lord moved very powerfully'.
Which is why I mention the "Boris-Wave" above - some of the countries involved have fairly significant Christian minorities. Conversely 'many young men with right wing views are converting to Christianity' could just be a local uptick caused by population concentrations of the sort described above and not have much wider significance. (I suspect if you lean heavy on dead horse issues the converts you get are more likely to be socially conservative).
The UKs economy being concentrated ever more heavily in the South East leads to this kind of scenario in the South East whereas elsewhere you only need a very small concentration of younger migrants to cause a local "revival" (say Polish Catholics in Wisbech)
On the 'right-wing male' trend, anecdotally I think that has peaked and passed, such as it is, although I may think differently if I lived in parts of Texas or Appallachia.
I'm no statistician and the research parts of my professional career were always more qualitative than quantitive.
Even on a purely anecdotal level I think we have to take great care in dealing with what's being said and claimed.
On a general level, I think younger people have, at times, been drawn into church involvement by wanting a sense of belonging and fellowship. Hence 'coffee bar evangelism' back in the 1950s.
The much vaunted Welsh Revival of 1904-05 was a largely young person thing. Most of the converts were in their teens or 20s and most came from 'church or chapel' backgrounds as that was the prevailing culture of that time.
For anecdotal comparison purposes I think that Richmond Road Baptist in Pontnewydd, the village where many of my family lived, recorded several baptisms a year until 1904-05 when there was a jump up to 60. The following year, if I remember rightly, it was down to about 8 and thereafter down to pre-Revival levels.
Whatever we think about the Welsh Revival - and it's holy debated even now - it does differ from what we are hearing anecdotally now.
My guess would be that these things are cyclical and depend on a range of factors we can't pin down to a single formula such as, 'We preach the Gospel, you don't, therefore we have more newcomers in our church.'