It’s not just Pentecostal churches that young people are flocking to in the UK.
The nation’s two main Christian leaders claim global uncertainty is sending Gen-Z into Catholic and Anglican churches as well.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Stephen Cottrell told the Sunday Express that young people are looking for something deeper.
They claim younger generations are sick of Gaza, Ukraine and immigration — as well as growing poverty and more liberal abortion and assisted dying laws.
Hence the Express headline: Global Crises Sending Gen-Z To Church.
GEN-Z CHURCH ATTENDANCE QUADRUPLED IN SIX YEARS
The Express reports that in 2016 just 1.8% of Britons attended Church of England services.
People in their 80s were eight times more likely to go to church than a 21 year-old.
However, since the covid pandemic lockdowns, there’s been a major spiritual U-turn, the newspaper observes.
FRESH EVIDENCE OF RECENT SURGE IN CHURCH ATTENDANCE
YouGov data and the Bible Society’s ‘Quiet Revival‘ report reveal two million more attendees packed pews in 2024 than in 2018.
Gen-Z’s aged 18-24 quadrupled their attendance from 4% to 16%.
Bible sales in the UK have almost doubled in five years from A$5.5 million in 2019 to more than A$10 million last year.
Image: Daily Express
THE CATHOLIC VIEW OF RISING CHURCH ATTENDANCE
This trend comes as no surprise to the UK’s Catholic leader Cardinal Nichols, 79, or Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, 66, who is currently leading the Church of England after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned in January.
The Cardinal explained why Catholic dioceses have been reporting increasing numbers in their congregations .
“We had a ceremony a few weeks before Easter, at which some of those who are becoming Catholics come to be acknowledged in the cathedral. We had about 500 people.”
“There were a lot of young people, women as well as men, and coming from all sorts of backgrounds – some from no faith, some from Islam, the Church of England or Baptist.
“SOME SEE “BEAUTY” IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
“Why? Society is a bit fragmented, it’s under a lot of pressure and young people live lives that are very pressurised.”
“I think after a point, they get to the question: ‘What’s this really for? Why am I striving so hard? It’s not just for a bank account, that’s not going to give me satisfaction in life. I need a better sense of direction’.
“Another thing I’ve seen is a moment in which somebody is touched by beauty.”
“It might be inside a church, it might be the beauty of nature. So often I’ve heard people say as they step into a church: ‘Oh, there’s something here, can I find out a bit more about it?’
“PEOPLE TOUCHED BY FAITHFUL INVESTMENT IN A PLACE OF PRAYER”
“I said to a group of people the other day coming to pray: ‘There are 12.8 million bricks in this cathedral and every one has been filled by the prayers of the people for the last 100 years.“
“Now this afternoon, you add yours to this place – because then that’s a gift to people who come after you.”
“So there’s something of a deep community, faithful investment in a place of prayer, in a place of worship, and it touches people.”
“And it’s not a kind of beauty to say: “I want to possess that, I want to buy that, I want this to be mine.”
“It’s the kind of beauty that says: ‘Wow, can I give myself something to this?”
SPIRITUAL AWAKENING IN CHURCH OF ENGLAND
The Church of England has seen a huge spike in visits to its church-finding website — from 128 million in 2023 to 198 million last year.
Archbishop Cottrell told the Express the rise in worshippers is “incredibly heartening.”
“The recent figures really do give cause for hope.”
“I think many people – especially the younger generation – are searching for something deeper, something that transcends the noise of everyday life.”
“This longing for meaning, purpose, and connection is drawing them toward spiritual spaces where they can encounter God and find community.”
“This isn’t just a passing trend, but part of a wider, quieter spiritual awakening. “
“There’s a deep hunger for truth and belonging, and the Church has a vital role to play in meeting that need.”
The post “Younger People Flocking To UK Churches” appeared first on Vision Christian Media.