Joshua May
3 Dec 2025
The Bible Society recently announced that a 'Quiet Revival' of Christian faith is occurring in the UK. But can a similar phenomenon be discerned in mainland Europe? Here’s what the latest data suggests…
A PEW Research Centre article, published in 2018, reported that only 18% of ‘Christians’ in Western Europe are in fact churchgoing, with the majority identifying as ‘non-practising’. The research reinforced the common narrative about the decades-long decline of the church in Europe, but today there is new evidence and hope for the renewal of Christian worship in Europe. Named the ‘Quiet Revival’, for many this moment speaks of a vital inflexion – one that invites an investment of prayer, faith, and new churches into the harvest.
The secularism that has become so deeply entrenched in the European psyche has, in recent years, begun to be found wanting. The spiritual barrenness secularism fosters has led to an increasing curiosity in and openness to the gospel, particularly, according to a recent report from the UK, among the younger generations. A possible explanation for the dramatic increase in monthly church attendance among those aged 18-24 in the UK (from 4% in 2018 to a remarkable 16% in 2024) is that Christianity offers, “an alternative to the individualistic, competitive, materialistic worldview that has come to dominate western societies in recent decades” (Bible Society). Encouragingly, the Bible Society also reports increased church attendance across all age categories, meaning in real terms the number of adults in monthly attendance has risen from 3.7m in 2018 to 5.8m in 2024, an increase of 56%! This upwards trend can be seen outside of church attendance, with the UK’s largest independent Christian publisher, SPCK Publishing, reporting an increase in Bible sales – especially from Gen Z – from £2.69m in 2019 to £5.02m in 2024 (SPCK, see also this Times UK article). Particularly encouraging, and perhaps contrary to learned expectations, there is a significant increase in the number of young men engaging with faith in the UK, with monthly church attendance in this demographic rising from 4% in 2018 to 21% in 2024. Men overall are in fact now more, not less, likely than women to attend church (13% compared to 10%) (Bible Society).
These trends are by no means limited to the UK. The National Council of Evangelicals of France reports that the number of Protestant evangelicals in France has increased from 650,000 in 2017 to 745,000 in 2023, an increase of 15% (Le Monde, Premier Christianity). The French Bishops’ Conference has reported a dramatic increase of 45% in the number of adults receiving baptism into the Catholic church this past Easter, compared with 2024, building on an upwards trajectory that can be traced over the course of the past decade. Encouragingly, 42% of newly baptised adults are aged 18-25 (The Economist). According to research undertaken by journalist Antoine Pasquier for his new book Enquête sur ces jeunes qui veulent devenir chrétiens (Inquiry into Why Young People Want to Become Christians), for those aged 15-25 in France, Bible reading, more than social media and the internet, has been fundamental to mass conversions among the young (Spectator).
Continuing this trend, in the past eight years, the number of Finnish men aged 15-29 attending church has more than doubled (5% in 2011 to 12% in 2019; Evangelical Focus). Further, a longitudinal study of over 100,000 Finnish participants published in the Finnish journal Uskonto found that the number of teenage confirmands into the Church of Finland has risen from 52% in 2019 to 66% in 2024 among boys and 63% to 67% among girls (also reported in the Nordic Times) Among the same group, belief in the Resurrection of Jesus has increased from 34% to 45% during the same period, with an increase in young men praying at least once a week from 16% in 2011 to 26% in 2019 (Evangelical Focus).
In the Netherlands, Gen Z is more open to Christianity than the preceding generation: 27% identify as religious compared to 22% of Millennials (NL Times). In Norway, research by the Institute for Church, Religion and Life has seen an unexpected increase in Church of Norway membership amongst young adults, with an increase of 4,000 new members in both 2023 and 2024 (Norwegian News). In Sweden, a stereotypical bastion of European secularism, the number of new members in the Lutheran church has increased from just over 6,000 in 2010 to almost 15,000 in 2024 (Statista; Gothenburg Post). Whilst in Belgium, there has been a 3.6% increase in church attendance from 2023-2024, with the Brussels Times noting that ‘More individuals are consciously opting for initiation sacraments — baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation — rather than following family tradition…’ (Brussels Times).
Hopeful signs can also be found in popular culture. The UK’s Guardian newspaper recently published an article entitled ‘Can I become a Christian in a year?’, based on a young woman’s encounter with Christ while on a Scottish retreat. The Somali-Dutch public figure, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, formerly a militant atheist associated with the New Atheism movement, announced in 2023 her conversion to Christianity (Spectator). Historian and public intellectual, Tom Holland – not to be confused with Gen Z’s Spiderman! – revealed in a recent public discussion that he has been regularly attending Salisbury Cathedral for worship (Christian Today). Other public European figures, such as journalist Louise Perry, historian Niall Ferguson, influencer Russell Brand, ecologist Paul Kingsnorth, and political commentator Rory Stewart, are actively talking about their new faith (The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God).
Australian evangelical pastor Mark Sayers, and host of the podcast Rebuilders, highlights the role of both the pandemic and geopolitical instability in encouraging renewed spiritual curiosity. He draws attention in a myriad of ways to the cultural cues suggesting a rekindled fascination with the spiritual and divine, exhorting Christian leaders not to miss the missiological chance this affords (Rebuilders). The Bible Society also sees an open door for the gospel, noting that 31% of non-churchgoers would visit a church if invited by a friend or family member, with this number rising to 34% among those aged 18-24 (Bible Society).
As such, now is a critical missional opportunity for Europe. For the first time ever, measurable inroads are being made into the secular heartlands of Europe, with younger generations leading the charge and discovering faith in Christ. If anything, the statistics lag behind the true picture, with anecdotal evidence suggesting that the number of young people converting and seeking baptism continues apace (see, for example, mainstage discussions at New Wine and Focus festivals this year). Now, more than ever, is the time to invest into the church in Europe.
This is good news not only for Europe, but for every region of the world where secularism has a grip. For the narrative that Europe’s future would be necessarily secular has been found to be wanting (for discussion, see Charles Taylor, A Secular Age). The timeless words of St Augustine’s Confessions are instead ringing true: human hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. The fruitlessness of rampant secularism seems to be pushing prodigals living in the affluent West back into the arms of their heavenly Father. May we dare to hope with Estonian theologian Gunnar Mägi that “Europe is not post-Christian… It is pre-revival”? (Christianity Today).
‘See I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth; do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.’ (Isaiah 43.19)
Joshua May
Sources consulted:
https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival
https://journal.fi/ukk/article/view/154948/100247
https://nltimes.nl/2025/04/14/dutch-feel-socially-connected-without-religion-study-finds?
https://www.brusselstimes.com/1600572/slight-increase-in-the-number-of-churchgoers-on-sundays
https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/faith-in-god-increases-among-finnish-15-year-olds/
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/religion/article/spiritual-gen-z-drive-increase-in-bible-sales-vnphxfjn5
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/religion-in-europe/ - :~:text=Roughly two-thirds of Europeans,of Europe's residents are Muslims.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2018/05/29/being-christian-in-western-europe/
https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/06/young-evangelicals-eager-revival-evangelism-europe/
https://cne.news/article/3033-five-signs-of-christian-revival-in-europe
https://www.economist.com/europe/2025/05/26/frances-improbable-adult-baptism-boom
https://www.christian.org.uk/news/number-of-evangelicals-continues-to-rise-in-france/
https://www.christiantoday.com/news/evangelicals-are-growing-in-france
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-christian-revival-is-under-way-in-britain/
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/a-christian-revival-is-under-way/
Publications:
Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman. The Politics of Secularism in International Relations (Princeton Studies in International History and Politics). 1st ed. vol. 105. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2009.
Taylor, Charles. A Secular Age. Harvard University Press, 2007.