A sharp rise in Bible sales and reports of growing spiritual curiosity among young adults in the UK has prompted calls for church leaders to be ready to respond.
Missiologist and executive director of Hope Together, Rachel Jordan-Wolf, said the Church in the UK is facing a “pivotal moment” amid reports of increasing numbers of younger people actively seeking out Scripture - often with little prior connection to church.
Her comments follow reports that Bible sales surged by 134% in 2025, reaching £6.3 million in the UK, according to industry figures widely reported earlier this year.
Ms Jordan-Wolf says the trend challenges long-held assumptions about inevitable decline.
“For years, we have lived under a narrative of decline, and now we have to readjust our thinking and practice to live in this new, hopeful world of growth," she said.
Her assessment is echoed by the author of the recent Belief in Britain report by Christopher Gasson that has also fuelled discussion about changing religious attitudes. The poll of 10,000 people, conducted by OnePoll, found a noticeable rise in belief in God and spiritual openness among questions among the youth.
Almost two-thirds (64%) of Gen Z respondents described themselves as spiritual, compared with just over a third (35%) of baby boomers, while those in midlife were most likely to identify as atheists.
According to the report, 54% of respondents identified as Christian, an increase from the 2021 census figure, which placed the proportion below half of the population.
Mr Gasson said: “I expected the data to confirm what has been assumed for a long time: Britain is steadily becoming a more atheist country. The results are the reverse of what I was expecting.”
Some researchers have urged caution in interpreting recent survey data. A new analysis published by the Pew Research Center has questioned claims of a widespread revival in the UK, arguing that several high-profile findings rely on opt-in surveys rather than random population samples, which Pew considers more methodologically robust.
That critique has been levelled in particular at The Quiet Revival, a 2025 report commissioned by the Bible Society, which found a marked increase in churchgoing and belief among 18 to 34 year olds in England and Wales. The Bible Society defended its research against Pew's claims.
While Ms Jordan-Wolf acknowledged that the pace of change has been startling: “Faith has become more important to these generations in just the last five years”.
However she rejected claims that the Church is in decline.
“The Church in the UK is not in decline - I repeat, the Church in the UK is not in decline," she said.
Ms Jordan-Wolf also pointed to the scale of recent practical engagement by churches, noting that more than 140,000 Gospels were distributed across the UK by Hope Together last year through its Great Gospel Giveaway initiative.
The initiative, which is expected to run again this year, encourages churches to place free copies of the Gospels into public spaces such as high streets, cafés, schools, food banks and community centres, removing both cost and social pressure for those exploring Christianity for the first time.
“A Gospel — the life of Jesus — is the perfect place to start,” Mrs Jordan-Wolf said. “We want to make people’s journey to Jesus as easy as possible, and the Great Gospel Giveaway helps churches do exactly that.”
Christian booksellers have reported evidence of that curiosity.
Staff at GLO Bookshop in Glasgow have described a growing number of customers – many of them young - coming in after searching online or trying to visit churches, some simply saying they were unsure what they were looking for but felt a strong need to read Scripture.
Ms Jordan-Wolf said such encounters underline the importance of churches being visibly prepared.
“Let’s be ready when someone says, ‘I don’t really know what I’m looking for … but I need a Bible,’” she said.
Hope Together is now preparing churches for a renewed phase of the Great Gospel Giveaway, with a focus on equipping local congregations to respond confidently and practically to spiritual curiosity in their communities.
An online webinar, Reaching and Responding to an Open Generation, is scheduled for March 2, where Ms Jordan-Wolf alongside Director of Elim Evangelism Mark Greenwood will discuss what the current moment means for mission and how churches can take part in the next phase of Gospel distribution.
For Ms Jordan-Wolf, the priority is the Church recognising the opportunity before it: “God is doing something new, and we are being invited to respond.
“How can we help every young adult and young person we know — or everyone our church might come into contact with — receive a Gospel?”
