The recent research entitled The Quiet Revival has received a lot of interest in the Christian and mainstream media and led to both excitement and scepticism. The Quiet Revival is providing messages that the church is keen to hear, a growth in church attendance and Christian practice and that being part of a church community makes people more inclined to engage in activity that serves their community. This is all good news. The language used in The Quiet Revival report is optimistic, its Foreword describes the report “as remarkable and life-giving” with the word “remarkable” used twelve times throughout the report. It is then not surprising that the report has been a well-needed encouragement to many.
This reflection does not seek to criticise the report or its methodology but to consider some of its findings in the context of the experience of churches working ecumenically. As Ben Aldous points out in his piece Flourishing and Fading: The churches across England today. The Quiet Revival is not the whole picture and “the reality is some churches are struggling”. Religious sociologist Linda Woodhead (Church Times, 7 May 2025) reminds the church to listen to all research, not just to research that encourages, but also research that challenges. In the climate of excitement, it is important to remember that there have also been studies warning of church decline that have not been received with the same level of interest.
In my role at Churches Together in England, speaking to people working ecumenically across England, the theme of flourishing and fading could also be used to describe ecumenical activities. Where there are diverse ecumenical collaborations across villages, towns and counties, the ecumenical work can be described as more likely to flourish. When speaking of diversity, I mean diversity of Christian tradition and a deliberate intent to engage all traditions in a specific geographical space in worship and mission together.
An interesting addition to the wealth of church statistics comes from the United Reformed Church which indicates that Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs) are more resilient than single denomination URC churches within the landscape of decline. The number of LEPs closing is significantly less than single denomination URC churches and there are also new LEPs being formed. Work is also being undertaken in the Church of England to explore the resilience of LEPs.
The Quiet Revival asks about monthly church attendance. Although interesting as a reflection of people’s engagement, this does not indicate depth of engagement or commitment to a church community. Although many responders may attend more regularly than that, if monthly attendance is considered a commitment, it can help explain why many local churches struggle to keep going with a small, committed but exhausted band of clergy and volunteers. This has an impact on ecumenical commitment too, and a message I hear from local and regional churches is that people in 2025 are less likely to commit to voluntary roles.
Making a difference
The Quiet Revival reports that 79% of respondents agree that it is important to make a difference in the world. More often local authorities, the police and other civic bodies engage with ecumenical contacts in local spaces rather than individual denominations. Many social justice projects are ecumenical, and it is in these spaces of shared working where the churches connect with wider society. Equally, one of The Quiet Revival recommendations is that policy makers need to consider the “scale and impact of Church going” afresh. Within many parts of the country, there are new housing developments in progress and this report points to the need to consider spiritual space within these developments. This is an ecumenical opportunity and requires ecumenical effort. All faith communities need to be part of the planning, not just the historic English Christian traditions. Instead, these new communities would benefit from a breadth of churches planning and remembering the Lund principle.
“Should not our churches ask themselves whether they are showing sufficient eagerness to enter into conversation with other churches, and whether they should not act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately?”
The Lund Principle 1953 World Council of Churches
Deeper relationships
Repeatedly in our work at Churches Together in England, we talk about the importance of relationships. Not just for the discrete work of Christian unity but for the mission of the church more broadly. One of The Quiet Revival’s recommendations highlights the need for a greater depth of discipleship and relationship, pointing away from a more consumerist approach to church going. Deeper relationships across the churches lead to a broader understanding of God and benefit individuals in their journey of faith, as well as local churches and communities. This has long been understood by those involved in local and regional ecumenism. Christian unity at a local level can provide mutual support, shared commitment and energy but this is best developed through relationships as people spend time together learning from each other’s traditions.
Another example of where The Quiet Revival highlights the importance of relationships is when responders were asked, “how they would like to find out more about the bible”? Although people were interested in resources, the results showed “that relationships and conversation were key”. Moreover, the findings point to the potential of genuine Christian relationships and not distant celebrity influencers. Here the report also highlights a need for something that has long been hoped for by those working locally in ecumenical engagement, space for intergenerational relationships. It is crucial not only for different churches to learn from each other but for those within the church to learn from each other and this includes those new to the faith. Wisdom can come from those of all ages and different experiences, the openness to Christianity that is expressed within The Quiet Revival needs to be mirrored by an openness of spirit within and between the churches as we ask what can be learnt from those who are joining our congregations.
In its conclusion, The Quiet Revival does not seek to predict the future but instead challenges the churches to consider that the current climate is “warmer towards faith than it has been for many years”. As ecumenical partners, this offers an opportunity to show that churches are not old, distant places that echo scandal and disapproval but places that radiate God’s love and warmth, and offer belonging, support and unity. As Churches Together in towns and villages across the land we must consider how we best respond and revive God’s church as one.
This article is in a three-part series called Flourishing and Fading from CTE’s Principal Officers, as each of them reflects on a series of recent reports on church growth.
Read Flourishing and fading: the churches across England today by Rev Dr Ben Aldous
Images in the main photo are from Birmingham Churches Together, Churches Together in Lancashire, Churches Together in South London and Churches Together in Bromley.