Why millions of young Gen Z Britons are flocking back to our churches

The UK's two main Christian leaders have revealed why millions of young Britons seeking "something deeper" from the "noise" of modern life are filling our churches again. In 2016 headlines made grim reading with just 1.8 per cent of Britons attending CofE services and 80 year-olds eight times more likely to go than a 21 year-old - but since lockdown there's been a major spiritual U-turn.

YouGov data and the Bible Society's 'Quiet Revival' report reveal two million more attendees packed pews in 2024 than 2018 - with Gen Z's aged 18-24 miraculously quadrupling from 4 to 16 per cent. Even Bible sales in the UK have almost doubled in five years with 2019 sales totalling £2.69 million - but rocketing to £5.02 million in 2024, according to Nielsen BookScan figures.

But the 'Good News' is no surprise to the UK's Catholic leader Cardinal Vincent Nichols, 79, or Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, 66 - leading the Church of England after Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby resigned in January.

Now both Christian figureheads have exclusively told the Sunday Express why Britain has a young 'spiritual generation' - as they also tell us about the Gaza and Ukraine crises, immigration, poverty and new assisted dying and abortion laws.

We spent a couple of hours with the UK's only cardinal, the softly spoken Liverpool FC fan Vincent Nichols, in his plush Westminster Cathedral offices near London's Victoria train station.

He explained how many Catholic dioceses have been reporting increasing numbers in their congregations - and told us why: "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.

"Why? Society is a bit fragmented, it's under a lot of pressure and young people live lives that are very pressurized.

"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?'

"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'?"

The Church of England has seen a sharp increase - from 128 million in 2023 to 198 million last year - in visits to its church-finding website.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell told us the rise in worshippers is "incredibly heartening" with young people "searching for something deeper" in British life.

He explained: "It's incredibly heartening to see this renewed interest among young people in the life of the Church.

"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 Most Rev Stephen Cotterill is the CofE leader while a new Archbishop of Canterbury is chosen - after Justin Welby resigned over failures in overseeing stamping about abuse in the church.

The Archbishop of York told us: "The Church has been and is going through its own soul searching on safeguarding and putting more resources and effort into keeping safe all vulnerable people in our care."

And both spoke passionately on both the recently passed assisted dying bill and new abortion legislation that stops women in England and Wales being prosecuted for ending their pregnancy.

Cardinal Nichols said the bills represent a "real foundational shift in society. Neither of which do I think are right, both of which I think are quite wrong in principle."

He explained his fears assisted dying will expand over time and become "a condition of society" and "a right to die very quickly becomes a duty to die" with pressure on the vulnerable to end their life.

But he also fears we could "lose that fundamental sense that life is a gift" as humans should "depend on each other" and not be autonomous beings.

He said: "The NHS is a health service, it shouldn't be a death service. We depend on each other. We rejoice in depending on each other. That's what brings joy to life, not being an autonomous individual but being in a context of love and care and dependency."

On assisted dying the Archbishop of York said: "The role of the Lords is to make legislation better, but it is also to ask the Commons to 'think again', to say - 'are you sure this is what you really want'?

"I worry about coercion, and I worry about those who think they should go down the path of an assisted suicide because they feel a burden. We can't ignore this."

While on abortion law changes he added: "It risks undermining the value of unborn life."

By Chris Riches

EXCLUSIVE

Both Cardinal Nichols and the Archbishop of York warned Labour they must also do more to tackle UK poverty, the criminality in illegal migration and the international slave trade.

Cardinal Nichols said: "A country has the right to have an immigration policy but in a humane way. How do we defeat the criminality involved in those boats crossing the Channel? How do we tackle an international slave trade?

"People are brought in through Heathrow and the minute they come off the plane, they collect the passports. There's huge criminality and a huge profit."

The Archbishop of York told us: "France is a partner and ally - as all our European neighbours are - and we have to work with our partners to tackle these global problems.

"We can't solve problems like drug trafficking, people trafficking or terrorism without partnering with other nations. Global instability and people seeking safety is another such problem."

On poverty on the streets of Britain, Cardinal Nichols said this is a subject all Christians must always act on.

He explained: "No Christian can sleep at night without having some contribution to make to the relief of poverty. I've been proud of what the Catholic church does in that regard - from food banks, to shelters, to educational issues like how do you make the most of what you have got and fighting against food waste.

"The politics of it are very difficult because to support the needy you also have to generate wealth. It seems to me this government is facing having to increase taxation and that will not increase productivity.

"We've got to be generous but we have to have the means to be generous otherwise it's just soaring Government debt which doesn't help in the long run."

While the Archbishop said: "We see through our churches, schools and community projects that millions of people already struggle to afford basic goods, heat their homes, and feed themselves and their families.

"The scale of poverty, especially among households with children or a disabled person, is particularly shocking. Our political leaders always face difficult decisions. However, they always have choices to make - and I urge them to focus on solutions which will lift people out of poverty and strengthen our communities.

"This also requires addressing the causes of ill-health through a range of related policy areas - addressing poverty, improving housing and tackling loneliness."

The Christian leaders also told us of their horror at the starvation in Gaza, fears of UK antisemitism and the concerns over the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The concerned Archbishop of York warned that the "intensity of global conflict, combined with the speed and reach of online platforms, seems to deepen and spread polarisation like never before."

But he stressed people in the UK must focus on rejecting "all forms of hatred - antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism - and speak clearly when those lines are crossed."

He added: "The Church must be clear: every human life bears the image of God. We advocate for a just peace that brings freedom, justice, and dignity to the Palestinian people and long-term security for both Palestinians and Israelis."

On Ukraine he went on: "Since Russia invaded Ukraine, we see the devastating human cost-estimates ranging from 250,000 to one million lives lost, including soldiers and civilians.

"The scale of suffering is hard to grasp. Conflicts like this rarely end easily. But history shows us that all wars eventually end through negotiation-not just military action."

Cardinal Nichols said of the tragedy in the Middle-East: "It affects me very deeply actually. I've been twice to the Catholic parish in Gaza. I know the patriarch there well.

"Ten years ago when I was there, it was perfectly clear that Gaza was dominated by Hamas. There's been a gang that has been running the prison if you like. And what happened on October the 7th should never ever, ever be forgotten.

"On the other hand, no terrorist organization that I can think of has ever been defeated on a battlefield. The swamp has to be drained. They have to lose their support.

"So there is great cause and great anger on both sides. Now the Catholic patriarch in Jerusalem, he says, our task is simply to stay put. Just stay and endure. That's his view and that's in my heart, I think, as I watch this."

* To watch the full interview on YouTube visit

"New data showing the strong sales growth of Christian books tallies with trends we at SPCK have been seeing for some time.

"There has been a sustained growth in Bible sales across the UK, which have nearly doubled since 2019 despite being flat for a long time before that.

"I suspect that the Covid pandemic was the main factor here, with the uncertainty causing people to look for answers. It helps that the intellectual environment is less anti-Christianity than it was in the early 2000s.

"The 'new atheists' like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens have been replaced in the popular consciousness by voices like (historian) Tom Holland and Jordan Peterson who are more open towards Christianity and have strong followings among younger people.

"Research this year has shown that younger people are less likely to identify as atheists, and that church attendance among young people has more than doubled since 2018. This may partly be a rebellion against the secular values held by their parents and teachers.

"Young people are particularly looking for authenticity, and are being drawn to traditional church services and Bible translations, rather than (often cringeworthy) attempts by churches to be trendy.

"After Covid, there was also an increase in sales of books on topics like horoscopes and witchcraft, but this has since tailed off. It will be interesting to see if these new growth patterns around Christianity continue.

"If they do, it will show that people are not just looking for answers - they are finding them in Christianity, as people have done for two thousand years."