Young men and women are treading the welcome matt!
Pentecostal-Charismatic and Catholic Church attendance — the two ends of the spectrum you could say — has shot up! And most if its growth is coming from the youngest of English and Welsh citizens. The church in the UK is growing!
We have a growing church in the UK
Wow! When I first heard this (and even from major news outlets), I was incredulous. Media and attitudes in the street would appear to suggest this to be impossible. Isn’t it wonderful to learn there is hunger for Truth in the UK?
On the one hand it is sad to know that youth have become so desperate: desperately sad, desperately depressed, desperately hopeless, anxious and despairing.
But it is wonderful and amazing that they — particularly young men, and within the young black male populous it is half of them — are turning to the LORD. Hallelujah!
What to do with this
This is a first step of victory.
After years of decline, after years of pain, after years of prayer, a quiet revival in church attendance is happening. Now we need to buckle down.
This is not only a time to celebrate, although celebration is important to be had! This is also the time to encourage our youth in the church, and to build them up, to mentor them, teaching them responsibility and giving them the opportunity to grow in character. It’s important for all of us to keep moving forward, to keep teaching and mentoring, and to keep focusing on the Word.
We are all to be in the world but not of it.
What is Jesus doing?
As the old song says, “I will build my church (I will build my church), and the gates of hell (and the gates of hell), will not prevail (will not prevail) against it!”
Jesus began to build His church through choosing 12, then came 70, then… thousands followed Him. And He said He would build His church.
And He did.
But then came Constantine, and Roman power — with faith… Then came the Catholic Church… which began from the Word of GOD but morphed into nothing like Jesus’ church. And we — and He — have been waiting ever since.
Is Jesus now finally building His church?
I hope so. It should look nothing like the structures we’ve had. But it should be full of love, joy, peace, unity, camaraderie, family, giving, more joy, worship, prayer, repentance and more love.
I hope and pray this is the beginning of the middle of Jesus’ church, left off from 350AD (or thereabouts).
Revival come! And let it begin with our youth… And include you and me.
2 replies on “A Growing Church”
Yes God is building His church in the UK Sarah, and the gates of Hell will NOtT prevail against it
There has been an increase of single young adults , especially young men and women in their early twenties and thirties as well as young families attending my bible based church in Cockermouth over the past year.or so
It is encouraging and a new experience for me when I attend my weekly bilbe study- prayer meeting to see there are more men than women present. God has certainly answered our prayers to expand our fellowship after the children of the church members left home for university /college/work/marriage and did not return to the North Lakes
The leaders of my church are very supportive and giving of themselves and their time besides financially, especially, when some of them wanted to go away to do miission work as well as receive some teaching or training whilst away. For example, one 19 year old girl from a family who live by faith as her dad is a full time church worker in another Cumbrian town went abroad with OM in November 2024 to do 7 weeks mission in Taiwan and Philippines . And in October 2024, one lad in his early twenties went to India to teach English for a year, and three other lads who are also in their early twenties went to serve the Lord in the UK for 1-2 years
Those who have returned from their ST mission work or about to finsh their time away are thinking about going to bible college either as FT or PT students, or pursue the course online with the view of serving abroad
These young adults have been given opportunities to lead and take part in the Sunday services, e.g lead the service, serve in the music group , seve the communion bread and wine to the congregation, or help out in the junior Sunday School.
One of the young men even started a fortnightly bible study group on Sunday night for the men in the church
One or two of them had a one to one bible study with one of the older chuch elders for a few weeks
We praise and thnak God a few of them asked to be baptised last year
Where the whole gospel of God is preached and taught faithfully, God will built His church. The believers in a church must also pray faithfully and expectantly for revival and we must walk the talk as well
More and more stories such as your are becoming familiar. It is so wonderful to learn of these young people turning to the LORD. Praise GOD!