--- title: "Is this revival in the UK? Not yet, but it is spiritual springtime" date: 2026-09-16T16:25:00+01:00 author: Lydia Gilbertson canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/is-this-revival-in-the-uk-not-yet-but-it-is-spiritual-springtime" section: Articles --- Great Commission is the Evangelical Alliance's evangelism and mission hub for stories that inspire and resources that equip us all to share Jesus. 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Not yet, but it is spiritual springtime 5 min read Contents Share [ ](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fis-this-revival-in-the-uk-not-yet-but-it-is-spiritual-springtime) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Is%20this%20revival%20in%20the%20UK%3F%20Not%20yet%2C%20but%20it%20is%20spiritual%20springtime&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fis-this-revival-in-the-uk-not-yet-but-it-is-spiritual-springtime) [ ](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fis-this-revival-in-the-uk-not-yet-but-it-is-spiritual-springtime) Copy link to this article Share this article Back to top In this article #### As I waited for my train this morning, everything felt different from just a few weeks ago. The air was cooler, a mist hung over the platform, and I found myself longing for the light of dawn. The seasons have changed. As I travel around the UK, I am often asked about the spiritual temperature of our nation. Are we in revival? My usual response is: if this is revival, I’m disappointed. But something is happening. The language I keep returning to is this: we may be living in a spiritual springtime. Like the changing of seasons in nature, spiritual springtime has some fascinating characteristics. What does this moment look and feel like? 1. **In spiritual springtime everything starts growing again** The withdrawn *Quiet Revival* report was only ever one of [several other marker points](https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/initiatives/missional-trends-2026/missional-trends---all-the-research-from-2025) of research pointing to the fact that the UK church is growing again. In a new piece of research we recently commissioned, we found that 12% of UK adults attend church at least once a month and that there are significantly more people identifying with evangelical beliefs than many expected. Sponsored[](#) [ ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](https://lst.ac.uk/life-long-learning/) Alongside this there have been prominent expressions of faith from Christian footballers praying publicly at the World Cup, leading podcasts profiling Christian apologists and newspaper headlines reporting surges in churchgoing amongst young people. After decades of decline in spiritual winter, spring is here. 2. **In spiritual springtime growth is uneven and messy** A feature of physical springtime is its unpredictability. One warmer day can lure us into false celebration. There can be late frosts and significant regional variation. So it is with spiritual springtime. One of the dangers in moments like these is comparing our local experience with someone else’s. Not every church is experiencing the same surge in attendees. Some churches are still dwindling in number. Yet others are experiencing unprecedented events. I spoke at a church in June who, despite their large car park, turned away 80 cars and needed an overflow room on Easter Sunday. Many churches have seen an increase in the number of baptisms. Some have stories of ones and twos arriving in unexpected ways. Not all are seeing it in equal measure: the green shoots of growth are emerging in uneven patches. > One of the dangers in moments like these is comparing our local experience with someone else's.” 3. **In spiritual springtime we experience a change in conditions before we see the fullness of results** When the seasons change, the days get longer, the ground softens, light replaces darkness, but the climate changes before the landscape looks different. Much of the growth is initially hidden. Revival might be closer than we think. I have experienced this in my own church. For the last couple of years, I have repeatedly encountered churches where people have arrived after dreams, visions, or an inexplicable sense that they should come and explore faith. [28% of people now say a ​‘spiritual experience’](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/finding-jesus) started their journey to becoming a Christian. Those experiences often precede visible growth, just as warmer soil arrives before the flowers. As I have observed this phenomenon, I have longed for it to happen in my community. Then, in the first few weeks of this year alone, three young men in our own context reported similar encounters. If you are yet to see the results of springtime, they may be on their way sooner than you think. 4. **In spiritual springtime growth comes from things that have died** There is a truth at the heart of the Christian faith that life comes from death. Jesus said, ​“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24) In physical spring, the platform for new life is the soil made up of dead leaves from the previous season. In spiritual spring, resurrection comes from repentance, holiness, prayer and the firm foundations laid by the faithfulness of previous generations. Throughout church history, renewal has often emerged from the wasteland of seasons that appeared barren. What seems like decline in one moment can become the soil from which God brings new growth. If you are someone who has faithfully prayed for the seasons to change and for revival in the UK, thank you. We all stand on the shoulders of praying giants. 5. **Spiritual springtime is beautiful** I know spring has ​‘sprung’ when I walk down a road in my community and trees that had been skeletal throughout winter burst forth in resplendent pink and white blossom. Petals float to the ground creating a carpet of colour. The stories emerging from this season are as beautiful as the change in the trees. There is nothing quite like seeing the transformation in people’s lives and we are seeing it everywhere. I’ve never known a season like this where almost every leader I meet has a moving story of someone meeting Jesus; There is influencer [Joe Weller sharing his journey publicly, ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smobimApv-Q&t=128s)There is the father and teenage son I witnessed responding to the gospel together this summer. There is the woman I encountered celebrating as her parents professed faith. I have seen a close family member become a Christian after years of prayer. These are drops in the ocean of the countless stories that never make headlines. I will never stop being encouraged by hearing accounts of Jesus changing lives. Spiritual springtime is not the same as revival. Spring points to what may be coming, but it does not yet represent the fullness of the harvest. Colossians 4 tells us to be ​“watchful” and ​“thankful”. As the signs of spring emerge around us, may we have eyes to see them, hearts to thank God for them, and faith to prepare for an even greater harvest to come. For more good news stories of God on the move, deeper analysis of spiritual springtime and reflections on how we can respond, check out the latest season of the [Good News People podcast.](https://www.premier.plus/good-news-people/podcasts/good-news-people) [ ![Understanding UK Evangelicals - Who are they?](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Understanding uk evangelicals 1](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/understanding-uk-evangelicals-1.jpg) ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/research/understanding-uk-evangelicals) [#### Understanding UK Evangelicals - Who are they? ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/research/understanding-uk-evangelicals) This report presents the findings of a landmark survey that sought to measure the size, shape and identity of the evangelical population across the United Kingdom. [ Learn more ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/research/understanding-uk-evangelicals) [](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/research/understanding-uk-evangelicals) [ ![Spiritual Curiosity](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Mission Website Cards 3](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/Mission-Website-Cards-3.png) ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/spiritual-curiosity) [#### Spiritual Curiosity ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/spiritual-curiosity) A Christian guide to understanding the world of crystals, manifesting, tarot and sharing faith in this moment [ Find out more ](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/spiritual-curiosity) [](https://www.eauk.org/resources/our-resources/reports/spiritual-curiosity) Your reading Count on · turn off 0 You’ve read 0 articles in the last year. Behind what you’re reading is a movement of churches, organisations and individuals standing together. Join us and add your voice to the church being heard where it matters most. [Become a member](/membership/become-a-member/individuals/join-us) Privacy settings *›* Your article count is off. Nothing is being recorded on this device. Turn it back on --- [@philknox](https://x.com/philknox) ### About Phil Knox ![]()Phil Knox is head of gospel impact at the Evangelical Alliance. He loves seeing people meet Jesus and studying journeys of faith. Phil is the author of *Story Bearer: How to Share Your Faith, The Best of Friends* and, with Gavin Calver, *Good News People*. They also host a podcast with Premier expanding on themes from the book. 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