'Responding to the Rebirth': Revival? Really?

In the heart of London, 600 people – me included – gathered for Speak Life’s Responding to the Rebirth conference on Saturday.

The venue was All Souls Langham Place. And it saw an eclectic mix of evangelicals - from across denominations - gather, along with seekers as well, to discuss a phenomenon you might be familiar with: the "Quiet Revival". Or, as co-host Justin Brierley, of the Think Faith newsletter, coined it with the title of his 2023 book: The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God.

Perhaps describing the day as solely a discussion of the reported 50 per cent increase in church attendance over the last six years is too simplistic. The "Quiet Revival" felt like a starting point for speakers to discuss everything from evangelism to evidence, New Atheism to New Age, and revival to rebirth – as I’ve already mentioned.

But a rebirth of what? A rebirth of faith? Well, yes, but also no – not quite – as Brierley was keen to point out. What’s being reported is a rebirth of faith in God.

What rebirth?

Brierley's 2023 book was about the way he’d seen the "New Atheist" movement wane. ("New Atheism" was a modern wave of outspoken atheism arguing that religion isn’t just untrue, but often harmful, and that society should rely solely on scientific reason.)

According to Brierley, a new conversation was taking its place: “Secular thinkers were growing more sympathetic to the value of faith and there were even some unlikely converts among their ranks.”

Sceptics objected that Brierley’s thesis was based more on optimistic anecdotes than hard facts. But then came the data, and, fast-forward to 2025, the Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report which has indicated significant growing interest in faith (see en's archives here).

So how do we, as evangelicals, respond to this reported revival? To the rebirth?

Reflections on the conference

The day was split into three main sessions: "What’s happening?" "Why is it happening?" "What next?" There was also a fourth “Commissioning” session incorporating prayer time.

A particular highlight for me was Elizabeth Oldfield’s talk during session three. With notable emotion in her voice, the podcaster spoke about the love of Jesus and how to share Him with our friends. We must be relational, she emphasised, and show a willingness to walk alongside the men and women “wandering” into our churches. Make sure to be steady and consistent, recognising that a person changing their mind, on anything - let alone coming to terms with the fact that the God of the universe came to earth as a human and died for His people - can be hard, and can be emotionally intense. So be patient. And pray – lots.

An undercurrent of hope flowed through the day. Admittedly, for the number of revival-related articles I see, there seems to be just as many about the “decline of Christianity”; I hadn’t realised how much I’d internalised this belief.

And so, when evangelistic organisation Speak Life aired a video showcasing an incredible number of testimonies – from Jesus meeting an imprisoned criminal, to young people walking into shops, buying Bibles, and reading them – I was filled with hope. Wait, so this revival is real? The stories are true? There really is a shift in the number of people seeking God?

Hearing Speak Life Director Glen Scrivener speak from the stage felt like an in-person, real-time viewing of one of his YouTube videos. He speaks with such zeal and such infectious love for Jesus. Scrivener, and the ministry of Speak Life, are examples of how we can engage with culture and the world around us, while remembering that we are not of the world (John 17v16). We, as conference attendees, were reminded of Steven Bartlett’s (Dragon’s Den) spiritual curiosity, Forrest Frank’s explosive break away from the secular music industry and onto the Christian music scene, and many more stories. Certainly, the individuals highlighted and speakers whose voices we heard you’ll likely be familiar with if you’re a regular viewer of Scrivener’s online offerings – as I am.

Further, there was a palpable “hunger” in the room for such an in-person gathering; I got the impression that many at the event were regular consumers of Speak Life’s online content and came to the conference with an eagerness to discuss their thoughts with like-minded individuals. The communal spirit felt almost tangible.

One of the joys of Christian conferences is bumping into familiar faces from the evangelical world. One of whom, for me, was Jake Owen – host of the Evangelical Analysis YouTube channel. He told en that his highlight was speaker Mike Royal, of Churches Together in England. Owen spoke of Royal’s boldness, and engaging way of speaking: “He encouraged us to take a look beyond our traditions, our churches, our networks, and see what’s going on elsewhere.”

A further 300 individuals tuned in, remotely, to the conference – a real-life example of the event's emphasis on using technology for the good of the gospel.

Much effort and planning was clearly put into the day, from individuals such as Speak Life’s Marketing and Communications Manager, James Amour, with whom I had the pleasure of speaking. He told en: “The world is ready for serious conversations about faith. We’re spiritually bankrupt and in desperate need of Jesus. As Glen Scrivener said: ‘Is it high tide, is it low tide? Whatever the tide, we need Jesus in the boat.’”

Encouraged and inspired

I arrived at Responding to the Rebirth with the view that this reported “revival” is happening among young men – but I left realising that young women, too, are appearing in churches, and we must accommodate accordingly.

We must endeavour to make our churches places where disciples, seekers and the spiritually curious, men, and women, feel able to come in and investigate the name that we declare: Jesus Christ, our Living Hope.