Around 600 church leaders from across Surrey and Hampshire gathered in Woking last week to respond to the growing phenomenon known as the ‘Quiet Revival’.

The annual Diocese of Guildford Church Growth Conference, held at the Welcome Church in Church Street, brought clergy and lay leaders together for a day of worship, prayer and teaching.

This year’s focus was the Quiet Revival, a Bible Society report based on YouGov data showing a significant rise in church attendance among young adults, particularly men.

The study found that members of Gen Z are half as likely to describe themselves as atheists as their parents. Since 2018, there has been a 16 percent increase in 18- to 24-year-olds attending church at least once a monthA .

Keynote speakers included best-selling author Pete Greig, founder of the 24/7 Prayer movement, and Dr. Rachel Jordan-Wolf, executive director of Hope Together.

Greig described the Quiet Revival as “young and messy,” explaining that church growth does not always manifest itself in expected ways.

He told delegates this was the moment the Church had long been praying for, and that Christians need to be ready to respond.

Among the examples he gave were a former heroin addict who came to faith after hearing God’s voice, and a young grime artist who, after asking God for a sign, was told “Jesus loved him” by an elderly passerby.

Greig said studies show many of those becoming more open to Christianity are looking for experiential faith, and need leaders who provide confidence and clarity in their beliefs — “not waffle.”

In the afternoon session, Dr Jordan-Wolf shared practical steps churches could take to engage with the next generation.

She said many people now turn online to find out about Jesus, so churches should ensure their websites clearly show how faith is lived out locally. She added: “God is doing an amazing thing through many, many small things.”

Several clergy spoke of seeing signs of the Quiet Revival in their own communities.

The Rev Thom Jee, vicar of Emmanuel Stoughton, said a 20-year-old wandered into church after being “drawn to Christianity by his Instagram algorithm.” Others with no church background have started attending after reading the Bible.

The Rev Graham Shaw, rector of St Saviour’s Guildford, said people were “walking off the streets into the church, looking for hope.” He noted that the challenge now is building a team to respond.

The Rev Dr Moni Babatunde, associate minister at St Andrew’s Cobham, said it was heartening to realise that even small numbers of newcomers across different parishes can add up.

Two 19-year-olds from Howell Hill also shared how their generation is engaging with faith.

Poppy Paxon said she persuaded 10 of her school friends to come to church, while Hannah Senior said she had become more active in her faith and urged Christians not to be afraid of evangelism.

“The situation is urgent and people need to ask themselves, if you love this person, why wouldn’t you tell them about God?” she said.

David Senior, from the diocesan Mission Enabler Team and organiser of the conference, described the event as the largest yet.

“The presence of God was palpable and the atmosphere was amazing,” he said. “God is undoubtedly on the move across our diocese, and we will do whatever it takes to help our parishes to seize this opportunity.”

Greig also warned of a global “poly-crisis” — economic, political, climate and conflict pressures — which he said is driving many people to seek greater purpose in their lives.

The Diocese of Guildford is one of 42 dioceses covering England. It has 156 parishes, 82 church schools and several hundred social and community projects. The area includes two-thirds of Surrey, including Egham, Banstead, Dorking and Farnham, parts of northeast Hampshire, one parish in Sussex and one in Greater London.

The diocese’s vision, Transforming Church, Transforming Lives, sets out its aim for individuals and communities to play their part in transforming the world around them.