Ian Ellis: Society is at the centre of a significant cultural shift on matters of faith and religion

However, SPCK has pointed out perhaps even more significantly that the dramatic rise has been largely driven by Generation Z - also known as Gen Z - understood as referring to those people born between 1997 and 2012, the age group that first grew up with the Internet as a given part of life.

SPCK has commented: “A growing number of young adults are engaging with faith in a way that previous generations did not. Research shows that 62% of 18-24-year-olds describe themselves as 'very' or 'fairly' spiritual, a notable contrast to only 35% of those over 65.”

The organisation also draws attention to the statistic that only 13% of Gen Z identify as atheists, but suggests that Gen Z is approaching faith differently and not necessarily through traditional institutions, but by exploring spirituality on their own terms.

The society points out that social media has made faith more visible, with online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube having created spaces that make the biblical texts “feel relevant and engaging for younger audiences”, with the hashtag #Bible having amassed billions of views on TikTok.

SPCK's Sam Richardson has observed that the marked growth in Bible sales between 2019 and 2024, as well as religion being the fastest-growing area of non-fiction in 2024, demonstrates that society is at “the centre of a significant cultural shift regarding matters of faith and religion”.

The Bible Society's Mark Woods has noted that sales are being driven both by personal purchases and by churches and schools providing Bibles to young people.

He has been reported by Christian Today as commenting: "Either way, there's a very clear increase in demand. This seems to arise from a perception that the Bible has something important to say to young people, and from a desire to make it accessible to them."

Bible study is integral to many congregations' activities, which highlights how it is best to read the Bible with the insights of others when it comes to understanding its message.

Those who lead Bible study groups need to be well prepared and to use commentaries written by well schooled and genuinely spiritual writers.

After all, who would visit a doctor who did not have a respected medical degree or a real commitment to medicine?

No doubt time will tell to what extent the revived interest in the Bible is an enduring trend, but certainly things are changing as far as faith and spirituality are concerned.

However, writer Christopher Gasson, who commissioned a research survey on the subject, has told The Times that many church leaders “will be rubbing their hands thinking this is the answer to their prayers, but unfortunately for them, it isn’t”.

He added that whatever the survey might say about young people being more spiritual and religious than older people, “it is equally clear that they are put off by established religion.”

In other words, the credibility of ecclesiastical institutions is at stake.

The manner in which they conduct themselves, particularly in responding to adverse reports, is a key factor here.

Churches, as large institutions, from time to time can find wrong things being done by figures in their ranks, and even in their name, precisely because these are human beings.

The church is subject to the human frailty of its members.

The age in which we in the free world live is one in which institutions are readily questioned, and in which authoritarian structures are simply not acceptable.

Yet, more good news has come this year from the Bible Society's 'The Quiet Revival' report.

One of the topics it covers is how churchgoing benefits an individual's sense of wellbeing generally.

The report's researchers found that churchgoers are more likely than non-churchgoers to report higher life satisfaction and a greater feeling of connection to their community.

The Bible Society's Paul Williams has commented on the 'The Quiet Revival': “A new generation is finding hope in the Christian message and in established Christian communities.”

Certainly, congregations are doing things in new ways, but it is essential that the focus is kept on the quality of teaching and fellowship.

There has to be innovation, but there also has to be sound doctrine and a congregational leadership that is fully equipped to serve the fellowship.

There is often a tension in congregational life between those who do not want to see things change and those who are eager for new ways of doing things. I have no doubt that most clergy will have found this to be the case.

Simple issues can become highly controversial among church rank and file.

Managing to hold a congregation together can be a delicate operation at times, but the focus for the the church as a whole must be on a trajectory of growth based on faithful teaching and well managed local churches.

The reports mentioned here show that it can be done, and is being done.

Canon Ian Ellis is a former editor of The Church of Ireland Gazette