The colour of revival by Alexander Chow

As we rejoice at an upturn in church attendance in the UK, especially among young men, a little analysis of the figures suggests that something else is going on that has its origins in British church history. Alexander Chow outlines how God has been at work.

by Alexander Chow

The colour of revival

‘Christians in Britain prayed for many years for revival, and when it came they did not recognise it because it was black.’[1]

When the theologian Walter Hollenweger wrote these words in 1992, he was pointing out the way many white British Christians overlooked the significance of their black British brothers and sisters.

Three decades later, Britain has changed even more. It is no longer a Christian-majority society, and it is far more ethnically diverse. This has led some pundits to claim that ‘mass immigration’ is to blame for de-Christianising the UK. The data points to something quite different. A recent Pew Research study shows that 57.1% of immigrants to the UK are Christians. Quite simply, Britain would be less Christian if it weren’t for its ethnic diversity.

Consider a recent Bible Society report which identifies a surprising growth in sectors of British Christianity. Much of the coverage on this so-called ‘Quiet Revival’ has focused on Gen Z young people (those born between 1997 and 2012), especially among young men.[2] They describe this as a low-key, ‘quiet’ revival—but nonetheless, one that is widespread. The headlines often overlook an important key finding of the study: British Christianity is becoming more and more diverse. It explains, ‘Just under one in five churchgoers (19%) are from an ethnic minority, but among 18–54-year-olds this rises to 1 in 3 (32%).’

British Christianity is changing and British Christians are slow to take notice.

The impact of immigration

Christians with a Global Majority Heritage have been coming to and living in Britain for centuries. However, the most noticeable change in the landscape of Britain’s Christianity began with the Windrush generation. In 1948, the first Caribbean Pentecostal church was founded in the UK, the Calvary Church of God in Christ based in London. Others followed suit, such as the New Testament Church of God (in Wolverhampton) and the Church of God Prophecy (in Bedford), both established in 1953.

The post-War period brought more than just Caribbeans to the United Kingdom. For instance, many immigrants of Chinese heritage came from Hong Kong and present-day Malaysia and Singapore. The important Chinese Church in London was formed during this period, holding its first service in January 1951. Its pastor Stephen Wang was instrumental in helping to start many of the 200 British Chinese churches spotted across the country today.

This has continued in more recent decades. Catholic and Orthodox Christianity in the UK has experienced a tremendous upsurge due to Romanian and Polish immigrants. One of today’s fastest growing churches is the Nigerian-originated Neo-Pentecostal denomination, the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Since 2021, another important dimension needs to be noted: a new wave of Hong Kongese immigration. The Westminster government responded to socio-political unrest in its former colony of Hong Kong by introducing a new visa route for those holding British National (Overseas) passports. According to another Bible Society study, British Chinese Christians were identified as the fastest growing sector of British Christianity - growing by 28.8% between 2021 to 2023 alone.[3]

Revival or transfer growth?

If immigration is an important factor in the growth of British Christianity, isn’t this simply about transfer growth? Well, not quite.

The changes in British Christianity reflects a wider change in the world church. A century ago, more than 80% of the world’s Christians could be found in the Western world. Today, two-thirds of Christians are based in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. With the movement of peoples around the globe, a diverse world church is being translated into a diverse British church.

Christian immigrants are also often a major evangelising force. This is touched upon in my book entitled Chinese Heritage in British Christianity (SCM Press, 2025). Several chapters highlight the long history of Chinese-heritage Christians introducing the Gospel to new immigrants from East and Southeast Asia. In the first half of the twentieth century, this was primarily about reaching landed seafarers who previously worked in the British merchant navy. Since the end of the World Wars, the focus has been on reaching restaurant workers, students and professionals such as doctors and nurses.

Another consideration is the importance placed on passing the faith to the next generation. Several of the contributors of the book are British Born Chinese – second and third generation Chinese, born and raised in Britain, and nurtured in the faith from young. They are embracing Christianity as their own rooted in the gospel, wrestling with their multicultural identities and communities, and engaging the wider society amidst increasing racism and hostility. Undoubtedly, many of the Gen Z and young men highlighted in the Quiet Revival are Christians born to immigrant families.

Seeing in colour

So often, conversations around immigrants and ethnic diversity focus on the how to be hospitable hosts to foreign guests. But the problem with hospitality is guests are meant to leave and ‘go home’ – otherwise, they have overstayed their welcome! They are forever treated as foreigners.

The Bible has a much more profound view on the matter. There’s this beautiful verse in Leviticus 19:34 which reads, ‘The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’

Isn’t that powerful? Treat the foreigner as a local, as ‘native-born’ – even more, as a ‘citizen among you’ (NRSV). Treat them as one of your own.

Christians with a Global Majority Heritage are reshaping British Christianity in vital and vibrant ways. So often this is invisible because they are not considered British enough. Yet they are such an important force reshaping British Christianity and British society.

If we cannot hear the sound of revival, let us at least see its colour.

References:

[1] RIH Gerloff, The Black Church Movement in Britain in its transatlantic cultural and theological interaction with special reference to the Pentecostal Oneness (Peter Lang Gmbh, 1992)

[2]  Dr Rhiannon McAleer, Dr Rob Barward-Symmons, The Quiet Revival (Bible Society, 2025)

[3] Hazel Southam, ‘Chinese Church is the fastest-growing in the UK’, Bible Society, (2023), https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/latest/news/chinese-church-is-the-fastest-growing-in-the-uk-report-finds

Author: 

Dr Alexander Chow is a theologian at the University of Edinburgh. He is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Divinity and Co-Director of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity. A Chinese American, he has lived and ministered in the United Kingdom for over a decade and a half. Alex has authored or edited six books, including Chinese Heritage in British Christianity: More than Foreigners (SCM Press 2025).