Understanding new churchgoing patterns among young adults in the Church

THE LAST 12+ MONTHS HAVE seen much reporting of an increased interest in Christianity and churchgoing among younger Britons. Anecdotal evidence has piled up and a number of large quantitative studies appear to confirm that something is happening.

The Vision and Strategy team at the Church of England has commissioned Theos to conduct a study to understand this phenomenon: what is driving this increased interest and these new churchgoing patterns, and how can churches respond sensitively and helpfully.

To be clear, this is not a quantitative study intended to measure the extent of this phenomenon, but a qualitative one that attempts to understand in as much detail as possible why this is happening. More details of the project are available on request.
We want to interview c. 50 young adults to explore their journey to churchgoing over the last five years. Specifically, we want to speak to

• People aged 18 to 30
• Men and women
• Who have started attending church regularly – that is, attending a Church of England church service a few times a month or more on average – at some point since the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

We are also aiming for a range of Anglican traditions, ethnic groups and some geographical spread.

Each interview will be 1-2-1 and will last 30-60 minutes, conducted online or, if possible, in person. Interviews will be audio recorded but only for the purpose of analysis and will be destroyed after the project has been completed. All interviewees will be anonymised in the final report and any accompanying material. Those approached to participate will of course be asked for informed consent to do so.

What we are asking for help with

We need help recruiting these interviewees. If you have people in your church or network that fit these criteria, please share this link with them https://forms.office.com/e/fkb3FmGSJk so that we can capture their details ahead of contacting them for an interview. A QR code is also available below:

If you or they have any further questions about the project, please contact Rob Barward-Symmons (Head of Research at Theos) at rob.barward-symmons@theosthinktank.co.uk or Nick Shepherd (Deputy Director of V&S at Church of England) at nick.shepherd@churchofengland.org.