Christian identification
In the 2021 Census of England and Wales, 46.2% of the population described themselves as Christian — below half for the first time in the census series.
Source: Office for National Statistics ↗Britain: A Heritage of Revival. A Call to Christ.
Britain has witnessed generations of Gospel preaching, prayer, missionary endeavour and spiritual awakening. But Christian heritage alone cannot save a generation. Every generation must encounter Jesus Christ for itself.
“Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
Hebrews 3:15
We seek God's mercy upon Britain — and upon every nation.
Britain for Christ does not exist to condemn Britain. We love this nation and pray for its people, families, children, communities, churches and leaders. We pray for peace, justice, wellbeing and prosperity.
But material prosperity alone cannot satisfy the human soul. Scripture warns that wealth, pleasure, possessions, status and even self can take the place that belongs to God.
We therefore pray for something deeper: repentance, forgiveness, spiritual awakening, restored families, renewed churches and a fresh turning to Jesus Christ.
“What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Mark 8:36
BRITAIN TODAY
A changing spiritual landscape
No religion
The same Census recorded 37.2% of the population as reporting “no religion”, compared with 25.2% in 2011.
Source: Office for National Statistics ↗Statistics are not the whole story
Census affiliation cannot measure repentance, prayer, faith, discipleship or the work of the Holy Spirit. Many faithful churches continue to worship, serve, evangelise and care for their communities.
Our prayer is not merely for the word “Christian” to appear on a form. It is for people genuinely to know Jesus Christ.
Our burden for this generation
Scripture warns every generation against making created things into idols. Money can become a master. Pleasure can become a master. Sexual desire, possessions, success, entertainment, status and self can all occupy the place that belongs to God.
This does not mean every person in Britain lives in the same way, nor that every church is spiritually dry. It means that the biblical warning against idolatry remains urgently relevant to all of us.
Some historic Christian congregations have declined and some former church buildings no longer function as Christian places of worship. Yet buildings are not the Church. The deeper question is whether hearts are alive to God.
Britain needs more than Christian memory. Britain needs the living Christ.
Matthew 6:19–24 · Mark 8:34–38 · Romans 1:18–25 ·
Colossians 3:5 · 2 Timothy 3:1–5 · 1 John 2:15–17
A HISTORY OF AWAKENING
Major revival movements in Britain and Ireland
Christian historians use the word “revival” in different ways. These movements are included because of their substantial historical significance, not because every story associated with them can be independently verified.
1730s–18th century
The Evangelical and Methodist Revival
Britain experienced a major evangelical awakening associated with figures including Howell Harris, George Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Wesley and Daniel Rowland.
Outdoor preaching took the Gospel beyond conventional church settings. Methodist societies developed patterns of prayer, discipleship, accountability and lay participation.
The Methodist Church identifies Welsh Methodist preaching associated with Howell Harris as beginning in the 1730s and describes John Wesley as a pioneering travelling priest whose ministry profoundly shaped the movement.
Lesson for today:
The Gospel must leave the walls of the church and reach people
where they actually are.
Methodist Church history ↗
1858–1859
The Welsh Revival of 1858–59
A religious awakening associated particularly with Wales spread through communities and churches during 1858 and 1859.
National Library of Wales material records the revival beginning in 1858 and spreading widely through Wales in 1859, with preaching, prayer and reports of conversion becoming prominent features.
Lesson for today:
Revival history repeatedly points toward prayer, repentance,
Gospel preaching and ordinary believers becoming spiritually engaged.
National Library of Wales ↗
1859
The Ulster Revival
Northern Ireland experienced an extraordinary period of evangelical religious awakening in 1859.
Modern historical scholarship from Queen's University Belfast describes the movement as an extraordinary outburst of religious fervour and studies both its impact and the controversies surrounding it.
This is important: responsible Christian history should remember not only enthusiastic reports, but also contemporary questions and criticisms.
Lesson for today:
Seek genuine spiritual fruit while testing every claim carefully.
Queen's University Belfast ↗
1904–1905
The Welsh Revival
The Welsh Revival of 1904–05 became one of the best-known revival movements in modern British Christian history.
Evan Roberts, a young former coal miner and blacksmith's apprentice, became one of its most prominent figures. The National Library of Wales records that his preaching drew large crowds, that church membership increased significantly and that the awakening spread beyond Wales.
Prayer, confession, worship and personal surrender became central themes associated with the movement.
Lesson for today:
Revival cannot simply be manufactured by copying the methods of 1904.
The Church must seek God Himself.
National Library of Wales — Evan Roberts ↗
1949–1952
The Hebrides Revival
The islands of Lewis and surrounding Hebridean communities are associated with a significant Christian revival beginning in 1949 and continuing into the early 1950s.
Evangelist Duncan Campbell became closely associated with the movement. The Church of Scotland continues to commemorate the 1949–52 revival and its influence upon individuals and communities.
Lesson for today:
Christian revival history repeatedly brings us back to dependence on God,
prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit rather than human technique.
Church of Scotland ↗
PEOPLE GOD USED
Influential evangelists and revival leaders
These men and women were not perfect. Britain for Christ does not glorify personalities. We remember them because their lives illustrate different ways Christians carried the Gospel beyond themselves.
Howell Harris
Welsh evangelist and revival organiser
After his conversion in the 1730s, Harris began evangelising in homes and outdoors. The National Library of Wales describes him as an organiser of the Methodist Revival in Wales who developed societies and associations.
Legacy:Lay evangelism, outdoor proclamation, organisation and spiritual awakening in Wales.
Historical source ↗George Whitefield
Open-air evangelist
Whitefield became one of the best-known preachers associated with eighteenth-century evangelical awakening in Britain and the Atlantic world. He worked alongside, and sometimes differed theologically from, the Wesleys and Welsh revival leaders.
Legacy:Taking Gospel preaching to large crowds outside traditional church settings.
Methodist historical context ↗John Wesley
Evangelist, preacher and Methodist pioneer
Wesley preached throughout Britain, organised Methodist societies and combined evangelistic proclamation with systematic discipleship. The Methodist Church estimates that he travelled around 250,000 miles over 50 years to preach the Gospel.
Legacy:Evangelism followed by disciplined Christian community and discipleship.
Methodist Church history ↗Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Baptist preacher and evangelistic pastor
Spurgeon's preaching in London attracted very large congregations. His ministry also developed training for pastors, publishing, church planting and care for children.
Legacy:Biblical preaching joined to training, literature, evangelism and compassionate ministry.
Metropolitan Tabernacle history ↗William & Catherine Booth
Evangelists and founders of The Salvation Army
Beginning in East London in 1865, the Booths took Gospel preaching onto the streets while developing practical ministries among people experiencing poverty, homelessness and social vulnerability.
Legacy:Gospel proclamation expressed alongside practical Christian compassion — taking the message to people rather than waiting for people to enter church.
Salvation Army history ↗Evan Roberts
Welsh revivalist
Roberts emerged from an ordinary working background and became a leading figure in the 1904–05 Welsh Revival after leaving theological studies and returning to Loughor to preach.
Legacy:Prayer, surrender, evangelistic urgency and a profound association with Welsh revival history.
National Library of Wales ↗Duncan Campbell
Scottish evangelist
Campbell became closely associated with the Hebrides Revival of 1949–52, especially on the Isle of Lewis.
Legacy:Prayer, evangelistic preaching and an emphasis on dependence upon the Holy Spirit.
Church of Scotland ↗
WHAT HISTORY TEACHES US
Revival is not nostalgia.
Many revival narratives begin with believers earnestly seeking God.
Spiritual awakening begins not by accusing everyone else, but by allowing God's Word to search our own hearts.
Jesus Christ — crucified and risen — remains the centre of Christian proclamation.
True renewal must remain accountable to God's Word rather than emotion, personality or spectacle.
Christians cannot manufacture spiritual life through human technique.
Awakened Christians should become witnesses, servants and disciple-makers.
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.
The pleasures of this world are temporary. Wealth passes. Possessions remain behind. Entertainment ends. Human success cannot purchase forgiveness or eternal life.
But God is rich in mercy.
Jesus Christ came not for people who believe themselves perfect, but for sinners who need a Saviour.
We sin. We fall. We wander. Yet God calls us to repentance, receives those who come to Him through Christ and offers forgiveness that we cannot buy.
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Repentance does not purchase salvation. Salvation is by God's grace through faith. Repentance is the turning of the heart toward the God who saves.
Mark 1:14–15 · Luke 15 · John 3:16–17 · Romans 3:23–24 ·
Romans 5:8 · Ephesians 2:4–10 · 1 John 1:9 · 2 Peter 3:9
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Almighty God, we thank You for Britain and for generations who have carried the Gospel before us.
We pray for the prosperity, peace and wellbeing of this nation. Bless our children and young people. Strengthen families. Give wisdom to leaders. Protect the vulnerable. Renew Your Church.
Where hearts have become hard, awaken us. Where churches have become weary, revive us. Where we have made money, pleasure, possessions or ourselves into idols, forgive us.
Let Jesus Christ be proclaimed with truth, compassion and courage. Pour out Your mercy upon every person in Britain and far beyond our shores.
May this generation discover that the deepest peace cannot be purchased, but is found in reconciliation with You through Jesus Christ.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Revival should lead to mission.
Britain for Christ began with a burden for Britain, but the Gospel belongs to every nation. Our vision is to use digital ministry, biblical teaching, evangelism, prayer, testimonies and church connection to help people encounter Jesus Christ across Britain and around the world.
SEARCH → DISCOVER → UNDERSTAND → BELIEVE → GROW → CONNECT → SERVE → SHARE
Historical and statistical sources
Britain for Christ believes Christian history should be presented responsibly. Historical claims on this page are supported by identifiable archives, churches, academic research or official statistics.
- The Methodist Church — History and Heritage
- National Library of Wales — Howell Harris
- National Library of Wales — Evan Roberts
- Queen's University Belfast — The Ulster Revival of 1859
- Metropolitan Tabernacle — Charles Spurgeon history
- The Salvation Army — Our History
- Church of Scotland — Hebrides Revival
- Office for National Statistics — Census 2021 religion data