Church leaders have gathered in Woking amid reports of a resurgence of interest in Christianity, particularly among younger generations.

Around 500 clergy and volunteers attended the Diocese of Guildford's annual Church Growth Conference at Welcome Church on Thursday, October 8, where speakers highlighted rising baptisms, confirmations and growing spiritual curiosity.

The Rt Revd Paul Davies, Bishop of Dorking and Acting Bishop of Guildford, said: “I have never been so excited in my 30 years of ministry by the growing number of baptisms and confirmations. God is at work in our Diocese in an incredibly powerful way.”

The conference comes as Church of England figures show five consecutive years of growth in attendance.

The Church Growth Conference in Woking.
The Church Growth Conference in Woking. (Diocese of Guildford)

Preliminary national figures for 2025 recorded approximately 1.023 million regular worshippers, an increase of 1.4 percent on the previous year. Attendance at Easter services also rose by 7.8 percent.

Speakers at the Woking conference suggested that young people, particularly those belonging to Generation Z, were increasingly exploring Christianity in search of meaning, hope and community.

The Revd Naomi Ngururi, vicar of St Paul's Church in Woking, said: “We are a church on a main road, so we want to be ready for people who wander in as well as improving our online visibility.

“The young people who have recently joined our church are deeply committed and want a spiritual challenge, not a quick fix.”

Grace McAdams, youth pastor at St Peter's Church in Farnborough, said many members of the church's youth groups came from non-religious backgrounds.

"While some appreciate the social aspect, a lot of them want to ask the deeper questions about faith. God is definitely stirring," she said.

The Rt Revd Ruth Bushyager, Bishop of Horsham, who became the youngest bishop in the Church of England at 43, painted a vivid picture of the cultural landscape facing today's Church.

She described how many young people were experiencing deep anxiety about the future and finding that secularism was not providing the answers.

As a result, she suggested the UK was experiencing a "spiritual awakening, with younger generations searching for authenticity and ‘full-fat faith’.”

Gavin Calver, chief executive of the Evangelical Alliance, said churches should recognise the opportunity to welcome newcomers.

"The season has changed for the UK Church," he said. "Winter is over for the Church in England. We are in spring, but we want to be in summer."

He added: "People are looking for hope. If we don't fill that space, somebody else will."

Local vicars also noted a growing interest in religion among young people.

Revd Jonathan Thomas, Vicar of St Peter's, Woking, added: "We are thinking a lot about how we prepare to welcome new people. We have had younger people come to us out of the blue, so the focus for us is offering one-to-one support to help them continue their faith journey."

Revd Louise Vincer, Vicar of St Mary's, Send, said: "The call to be more authentic resonated with me. In our context, that means introducing spiritual and worship elements into our existing community outreach."

Revd Naomi Ngururi, Vicar of St Paul's, Woking, said: "We are a church on a main road, so we want to be ready for people who wander in as well as improving our online visibility. The young people who have recently joined our church are deeply committed and want a spiritual challenge, not a quick fix."

The conference also explored practical ways churches could attract and retain newcomers, including improving their online presence, distributing free Bibles and making services more welcoming.

The Diocese of Guildford covers much of Surrey and parts of north-east Hampshire, with 156 parishes and 81 church schools.

The Revd David Senior, who has hosted the last six conferences, said delegates had left determined to respond to what they believed was a significant change in attitudes towards faith.

“Today was particularly powerful. You could sense something move in the room as people became convinced that this extraordinary shift in attitudes is real and left determined to seize this opportunity.”