Reading the Bible and experiencing a welcoming church are two of probably the most common the reason why people change into Christians, a recent report by the Evangelical Alliance (EA) has found.
Its recent report, Finding Jesus: Identifying Pathways to Faith in Adulthood, draws on the experiences of 280 adults who got here to faith within the last five years.
For many respondents, a deep dissatisfaction with life was the trigger for his or her faith journey – over a 3rd (37%) said they’d needed help with life on the time of turning to Christianity, while an analogous proportion (34%) were searching for meaning.
Nearly a 3rd (32%) said they’d suffered a painful or difficult experience, while over 1 / 4 (29%) said they were drawn to Christianity by the impact of the religion on someone they knew.
The same proportion said they’d began exploring the religion because someone had spoken to them about it, while an analogous number (28%) had had a spiritual experience.
People from low incomes were more than likely to cite the positive actions of Christians towards them.
Around a 3rd (32%) became Christians lower than six months after beginning to explore the religion, while for just over 1 / 4 (27%) it took them six months to a yr.
Both the Bible and a welcoming church were vital aspects in helping them to explore and grow their new-found faith.
Over half (59%) said a church had helped them to explore the religion, while nearly half of recent believers (47%) said that reading the Bible was significant of their faith journey.
For many (42%), attending a course or small group was vital to exploring the religion, while for others it was a spiritual experience (39%), or the hospitality, generosity and repair of Christians (38%).
The report also found that each church communities and individual Christians, not only leaders, played a crucial role in helping people change into Christian.
The study, based on interviews conducted between July and September 2024, was compiled by the EA to grasp how and why adults within the UK decide to change into Christians, despite wider cultural trends of church decline.
Welcoming the findings, the EA said that the report challenges the narrative of church decline, showing recent growth and openness to faith.
Rachael Heffer, co-lead researcher of the Finding Jesus project, said: “These are exciting times for the UK church.
“We are witnessing lives being turned around and the church growing as a direct result of individuals being more open to the Christian faith, asking big questions, reading the Bible, and seeing God transform their lives.
“The challenge for the church is tips on how to welcome and nurture the various people coming through our doors!”
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