Missional Trends 2026 

Phil Knox shares five key missional trends churches should expect to see in 2026 

2025 saw a seismic shift for the church in the UK. More people are increasingly open to Jesus and are actively exploring faith. More people are being baptised. Churches are growing.

Missional trends 2026 is here to help you make sense of what has happened and what we might expect to see more of in the coming year.

In the last one hundred years, the number of people attending church in the UK have been in steady decline. But in 2025, several pieces of research have offered marker points to indicate that the tide has turned. 
 

Five key missional trends for 2026
 

Drawing on the latest research, listening to our members and observing the missional landscape, in 2026 here is what to expect:

1. Look out for the spiritually open: 2026 will be the most spiritually open year in living memory. Atheism will continue its decline. Belief is back. The evangelical church will grow. But the rising tide will cause seekers to turn not only to all forms of Christianity, but to other religions, paganism and the occult. WitchTok may be as popular as Alpha.

2. Look out for the unexplained: 2026 will see spiritual experiences, dreams and unexplained events drawing thousands to church. In the last year, we have heard countless examples of this, previously rarely cited as a pathway to faith. 28 per cent of new adult Christians say a spiritual experience prompted them to explore the Christian faith. Expect people to turn up to your church who are asking, ​‘What was that?!’

3. Look out for the gospel opportunities: 2026 will see the church needing to better join the dots between compassion ministry and faith sharing. In 2026, foodbank use will sadly but predictably increase as inflation and the cost of living hardship continues.

But it’s worth remembering almost every foodbank in the UK is connected to a church. However, just a fraction of service user will be invited to take the next step on the journey of faith. For those who are, many will become Christians. 74 per cent of all parents with children under the age of five have attended a church activity in the past 12 months. Churches that join the dots between these ministries and faith sharing will grow rapidly.

4. Look out for booming Bible engagement: 2026 will see Bible sales continue to soar with seekers turning up to church having done their theological research. Bible sales have increased by 87 per cent in recent years and the UK’s bestsellers will grow in popularity.

In a ​‘fake news’, ​‘post-truth’ world, younger generations are particularly drawn to good news that is true, profound and beautiful. Churches that keep the substance the same but relate relevantly to culture will flourish. Expect new Christians to cite reading the Bible as pivotal in their journey of exploration and decision moment.

5. Look out for discipleship questions and challenges: 2026 will see more people come to faith through new pathways, so good answers about what’s next in their discipleship journey will be essential. When people come to faith, research tells us their greatest needs are in helping to establish spiritual disciplines and find new community.

Many new believers will leave church because they have not been nurtured or built meaningful relationships. In 2026, newcomers to church will cause leaders to invest time in early spiritual formation and empower spiritual fathers and mothers.
 

What happened in 2025?

For most of our lifetimes religious identity has been diminishing in the UK. Studies and censuses in recent decades have painted a picture of fewer and fewer people identifying as Christians and attending church. However, research tells us things are changing.

Several independent pieces of research have told a story of a resurgence of interest in faith and millions more people attending church regularly. Here, we explain what is going on, offer some comment and a way forwards. 

See more: Missional Trends – all the research from 2025 - Your one stop shop of recent research on church growth and spiritual openness
 

Making the most of 2026

We find ourselves in a once in a lifetime missional moment. This can be both very exciting and potentially quite daunting. Where do you start? Where should you focus your energy? 

Don’t worry – we’ve got you. Here’s three areas of focus we think will be especially helpful as we seek to play our part in what God is doing across the UK in 2026. 

1. How can you intentionally connect your compassion ministries and your faith sharing activities?

The most common reason why people begin their journey of exploration is needing help with life. New believers cited coming to toddler groups, football projects, debt relief initiatives and other ministries that meet people’s human need for community and connection as their starting point. As we seek to make the most of the missional moment we are in, investing time, thought, creativity, resources and effort in joining the dots between these ministries and sharing the gospel is likely to bear significant fruit.


2. What do you need to help you (and those around you) share Jesus with others?

The gospel spreads at the speed of relationship. When new adult Christians are asked who played the most important role on their journey to faith, they often describe people from church who are not the leader, close friends and small groups of Christians.

A significant proportion of people who begin exploring the gospel do so because a friend talks to them about their faith or they see the impact of trusting Jesus on someone they know. But almost a quarter of Evangelical Alliance member churches had done no training in evangelism in the last three years. How many more might encounter Jesus if every Christian in the UK was ready to share their faith with their friends?


3. Are you ready to help those having spiritual experiences?

28 per cent of people who become Christians as adults say a spiritual experience initially prompted their journey of faith. 39 per cent said it helped as they explored faith and 42 per cent said it was an experience of God that finally prompted them to decide to follow Jesus. In the next few years it is very likely that people will come to your church having experienced something they cannot understand and are interested in finding out if who they have encountered is Jesus. We must be ready to help them take the next step.

For more ideas, conversation and resources on each of these areas, visit this Missional Trends page
 

Phil Knox is an evangelism and missiology senior specialist at the Evangelical Alliance.

This article originally appeared on the website of the Evangelical Alliance, and is republished with permission 

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