UK National Ministry Survey
2021 → 2026
A comparative analysis of evangelical church leaders across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — tracking change over five years.
Who Responded — Demographics
Profile of church leaders responding to both surveys. The 2026 cohort is slightly smaller — 393 versus 584 respondents in 2021 — but comparably structured across most demographic categories.
Churches
Where respondents' churches are located and their size on a typical Sunday.
Church Growth & Mission
Has your congregation grown? A direct comparison shows significantly more positive trajectories in 2026 than during the COVID shadow of 2021.
New Christians
Big figures show the average number of new Christians per church, per year — calculated by dividing each church's 3-year total by 3. The 3-year total itself is shown below in smaller type. Figures run from 2021 (orange) to 2026 (green).
Because churches vary greatly in size, the figures below instead express new Christians as a percentage of each church's adult attendance — a fairer comparison, since a small church can be just as fruitful as a large one.
Church Planting & Revitalisation
Activity in the previous period — how many churches were planted or revitalised?
Training & Development
How well are leaders being equipped? Coaching and external assessment compared across both surveys.
Overall picture: Most respondents received their main preaching formation through college or seminary training and occasional conferences (e.g. Keswick, LWPT webinars, Cornhill). A recurring theme is the loss of feedback structures once leaders become the sole or senior pastor — the isolation of leadership means fewer peers feel able to offer honest critique. What leaders most desire is not more foundational training, but ongoing, practical input: assessed sermons, peer review, coaching on communication technique, and help making preaching more engaging and culturally relevant.
Pastoral Energy & Wellbeing
Ministry energy is a key indicator of leader health. How energised do leaders feel compared to 2 years prior?
Key Findings & Changes 2021–2026
Summary of the most significant shifts identified across the two surveys.
Significant Changes
- Church growth surged: 74% report growth in 2026 vs 35% in 2021 — a post-pandemic recovery story
- New Christians per church roughly doubled: from 7.8 to 16.0 over 3 years (2.6% to 4.6% of attendance, annualised) — encouraging fruit from both conversions and returnees
- Churches reporting decline fell dramatically: from 31% to just 8% — a striking reversal
- Pastoral energy is markedly higher: those feeling more energised rose from 35% to 48%
- Less energised leaders fell from 37% to 20% — COVID's impact on morale is fading
- Coaching uptake improved: helpful coaching received rose from 29% to 39% of leaders
- Leaders wanting coaching but not getting it fell from 35% to 24% — needs better met
- External assessment "helpful" responses rose slightly (19% to 31%) showing growing openness
- Planting ambition remained broadly stable: ~21% "very/extremely likely" to plant in both years
- Next generation leadership development is the top area where help is needed (2026 data)
