The Quiet Revival: Releasing labourers into a new harvest

I used to think evangelism was something you did with loudspeakers on street corners. But when I met Church Army evangelist Marian, her kindness, compassion, and story challenged every stereotype I had.  

Marian quoted Jesus to me, saying, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (John 4:35). At the time, I was sceptical. Isn’t this one of the hardest times and toughest places to evangelise? For decades, the narrative has been about the decline of Christianity, with the UK reported to have among the fewest Christian young adults in Europe. 

But Marian taught me something deeper.  

She had no formal credentials, no theological degrees. She heard the call as a cleaner, equipped only with a heart full of Christ’s love for the hurting and the lost. “I never thought I could be an evangelist,” she said, “but Church Army helped me see all you need is Christ’s heart.” 

And perhaps, like me, you’ve struggled to share your faith too. I grew up during the rise of New Atheism, when expressing belief often invited ridicule. Marian’s words, almost incredulous to me then, are now being borne out across our culture: the atmosphere is shifting. 

While searching for the latest stats on declining faith, a surprising article popped up–third in the search results–Vogue‘s May 2025 issue featured someone’s journey to finding God. Vogue! A fashion magazine speaking of unexpected conversions. And it isn’t isolated: The Independent recently ran a piece titled, “Why Gen Z is flocking to church.” Even the headline is simply extraordinary. 

Add to this Bible Society’s groundbreaking report declaring a “quiet revival.” As cultural Christianity wanes, genuine faith communities are quietly growing, with church attendance doubling over the last decade. 

This is no longer a whisper. It is a stirring. 

Listening and walking in the fields 

I first met Marian just after the Covid pandemic, where she walked the streets of her community of Ballina, Ireland, encountering lives marked by suffering but also resilience and grace. She didn’t stand on a soapbox; she simply listened. She created spaces of welcome–places of journeying together, loads of cups of tea, shared laughter, and slow, patient love. 

In those spaces, stories poured out: of abuse, addiction, loss, and unimaginable grief. Marian uses Kintsugi–the Japanese art of mending broken pottery with gold–as a metaphor for ministry. “For me, the challenge is: how can I pour gold into these broken vessels?” she says. Every encounter, every act of kindness is a seam of gold running through shattered lives. 

Just this last week, I heard from two other Church Army Evangelists. One told me about Bobby, a man in his eighties in Dundee who chose this year to get baptised. And another of a celebration in St Helier, London, where six precious lives committed themselves to Jesus on Easter Sunday. Perhaps you are seeing it where you are too–this turning of the tide as people seek meaning, purpose, and faith in a culture that is always rushing and often throws broken people away. 

The harvest is plentiful, the workers are few 

When Jesus looked upon the crowds, harassed and helpless, He was moved with compassion. He said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt 9:36-38) 

Those words feel truer now than ever in my lifetime. 

The fields are ripening. The culture is more open than it has been for decades. People are spiritually hungry, disillusioned with materialism, aching for meaning. But this quiet revival will only grow if we pray earnestly for labourers–for ordinary heroes like Marian, who walk the fields of the broken-hearted, armed not with megaphones but with mercy, compassion, and Christ’s heart. 

The question is not whether the harvest is ready. 

It is whether we are ready to release those who will go.

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Today, will you stand with us to train and release more evangelists like Marian? 

Your support could equip and send out workers into communities desperate for hope, healing, and good news. You can be part of the answer to Jesus’ call. 

Will you give today to help us raise up the next generation of evangelists? Click here: churcharmy.org/premier/

The fields are ready. Let’s step out together and bring in the harvest.