This morning, I received this email from the Bible Society
Dear Dave
I need to share with you an important update from Paul Williams, Bible Society’s Chief Executive Officer.
If you have any questions or concerns following this, please feel free to contact me.
Dear Friends
I have some important news to share – news that will surprise you, and which we want you to hear directly from us.
Last year, we published The Quiet Revival, based on research conducted by YouGov. It was widely welcomed, with many saying it reflected what they were already seeing – though it also attracted criticism from some who questioned YouGov’s methodology. YouGov assured us, repeatedly, that its figures were reliable.
That assurance has now been withdrawn. We were informed in early March that YouGov had completed a thorough internal review and discovered serious failures in its anti-fraud systems, which mean that the data in The Quiet Revival report can’t now be relied upon.
Since then, we have been working as quickly as we can to establish the full picture and respond properly. Stephan Shakespeare, YouGov’s Chief Executive, has personally apologised and confirmed that Bible Society accurately and responsibly reported the data they provided to us at every stage – and that there was no way we could have known it was flawed.
We want to be direct with you: this matters, and we have published a full correction on our website. But we also want to say – with real conviction – that this is not the whole story.
Over the past year, the response to The Quiet Revival has been remarkable. Churches across England and Wales told us the report resonated with what they were already seeing. And beyond our own research, a growing body of evidence – multiple surveys, studies and stories from the front line – points in the same direction: something is changing in the spiritual atmosphere of our country. Flawed data does not explain that away. If anything, the question becomes more urgent: what is actually happening here?
That question is at the heart of our new report, The Quiet Revival one year on: what’s the story? published today. Drawing on a wide range of evidence and the testimony of churches across England and Wales, it paints an honest and deeply encouraging picture of what this past year has revealed. We urge you to read it and share it widely.
We’re also hosting a live online event on Thursday 30 April at 11 am. We want to gather together to explore what is really happening in the spiritual life of England and Wales – to hear from leaders about their experiences and, together, ensure that we are equipped and inspired for both the challenges and the opportunities of this missional moment.
Finally, we ask for your prayers. Please pray that God will use even this moment – that the questions it raises about faith, the Church, and what he is doing in England and Wales will open doors rather than close them.
Thank you, as always, for your partnership in mission.
Paul Williams
With every blessing,
Gareth Davies
Church Engagement Lead
You may recall that at the time of the original report I asked questions in my cautious response to the report. I am thankful to the Bible Society for their humility and transparency in their response.
I intend to have a look at the new report at some point and provide some analysis and reflections.
In the meantime, here are some brief reflections on the Bible Society response.
- As I’ve stated above, I welcome the response from the Bible Society and appreciate their openness and humility. They have modelled this well.
- One of my concerns at the time was that the report didn’t fully account for the challenges in terms of handling survey data analysis. This is not just about whether or not the data was reliable but what is then done with it. I’m not sure that the Bible Society’s responses at the time fully grasped that. I hope that they will pick up on those lessons. Regardless of explicit problems with You Gov’s methodology, we need to get better at how we handle such analysis. My personal opinion is that it is wisest to simply commission a survey with analysis then to share that. This frees people up to respond.
- At the same time, there is a huge risk of cynicism. I was concerned by this reaction from some. This could be made worse now. The reality is that many churches are reporting increased engagement, new people joining, conversions and baptisms. Individuals are reporting openness in Gospel conversations. We should not lose sight of those good things.
- It is also helpful for those of us who in our church contexts and much of our evangelistic work have maybe not seen the same things at the moment to hear what is happening elsewhere. Just because we have not experienced the same things does not mean either that God isn’t working else where or that he isn’t doing something good with us.
- Similarly, I’ve mentioned previously that a lot of churches were experiencing fruitfulness prior to the report period and this never got picked up in surveys or labelled. My own experience was of a season of openness and fruitfulness for the ten years prior. We shouldn’t lose confidence in what God did then or begrudge what God is doing now.
- Labels like “Revival” are best left to the historians. They can also decide if it is quiet or otherwise.
Faithroots 