21st Century Evangelicals A snapshot of the beliefs and habits of evangelical Christians in the UK The fi rst report on groundbreaking research by the Evangelical Alliance and Christian Research Foreword hen I fi rst saw these contribution we are making to the ‘THIS RESEARCH... results, I immediately will enable us to think about community around us. realised how signifi cant W where we need to go and what This is the fi rst in a series of they were. we need to do.’ groundbreaking reports which As a church leader, I know there will paint a comprehensive and We didn’t conduct this research is a danger that I have spent lots detailed picture of evangelicals in just so that we could have of time telling people what they the UK at the beginning of 21st vast quantities of interesting should believe in, and perhaps not century. This picture will be an information about evangelical enough time asking the question, invaluable asset to church leaders Christians. Its purpose is not “What does my church actually and Christian organisations as it to simply tell us where we are believe and how does that work provides encouragement, presents currently at: it will enable us to itself out in their everyday lives?” challenges, guides refl ection and think about where we need to go This research – the most extensive stimulates discussion. And it is and what we need to do. of its kind – asks these two vital critical as we look to the future. questions. It covers a multitude of This research also provides us By presenting an accurate picture issues relevant to evangelicals and with vital evidence as we engage of evangelicals today, we can be it is essential that we take a close with government and the media. much better equipped to make look at the results. It tells us so It helps us to speak with great effective plans for tomorrow. much about the people we are, the confi dence about our evangelical Steve Clifford people we serve and the people we community, the things which are General Director, Evangelical represent. important to us and the signifi cant Alliance 2 21st Century Evangelicals Introduction he pages that follow present sizes of, and response rates at, the a snapshot of the beliefs different festivals, it was necessary OVER T and habits of evangelical to weight the results. This has been Christians. This report provides done proportionately, according to glimpses of a wide range of the approximate number of adults 17,000 subjects and identifi es some key attending each festival. However, trends. It reveals that while there to alleviate any concern that this people completed are many beliefs and practices approach might cause, we also questionnaires in order for us to take this snapshot. that connect evangelicals, there is reviewed the data using various considerable diversity. The results weighting options. Regardless also indicate that evangelical of the approach used, the vast The results presented in this report Christians are distinct from majority of the results were (unless otherwise stated) are taken Christians who do not consider remarkably similar. themselves to be evangelical. from the festival sample. If you There is much in this report that The questionnaire was also would like to read more about the will encourage, but there are also conducted at 35 randomly selected methodology, weighting and view challenges. Evangelical Alliance member the data tables that support the churches. The festival sample, results presented in this report This initial report highlights areas when compared to the church (including the church data) please where further, more detailed sample, is extremely similar. go to www.eauk.org/snapshot. research is required. Please do not Therefore, although there is the Phil Green expect this summary to answer occasional notable difference, we Research Manager, Evangelical all your questions; in fact, it will are confi dent that evangelical Alliance hopefully raise more questions festival goers are broadly than answers! That was one of Benita Hewitt representative of UK evangelicals. Director, Christian Research the purposes of this fi rst piece of research – to fi nd out what we need to fi nd out. Over 17,000 people completed questionnaires in order for us to take this snapshot, making it the most extensive piece of research of its kind. The results are credible markers that will not only provide a benchmark for more in-depth studies, but will enable future research to track changes over the decades to come. Throughout 2010, questionnaires were completed at Christian festivals in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The festivals chosen were ones that are popular among evangelical Christians. Due to the varying 21st Century Evangelicals 3 Typically evangelical There are many beliefs and practices that connect evangelicals in the UK. There is widespread consensus on issues from Jesus to the miraculous gifts of the Spirit to the environment. There are also many practices that are common to the majority of evangelicals: these include reading the Bible, giving money and volunteering. 4 21st Century Evangelicals JESUS CHURCH BIBLE 91% 96% 82% strongly agree that Jesus is attend a church service at read (or listen to) the Bible at the only way to God. least once a week. least a few times a week. 77% attend a small group 93% strongly agree that the meeting at least once a Bible is the inspired word of fortnight. God. PRAYER GIVING FAITH 96% 96% 88% pray at least a few times a have given money to their strongly agree that their faith week, 77% do so daily. church in the past year. is the most important thing in their life and 83% strongly agree that faith is a key factor in their decision making. ENVIRONMENT ENGAGEMENT MIRACLES 94% 86% 83% agree that it’s a Christian’s voted in the General Election strongly agree that the duty to care for the in 2010 and 76% watch, miraculous gifts of the Spirit environment. listen to, or read the news did not come to an end in the every day. fi rst century. VOLUNTEERING UNITY VOICE 81% 94% 93% do some kind of voluntary agree that Christians should agree that Christians should work at least once a month. be united in truth. 92% have a voice in the media. agree that Christians should 94% agree that Christians be united in mission. should engage with government. 21st Century Evangelicals 5 Distinctly evangelical There are signifi cant differences between Christians who consider themselves to be evangelicals, and those who do not. his research was conducted at festivals popular amongst evangelical T Non-evangelical Evangelical Christians, and at Evangelical Alliance member churches. However, over 1000 of those who participated in this research Faith takes a more prominent place in the lives said they did not consider of evangelical Christians. FAITH themselves to be evangelical Respondents who strongly agreed that their faith is the most important Christians (and a further thing in their life. 1500 were unsure). Therefore, although these results cannot be taken to be representative of 54% 88% all ‘non-evangelical Christians’, Respondents who strongly agreed that their faith is a key factor in all the results do highlight key their decision making. differences between Christians at festivals who consider themselves to be evangelical, 51% 83% and those who do not. 6 21st Century Evangelicals The Bible has a more signifi cant role in the lives of evangelicals. Derek Tidball BIBLE Board Member, Evangelical Respondents who strongly agreed that the Bible has the supreme Alliance & Former Principal of authority in guiding their beliefs, views and behaviour. London School of Theology Evangelicals 43% 83% are like Respondents who read (or listen to) the Bible daily. any other Christians, 26% 52% but different. They are Christians with Evangelicals pray more frequently and are more attitude! They hold likely to believe that Jesus is the only way to God. convictions about the Respondents who pray alone daily. Bible, the work of Christ and actively working out their faith which, 57% 76% combined together, make Respondents who strongly agree that Jesus is the only way to God. them a distinctive stream in the church. Whatever RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD RELATIONSHIP 75% 91% their denomination, their strength and vitality as Evangelicals place more emphasis on evangelism. a movement fl ows from these convictions. This Respondents who strongly agreed that it’s a Christian’s duty to be actively involved in evangelism. research shows they are holding to them. But are EVANGELISM they holding to them as 27% 71% fi rmly as they should? And Respondents who talk about their faith, at least once a month, do they really practise with someone who wouldn’t call themselves a Christian. what they believe? If, for example, the Bible really is 38% 58% their ‘supreme authority’, why do only half of us Evangelicals tend to have stronger views on what’s read it daily? right and wrong. The wider church, as well Respondents who strongly agreed that sexual intercourse outside of as the wider world, needs marriage is wrong. evangelicals to be true to their distinctive calling, RIGHT & WRONG 26% 62% but to be true without Respondents who strongly agree that assisted suicide is always wrong. arrogance. Truth must be expressed with the grace 21% 42% and humility of Christ. However... this research not only reveals differences between Christians who consider themselves to be evangelicals and those who do not. It also reveals that a notable number of Christians who do not consider themselves to be evangelicals are potentially very similar to evangelical Christians in terms of their beliefs and practices. Therefore, are many Christians evangelical in all but name? 21st Century Evangelicals 7 Divergence and uncertainty The beliefs of evangelicals are not uniform, and uncertainty is common.