Young men are returning to church in record numbers. But what about young women?

If you’ve been around church circles in the past few months, no doubt you’ve heard talk of the quiet revival. The Christian world is awash with testimonies about a reawakening among Gen Z – and particularly among young men.  

But in the middle of all this excitement, we’ve paid less attention to the gendered nature of this renewal. Bible Society’s Quiet Revival report found that 21 per cent of Gen Z men are now attending church. But for Gen Z women, this falls to just 12 per cent. This should be cause for great concern.

Young women aren’t coming to church in the same numbers as their male counterparts, yet they are still open to faith – or, at least, spirituality. I am concerned that the descent of Gen Z girls into the world of darker spirituality has flown under the radar. 

A dark spirituality 

It has been said that, for our parents’ generation, church was on the table, but faith was off it. But for my peers, faith is socially acceptable, even if church is not. But faith in what? In the absence of church, many are open to the darker side of spirituality.  

Tarot cards and crystals are now frequently stocked in high street shops alongside cute T-shirts and notebooks. US research has found over half of 13 to 25-year-olds practise fortune telling or tarot cards. In the UK, it’s been glamourised and celebrated in magazines, and pre-pandemic there was a 281 per cent increase in searches on Pinterest for witchcraft related media. Once relegated to the fringes, the occult has made its way into the mainstream - and it seems few in the Church have noticed. 

We are the first generation to grow up in a wholly post-Church culture 

There could be many reasons for this. Amid war, climate change and ongoing political crises, manifestation, crystals and the like all provide a perception of control. They can appeal to a higher power while also giving the illusion of bringing about change through their own works, efforts and desires. The occult allows Gen Z users to feel like they’re still in the driving seat – rather than surrendering to a faith based upon grace and a relationship with God. Ultimately, what many young women want is freedom, not religious institutions. A spirituality that they can control themselves. 

A legacy of oppression 

But it’s not just about control, the Church’s history and legacy have caused disillusionment in many of my peers. While many young men have found direction and purpose in a church community, for many of my female friends, church has a complex history that includes oppression, as well as repression. On Tiktok and social media, reclaiming the term ‘witch’ has become a feminist statement. The occult has become an aesthetic symbol of rejecting traditional religious culture. 

The Church needs to understand the tentative spiritual curiosity and religious anxiety that many young women feel. For them, the notion of an authoritative Church quickly becomes tangled in ideas of historic oppression. They are desperately looking for something - but they are (perhaps rightly) cautious about an establishment, as they see it, which may not warrant their respect.  

A great opportunity 

There is no easy solution to these challenges, but in this present darkness, there is a great opportunity for the Church. Belief in something bigger isn’t a stumbling block for young men – or young women. And the Church can uniquely offer them the hope of a ‘something bigger’ who is personal – a God who sees them and loves them back. Christians don’t believe in some impersonal cosmic power, but a creator who includes them in his plans. 

We are the first generation to grow up in a wholly post-Church culture. Our parents did not attend church or take us to Sunday school. So, getting involved in a local church congregation can feel like a daunting prospect.  

Ultimately, what many young women want is freedom, not religious institutions 

It seems that many young men have started to overcome this hurdle, perhaps in part due to online influencers. But many women haven’t had the same experience. Church remains a distant, cold idea. Maybe the idea of God the Father sits more comfortably with young men looking for guidance. Yet, many young women need to hear about God the Son, the incarnate deity who is with us, our advocate and friend. 

It’s easy for the Church to stay within the comfort zone of a long-established routine of authority. But for a generation that values authenticity and is fearful of both the future and the world around them, the Church needs to be a bastion of hope and safety.  

And there is more work to be done than ever before in communicating this message clearly to young women, given the rise in religious illiteracy that has come from growing up in an entirely post-Church culture.  

The growth of interest in darker forms of spirituality is cause for caution - but also for hope. As young men flock to church, the lost women of this quiet revival are still reachable. We just need to engage them with a Church - and a saviour – they can understand and trust.