Christianity around the world

Christianity in the United Kingdom

Christianity has shaped Britain for well over a thousand years. It reached these islands in Roman times, was carried by Celtic saints and by Augustine's mission to Canterbury in 597, and was reshaped by the Reformation, which gave rise to the Church of England. Later came Methodism and waves of revival. Today the United Kingdom is religiously diverse and increasingly secular, yet Christianity remains woven into its history, culture, and a wide range of living churches.

How Christianity came to Britain

Christianity reached Britain during the Roman period and survived among the Celtic peoples of the west and north after Rome withdrew. Celtic saints such as Patrick (who evangelized Ireland), Columba at Iona, and Aidan at Lindisfarne carried the faith through Scotland and northern England. In 597 Augustine, sent from Rome, arrived in Kent and established his seat at Canterbury, and over time the English church was knit into Western Christendom.

The sixteenth-century Reformation transformed English and Scottish Christianity. The Church of England became independent of Rome, the Scots embraced a Presbyterian reform under John Knox, and the English Bible and Book of Common Prayer shaped the language and worship of a nation. In the eighteenth century the Wesleys and George Whitefield led a Methodist revival that reached working people and renewed personal faith.

The church here today

The United Kingdom is now religiously diverse and, by many measures, quite secular; church attendance has fallen and many claim no religion. Yet the churches remain: the established Church of England and the Church of Scotland, the Roman Catholic Church, Methodists, Baptists, and other free churches, growing Pentecostal and immigrant-led congregations (including vibrant African and Caribbean churches), and a strong Christian presence in charity, education, and public life. Cathedrals and ancient parish churches still mark nearly every town.

If you are seeking here

If you are living in the United Kingdom and quietly wondering about Jesus, you are not alone, and you are welcome. Faith is not a nationality or a family tradition you are locked into or out of; it begins wherever one person turns to Christ and asks. You can start today by reading a Gospel, by praying honestly in your own words, and by finding a community that follows Jesus near you.

Frequently asked questions

How did Christianity come to Britain?

It reached Britain in Roman times, survived among the Celtic peoples, and spread through saints such as Columba and Aidan and through Augustine's mission to Canterbury in 597, which linked the English church to Rome.

What is the Church of England?

It is the established church of England, which became independent of Rome during the sixteenth-century Reformation. The English Bible and the Book of Common Prayer that came from that era shaped the nation's worship and language.

Is the UK still a Christian country?

The United Kingdom is religiously diverse and increasingly secular, with falling church attendance, yet Christianity remains woven into its history and law, and a wide range of churches, including growing immigrant-led congregations, are active today.