One Sunday last summer, 5,000 young people packed into the Wembley Arena for a “mass gathering of gen Z Jesus followers”. They danced to Christian rock, hugged, wept and sang. Between performances, charismatic leaders proclaimed something “huge” was afoot.
“Tonight kicks something off,” said Andy Byrd, a leader of Youth With a Mission (YWAM). He told the crowd they were witnessing the start of a “spiritual awakening”. Soon, the UK would send out “thousands of missionaries” to preach the name of Jesus – and “see every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping before the throne”.
The event, called The Send, was a hit. Hundreds of attenders scanned a QR code committing to devote their lives to Jesus. Some poured into London and preached to passengers on the tube.
The organisers of the event say it heralds a new era for the UK. Since Wembley, pop-ups from St Albans to Sheffield have recruited more people to the cause. “What we’re seeing – [our generation] have never had this. It’s one of those history-making moments,” a Send volunteer said.
For those who are no longer in the fold, its rise rings alarm bells. Daniel* from Bristol signed up with YWAM, the global organisation leading The Send UK, aged 19. He moved to Perth, Australia for a training course, later leading mission trips to countries including India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Mozambique. At first, it was everything he’d hoped for: fun, adventure, a shared sense of purpose. “It was an experience that not many people get to have.”
But behind the scenes, there was a darker side. Back at the base, there were strict rules about morality, purity and sexuality. Daniel, who is using a pseudonym, felt closely watched by the base leaders, who were “treated like royalty” and viewed as messengers for God. There was an expectation of obedience and absolute transparency, with regular confession of “sins”. People publicly repented for perceived moral transgressions, including disobedience, negativity, masturbation and homosexual thoughts. Sometimes, they underwent “healing” to banish demons. “The reaction was ‘This is a deep sin, so we’re going to need to cast this out’,” said Daniel, who was privately questioning his own sexuality.
At one point, he considered leaving. But base leaders said it wasn’t God’s plan and told him to “go away and re-pray”. He stayed for another two years. “I thought, ‘Maybe God really is saying this,’” he said.
For centuries, Christian missionaries have travelled the world preaching the gospel. In the 1800s and 1900s, western missionaries helped spread Christianity in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It was “very mixed up with colonialism”, said Rev Canon Mark Oxbrow from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies.
Today, the flow of western missionaries has slowed. “In Britain and Europe, there’s been a pretty steep decline,” said Brian Stanley, professor emeritus of world Christianity at the University of Edinburgh.
At the same time, YWAM (pronounced why-wam) has thrived. Founded in 1960 by American Loren Cunningham, it has bases across more than 180 countries and trains young people to spread the gospel in “the nations”, often on short-term trips. Key targets include “the Muslim world”, “the Hindu world”, “tribal peoples”...
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