sv podcast – predicting the year with Kelvin Holdsworth

Happy New Year faithful listener! We hope that 2026 has good things in store for you. Well, we sort of hope that for all of us, as things are looking a bit scary out there just now. But in the winter gloom, we’re delighted to welcome Kelvin Holdsworth along to the first podcast of the year, and he chats with Holly & Darren about his predictions for 2026. Kelvin is Provost of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow, a prolific blogger and friend of the podcast.

We also delve into experiences of the ‘Quiet Revival’, picking up on recent reports about church growth here as well as in the USA, especially amongst young men. Are the reports overblown? (Yes.) Is there something really going on? (Yes.) Lots of interesting stuff to mull over. Oh, and this in from Holly: “The Bible is really strange … and that’s ok!”

Links for this podcast
Kelvin Holdsworth’s blog
‘Quiet Revival’ Bible Society report
Church Times article about US church attendance
Church growth article in The Guardian
A Thousand Words for September 11 with Kelvin Holdsworth
A Thousand Words: Kelvin Holdsworth

This podcast was recorded on Thursday 8 January 2026. Available from Apple Podcasts, TuneIn Radio, and via your favourite podcast App. Theme music and stings by Nicolai Heidlas. Duration: 47’07 minutes.

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Geraldine Rooney says:

January 22, 2026 at 10:15 am

Very interesting. I think that as a Catholic this has a particular insight for me as to why some younger people are drawn to the Tridentine Mass (an old form not only all in Latin, but the priest had his back to the congregation): this issue is causing waves in the church (Wiki can give more detail), with conflicting instructions, and divided clergy and laity (Pope Benedict compared to Francis etc). I think Catholicism scores fairly highly on spiritual practice, but a lot of good (in my opinion) practices have been eroded or lost to the ordinary people down the years. I am fortunate to have had mine nurtured down the years by a cousin who was a Cistercian monk and priest.
I am always bringing up the rear in culture, and this will sound like a non-sequitur: I have just listened to “Breath” by James Nestor. This has a glancing mention of Christian mysticism in using breathing as part of spiritual practice. I feel that I am being spoken to on this topic by a greater force. Thanks, as ever.

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