Latest CofE figures "heartening", says Bishop
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Statistics released by the Church of England show an increase in the number of young people attending weekly church services in addition to a rise in adult and child baptisms.
The number of people attending Christmas services also rose by 14.5 per cent between 2010 and 2011, reaching a total of over 2.6 million.
The number of christenings increased by 4.3 per cent, accompanied by a rise of just over 5 per cent in adult baptisms, with a combined total of 139,751 baptisms. This means that the Church of England conducted an average of over 2,600 baptisms each week during 2011.
Average weekly attendance across the country fell by 0.3% to 1,091,484, which the Church of England said represented a “stabilising” of average weekly attendance figures.
A growth in church attendance was recorded in a total of 20 of the Church of England's 40 regional areas, while nationally there was a 1.2 per cent increase in children and young people attending to 216,928.
Heartening
The Bishop of Norwich, the Right Reverend Graham James, said: “The attendance figures are heartening, especially the very strong growth in Christmas day attendance.
“The encouraging news of further growth to come even on these high figures is very welcome and points to a growing trend.
“Also welcome is the stabilising of the numbers of those who attend church services on a weekly basis. With almost half of our dioceses showing growth, there is a quiet confidence underlying these figures.”
Young people
“The growth of the numbers of children and young people attending is an encouragement and reflects the investment made by churches across in the country on youth and children's workers to serve not only the church but the whole parish.”
Whilst the number of weddings dropped by 3.6 per cent in 2011, the number of wedding blessings - Services of Prayer and Thanksgiving following a civil ceremony - was up by 4.5 per cent.
Thanksgivings for births also increased by 11.9 per cent, taking numbers to 6,582.
There was a 2.8 per cent fall in the number of church funerals, with Church of England clergy and lay ministers conducting 162,526 in 2011.
Bishop James added: “These figures are a welcome reminder of the work and service undertaken by the Church of England annually - 1,000 couples married, 2,600 baptisms celebrated and over 3,000 funerals conducted every week of the year.”
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