CofE attendance may be falling, but Christianity is alive and well in Britain

Average weekly church attendance within the Church of England has dropped below one million, according to a report released this week by the Church.

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Average weekly church attendance within the Church of England has dropped below one million, according to a report released this week by the Church.

The Church of England published its 'Statistics for Mission 2014' report on Tuesday. The figures appear to show "a steady decline of 10-15%" in average weekly attendance of adults and children over the past ten years.

The outlook for other streams of Christianity in Britain, however, is more positive.

'Prayerful and considered response'

Commenting on the Church of England figures, the Bishop of Norwich said:

"The 2014 figures are not in any way a surprise. Whilst the recent trend of the past decade continues, it has been anticipated and is being acted on radically."

The Rt. Rev. Graham James said that the Church is embarking on a "prayerful and considered response" that involves "focusing our resources on prayer, evangelism, discipleship, vocations, leadership & training….

"As a Church we are unashamedly committed to following the teachings of Jesus Christ in our worship of God, discipleship and service to the poor and the marginalised. Our confidence, resilience and service is rooted in Jesus."

He also pointed to some dioceses that have actually seen increased attendance in the 2013-14 period, adding:

"Attendance statistics do not tell the whole story. There are many things that churches do that are not included in these data from running homelessness services and hosting foodbanks, to educating a million children a day in our schools to providing welcome and accompaniment to the least, the last and the lost in our society."

Figures could be misleading

Dr Bev Botting, Head of Research and Statistics for the Archbishops’ Council has pointed out that these numbers must be evaluated with caution.

Writing in the report’s preface, she highlighted that in 2013 and 2014, amendments were made to a question on school service attendance. This change may have influenced the apparent decline in average weekly attendance (AWA).

She emphasised: "You shouldn’t draw any inferences about short-term trends in the AWA from 2012 to 2014."

Growth among other denominations

The Church of England is represented by 16,000 churches, out of a total of around 50,700 Christian churches or congregations throughout the UK. As the Church of England seeks renewal, other streams of Christianity show signs of growth.

The Rev. David Robertson, Moderator of the Free Church in Scotland, said:

"The Free Church of Scotland has been very encouraged in recent years to see that the Lord has honoured our stand for his Word and his Gospel. Although small, we are seeing growth and development."

The FIEC Operations Director Andrew Nicholson, who carried out a recent data survey for the FIEC, said that analysis of 2014/15 data had shown a 10% attendance increase since 2003.

He cautioned, however, that this statistic must be taken in context, as more churches have joined the FIEC community since then, so data analysis has not been a comparison of like with like. He also said that "some of this will be ‘transfer-growth’ as Christians move between churches."

He continued: "At the moment there are 557 churches affiliated to FIEC and we estimate around 46,000 people attend those churches across Great Britain...

"While it is encouraging that we are not experiencing a decline in overall church attendance, there is no room for complacency. We estimate that fewer than 5% of the British population are born-again Christians, so the gospel challenge we face is significant."

In concluding his remarks, Rev. Robertson also spoke of the gospel: "Churches don't have real growth without new Christians. And new Christians come only through the preaching of the Gospel."